Experiential Learning
Experiential Learning
At W&L, we believe in the power of learning by doing which is why exploration and challenge are at the heart of our curriculum.
Our students are invited to expand their education beyond traditional classrooms and broaden their understanding through engaging, hands-on experiences. Learning opportunities come in a variety of shapes and size, often in the form of community-based learning, global education and undergraduate research. Experiences are only limited by students’ imaginations.
Students might predict the next presidential nominee during Mock Convention, devise ways to supply clean water to impoverished communities with Engineering Community Development, produce weekly news broadcasts with The Rockbridge Report, provide pro bono consulting services to non-profits as part of W&L Student Consulting group, or facilitate communication within the increasingly diverse population in Rockbridge County through ESOL.
Spring Term
Imagine exploring a topic in-depth and working intensely alongside your fellow students and your professor. That’s the essence of Spring Term. Students choose one course from about 200 options that may be conducted in the U.S. or abroad. It’s not uncommon for students to say after their Spring Term experience, “This course changed my life.”
The Rockbridge Report
Produced weekly by journalism students at Washington and Lee University, The Rockbridge Report seeks to provide the community with fair, accurate and accountable news coverage and in-depth analysis of local issues. While the content is produced by Washington and Lee students and overseen by their professors, The Rockbridge Report focuses on news outside of the college campus.
Mock Convention
Beginning in 1908, W&L students have replicated the national convention of the party out of power in the White House every four years, continuing a tradition fueled by rigorous research and non-partisan student leadership. Mock Convention is now a 112-year tradition at W&L, and is the most accurate and realistic mock presidential nominating convention in the nation.
Field Programs
W&L offers several field programs through a variety of programs and departments where students are introduced to and participate in activities directly related to potential careers after graduation.
Shenandoah
Whether you’re a writer, interested in editing or publishing as a career, or just looking for an experience unlike other classes at W&L, the Shenandoah internship provides students with the opportunity to think about language in new ways. The literary magazine has been publishing fiction and poetry from writers around the world for 75 years, and its practicum course offers experiential learning in editing, manuscript evaluation, production, web design, and publicity.
Student Organization Spotlight: WLUR
At WLUR-FM, Washington and Lee University’s radio voice since 1967, students get an introduction to audio production, podcasting and more.
This fall, W&L students learned environmental field methods at a six-acre site in Rockbridge County set aside for experiential learning.
Associate professor Ryan Brindle’s sleep lab gives students unparalleled opportunities to conduct hands-on research at the undergraduate level.
Students Share Entrepreneurial Ideas in Video Pitch Competition
Students polished their pitching skills at a video pitch competition on Dec. 6 in the Harte Center for Teaching and Learning.
Florence As It Was Chosen for National Competition
The interdisciplinary research project has been selected to participate in an open competition among medieval digital humanities projects for K-12 students.
The Kendrick Award, established in memory of Bryant Kendrick ’67, encourages W&L students to experience the natural world.
Student Organization Spotlight: Native American Student Organization
W&L’s Native American Student Organization (NASO) connects the campus to educational programming, events and resources celebrating Indigenous history, culture and community.
Minor Focus: Law, Justice and Society
W&L’s Law, Justice and Society minor examines legal concepts from an interdisciplinary lens.
Three W&L students partnered with an NGO in Ghana this summer to create a training program for aspiring female entrepreneurs.
Nadia Ayoub, professor of biology, loves sharing her passion for open-ended scientific exploration with colleagues and students.
W&L’s quantum computing program is among the first in the nation offered at a small liberal arts institution.
Adhip Adhikari ’27 spent much of his summer creating a library at a secondary school near his family’s home in Katmandu, Nepal.
“ The invaluable lessons I have learned from Mock Con, both in political analysis and leadership, will carry with me into my future endeavors, whatever they may be.”
John Harashinski
Major: American Politics • Minor: Education Policy