Last semester, numerous classes stepped outside the classroom to take advantage of some of the experiential learning opportunities Atlanta has to offer. Here’s a sample!

Professor Natalie Delia Deckard and her “Introduction to Sociology and Power and Politics” classes toured Atlanta’s National Center for Civil and Human Rights. “Oglethorpe’s sociology classes give students the power to critically engage with the world around them,” said Professor Deckard. “We learn about justice and injustice, equality and the promise of opportunity—so the fact that Atlanta has one of the most well-regarded centers for the study of human rights was especially important.”

Dr. Jay Lutz’s First Year Seminar (FYS) class “Today’s French Movies,” toured Atlanta’s landmark The Fox Theatre and visited the Fernbank Museum of Natural History to see the IMAX film “Jerusalem”. “My intention has been to connect with ‘movie going’,” said Dr. Lutz about his classes out on the town. “There was so much interest in the Fox… The tour was exceptional and well received by the students.”

Dr. Reshmi Hebbar’s “TV & Reading” special topics class didn’t have far to go to witness Atlanta’s burgeoning film and television industry. The director for a television pilot, filmed right on Oglethorpe’s campus in December 2015, welcomed them for a behind-the-scenes tour of the set and production. “That brief glimpse into the complex layers of production was a gift,” said Dr. Hebbar. Several students in the class interested in pursuing TV and film production and writing were able to make connections for future internships. In addition, several OU theatre students were actually involved in the production.

Contributor: Renee Vary Keele