Summer Seminar Introduction

From 2022-2025, the Teagle Knowledge for Freedom summer seminar was instructed by Drs. Christine James and Michael Baun on Valdosta State University's beautiful campus. These two professors brought a valuable skillset to this seminar through their unique teaching styles and ability to connect with the Teagle Fellows. Each summer seminar was also equipped with teaching assistants from VSU who were able to assist students with homework and assignments in evening targeted sessions. A variety of guest speakers were also brought in to speak with the course, with speakers and topics ranging to provide diverse ideas to the programming.
Take a look at what one of our Teagle Fellows had to say about their classroom experience. 
“The discussions that had the most impact on me were the ones that made me understand where someone else was coming from. The ones where we took ideas from philosophers and applied them to what is happening today. It’s crazy that we still have truths to what people thought years ago. When we brought up things that were uncomfortable that people don’t want to face in life it impacted me by making me stronger and more open to express how i feel about it. The program really gave me a safe place to expose things for what they are.”
View our Summer Seminar syllablus here.  View our Summer Seminar schedule here.

Description

This seminar introduced students to what citizenship means in a diverse political social climate. Students were expected to read and discuss classic philosophy texts and literature, as well as historical documents, letters, and speeches. Topics included the philosophical and theoretical foundations of the democratic state, specifically the principles, ideals, promises, and realities of the American Democratic republic. Questions of law, citizenship, political obligation, justice, and local issues were included in curriculum as well.
Students were required to read assigned texts to prepare for the following day's coursework, and were additionally required to write a brief personal reflection on each day's readings. The reflection often included information regarding important aspects of the assignment, personal revelations, reactions to the texts, and opinions. These one-paragraph summaries provided a starting point for the morning's seminar discussions. 

Learning Outcomes

Students who completed the Teagle summer seminar had a better understanding of the following topics:

  • Important classical and enlightenment philosophical and theoretical views of the state,
    including its origins and the sources and nature of state authority;
  •  The founding ideals and principles of the American democratic republic and the ongoing
    struggle to fully realize them;
  • The nature of citizenship in a democratic society, and classical and modern views on the
    question of whether and why we should obey the laws and state authority;
  •  Local issues related to the quality of life in our region of the nation and state, connecting
    the traditional readings with current public policies;
  • The college learning environment, and how important philosophical, social, and political
    questions are dealt with in a college classroom.
The classroom discussions had during the summer seminar had a large impact on our students. Check out what one had to say: 
“The discussion about how anyone can change democracy had a big impact on me. When we were discussing the different people who helped raise awareness on issues one of the groups was a group of teenagers. When they were faced with death they still continued on their mission to get people to vote. I felt moved because even though they were young they still chose to do something and I can too.”

Schedule Overview

Week One Activities: 

  • Morning seminars focused on topics surrounding democratic foundations. 
  • Afternoon workshops focused on VSU Career Services, undergraduate research, movie “Égalité”, Africana Studies at VSU, Georgia politics, AI usage, and financial aid and admissions.  
  • Evening fun activities consisted of free time at the Campus Recreation center, VSU campus tour, and tour of Odum library for library resources. 
  • Homework sessions with teacher assistants occurred every weekday. 

Week Two Activities: 

  • Morning seminars focused on topics surrounding citizenship, law, and justice. 
  • Afternoon workshops consisted of civic project preparation, debate and mock trail sessions, college level writing workshops, college application prep, fundamentals of research, and resume building workshops.  
  • Evening fun activities consisted of a tour of the Copeland Museum at VSU, pool time at VSU Campus Recreation, and sessions at the VSU Game Room. 
  • Homework sessions with teacher assistants occurred every weekday. 

Week Three Activities:

  • Morning seminars focused on topics surrounding social and economic justice. 
  • Afternoon workshops consisted of the movie “One Woman One Vote”, civic project preperation, model senate session, the movie “Selma”, a debate session, post program focus group, and a seminar evaluation. 
  • Evening fun activities included pool time at the VSU Campus Recreation building, game room time, free time at Campus Recreation, and a celebratory dinner. 
  • Homework sessions with teacher assistants occurred every weekday. 

 The texts our professors selected for the summer seminar were relatable and impactful to our students.  

 

 

“The most impactful reading for me is the play Antigone. The dialogue between Antigone and Creon highlights the conflict between personal conscience and state law. Antigone's steadfastness in burying her brother, despite Creon's edict, demonstrates the importance of individual moral duty. Meanwhile, Creon's rigid adherence to law underscores the potential dangers of absolute authority. This clash resonates deeply, reflecting timeless themes of justice, civil disobedience, and the human condition.”
“Fredrick Douglas’s speech after the U.S. declared independence from the British. He said that that day was freedom for white people but not for black people. Black people were still slaves and did have any freedom. This hit me hard because I have celebrated July 4th for so long not realizing how awful it was because it was like we were shoving freedom in Black Americans faces. Nobody considered their feelings and some still don’t today. Douglas is such an inspiration and I stand next to him during that speech, supporting his opinions and feelings because they are valid.”