How can I arrange a purposeful civilian life as I move through an unfamiliar place? From what place and to what place does water flow through my place of residence? This book is situated at the convergence of these seemingly unrelated questions. At this convergence is an opportunity to teach college-age learners to practice a thoughtful, disciplined inquiry about their places in American civil society. This book is written for college teachers. It contains a plan for teaching learners to make connections between American civil society, civilian life in recognizable places, and organized water services. The book is filled with teaching resources about a sense of place. These resources include photographs, newspaper bibliographies, mapping exercises, and literary tours. This book is a novel venture in two respects. First, the focus is on civilian life in American civil society. Second, American civilian life is depicted as an experience shaped through the organized movement of water. Neither focus is presently available in the American undergraduate General Education curriculum.
Daniel R. Gilbert Jr, is Professor Emeritus, at Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania, USA. He earned a BA from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, an MBA from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and a PhD from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. For 27 years, Dr Gilbert taught habits of disciplined inquiry in General Education courses for undergraduate college learners. The focuses of his courses were organizations, civil society, competition playing fields, and a sense of place. Dr Gilbert was recognized with awards for teaching and for student mentoring. Since 2014, he has served as a volunteer adult literacy tutor with the Upland (California) Public Library.
