Students as Jazz Critics: Real-World Projects in the Mason Core Classroom

An engineering student in a jazz history class may rightfully ask, what does this matter to me? To mitigate these kinds of questions, Mason Core instructors can use real-world, problem-based, or project-based activities. Inspired by Duker, Wiggins, and Ashford-Rowe, Jazz and Blues in America, a Mason Core Arts elective, was remade by imagining students as part-time jazz critics or serious jazz fans. These projects have led to positive student evaluations and more engaging classroom discussions. By thinking about students as future hobbyists or semi-professionals, instruction in general education classes can be made relevant to students majoring in other fields. Instructors can ask, “What are the big questions in my field?” “What does someone who works in this field actually do?” “How would I expect my students to interact with this field in their future daily lives?” This presentation invites instructors to explore how these concepts might apply in their own classes.