Academic Opportunities: Praxis

Praxis I Departmental Courses provide opportunities for students to explore and develop community connections in relation to the course topic by incorporating a variety of activities into the syllabus, such as:

• field trips to local organizations,
• guest speakers from those organizations,
• and assignments that ask students to research local issues.

In some cases, students in Praxis I courses are engaged in introductory fieldwork activities; the time commitment for this fieldwork does not exceed two hours per week or 20 hours per semester.

The Praxis component in all Praxis I courses constitutes less than 25 percent of the total coursework assigned.

Questions? Contact Liv Raddatz at lraddatz@brynmawr.edu or Tiffany Stahl at tstahl@brynmawr.edu.

Praxis II Departmental Courses include a more substantial fieldwork component. This component engages students in activities and projects off-campus linked directly to course objectives and useful to the community partner.

Time Commitment

The time commitment for fieldwork varies greatly from course to course but falls within the range of two to seven hours per week or 20-70 hours per semester.

Praxis II courses might include:

• weekly fieldwork in local classrooms or community-based organizations;
• conducting research that has been requested by a community partner;
• project-based activities include creating a curriculum, designing a website, or curating a museum exhibit.

Fieldwork Agreement

The Praxis Fieldwork Agreement is an important part of all Praxis II courses. This document outlines the learning and placement objectives of the Praxis component and is signed by the course instructor, the field supervisor, the Praxis coordinator, and the student. These fieldwork agreements are specific to each course, and the forms will be made available by the course's Praxis field placement coordinator or the instructor.

The Praxis component in Praxis II courses constitutes between 25-50 percent of the total coursework assigned.

Questions? Contact Liv Raddatz at lraddatz@brynmawr.edu or Tiffany Stahl at tstahl@brynmawr.edu.

SOCL B258 Sociology of Education  

T & Th 8:25- 9:45 AM | Instructor: David Karen  

In this course, students will analyze sociological theories and their relationships between education and society, focusing on the effects of education on inequality in the United States. This course also examines the historical development of primary, secondary, and post-secondary education in the United States. Other topics include education and social selection, testing and tracking, and micro- and macro-explanations of differences in educational outcomes. This is a Praxis II course; placements are in local schools.  

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC); Counts Toward Child and Family Studies; Counts Toward Education; Counts Toward Praxis Program  
 

EDUC B220 Changing Pedagogies in Mathematics and Science  

T 7:10 - 10:00 PM | Instructor: Victor Donnay  

This Praxis course will examine research-based approaches to teaching mathematics and science. What does research tell us about how people learn? How can one translate this learning theory into teaching approaches that will help all students learn mathematics and science? How are these new approaches, that often involve active, hands-on, inquiry-based learning, being implemented in the classroom? What challenges arise when one tries to bring about these types of changes in education? How do issues of equity, discrimination, and social justice impact math and science education? The Praxis component of the course usually involves two (2) two-hour visits per week for 8 weeks to a local math or science classroom.  

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC); Counts Toward Praxis Program  
  

ENGL B220 Writing in Theory/Writing in Practice  

TTH 9:55 - 11:00 AM | Instructor: Jen Callaghan  

This Praxis course is designed for students interested in teaching or tutoring writing at the high-school or college level. The course focuses on current theories of rhetoric and composition, theories of writing and learning, writing pedagogy, and literacy issues. Students will get hands-on experience with curriculum design and lesson planning, strategies for classroom teaching and individual instruction, and will develop digital projects related to multilingual writing and plagiarism. The Praxis components of the course are primarily project-based, but we may also make one or two group visits to local sites where writing is taught.  

