Have you ever sought more visibility and understanding from your faculty and classmates? Do you feel that the academic world is doesn't address the power dynamic that deepens the divide between students and faculty? In this Commons Project workshop, we will explore how graduate-level learning environments can better adapt to students’ diverse cultural perspectives to foster more reciprocal, trust-based relationships between students and faculty.Born out of a recognition that academic spaces often operate through dominant cultural frameworks, this project interrogates the often-unspoken gaps in trust, inclusion, and relational equity within higher education—particularly among international students and their instructors...

This workshop will be of interest to both faculty and students interested in how cultural dynamics influence learning in higher education.How might we build, sustain, and repair trust in student–faculty relationships - especially in culturally diverse spaces?

Join the workshop, led by Ananaya Singh, Anupama Krishnan, and Isabel Meriales, on these days:

Wednesday, October 1st

1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Dorothy Hirshon Suite
55 West 13th Street
Room 203

Wednesday, October 8th

10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Vera List Center Lounge
16 East 16th Street
Innovation Center, 6th Floor

The Commons Project is a research-informed workshop that explores how graduate-level learning environments can better adapt to students’ diverse cultural perspectives to foster more reciprocal, trust-based relationships between students and faculty. 

The Parsons CareLab is a research and educational initiative that centers care in the design of economies, organizations, communities, and our human and non-human relationships.  

The Visibilize-ing Care Festival, a project of CareLab, will take place during the 2025-2026 academic year. The Festival will include workshops, panels, and performances that showcase the work of students, faculty and staff that explores the importance of care in everything we do.