A showing of the documentary “Inequality for All” brought together students and faculty on Tuesday, Sept. 29, in room BE5 of Marshall University’s Memorial Student Center.

The documentary screening is the 1st paired activity of the collaboration of 2 Marshall University classes that will be followed by a town hall discussion next week relating to themes from the film.

Professor of First Year Seminar 100, one of the collaborative classes, Jennifer Sias, said the film starts discussion of themes that will be revisited next week.

“We set up a town hall where we could dig a little deeper on some of these issues,” Sias said.

Sias’ FYS and Dr. Donna Sullivan’s Sociology 200 students are paired together to form a learning community. The collaboration allows students to examine common themes from the perspective of a course designed for 1st year students as well as a course in a specific academic discipline.

The collaboration was designed to study high-impact practices (HIPs) at Marshall University. HIPs are practices that have a high impact on student success and retention that include first year seminars, learning communities, writing across the curriculum, service learning opportunities and internships.

Sullivan and Sias are one of 3 pairings that have been working together since Spring 2015 to develop common themes, complementary activities and assignments for their collaborative classes.

Sias said she specifically paired with Sullivan because of a natural partnership as well as an already crossed curriculum.

“My students are doing interviews on the theme of working and that seemed to fit into sociology and the overall theme of the American dream,” Sias said.

The documentary is focused around and presented by former Labor Secretary, Robert Reich, who discusses income inequalities in the United States.

Sias said the film seemed like a natural fit to the curriculum theme.

“It touches on the theme of inequality and the middle class and how feasible the American dream is these days,” Sias said.

Students engaged in a short discussion after the movie and were encouraged to attend the town hall discussion next Tuesday among other students and faculty members.

Freshman Anthropology major, Kyle Grimes, said although he is not in the collaborative classes, the overlapping curriculum of the class is important to college students.

“The reason college is set up the way it is, is so that you can function in a job, not just learn a ‘thing’,” Grimes said. “It’s more to learn an industry or how to do something, and combining the two is why we’re here.”

Grimes said he enjoyed the film and despite class recommendation, personal interest brought him to the showing and may bring him to attend the town hall discussion.

“It’s asking for social change,” Grimes said. “What a better time than now to get people motivated.”

The town hall discussion is open to the public and will be held at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, Oct. 6, in room BE5 of the MSC.

Ashley Sodosky can be contacted at [email protected]