Writing Intensive; Critical Interpretation (CI)); Counts Toward Praxis Program 
 

ANTHRO B246 The Everyday Life of Language: Field Research in Linguistic Anthropology  

TTH 11:25 - 12:45 PM | Instructor: Amanda Weidman  

The goal of this course is to develop an awareness of how language operates in various interactional and other (eg. ritual, performance, political) contexts that we commonly experience. The focus will be on gaining hands-on experience in doing linguistic anthropological data collection and analysis, while putting the results of individual student projects together as part of initiating an ongoing, multi-year project. Topics that students explore ethnographically may include language and gender; language, race and social indexicality; sociolinguistic variation; codeswitching; register and social stance; language and social media. Student research will involve ethnographic observation, audio-recording of spoken discourse, conducting interviews, and learning how to create a transcript to use as the basis for ethnographic analysis. For the praxis component of the course, students will use the experience they have gained to generate ideas for components of a middle school/high school language arts curriculum that incorporates linguistic anthropology concepts and student-driven research on language.  

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC); Counts Toward Gender/Sex Studies (Min/Conc); Counts Toward Praxis Program  

Praxis Independent Study (PIS) offers students an opportunity to take a course uniquely tailored to their own academic, career and civic interests. PIS places fieldwork at the center of a supervised learning experience and students work 8-10 hours a week throughout the semester at their fieldsite.

Fieldwork

The fieldwork for Praxis Independent Study consists of eight to 10 hours per week for 12 weeks and constitutes 75 percent of the work for the course. Typically, students complete two, four-to-five-hour visits per week. Fieldwork is supported by appropriate readings and regular meetings with a faculty member who must agree in advance to supervise the project. Students typically meet with their faculty advisor once every two weeks.

Student Support

Students receive additional support from the Praxis staff, who conduct reflection sessions for each semester’s Praxis cohort, visit each student’s field site once a semester to meet with the student and the field supervisor and coordinate the end-of-semester Praxis Poster Session.

Eligibility

Praxis Independent Study is an option for Bryn Mawr sophomore and higher-level students in good academic standing. Students are eligible to take up to two Praxis Independent Study courses during their time at the College.

Course Development Process

Advanced planning is required for students wanting to develop a Praxis Independent Study course. There is an application process for students who wish to design a Praxis Independent Study course for the fall semester. 

Advising and Supervision

Praxis staff members will then guide the students in setting up their courses, a process that includes finding a faculty member who agrees to advise their course and a field supervisor at an organization that agrees to host their field experience.

Learning Plan

Before the start of the semester, they will work with their faculty advisor and field supervisor to develop a learning plan that outlines the learning objectives and curriculum for their course.

Questions? Contact Liv Raddatz at lraddatz@brynmawr.edu or Tiffany Stahl at tstahl@brynmawr.edu.

Check out our Praxis Blog to learn about Praxis courses and celebrate experiential learning, adaptation, and resilience.

Previous Blogs

• Spring 2022
• Fall 2021
• Spring 2021
• Spring 2020

Who can take a Praxis Independent Study course? Are there any prerequisites or restrictions? 

Students interested in taking a Praxis Independent Study course should be sophomores and above and in good academic standing. There are no other prerequisites for taking a Praxis Independent Study course. (Students do not need to complete a Praxis I or Praxis II course to take a Praxis Independent Study course). Keep in mind that a student can take a total of two Praxis Independent Study courses during her time at the college.

Where do I begin?

Many students come to the Praxis office with this question. It is best to begin creating a Praxis Independent Study course by visiting the Praxis website. There, you will find stories and experiences of former Praxis students, which may help you begin thinking about your interest in pursuing a Praxis course. Attending a Praxis Independent Study information session is also a great idea. Information sessions are usually held one to two weeks before pre-registration or after fall and spring break. At the information sessions, you can view a Praxis video, talk with students currently enrolled in a Praxis Independent Study course, and talk individually with Praxis staff who work with you throughout the process. If you cannot attend an information session, you can set up an appointment to meet with someone in the Praxis office at another time.

What are the steps I need to take to design a Praxis Independent Study course?

It is best if you arrive at your Praxis meeting with an idea of what you would like to study. What are your learning objectives for a Praxis Independent Study course? You will have an opportunity to discuss these learning objectives with the Praxis staff and consider ways to reframe or broaden your questions to make your proposal more unique. 

Praxis Independent Study credit is given from a department, so it is also a good idea to consider what department you would like to receive credit from. You must find a faculty advisor to work with throughout your Praxis Independent Study course. Have you already thought of someone? Who are you considering? Who will you be contacting? 

