Teaching, Research and Scholarship

Guided by the belief in the transformative power of education, and inspired by the College’s statement of purpose, Davidson has a responsibility to demonstrate the crucial value of scholarly inquiry to public life and to fulfilling this country's promise.

Curriculum

Students have abundant opportunities for exploring the complexities of a diverse, interconnected, unequal and changing world through academic coursework. Each student must complete a course that fulfills the Cultural Diversity Requirement, a course with a significant focus on the cultural experiences of a group differing from that of the dominant cultures and social identities of the United States and Europe. In addition, students must also complete a course that fulfills the new Justice, Equality and Community Requirement. These courses focus on the struggles for justice and equality in various communities, locales, nations or regions of the world.

Students also are strongly encouraged to supplement their education with high-impact learning experiences such as studying abroad, studying away (at other locations in the United States), community-based learning opportunities, internships, fellowships, shadowing and alternative breaks.

Building a Better Learning Community: FIRST and MILE

Scientists in the United States do not reflect our country’s demographic diversity, which means critically important talent necessary to solve difficult challenges is absent. FIRST (Fostering Inclusivity and Respect in Science Together) and MILE (More Inclusive Learning Environments) are two Davidson organizations that aspire to remove barriers, be more welcoming, and to help make science and scientists more diverse.

Learn more on FIRST’s website

Check out the stories of Shreya Sharma '24 and Nahi Nadra '23

Scholar Who Gives Voice to Untold Stories of Slavery, Reconstruction

Hilary Green, a U.S. Civil War and Reconstruction scholar, joins Davidson as the second Vann Professor of Ethics in Society. Green has focused her recent scholarship on how African Americans remembered and commemorated the Civil War and on the often-unacknowledged history and legacy of slavery on university campuses.

Shared Stories, Shared History

Working through a community advisory group, Shared Stories, Shared History captures the photographs, oral histories and recordings of individuals, clubs, schools, churches and businesses, to document the lives and contributions of African-Americans in the area of Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville, North Carolina.

The Silent Minority Davidsonian Article 1986

Inclusive Histories

Historians recognize that history — both as an academic discipline and as a term referring to evidence-based stories we tell about the past — changes over time. Inclusive Histories is a collection of hidden histories, of stories that are not typically understood as integral to the history of Davidson College despite their incredible importance.

Stories Yet to Be Told: Race, Racism and Accountability on Campus

Through the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation the college received received $250,000 to support faculty- and student-initiated projects that transform key campus spaces (virtual, physical, temporal) into interactive sites for exploring the legacies of slavery, how ideas about race emerge and why racism persists.

Disorienting & Reorienting

The “Davidson Disorientation” was an alternative campus tour, recovering and analyzing legacies of colonialism, slavery, and white supremacy at Davidson College. The project began in 2018 by Tian Yi (‘18) and Sarah HD Mellin, as part of the student organization Davidson Teach-Ins.

Davidson Microaggressions Project

The Davidson Microaggressions Project aims to raise awareness about campus climate as experienced by diverse members of the college community and demonstrate how microaggressions manifest around campus and the broader communities.