Student Originated Studies
Hi there! Over the past ten weeks, as you may know, I have been in a program called Re-Interpreting Liberation. Throughout this time, I have also been researching a topic of my choice, writing a research paper along with it, culminating in a final presentation during this week. On Tuesday, I finally gave my presentation! What a relief to be at the home stretch of the quarter! For my student originated studies, I chose to research the coal mining insurrections in West Virginia during the early 20th century.
As I am from West Virginia, this was a very near and dear topic to me. I had always known that these events had occurred, but I had no idea to what scale this had happened! The battle of Blair Mountain was, and continues to be, the largest insurrection since the Civil War. Thousands of miners marched to fight for their labor rights; their story is quite incredible, and I highly suggest looking in to it. I know it has always been an interest of mine and I was so fortunate that I was able to study that.
At Evergreen, projects and programs that focus on Student Originated Studies (SOS) or have an SOS component are not uncommon. For me, this project was worth four out of my sixteen credits. Sometimes, there are SOSs that are an entire 16 credits! To be able to research exactly what I wanted to for ten weeks, and shape and mold my project through multiple drafts, revisions and hours of research, was a liberating experience, rather than having to conform to strict guidelines laid out by the teacher. Some people in my class, for example, created a skit in addition to their paper and performed it instead of the more traditional power point. Not only that, but I was truly captivated by some of the topics and issues brought to life by my peers: ranging from biographical pieces about Che Guevara to hip-hop music in Palestinian resistance movements, it was obvious that they each cared a lot about their topics and had spent a lot of time on them.
Now that the quarter is over, I’m looking forward to next quarter. In the spring, I will be taking Marxist Theory with Larry Mosqueda, which he has taught several times in the past. I already know that some of my friends will be in it and I am excited to start analyzing Marx and Lenin’s writings regarding race, gender, and the environment, among other topics. There is a mountain of books that I need to order…so I am going to go do that!
Have a great day!
March 23rd, 2012 at 9:48 am
Hi!
I will be attending Evergreen as a full time student starting in September 2012. I’m from a little town on the outskirts of St. Louis, Missouri, so needless to say this is a huge transition for me. I’m looking for a little advice as to how to go about my first year at probably the most unconventional, yet coolest campus I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. Top 5 things a student needs at Evergreen? Rain boots: tacky or practical?
Thanks so much for your help,
Amy
March 24th, 2012 at 1:07 pm
Hi there Amy! Thats so exciting! I would agree, it was certainly the coolest place I visited too, and being from West Virginia, I totally understand the transition. Well, there are certainly a few priorities to get together before coming out here.
1. Rain Boots: yes, these are SO practical! Go crazy, get some cool colors, or whatever-its a pain to be walking around all day with wet feet. I couldn’t survive without mine.
2. On that note, get some rain gear! A jacket with a hood is the most practical piece of clothing you could get: if you have to start carrying an umbrella around you will always have one hand occupied. Even though it doesn’t rain ALL the time, it does rain maybe once a day, though not for very long. It always helps to be prepared for anything.
3. This is more of a suggestion: I know it might be difficult to do, but if possible try and obtain a bike. Some people I know shipped their bike out here, and sometimes you can find really good deals on Craigslist or on flyers around campus. Many use longboards to get around too, and some people use unicycles… Though I do not have one, a bike would certainly be useful, and the Olympia area is really bike friendly! (Except for some really giant hills!). But, hey, no worries, if you can’t acquire one, there are plenty of people with cars, and as a student, you won’t have to pay to use the bus. I use the bus several times a day, it’s really convenient!
4. Be prepared to access a new capacity for learning! I know that might sound a bit cheesy, but it really is important to understand that Evergreen’s structure is different than the factory style of education that is found in most US schools. Here, there is a strong focus on collaborative learning, divergent thinking, and interdisciplinary academic activity. For me, anyway, that was entirely different than the high school that I went to. It is something to get really excited about!
5. Understand that you will be making a lot of choices, and though it may seem a bit daunting, it is fostering your ability to learn and grow as a person. Don’t worry, there is a lot of help available too, like academic advising or career services. Also, once you’re admitted to the school, you can start using academic advising to help you with your class choices! Making these tough choices, like about what class i should take, what projects to do for class, or what should go in my self-evaluation, have been really constructive.
I hope this helps address some of your questions or concerns, and if you have any questions, please feel free to email me with any questions at andeka20@evergreen.edu