You will also need to identify a field placement. If you have identified a particular site, have you contacted them? Have you made arrangements for your Praxis Independent Study course with this site? What arrangements have you made? If you have not identified a site, what are you thinking about? Remember that faculty members and Praxis staff can serve as excellent resources when identifying a field placement opportunity. 

You will use this information to create a proposal for your Praxis Independent Study course. Your Academic Dean and the Director of Praxis must approve this proposal. After approval of the proposal, you must complete a Praxis Independent Study Learning Plan. Before you can begin work at your field placement, this information must be approved and signed by your faculty advisor, your field placement supervisor, the field placement coordinator, and the Director of the Praxis program.

How do I register for a Praxis Independent Study course? If it is not listed, who should I contact?

Once your Learning Plan has been completed and signed, turn it into the Director of Praxis, who will then notify the Registrar’s Office that the Praxis Independent Study Learning Plan has been approved. At this point, a course registration number will be created. If you review your schedule and transcripts to find that your Praxis Independent Study course has not been listed, please contact the Registrar’s Office.

Can I get reimbursement for transportation to and from my field placement?

Yes. You are reimbursed 100 percent for Praxis courses. The Praxis and Community Service websites provide additional information about travel reimbursement and forms for recording travel expenses. 

Is there a list of field placement opportunities available?

Due to the unique nature of each student’s learning objectives, their previous experience with community service or internships, ongoing partnerships between the college and the local community, and newly developing partnerships, there is no list of field placements available to prospective Praxis Independent Study students. The Civic Engagement Office offers a list of local service organizations that might serve as a useful guide for getting started. However, We cannot guarantee that we have a partnership with each organization on the list or that the contact person will remain the same.  

What is the difference between a Praxis Independent Study course and an internship?

Typically, an internship provides an opportunity for a student to gain real-world experience in a setting outside of the classroom and acquire knowledge and skills that may benefit them when they enter the workforce. Many times, students who participate in internships do not receive academic credit for the work they do. 

Praxis courses can be similar to internships in that they place the student in a setting outside of the classroom, where they will gain real-world experience and acquire knowledge and skills that may be useful to them when they enter the workforce. The difference between Praxis Independent Study courses and internships is that a Praxis course is created out of a set of learning objectives or questions that a student has around a particular theoretical concept and its application in the field placement setting. It is a highly academic, reflective course structured by the student’s experiences in the field placement. Students who take a Praxis Independent Study course receive academic credit for their work.      

For Spring 2025

Please review the timing and steps in designing a Praxis Independent Study (PIS) course for next semester. Completing a PIS Course Proposal and, eventually, a Praxis Learning Plan are two key steps.

In-person fieldwork with local organizations is recommended, but in some cases, students may also design a course around a hybrid or fully remote fieldwork experience (in the US).

October/Early November

1. Attend the PIS Information Session on Thursday, October 24, 2024, from 3:30-4:30 PM in The Well 173. Register here in Handshake.
2. Schedule a Praxis consultation with Liv Raddatz (lraddatz@brynmawr.edu) or Tiffany Stahl (tstahl@brynmawr.edu) to discuss your interests and the PIS course development process. It is helpful to have this conversation before completing the PIS Course Proposal Form.
3. Reach out to your dean and/or major advisor to discuss how a Praxis course would fit into your course schedule next semester. You need their approval to proceed. International students must also contact Patti Lausch about Curricular Practical Training (CPT).

November

1. Submit a PIS Course Proposal by Friday, November 22, 2024. You will be asked to identify your course learning objectives, potential field sites, and a potential Faculty Advisor for your course.
2. Contact a potential Faculty Advisor for your course. Discuss your interests and learning goals and share your PIS Course Proposal with them.
3. Identify and contact potential field sites for your course. Please review the Quick Tips for Finding Praxis Field Placements document. If you are unfamiliar with the landscape of organizations related to your topic/field of interest, schedule an appointment with a Career Counselor or Career Peer in the Career & Civic Engagement Center to complete an internship search, visit the online Civic Engagement Directory of Local Non-Profit Organizations, visit the Praxis Blog, and talk with Praxis staff, friends, Major Advisors, other faculty, and Deans about your interests to learn more about what they know or with whom they have worked.

