Carroll Fellows Play with Badgers

“The Mole had long wanted to make the acquaintance of the Badger.”
~ Kenneth Grahame Wind in the Willows

Beginning in February, students commenced actively striving towards the vision of Kenneth Grahame’s intelligent Badger through their participation in Badgerstown, a game to test the wit and cunning of CFI students. Badgerstown consists of teams of students specified by certain colors hiding their team’s token – a picture of past CFI classes – anywhere within a location specified each week. The locations have included Lauinger Library and the Intercultural Center. Tokens must be hidden in plain sight, thus forcing students to exercise their wit in finding an appropriate spot to effectively conceal their token from other teams while still abiding by the game’s guidelines.

In addition to Badgerstown, the fellows proposed topics for their independent research projects (FIRP). Over the course of ten months, students will conduct original, scholarly research, either using new models to frame old topics or researching a subject that has yet to be examined and analyze it thoroughly. This research will culminate in a paper mirroring an article found in an academic journal to be turned into the CFI office.

Students have also examined Thinking in the Round, which consists of four parts, the two newest of which are deconstruction and asymmetrical paradigms. People normally funnel arguments down to only two options, known as the binary effect. Two-party systems of government exemplify the binary effect. In deconstruction, students work to eliminate the binary effect in order to realize the middle-area that lies in each argument.

In asymmetrical paradigms, students use different models to approach familiar topics. In using these models, students aim to deconstruct the subject matter to allow them to re-envision the material, enabling a better understanding of the topic from various facets and points of view.

Post written by Annie Wang (COL '16)