Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to invite you to apply to teach in the Sophomore Residential Seminars (SRS) program for the 2024–25 academic year. We are able to support up to three SRS courses next year, with students for two seminars residing in 100 Hamilton. Courses across the Colgate curriculum from any division are eligible to be taught as SRS courses, provided they are suitable to a broad cross-section of sophomore students. Continuing our collaboration with Dean Spencer and the Harlem Renaissance Center, one of these SRS courses should focus on issues of race, African-American history, or the African diaspora. The students selected for this SRS will reside in the Harlem Renaissance Center, located in the Bryan complex in Hancock Commons.
The goal of the SRS program is to build a robust living-learning community for a talented cohort of sophomore students. The program primarily consists of a full-credit course taught in the fall semester, a week-long travel experience in January (international or domestic), and a quarter-credit course in the spring to continue discussions generated by the fall course and trip. Students live together and courses are typically taught in the students' residence hall. Extra-curricular activities during the course of the year also help build a sense of academic and social community. Many students have been positively impacted by the SRS program, as highlighted by feedback from a recent participant:
This has been by far the best and most rewarding experience I've had at Colgate. The SRS community has helped me to feel a sense of belonging at Colgate and overall much more comfortable on this campus ... on top of tthat, the course itself was life-changing and played a major role in helping me realize my goals.
Faculty members receive a $6,000 stipend the first time they teach a SRS course and $3,000 the second time. Each SRS faculty member also will have up to $3,000 to support additional events related to their class, such as invited speakers, day trips, course meals, etc. There are also funds to support advance travel to the site in order to prepare for the January trip. This year (2023–24), the SRS courses are:
On the Edges of Sovereignty - Tim Byrnes
Introduction to Museum Studies - Xan Karn
Computing as a Weapon - Joel Sommers
Race, White Supremacy, and Education: Allies, Advocates, and Co-Conspirators - John Palmer (associated with the HRC)
I am sure that any of the recent SRS faculty would be happy to answer questions about their experiences leading SRS programs. Examples of the current slate of SRS classes and trip details can be found on the SRS website. The deadline to apply to teach in the SRS program for 2023–24 is Oct. 13, 2023. Applications can be submitted here via a brief Google form.
If you have further questions about the program or potential ideas for SRS that you would like to discuss, please don't hesitate to contact me (abaptiste@colgate.edu). Many thanks for considering teaching in this wonderful and impactful program.
All the best,
April Baptiste
Associate Dean of the Faculty for Global and Local Initiatives