We believe living on campus provides an opportunity for students to learn and practice skills that promote student success and create thriving communities. Dawg Path is a curricular approach to this learning students experience in the residence halls. Aligned with UGA’s mission and rooted in theories about student learning and development, Dawg Path is focused on community building, interpersonal skills, social awareness and responsibility, and well-being.
As a result of living on-campus, students will be able to contribute to thriving communities.
Dawg Path
Community Building
Residents who develop healthy relationships and build communities feel a sense of belonging. Building healthy relationships involves trust, honesty, respect, and open communication between individuals. Residents will be able to create and maintain healthy relationships with others, while engaging in opportunities that support their goals. They will define and build their own communities based around identities, locations, and involvement. They will be able to identify a variety of strategies to engage and contribute to their communities.
Community Building Outcomes:
- Define healthy relationships.
- Discover opportunities that strengthen community.
- Engage in the development of thriving communities.
- Distinguish appropriate methods to build community in various contexts.
Interpersonal Skills
Communication is defined as the process in which one shares and receives information and ideas. Recognizing their own worldview and perspectives is key to both understanding and being understood. Residents will identify problems and navigate conflict through interpersonal skills by developing verbal, written, and behavioral communication. Through the development of communication skills, residents can respectfully express themselves while showing care for others.
Interpersonal Skills Outcomes:
- Identify multiple strategies of communication.
- Understand preferred communication strategies.
- Use various communication strategies to engage with others.
- Establish proactive communication strategies in daily life.
Social Awareness and Responsibility
Socially aware individuals understand who they are and how their values, beliefs, and identities shape their worldview. Socially aware individuals recognize their responsibility to advocate for themselves and others. Inclusive communities are built when individuals develop cultural competency, demonstrate attitudes that support equity, and understand how their actions impact the community and environment.
Social Awareness and Responsibility Outcomes:
- Articulate personal identities.
- Recognize how personal identity shapes lived experiences.
- Make use of lived experiences to engage in inclusive communities.
- Analyze strategies that contribute to inclusive communities.
Well-Being
Well-being is achieved through the pursuit of actions and daily habits that promote physical, mental, and emotional health. Essential to well-being is forming habits around healthy decision-making, compassion, stress management, and support seeking behaviors. Students will be equipped with the resources needed to navigate the world around them.
Well-being Outcomes:
- List dimensions of well-being.
- Indicate resources that contribute to well-being.
- Utilize strategies that promote well-being.
- Integrate personal habits that contribute to well-being