Faculty – Sam Was Here

End of Term Wrap Up!

So now that it is officially the end of term (minus exams) I would like to take a moment to discuss the classes and profs I had this term. I will list the class name (and code), the instructor, the days we met, the time, and my comments. Think of it as Rate My First Term. I think if we all did this, we would be able to take some pretty sweet classes that we may have ignored before. So, the contenders of this term are:

Creative Writing 202 (Introduction to Creative Writing)
Kevin Chong
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
9:00am – 10:00am

As this is the only Creative Writing class open to those not in the Creative Writing Faculty, I would definitely recommend it for anyone who thinks they might want to try Creative Writing out. The timing for the class proved slightly difficult to make it to three times a week, though the one next term is in the afternoon, so that fixes that problem. We were graded on three things alone, a short story, a non fiction piece, and a poetry piece, with no final exam (which is seriously nice). I think my favorite part of this course was all the prompts we received (about once a week) to get us writing. The prof was kind and interesting, I would certainly recommend this course.

Philosophy 385A (Existentialism)
Steven Taubeneck
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
10:00am – 11:00am

First off, Philosophy is, by no means, my subject, but Dr. Taubeneck really made it sink in. He is a really interesting prof, one that knows a lot of things about a lot of things, and who seems to really want to get to know the students he teaches. Max and I flipped around our schedules next term just to take another class with him, Topics in 19th Century Philosophy. We were graded on two in-class essay exams, as well as two papers (a personal and a public experience, in which we link what we have learned in the course to our own lives). We were allowed to edit and resubmit anything we were graded on for a better mark, and he really seemed to put a lot of effort into the class. We ended the term with a costume party, seriously, how cool is that? I want everyone to take this course.

Anthropology 227 (Culture, Health, and Illness)
Vinay Kamat
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
11:00am – 12:00pm

Oh my goodness, I loved this class. It was my first anthropology class, but it was so compelling that I am strongly considering taking Anth 100 just so I can take more courses like it. Dr. Kamat is an incredible lecturer, he keeps your interest throughout the whole class, and teaches you some pretty awesome stuff. We focussed on things like, AIDS in Africa, home vs. hospital birth, genital mutilation, and anything that effects our perception of health. We were graded on two exams, a group presentation, and a mini-ethnography (in which we go out and do our own field work to draw a conclusion about a medical issue that our society faces). There was a lot of reading, but it was all incredibly interesting, and I learned so much. You should take this class. Seriously.

English 227 (Prose Fiction)
Gisele Baxter
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
1:00pm – 2:00pm

This class really fed my literary side. We read six books, Frankenstien, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dracula, Mean Boy, and The Prestige. I actually read all of them (something I wasn’t entirely used to following Arts One) and I actually enjoyed them all quite a bit. Dr. Baxter is a really interesting woman, who clearly cares a lot about these books. She asked a lot of questions in class to get us thinking, and really encouraged us to participate. We were graded on two in-class essay exams (including the final), and a term paper. I love this class, honestly, and I recommend it to anyone who might find any of the books interesting. Seriously, this is not your average English class.

English 225 (Poetry)
Stephen Partridge
Tuesday/Thursday
12:30pm – 2:00pm

This was definitely the class I loved to participate in. It discussed one of my favorite subjects, poetry, and managed to cover a great deal of poets, styles, and time periods. Dr. Partridge is a really nice guy, a classic professor that leads the class earnestly and is open to help students whenever we need him. I could tell that he really loved the topic and his interest inspired me to work even harder. He was one of the few profs I had that actually learned all of our names, and he would send out emails every week to keep us on track. We were graded on three quizes, a presentation (on just about anything related to poetry we desired), an essay (again, we had A LOT of freedom when it came to the topic of our essay AND we got points for just submitting our idea for our essay), and the final exam. I realize that the topic of poetry isn’t really for everyone, but if you want to dabble, I highly recommend this course.

Actually, looking over it, I had a really great term. I was actually rather bummed to see it end yesterday. I hope next term is good, though I am a bit worried, because this time Max and I are killing our science requirement with two large doses of Geography. Wish us luck!

Phase Two Tour

Earlier this week I got word through Blog Squad that there was going to be a tour of the not-yet-opened phase two of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and they were looking for some students to walk through and give feedback. Upon hearing of this I excitedly replied and got a spot on the tour. That tour was this morning.

First off, I want to say that I flat-out love phase one of the IKBLC. I know that I often mention the glorious Ridington Room as it has become my own little nook on campus where I feel truly dedicated to my studies. I think that will always be my favorite room, but after seeing what phase two will hold, I can’t be positive! The space is so open and expansive, with several different vast free study spaces that each had a variety of seating, from big comfy couchy benches to elegant tall chairs. There are also countless classrooms, varying in size, from a large theatre to a small office, all with flexible seating and tables.

As we walked through the expansive new wing, not yet finished, but obviously not far from completion, I felt as though I was walking through a building that was made for me. Granted it will soon be the new home for Arts One (as well as Science One, and the Coordinated Arts Program) so it will be a place that I will be spending a lot of time, but that’s not the only reason. I feel like the student body will own this place, the hallways wrap around in almost mazes, offering endless opportunities to plop down and study. All the classrooms will be left unlocked, so they can be used as forums for clubs or just casual study spaces. There will be a booking system put in place so you can just walk in and claim a small office or do so ahead of time through the Centre. There are so many windows and sky lights and places where you can just hang out. There will be a cafe! Offering food through the opening hours of the centre, which should be something like 7am-11pm.

I think my favorite part of the tour was when we got to enter the (still being renovated) Chapman Learning Commons that is not scheduled to open until April. Being a first year student, I had never been in the famous room, with its high ceilings and almost-cathedral feel, but I was very familiar with it from the countless photos I had seen of it in promotional material. I can honestly say that it is as beautiful as those photos make it seem. I was a little disheartened at the beginning of the year when I found out they were renovating it, but we were assured today that they are returning it to it’s original beauty, just updating it to keep up with seismic regulations. I simply CANNOT WAIT until this place fully opens.

All in all, I loved the tour, but what I found the most refreshing part of the whole experience was the feedback session we had following it. In it we had several very important people like the Interim Director of the Learning Centre, Jan Wallace, and Kelly Simmons, the Manager of Classroom Services, among others, sit down and as for our opinions of the Centre. Not only were these people kind enough to guide us through the wing (which hasn’t even opened yet) but they really just wanted to know what we thought of the whole building. They jotted down notes of everything we said and gave me a real feeling of being supported here at UBC.

Their call for feedback does not stop at those who are given a tour. More than anything they want to know what you, the average student, has to think. If you think the pattern of the carpet is too distracting, the want to know, if you don’t like the lighting in one room, or you find the chalkboards too far away to read, they want to know. Seriously, they want to make this space something every student will use and enjoy, and the only way they can approach that goal is to hear from you. To make all of this feedback possible, they even made a Facebook group, you can find it here. (Also, check out the awesome pictures the Kevin from Student Development took on our tour!)

So go, join the group, reply to some of the discussion topics and LOOK FORWARD to February 25th, when phase two FINALLY opens its doors. I can assure you, you are going to love this building.