December

1. Secure a Faculty Advisor for your course. Your Faculty Advisor must approve your PIS Course Proposal via email to you and copy Praxis Program staff, Liv Raddatz (lraddatz@brynmawr.edu) and Tiffany Stahl (tstahl@brynmawr.edu), on the message. Due Friday, December 13, 2024.
2. Attend the required virtual Praxis Learning Plan Development Workshop on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at 10 AM via Zoom. Register here in Handshake.
3. Secure a field placement: Communicate with potential field sites. Once you have a field placement confirmed, let Praxis staff and your Faculty Advisor know. Work with your Field Supervisor to determine your responsibilities, work schedule, fieldwork learning objectives, and the skills you would like to develop through the fieldwork. You need to have a confirmed field placement by Monday, January 13, 2025.

December/January

1. Develop the Learning Plan for your course: maintain contact with your Faculty Advisor to finalize your course description, learning objectives, readings, assignments, and meeting schedule.
2. Submit a draft of your Praxis Learning Plan by Wednesday, January 15.
3. Submit a final Praxis Learning Plan with Faculty Advisor and Field Supervisor approval by Friday, January 24, 2025 at 5PM. The registrar will register PIS students following final approval by Praxis staff.
4. Attend the Praxis Independent Study Orientation (required) on Friday, January 24, from 12:00 –1:00 p.m. in the Student Life and Wellness Building, Room 173.
5. Begin Praxis fieldwork the week of January 27 (second week of classes).
    

Questions? Contact Liv Raddatz (lraddatz@brynmawr.edu) or Tiffany Stahl (tstahl@brynmawr.edu).

Praxis Fieldwork Seminars bring students working at independent but related field sites together to meet with a single faculty advisor.

During (generally) bi-weekly meetings, students share experiences from the field and discuss how their fieldwork is related to the common academic content of the course.

Seminars meet about eight times during the semester and the fieldwork component for the Fieldwork Seminar is eight to 10 hours per week; similar to the requirements of a Praxis Independent Study.

While students need to secure a field placement, they do not need to find a faculty advisor and develop the full course.

Questions? Contact Liv Raddatz at lraddatz@brynmawr.edu or Tiffany Stahl at tstahl@brynmawr.edu.

2024

• HART B420 Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar, Prof. Matt Feliz - This course provides students with a forum in which to ground, frame and discuss their hands-on work in museums, galleries, archives or collections. Whether students have arranged an internship at a local institution or want to pursue one in the Bryn Mawr College Collections, this course will provide a framework for these endeavors, coupling praxis with theory supported by readings from the discipline of Museum Studies. The course will culminate in a final presentation, an opportunity to reflect critically on the internship experience. Prior to taking the course, students will develop a Praxis Learning Plan through the Career and Civic Engagement office. All students will share a set syllabus, common learning objectives and readings, but will also be able to tailor those objectives to the specific museum setting or Special Collections project in which they are involved. 
• SOCL B420 Praxis Fieldwork Seminar: Social Justice, Prof. David Karen - This course supports students doing Praxis field placements of 8-10 hours per week at sites that do work related to social justice concerns, broadly defined. Students will meet in a seminar format for two hours every other week to reflect together upon their experiences in the field and connect these experiences to academic readings on social justice, activism, advocacy, and related topics. Both the field placement and enrollment in the course must be approved by the Praxis office and the instructor. 

