Though Wabash College features many unique learning styles for students, Colloquium is a more notable opportunity. Colloquium is a reading-based class for seniors with different teachers each week, allowing students to study texts with a variety of faculty. Luckily, seniors who took Colloquium over the past decade have had the honor of learning from Wabash College President Scott Feller and Board of Trustee Member Jim Davlin ’85 during one week of their semester.
“Mr. Davlin and I have taught colloquium, I believe, every spring and fall for a number of years,” said Feller. “Mr. Davlin was the Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee of our Board of Trustees when I was in the Dean of the College role. That was when we began, and then we kind of kept it going.”
Davlin was grateful for the chance to be a part of Colloquium and has enjoyed watching students converse about books.
“Colloquium was a great opportunity for Scott and I,” said Davlin. “We started to do it [in 2014] and it’s really an easy class to teach as the learning comes mostly from the students engaging with one another. The way students challenge, respect and converse with each other is insightful.”
Beyond serving as a trustee, Davlin brings experience and value to the Colloquium class discussions. He himself took Colloquium in both the fall and spring semesters of his senior year at Wabash and brings knowledge he gained from those times into recent Colloquium classes.
“Over the years, I think the thing that’s been most valuable is that Jim took colloquium when he was a student,” said Feller. “He often has his copy from the 1984-85 academic year. I think it also is nice for students to see that an alumnus, 40 years later, both cared enough about the text to hang on to it through lots of changes over a lifetime, and then cared enough to be able to come back and engage in the text again.”
Although both men bring wisdom and brilliance to class discussions, there is perhaps even more that they glean from Wabash students.
“In a way, Scott and I have learned something each time we have taught the class,” said Davlin. “It’s a great way to engage first-hand with the students and be reminded about how smart, insightful and articulate our students are.”
While some seniors may have missed out, other current class years at Wabash should plan to participate in at least one semester of Colloquium.
“Colloquium is a great option for Wabash seniors,” said Feller. “It’s a completely different format than most classes. It is graded entirely on the quality of the discussion contributions and how you articulate your own thoughts, ideas and questions. It is also how you help your classmates articulate their own views. I think it’s also a perfect occasion to read a set of important texts that are pulled from a wide range of subjects. We tend not to get a lot of opportunities to do something like that.”
On Wednesday, February 26th, Feller and Davlin hosted their Colloquium on “Things Fall Apart.” The perceptive discussion revolved around an account of colonialism in Nigeria, with student insights encouraged through the guidance of both hosts. But beyond the chance for seniors to learn from such a high level of leadership, it is clear the general knowledge gained in such a class is essential for all Wabash students to take with them as they begin their journey past their undergraduate years.