Contemporary Educational IssuesDo you ever wonder who controls the curriculum in a grade school? Have you ever wanted to visit a charter school and see what they're all about? In Charlotte Mendoza's class, students meet educational leaders in the community, learn about the reality of educational funding and discuss federal policies like No Child Left Behind. Students visit schools that are trying different approaches – an integrated arts school, a technology magnet school – and schools in low-income districts. The class also covers education assessment and ultimately gives the student a broad-based understanding of issues that affect today's public policy and cultural trends. For the final project, students create a charter school proposal and compete with other teams for public funding.
The Anthropology of FoodWhat is a barbeque, really? What does it mean to have a power lunch? What makes a romantic dinner romantic? We all know that there is cake at weddings and potato salad at a picnic; we can differentiate between festive food, religious food, and family food, but what else comes to the table with each dish? This class focuses particularly on ethnic food and delves into the network of connections between cooking, agriculture, authority, and cultural heritage. To complete this block, students travel to southern Colorado and northern New Mexico to learn first-hand about food production from ranchers and farmers and food preparation in the home and in the restaurant industry.
The Harlem RenaissanceExplore one of the most artistically exciting and creative periods in African-American culture by not only reading poetry, essays, and listening to jazz, but by visiting the places that gave birth and bore witness to the movement. Analyze the music of Duke Ellington and Fats Waller as you visit the historical landmarks of Harlem; read Langston Hughes and consider the sense of place in his poems. Examine this flowering of black culture by investigating the exchange between artist and community and by initiating dialogue with the Harlem community. At the end of the block, you will better understand how an artistic movement springs not from individuals but from a specific time, place, and group of people.
Tropical and Mayan Cultural Ecology in BelizeTropical climate, beautiful coral reefs, and days spent scuba diving. It doesn't get much better than this block in Belize, where students study the tropical forest ecosystem, barrier reef ecology, and the cultural dynamics of Mayans in the rainforest. This block explores the formative natural history of the coral reefs, and students have the opportunity to explore this breathtaking ecosystem by diving and hiking. Whether in the water or on land, students learn about their surroundings and the culture that flourishes within it, and the study of Mayan cultural ecology is enhanced by student home stays with Mayan families.
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The Block Plan is the cornerstone of our academic
program and has been for over 30 years because it
evolves constantly and reinvents itself consistently.
Not only does the Block Plan allow students and
faculty to immerse themselves in a subject, it also
invites classes to do creative, hands-on learning.
Sometimes students convene at midnight in the observatory
or at 7 p.m. to critique a film; some blocks take 
Combine the flexibility of the Block Plan with the complexities of a small city and the vast natural laboratory of the Rocky Mountain region and Southwest, and you have limitless opportunities for field study. Professors often hold classes off campus – for a day, a week, sometimes for an entire block. This is another one of the principal benefits of the Block Plan. If there's an exhibit that ties into your Romanticism block, you can go; if you need to be in the mountains to study alpine vegetation, that's where you'll be.
First-year Outdoor Orientation TripsThe First-year Outdoor Orientation Trips (FOOT) provide an excellent introduction to the western wilderness. Each trip offers students a chance to relax with a small group of people, experience the beautiful scenery, tell stories, and reflect on coming to Colorado College. Trip leaders are members of the Outdoor Recreation Committee, and are professionally trained and certified in Wilderness First Aid and CPR. Beginner trips are two or three days of trail travel with a maximum of five miles of hiking per day. There are also intermediate and advanced trips offered for students with more trail experience and knowledge. Recent FOOT Trips have been to the Sangre de Cristo Range, the San Juan Mountains, and the Maroon Bells near Aspen. |
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Meet the People
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Visiting CC
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Colorado College has developed a program designed to introduce students to the Block Plan through First-year Experience courses (FYEs), which consist of a two-block course or two one-block courses. Courses are offered in almost every department. Also, each year the program designates a single, broad unifying theme that addresses enduring debates about the natural world, society, and the self. In particular, FYEs provide the occasion for developing curiosity, wonder, and bold and creative thinking. They also develop analytic thinking and effective expression. Previous FYE topics include: