Elizabethtown College Director of Prestigious Scholarships and Public Heritage Studies Jean-Paul Benowitz facilitated a “Place as Text” Faculty Institute for the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) at the University of New Mexico’s Honors College in Albuquerque this July.
During his faculty institute, Benowitz discussed his work teaching Public Heritage Studies courses as part of Etown’s Honors Program, demonstrating how NCHC’s “City as Text” pedagogy ties into scholarship from his students and their civically engaged research.
“Through combining civically engaged research with ‘City as Text,’ my honors students’ scholarship has contributed to local communities surrounding our campus, being listed as National Historic Districts and National Heritage Areas by the National Park Service,” Benowitz said.
Benowitz also worked with faculty members from the United States and Canada to discern how they could implement best practices from Etown’s Honors Program as a model for their curricular and co-curricular programming.
The City As Text™ pedagogy is typically used in semester-long courses, semester-long study abroad experiences, shorter winter or summer term courses, and several days of honors orientation programming. At the institute, faculty spend four days putting themselves in the position of the student, to gain their perspective on experiential learning. In this institute, faculty explored Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
The pedagogy involves students reflecting upon their initial impressions, followed by extended engagement with the local community, and a deep experience and analysis of specifics about the community, before writing and discussing a turning point essay. Students think critically and reflect upon how the exploration of the local community was a cross-cultural transformative experience. Faculty experience all the readings, exploration activities, assignments, discussions, and assessments they will be giving their students to fully test out the City As Text™ pedagogy.
Previously, Benowitz has taught several master classes on “City as Text” honors pedagogy to members of the NCHC. He also serves on NCHC’s National Place as Text Committee and the National Honors Faculty Professional Development Programming Committee.
About the NCHC “Place as Text” Pedagogy at Etown
The NCHC “Place as Text” pedagogy incorporates interdisciplinary and field-based experience leaning into honors coursework. The “Place as Text” pedagogy works well in conjunction with Etown’s Public Heritage Studies minor, which prepares students with historical knowledge, research skills, and hands-on practical experience in the field of public history.
