The first presentation of the Karl W. Weiss '87 Faculty Lecture Series will be Wednesday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m. in Quigley Auditorium. Irem Kurtsal, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, will be presenting a talk on "Community-Engaged Learning Through Digital Experience Design."

Community-engagement in courses has well-established pedagogical benefits. But while students benefit from applying philosophical skills and knowledge to the needs of our communities, they should recognize and respect the community partners’ central role in their education, and community partners should benefit from the outcome of the partnership. Can students taking their first course in philosophy do anything that fits the bill?

In this workshop, I will lay out the way I incorporated community involvement in my course Freedom, Addiction, and the Opioid Crisis. Students design a digital experience geared to create awareness about the sorts of challenges a person with a substance use disorder (SUD) in recovery faces while they maintain sobriety.