Mastering the Hidden Curriculum (MHC)
MHC is a twelve week, pass/fail course for first year Georgetown students who identify as first-generation (first in their family to attend college) and/or low-income (FGLI) students. Team-taught by some of Georgetown’s best professors, students in the course examine and reflect on their identities and experiences as FGLI students and seek to complicate the discourse on efforts made to expand access to higher education.
At the end of the course, students leave with a toolkit for academic empowerment and a community of peers, faculty and staff mentors, and allies committed to a whole institution approach to equity and inclusion.
Mastering the Hidden Curriculum was launched as a University-Wide Cross-Disciplinary (UNXD) course in Fall 2018. Rooted in experiential, whole-person, and interdisciplinary learning, the course is a joint project of Georgetown’s Designing the Future Initiative and the Georgetown Scholars Program to provide a uniquely curricular opportunity to support first generation and low-income students at Georgetown University. For more information, visit the MHC Webpage (opens in new tab).
Advocacy Campaigns
GSP’s mission is to work towards a more equitable college experience for first-generation and low-income college students. To get an inside look at our approach, we invite you to explore the “Advocacy” tab for more details!
GSProud: The GSProud campaign was started by our student board several years ago to allow students publicly and proudly self-identify as first-generation or low-income. The narratives highlight how incredible these students are and their achievements at, or after Georgetown. This week also includes workshops and discussions on how to make Georgetown more class-inclusive, art shares, community dinners, and more.
First Generation Faculty & Staff Initiative: The First Generation Faculty & Staff Initiative is a network comprised of faculty and staff who self-identify as first generation college graduates or are allies of first generation college students. We define “first generation” to mean “neither parent graduated from a traditional four-year college.” The initiative’s objectives are 1) to identify first generation faculty and staff, as well as allies who support first generation students, on Georgetown’s campus; 2) to build upon the university’s existing efforts to cultivate a vibrant first generation support-network for undergraduates from various disciplines and backgrounds; 3) to bridge the gap and expose students to a support system among faculty and staff, thereby equipping students with social capital and insight into diverse academic fields. We envision that faculty and staff members will share their personal journeys and support students who also self-identify as first generation—with the ultimate goal of validating the experiences of this unique and important population of Hoyas. Want to learn more? Read on about this initiative from the Office of the Provost (link opens in a new tab).