CUH, KCC Connect for New English Class

As students are registering for the 2021 spring semester, new classes start to become available for students who are looking for classes to meet graduation requirements. This up and coming spring not only are there new psychology classes but a new English course that allows students to interact not only with the Chaminade students, but other students from other college campuses on the Island.

The English department routinely changes out the EN 380 and 480 courses, which have now become a part of the regular schedule and  rotation. But this spring, Dr. Allison Francis Paynter, the English discipline coordinator, decided to create a joint class with professor Beau Ewan, a seventh year Kapiolani Community College (KCC) instructor, to teach a new English class together, which is open to both CUH and KCC students.

“We’re working with the administration on both campuses to create this wonderful opportunity,” said Paynter who has been teaching at CUH for over 16 years. ” It’s open to both Chaminade students and KCC students… But the idea is to join our students together because we have so much to talk about, this rich diversity here on this island and it’s an exciting opportunity for different institutions to work together, both to instruct and to bring our students together.”

The new class is called En 380: Special Topics Creative Non-Fiction: Racial Justice. This class will be on Tuesday and Thursday and is open to eight Chaminade students and there are currently seven students registered for the class.

“It’s primarily a writing workshop,” Paynter said. “We’re going to put so much focus on the students actually getting their hands dirty with the ink or with the keyboard so to speak, so we really want that to be the primary focus, but we have some really intriguing writing prompts that we’re discussing.”

Paynter and Ewan, had started talking, doing email exchanges and Zoom meetings for this class in late September. The last meeting that they had about the course was a few weeks ago and will be having another in December.

“This is probably the fastest structure I’ve ever built for a new class,” Paynter said. “Normally I have the summer or I have the entirety of winter break, but we had to really start creating the scaffolding now, which will then develop and will let it kind of be organic as we move forward in the class.”

Not only has Paynter expressed excitement to start this new combined course, but Ewan had also said that he is excited for this coming spring.

“I would say that it’s exciting to work with another professor from another institution,” Ewan said. “Sort of combine our own different interests to create a class that we think will be interesting, engaging and applicable to students today.”

With CUH students returning to in person classes and KCC students remaining online for the time being,  the professors thought that it would be best to keep the class online.

“I think students who take this class should look forward to having the opportunity to study, learn and write about what I think is one of the more important social movements in modern-day America.” Ewan said.