CCA attendees taking notes during a lecture.

5 Tips For Surviving Your First CCA

Written by Vivian Hughbanks

On October 4-7, the first Center for Constructive Alternatives (CCA) of the year will take place on campus. CCA seminars are held four times throughout the year, offering opportunities for students to attend lectures on various facets of the liberal education. As part of Hillsdale’s core curriculum, each student is required to take at least one CCA as a course. The lectures of this year’s first CCA will focus on the life and statesmanship of British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. If you’ve never taken a CCA before, here are some tips to get you started.

*  *  *

  1. Google the speakers before you go.
    If the introduction of the speaker is the first time you knew that the speaker existed, you’re doing it wrong. One of the speakers for this month’s CCA is British actor Robert Hardy, known for his award-winning portrayal of Churchill in Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years. He’s also a frequent actor of Shakespearian plays, starred as Siegfried Farnon in the BBC series All Creatures Great and Small, and took several roles in Jane Austen adaptations. I had a total fangirl moment when I learned that he was coming to Hillsdale. Even if you’re not taking the CCA, don’t miss some of the amazing speakers that come to give the lectures. Don’t be stupid and miss a speech by Anthony Esolen, like I did my freshman year. Check the speaker lists and know what’s going on.
  2. Attend all the lectures.
    The most important thing for your CCA grade is attendance. Be sure to check-in when you arrive at each CCA lecture. If you have to miss a lecture due to employment, illness, or any reason aside from another class or your sports schedule, be sure to fill out a waiver from the CCA office lest your grade go down. They already have your class and sports schedules, however, so you don’t need a waiver for those. But be there if you can, or at least watch the live stream of the lecture if you’re sick in bed. Also, at the end of each lecture, there will be a question and answer period. Stay engaged and jot down a few queries for the speaker. Be that cool student with the interesting question.
  3. Talk to the new people.
    Quite a few guests attend Hillsdale’s CCAs. They’re really cool people, and they’re usually more than happy to chat with Hillsdale students. Take a few minutes and ask some visitors where they’re from and why they love Churchill.
  4. Take good notes.
    Don’t forget that shortly after the last CCA session ends, you have a paper due. The Mossey Library provides video recordings of the lectures for reference, and transcripts are posted on Blackboard. But it’s so much better to have notes and quotes readily available so you don’t have to trudge through hours of video to write your paper. While you’re listening, jot down ideas of themes that connect the speakers.
  5. Write that paper!
    Don’t put it off until the last minute. The prompt will be posted on Blackboard a few days after the lectures, and then you usually have about two weeks before it’s due. Refer to the excellent notes you took at the lectures to argue your thesis, and drop in the quotes that you took down. You’re going to need to include information or quotes from some of the speakers (usually three, but it varies), so make sure you have those bases covered. To turn it in, go to Moss Hall and go up one floor. The CCA office used to be on the right, but it has moved. Turn left, not right. The marketing department will be happy to take your paper, but you might not be so happy with the grade – or lack thereof!

Vivian Hughbanks, ’16, is a politics and German major from Signal Mountain, Tennessee, and a member of the Dow Journalism Program. Fueled with coffee, she de-stresses by cooking and forcing food on anyone in close proximity. She tries not to get lost (and fails regularly), and occasionally jumps into lakes for no reason.