experiential learning Archives - Reynolds College Blog

Theatre students to read Declaration of Independence on Carrington lawn Nov. 10

October 29, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

Students in the Fall 2026 Advanced Voice and Movement class (THE 326) will give a public reading of the Declaration of Independence at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 10 on the lawn west of Carrington Hall.

Assistant Professor Karen Sabo teaches the class.

The event is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by Missouri State’s Department of Theatre and Dance, Public Affairs Office and the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities.

Mark your calendar

History is “someone else’s now”

Sabo is a self-confessed history junkie, especially early American history. “As a theater person, I realize all that history was just someone else’s now,” she said.

She included the Declaration of Independence assignment to commemorate the document’s 250th anniversary.

“I love being able to vote, and I never miss an election,” Sabo said. “And I want to teach my students to have the same excitement and interest in democracy.”

Because she is only the second generation in her family to be born in the United States, Sabo said she was raised to appreciate living in a democracy.

“I grew up in Albany, New York, [and] both my parents at some point worked for the state government,” she explained. “So that was most of what we talked about at dinner every night. It was government, legislation, politicians, how things worked. And it’s just always been on my radar.”

Woman standing in front of classroom smiling — Assistant Professor Karen Sabo takes roll in her Advanced Voice and Movement class.

Declaration a “high stakes moment”

Consequently, Sabo is as fascinated by the Signers’ courage as she is their vision. Both are qualities student actors must understand and embody in their performances.

“Something we deal with as actors is finding the highest stakes possible in a situation,” Sabo said. “One of the most famous things Benjamin Franklin ever said was, ‘we must now all hang together or we will hang separately.’ This was a life and death situation. They could have all been tried for treason and hanged, and that would have been the end of their lives.”

A public reading of the Declaration, such as what the students will perform, captures the sensory experience of that high stakes moment.

“We hope to make it accessible to those passing by, like the town criers that would have read out the document in their communities when it was first written,” said junior BFA Acting for the Stage and Screen major Kathryn Williams. “Our performance, in a way, is a display of how common citizens back then would have received the Declaration.” [Read more…] about Theatre students to read Declaration of Independence on Carrington lawn Nov. 10

Revamped public sociology class embraces community engagement

October 15, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

When Associate Professor Dr. Lyle Q. Foster learned about the Engaged Civic Learning and Economic Mobility Project, he immediately saw an opportunity to apply its concepts in the classroom.

Specifically, Foster had his eye on revisiting Public Sociology and Community Studies (SOC 398), a course offered through the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology.

“I felt it was time for a revamp of the course, and some of the [project] criteria really interested me,” Foster said. “Community sociology is such a passion for me. The opportunity to blend it with entrepreneurship—a personal passion—seemed ideal.”

The project is a faculty and staff cohort initiative run by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) American Democracy Project.

Foster applied to the project, was accepted and began training in March. The training, which ended in June, included a one-week conference and several virtual sessions with cohort members.

From there, Foster was eager to implement its objectives into his community-facing classes “as soon as possible.”

Community-engaged learning focuses on economic mobility

Previous public sociology courses have always used community partnerships, Foster said. Key to the revised course, however, is the concept of economic mobility.

The goal of economic mobility is already built into the role of the community partners, Foster said. The revised course, however, allows students to also learn about its importance. For them to achieve this, Foster specifically sought businesses “where the students could potentially see themselves as customers.”

Foster also wanted students to work with businesses that are entrepreneurial in nature but have only a few employees. Doing so, he explained, allows the students to directly engage and work with the store owner/entrepreneur.

Moreover, he sought businesses willing to work with university students and listen to their ideas. The results, he noted, are community partners invested in the planning and evaluation of the course.

“Community-engaged learning encourages a still more active role for the community…in the curriculum design and the student engagement experience, which is quite exciting,” Foster said. “There is a different level of curiosity and engagement with this approach.” [Read more…] about Revamped public sociology class embraces community engagement

“In the Footsteps of Titans and Gods:” Missouri State students experience Greece

October 11, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

The Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH) produced several successful Education Abroad programs for the 2025-26 year. Two of those programs—Ecuador and Italy—have already been featured in RCASH News. We conclude our coverage of these programs by heading to Greece.

Thirteen students and two faculty from Missouri State University helped launch the inaugural Education Abroad experience in Greece May 11-22, 2026.

The students were Nadia Adamson, Teagan Allison, Alia Barker, Katherine Bracy, Cal Bussen, Michaela Dickey, Sylvie Edwards, Loren Halmick, Ava Hurley, Scout Hutchinson, Sav Jordan, Julie Kate Moylan and Gabrielle Stonehouse.

Faculty members Dr. William Harwood and Nikki Ferry led the interdisciplinary program, “In the Footsteps of Titans and Gods: An Immersive Exploration of Philosophy and Theatre in Greece.”

When they applied for the Education Abroad Faculty Fellows inaugural cohort, Harwood and Ferry each selected Greece as their destination. The happy coincidence created an opportunity for them to collaborate.

“[We] were very excited to explore how our two disciplines, philosophy and theatre, intersected while imparting our love of the country of Greece to our students,” Ferry said.

Harwood is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and Philosophy. Ferry is an assistant professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance.

Students connect with the past during Italy Education Abroad

September 28, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

Twelve Missouri State University students and religious studies professor Dr. Vadim Putzu traveled to Italy May 10-19 as part of the Education Abroad program, “A Booted History of Judaism.”

During their two-week visit, the group first stopped in Rome, then traveled to Apulia, Italy’s southern “heel” region. The last part of their itinerary included an overnight train ride to Venice.

Throughout their journey, the group visited archaeological parks, museums, burial sites, synagogues, churches and Jewish quarters. They met local scholars and community members. They also polished their Italian language skills whenever possible.

Participating students were Lisa Brackenridge, Evelyn Carter, Alexander Geringer, Beth Hallmark, Abigail Hardwick, Justice Jones, Hailie Mongillo, Mallory Morton, Mason Oliver, Ilene Smith, Emma Thomas and Isabella Wrisberg.

Ecuador Education Abroad evolves into successful field school experience

September 16, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

“From the Andes to the Amazon in Ecuador,” one of the many Education Abroad programs offered at Missouri State University, successfully completed its third run June 24-July 16, 2026.

This year, six students joined Jason Shepard, senior instructor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology. They were Kenyon Broten, Amanda Gott, Ryan Johnston, DeMarcus Powell-Long, Myles Ramey and Autumn Seely.

This is the third time Shepard has led the Ecuador program. Additionally, this was the second time Gott, Johnston and Broten traveled to Ecuador as part of the Education Abroad experience. They used the opportunity to expand their research, which they plan to present at the Society for Applied Anthropology conference in March 2027.

Beyond a “travel course”

When Shepard began the Ecuador program in 2023, he envisioned it as more than just a “travel course.”

“[It] was designed from the beginning as an anthropology field school,” he explained. “I think students are attracted to the program because they get to do anthropology rather than only study it in a classroom.”

Cultivating the field school approach

Shepard evaluates the program annually to see what is working and what isn’t. He doesn’t, however, change the program simply to offer students something different. Instead, he believes returning to the same communities and working with the same people gives the field school approach “considerable value.”

“Short-term education abroad can make sustained relationships difficult,” Shepard said. In contrast, repeated visits allow students to develop strong connections with the communities they are studying.

“After three years, these are no longer simply places on an itinerary,” he said. “I have relationships with families, educators, activists, community leaders, farmers, guides and others who help make the field school possible.”