2022

• HART B316 Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar, Monique Scott and Sylvia Houghteling
• POLS B420 Politics, Policy and Power, Marissa Golden
• SOCL B420 Social Justice and Social Change, David Karen

2020

• Spring 2020, Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar 
• Spring 2020, Promoting Change Thru Service 

2019

• Fall 2019, French Translation Fieldwork Seminar, Friends of the Congo
• Fall 2019, Social Justice and Social Change Fieldwork Seminar, Office of the District Attorney, City of Philadelphia
• Fall 2019, Social Justice and Social Change Fieldwork SeminarYES!
• Fall 2019, Social Justice and Social Change Fieldwork Seminar, Pennsylvania Innocence Project
• Fall 2019, Social Justice and Social Change Fieldwork Seminar, William Way Community Center
• Fall 2019, Social Justice and Social Change Fieldwork Seminar, Profugo
• Fall 2019, Social Justice and Social Change Fieldwork Seminar, GreenLight Fund
• Fall 2019, Social Justice and Social Change Fieldwork Seminar, ACLU
• Fall 2019, Social Justice and Social Change Fieldwork Seminar, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation
• Fall 2019, Social Justice and Social Change Fieldwork Seminar, DMAX Foundation
• Fall 2019, Social Justice and Social Change Fieldwork Seminar, Penn Environment
• Spring 2019, International Studies/Promoting Change Thru Service, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• Spring 2019, Sociology/Promoting Change Thru Service, Golden Volunteer
• Spring 2019, Political Science and French/Promoting Change Thru Service, Think Tanks Civil Societies Program (TTCSP)
• Spring 2019, Psychology/Promoting Change Thru Service, Project Safe
• Spring 2019, Public Health/Promoting Change Thru Service, Southeast Asian Mutual Assistance Associations Coalition (SEAMAAC)
• Spring 2019, French/Promoting Change Thru Service, Women's Center of Montgomery County
• Spring 2019, History of Art/Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar, Fabric Workshop and Museum
• Spring 2019,  Philosophy (Haverford)/Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar, African American Museum in Philadelphia
• Spring 2019, Archaeology/Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar, Bryn Mawr Special Collections
• Spring 2019, History and Spanish/Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar, Taller Puertorriqueño
• Spring 2019, Religion/Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar, Twelve Gates Arts
• Spring 2019, History of Art/Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar, Penn Museum of Archeology and Anthropology
• Spring 2019, History of Art/Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar, Herbert Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies and the National Museum of American Jewish History
• Spring 2019, Anthropology/Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar, Bryn Mawr Special Collections
• Spring 2019, History of Art/Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar, Bryn Mawr Special Collections

2018

• Spring 2018, Computer Science/Mathematics, Exploring Museum Applications of Augmented and Virtual Reality, Canaday Library
• Spring 2018, Mathematics/Exploring Museum Applications of Augmented and Virtual Reality, Canaday Library 
• Spring 2018, Growth and Structure of Cities/Exploring Museum Applications of Augmented and Virtual Reality, Canaday Library 
• Spring 2018, Growth and Structure of Cities/Exploring Museum Applications of Augmented and Virtual Reality, Canaday Library
• Spring 2018, Computer Science/Exploring Museum Applications of Augmented and Virtual Reality, Canaday Library
• Spring 2018, Undeclared/Exploring Museum Applications of Augmented and Virtual Reality, Canaday Library
• Spring 2018, History of Art/Museum Studies Fieldwork, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)
• Spring 2018, History of Art/Museum Studies Fieldwork, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA)
• Spring 2018, History/Museum Studies Fieldwork, Bryn Mawr College Special Collections
• Spring 2018, History of Art/Museum Studies Fieldwork, Twelve Gates Arts
• Spring 2018, History of Art/Museum Studies Fieldwork, Bryn Mawr College Special Collections 
• Spring 2018, Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology/Museum Studies Fieldwork, Bryn Mawr College Special Collections
• Spring 2018, History of Art/Museum Studies Fieldwork, Fabric Workshop and Museum
• Spring 2018, Undeclared/Museum Studies Fieldwork, Fabric Workshop and Museum
• Spring 2018, Psychology/Psychology in Practice: Community-Based Learning, Parkway West High School 
• Spring 2018, Psychology/Psychology in Practice: Community-Based Learning, Phebe Anna Thorne Kindergarten
• Spring 2018, Psychology/Psychology in Practice: Community-Based Learning, Phebe Anna Thorne School
• Spring 2018, Psychology/Psychology in Practice: Community-Based Learning, Child and Adolescent Development of Emotion, Personality, and Psychopathology Lab
• Spring 2018, Psychology/Psychology in Practice: Community-Based Learning, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - Academic Associates Program
• Spring 2018, Psychology/Psychology in Practice: Community-Based Learning, Character Lab
• Spring 2018, Psychology/Psychology in Practice: Community-Based Learning, Kable Lab
• Spring 2018, Psychology/Psychology in Practice: Community-Based Learning, Center for Autism Research at CHOP
• Spring 2018, Psychology/Social Justice and Social Change, Women's Law Project
• Spring 2018, Independent Major: Public Health/Social Justice and Social Change, Prevention Point Philadelphia 
• Spring 2018, Sociology/Social Justice and Social Change, Common Space
• Spring 2018, Sociology/Social Justice and Social Change, One Art Community Center
• Spring 2018, Sociology/Social Justice and Social Change, Common Space
• Spring 2018, Sociology/Social Justice and Social Change, The Philadelphia Citizen
• Spring 2018, Political Science/Social Justice and Social Change,Galaei
• Spring 2018, Sociology/Social Justice and Social Change, Philadelphia Parks Alliance
• Spring 2018, History of Art/Social Justice and Social Change, Philadelphia Legal Assistance
• Spring 2018, Sociology/Social Justice and Social Change, Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition
• Spring 2018, Sociology/Social Justice and Social Change, YASP
• Fall 2018, Anthropology/Philadelphia's Buried Past, Arch Street Project and University of Rutgers-Camden

