Ithaca College

Jonathan Ablard, associate professor of history and co-director of the Latin American Studies program, has published an essay in Perspectives, the newsletter of the American Historical Association.

Ablard's essay, "My New Attendance Policy," reflects on alternatives to the roll-call convention of higher ed.  As he writes, "Part of the joy of the classroom is the sense of the collective that often emerges as students and teachers form bonds around the shared experiences of learning, and the struggles that sometimes arise with it. The nontraditional roll call can provide moments when teacher and student can get to know each other, have a laugh, and reinforce course material in more informal ways. And a little levity, especially being able to laugh at oneself, offers a useful antidote to many students’ fear of failure and their stress at encountering new material and the new experience of college itself."