Center for Access & Attainment > College Access > Programs > 2019 College Connect

2019 College Connect

Summer 2019 was a big success. Ninety students from over 40 Chicago high schools completed the program, learning from our instructors, peer guides, and each other. Here are a few photos from the program:

We offered the following courses in the summer 2019:

Field: Bioethics

Instructor: Desiree Abu-Odeh

What is informed consent to receive health care? How does it differ from informed consent to participate in human subjects research? Can someone who does not have the mental capacity to consent participate in research? What obligations do health care providers have to their patients? What about when one’s ethical beliefs or self-interests conflict with providing care? What responsibilities do nations and states have for the health of their people? And what are our responsibilities as individuals to one another’s well-being? The field of bioethics has provided scholars with an intellectual space to pose and respond to such questions about free will and choice, professional duties, state responsibility, and more since the mid-twentieth century, when cases of gross violations of professional duties and trust made it clear that researchers and health professionals needed ethics guidance.

This introduction to bioethics course aims to introduce students to the field of bioethics. Students will learn bioethical concepts and frameworks that they will apply to analyze ethical dilemmas in health care, human subjects research, and public health. Students will also learn the history of bioethics, exploring the roles of social difference (on the basis of race, religion, ability, etc.) and social movements in the emergence and application of theories of bioethics. These ideas will be examined through readings, personal reflections, in-class discussions, presentations, and formal writing. Beyond the content, the class will focus on the development of logical arguments, writing skills, oral presentation skills, and teamwork.

Field: English Literature / Media Studies

Instructor: Justin Costello-Stebelton

This course will use literature and non-fiction to explore the role of technology in our lives, particularly the ways in which social media influences our behavior and relationships with other people. We will use literature, television and movies as a lens through which to view the dominant role that social media plays in our modern world. The course will explore what is “real” and what is “virtual,” and how much that distinction does or does not matter. Students' final projects will involve creating technology and social media blogs that reflect on the changing state of the virtual world as represented in fiction.
Field: Documentary Filmmaking / Video Production

Instuctor: Kaitlin Creadon
 
This class will focus on the art of documentary filmmaking and how it can be positively used to educate audiences about social change. Utilizing the newly learned knowledge of film making, editing and documentaries, students will use cameras and camera mics to create their own short documentary films. The class will focus on filmmaking and storytelling as both an art form and as socially influential methods. The students will learn basic filmmaking skills and a foundational, practical knowledge and an appreciation for documentary filmaking as an art form and as an educational tool. Students will create a short documentary film (five minutes or less) exploring a Chicago-based topic that holds importance to them.
Field: Social Psychology

Instructor: Jeremy Pagan

This course will explore social psychological theories explaining stereotypes and prejudice in their many forms. This will include reviewing literature on racial groups, sex, sexual orientation, age and other social identity groups. This course will place an emphasis on empirical research and on teaching students how to interpret and critique research in social psychology. Readings and class discussions will examine the perspectives of both perceivers and targets of stereotypes and prejudice.

Throughout the course students will consider both the experiences of prejudice and being stereotyped, as well as ways to reduce prejudice and the use of stereotypes in society. In addition to reviewing literature and having in-depth class discussions about the psychology of stereotyping and prejudice, students will be encouraged to consider how psychology can be applied to their lives outside of the classroom. It’s important to emphasize that we will discuss the negative effects of stereotypes and prejudice in the history of Chicago’s political atmosphere, social issues and public school systems. The main goal of this course is to help students understand the causes of stereotypes and prejudice, the ways they are maintained, their consequences, and ways they might be reduced.

Field: Peace and Justice Studies

Instructor: Sarah Latham

In this course, students will develop the critical thinking skills necessary to engage with and more fully understand the ways small groups of youth activists have historically acted on behalf of the common good, both locally and globally.  Students will build a framework to critically analyze relevant case studies of youth-led social movements, including the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, the Otpor! movement in Serbia and movements for immigrant and racial justice. The course will explore a handful of practical skills necessary for budding activists. Students will gain hands-on experience completing a project that embodies activist involvement, outlining a campaign that would transform a social issue impacting youth in Chicago.



​