Join the friends_of_praxis@brynmawr.edu listserv to connect with faculty and staff members at Bryn Mawr who share an interest in community-based and experiential learning and to receive Praxis-related resources and program updates.

Send an email to friends_of_praxis@brynmawr.edu or lraddatz@brynmawr.edu to subscribe.

Course Design

The College is a member of PHENND (the Philadelphia Higher Education Network of Neighborhood Development) and Pennsylvania Campus Compact. Both of these organizations have syllabi directories and will provide technical assistance to faculty from member institutions.

Liv Raddatz and Tiffany Stahl will consult with faculty who want to incorporate a community-based learning component into an existing or new course. 

Course development grants have been available through Civic Engagement in the past, through outside grants that our office has obtained. Currently, course development funding is not available from our office but may be available through the Provost’s Office.

Praxis and Civic Engagement have established many connections with community based organizations in the region and will share this network with faculty who are looking for ways of building a community-based learning component into a course.

Some of the most helpful advice about Praxis course design comes from other faculty who have already taught Praxis courses. We are in touch with many BMC and HC faculty who are teaching community-based learning courses in a variety of disciplines and would be glad to make suggestions about whom to contact. Praxis Coordinators are happy to work with faculty on their courses at any stage of development.

Questions? Contact Liv Raddatz at lraddatz@brynmawr.edu or Tiffany Stahl at tstahl@brynmawr.edu.

Praxis staff members Liv Raddatz and Tiffany Stahl can work with faculty teaching Praxis courses.

Each faculty-Praxis Coordinator team functions differently, depending on the course's needs, the professor's desired level of Praxis Coordinator involvement, and the Praxis Coordinator's background and availability.

Typically, the Praxis Coordinator develops and coordinates student placements for the course. This includes identifying appropriate placements for the course, matching students with field sites, maintaining regular communication with the field supervisors (including at least one on-site visit during the semester), troubleshooting as needed, and administering evaluations of the field placement experience.

The Praxis Coordinator is also available to assist with designing the Fieldwork Agreement form and facilitate an in-class orientation to the Fieldwork session and in-class reflection and discussion. Typically, the Praxis Coordinator attends class at least once a week to become familiar with the course material and get to know the students.

The Praxis Coordinator may also be available to bring in speakers or visitors from the community organization with which the course is partnered. Funding for speaker honoraria is also available from the Praxis budget.

Students in Praxis courses receive reimbursement for their transportation expenses.

In some cases, Praxis can also fund transportation for group field trips.

Groups of students in Praxis courses can travel in BMC vans if the group has a certified BMC van driver. Van reservations and the costs associated with this travel are covered by Civic Engagement.