What Does a Center for Integrated Learning Actually Mean?

By ADDIE TRAMMELL

On April 17, in between student symposium presentations, Beloit College launched their Center for Integrated Learning (CIL), described as “blocks for building your educational pathway”. This new Center isn’t a school or a program, but instead a reorganization of existing classes and majors. 

There seems to be a new school or program every semester, with the School of Global Public Service (GPS) opening at the Beloit and Beyond Conference last fall, and the School of Environment and Sustainability (SES) opening at the 2025 student symposium. There seemed to be a lot of confusion leading up to the event about what this new center actually meant. 

This new center was presented by Natalie Gummer, a Critical Identity Studies (CRIS) professor who has been at Beloit for over 24 years. She introduced this Center for Integrated Learning as a reimagining of the CRIS major and classes. Classes are no longer cross-listed under CRIS, and instead they will count towards learning ‘blocks’ of four courses that can be used to create majors, minors, and new ‘Certificates of Completion’. Despite the lack of courses under the CRIS title, Dr. Gummer stated that, “there are more CRIS courses than ever before”. Self-determined majors were also discussed, wherein a person could go through a process to have a chosen major title that would show up on transcripts and academic record

The block system is in place for Critical Identity Studies and Social Justice courses, and there are 10 blocks to start. This includes options like ‘Bodies’, a collection of courses on the human body, and Indigenous Studies, which can include classes from disciplines of Religious and Environmental studies, and also English and Philosophy. Dr. Gummer stated that they hope to implement the block format for other disciplines as well. 

Another change that was brought up was to the Critical Identity Studies AMP course titled “Sex, Race, and Power”. This class had its name neutered to “Navigating Differences”, and many theorise that this change was made due to fear of the current presidential administration. This change hasn’t been reflected on any academic material, and the new block system still has the class listed as its old name.  

Other colleges, notably Harvard,  have had federal funding removed due to perceived ‘wokeness’ and DEI, and a class titled “Sex, Race, and Power” definitely counts as woke. It brings into question whether this whole new system is being implemented out of fear, and if this is a way to remove the headline of Critical Identity Studies while keeping the classes and the concepts in place. 

Many students left feeling just as confused as when they arrived, and there are still many questions about this curriculum reorganization. It’s important to note that the proposed blocks are still up for review by the Academic Senate, but it is assumed they’ll be approved and that this system will be in place starting Fall ‘25. 

_{Featured image: Beloit College}