Catalogue

Classroom, Community, and Careers

Engaged Liberal Arts and Sciences (ELAS) courses are designed to link academic work and critical thinking skills from the classroom with community engagement activities that contextualize course materials and enhance learning. Each year, more than 700 Bard students enroll in over 70 ELAS courses that challenge them to develop creative and practical approaches to social, cultural, and scientific issues while partnering with community organizations. A significant portion of the learning takes place through student involvement with organizations and programs in surrounding communities or the national and international venues in which Bard participates. Community engagement is not based on “service” but on respect and reciprocity. This emphasis encourages open exchanges, collaboration, and the potential to produce new forms of knowledge. Learn more at cce.bard.edu/classroom/elas-courses.

Bard-Sponsored Internships  connect students with civic engagement opportunities on and off campus. The Center for Civic Engagement hosts internships in voter engagement through Election@Bard; in communications through the online Annandale Advocate and Dissonance, both student run; and in science education through Citizen Science and volunteer opportunities such as the Saw Kill water sampling project. Many campus offices, including Career Development, as well as the Human Rights Project and Environmental and Urban Studies Program, among other programs, also provide community engagement internships. Bard sponsors off-campus programs in the United States and overseas that feature internship opportunities, including the Bard Global and International Affairs Program in New York City, Bard College Berlin, American University of Central Asia, and Central European University.

Community Action Awards (CAA) support approximately 50 Bard students who participate in unpaid or underpaid internships that address issues impacting people around the world. Students can receive help from CCE and the Career Development Office, or find their own internship placement with community organizations; government agencies and offices; international governmental and nongovernmental organizations; media, public policy, and nonprofit organizations; or educational projects and programs. CAA recipients have interned at prominent organizations including Amnesty International, Asia Society, Bronx Defenders, CNN, Dutchess County Board of Elections, El Museo del Barrio, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Global Justice Center, Human Rights Watch, International Center for Transitional Justice, The Nation, Roubini Global Economics, Save the Children, United Nations, the White House, and World Policy Institute, among others.