CASAA Microgrant Sends Two First-Year Seminars to Washington, D.C. to Enhance Experiential Learning

Professor Allyson McCreery, associate director of the International Peace and Conflict Resolution Program, and Dr. Stephen J. Tyson, an adjunct professor, were awarded a joint $1,000 Experiential Learning Microgrant from the Center for Antiracist Scholarship, Advocacy, and Action (CASAA) for the fall 2024 semester. The funds were used to give students in McCreery and Tyson's first-year seminars the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., where they visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, and several other museums.

McCreery teaches the first-year seminar entitled "Making Moves-Strategic Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience in American Culture," while Tyson teaches "Reading Between the Rhymes." Their hope is that giving students the chance to visit these institutions will foster their intellectual curiosity and critical thinking.

"These museums offer unique learning opportunities that further explain and expose historical events and material culture pertaining to our respective course topics," McCreery said. "In the past iterations of these courses, this experiential learning opportunity has proven to be an invaluable learning tool for first-year students, many of whom have never visited Washington, D.C., and/or attended these museums."

Alana Barker '28, a student in McCreery's class, was particularly interested in visiting the National Museum of the American Indian while in D.C. to learn about different customs and practices from the artwork and clothing on display.

"At the National Museum of the American Indian, I read a lot about the different negotiations that took place between government officials and tribe leaders," Barker said. "In our class, we've discussed how such negotiations are integral to the success of nonviolent movements. We also visited the African American History and Culture Museum. There, I learned about The Birmingham Campaign, different marches, The SNCC, sit-ins, The Black Panther Party, and so much more. It's one thing to talk about movements and nonviolence in class, it's another thing to see entire exhibits on it. Every nonviolent movement took so much strategizing, resilience, and bravery."

A student from Tyson's class, Sincire Moragne '28, had visited Washington, D.C. before, but found this trip "incredibly impactful, and I can't wait to return.

"The National Museum of African American History and Culture was, without a doubt, the main attraction for me. It gave me a sense of belonging and made me want to learn as much as possible," explained Moragne. "On the fourth floor of the museum, there was a music section. This room holds knowledge not only about the origins of music in African American culture but also about how it branched out into different genres and evolved into a tool for many purposes."

The experiences offered at these museums align well with Arcadia University's lived values, specifically intellectual freedom and justice.

"Through the exhibits that students encounter, they will confront and challenge systems of oppression and inequity affecting Black as well as Indigenous communities," Tyson said. "At the same time, these exhibits will encourage students to think deeply about historical and contemporary issues of race, power, and privilege and introduce them to examples of changemakers and antiracist advocates who paved the way for societal change."