Course Mantra

Adding value, meaning and purpose

Before writing a teaching philosophy, a great practice is to think about a mantra describing the action of the course in 3-4 sentences.

(Substitute "employees" with "students.")

A mantra succinctly describes core values.
A mantra is memorable.
A mantra can frame the purpose of the course.

What Is A Mantra?

A mantra zero in to the meaning and value of a company, a product and even a college course. It can enable students to understand the purpose of the course in 3-4 words.

Examples from Glendale Community College Ethnic Studies Dept.
- Race & Ethnicity Course: Challenging the Master Narrative
- Racial Ethnic Minority Women in the US course: Uncovering Systems of Domination
- Chicanx Experience: Reclaiming Aztlan

"A mantra enables us to start thinking of our teaching philosophy. I believe a mantra is the step before constructing a teaching philosophy. It also enables us to align our student outcomes with our purpose." - Fabiola Torres

(Gay Kawasaki states in the video, "A mantra is 2-3 words." Yet, as academics, it is our nature is to use lots of words. Therefore, I extended the word limit to 4. 😉)

Try This:

Ask yourself the following questions to help you construct your mantra:

What does the class stand for?
Why does the class matter?
How does the class serve students?

Once you have your words, ask yourself these questions:

Do your words inspire?
Are your words focused on the student learning outcomes?
Do your words create direction for the discipline?

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