It won’t let me respond to your post, C…
It won’t let me respond to your post, Courtney, so I’m replying here. Good luck with this week/finals/prepping for our trip, everyone! The trip is starting to feel much more real now that we’re so close. At the beginning of the semester it felt like we would never end up here; it’s kind of amazing how much we have all been able to pull together. I agree that I’m starting to feel the pressure, between this course and everything else, and I think there’s an added layer of stress because I don’t want to forget something and let down our community partner. In general, that’s what has distinguished this class for me– I’m used to schoolwork being a very personal task that only affects me, rather than a collaborative project that has an actual impact on someone else and the possibility to positively or negatively affect their organization. I’m really enjoying doing something with a tangible output that I know will be useful, and I think it’s a very refreshing change from most of the academic work I’ve done so far. How does this class feel the same/different for you guys?
Angela Ho 12:44 am on April 4, 2016 Permalink |
This class has been an eye opening experience for me. I’m used to being in control of whatever I do for my classes, and the fact that my group members and I don’t have full authority over our project is something new for me. Because we are relying on our community partner to help us complete various parts of our project (such as administering surveys and collecting the results), this class is definitely encouraging my community partner, group members and I to develop our trust for one another, which I really appreciate!
Anton Metalnikov 11:28 pm on April 4, 2016 Permalink |
I totally agree with Mielle. I went into this course hoping to gain real world experience that could be applied outside of the “ivory tower” of academia, and it’s exactly what I’ve gotten so far working with my community partner. Being able to put my abilities such as research and GIS into practical uses all with a large, busy team has been an valuable opportunity I do not take for granted! The feeling of pressure is also very different as well. In a typical university setting, while I do worry about disappointing my professors if I don’t work to my best ability, at the end of the day I am the only one to suffer. Throughout this term, not only do my actions affect my fellow team members, but they also affect my community partner, and even the people of the Williams Lake Indian Band. I could almost consider this my first geography related job! Overall, I can’t give away too much from my final reflection for this class, but already before we’ve even made the trip up I have had a great time and would recommend this class to anyone.