Notes from an Open Classroom
What is this “Open Classroom” , and where is it? Who goes there to learn? To learn what? Leaving the door open, for what?
Short editorial note
Notes from an Open Classroom
As part of the Socrates Project offered at Bard College Berlin in the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022, participants were invited to produce short and longer pieces of writing, as well as mind maps, to reflect on the course material, class discussions and issues of personal interest that relate to the theme of “freedom and society”. Considering the quality of these texts and drawings, the desire to share experiences and critical insights with participants from other seminars and a wider community of readers interested in fostering inclusive educational formats, the idea of collecting and publishing a selection of this work emerged.
The published texts range from works in progress, such as reading notes and sketches, to personal impressions of the urban landscape of Berlin and fully fledged opinion pieces. Socrates Project courses were instructed in four different languages, so in this publication you’ll find texts in German, Turkish, Arabic and English. In their production participants were supported by writing tutors and workshops which provided a forum for experimentation with different modes of writing. All texts were edited with a combination of academic rigor and a respect for the free spirit of the “Socrates experience”.
– Editorial Team