- This course does not have exams, but uses a projects-based approach and sharing your learning with your fellow students instead. How does that format help or hinder you to explore new knowledge and demonstrate what you learned? What are you learning about yourself as a student through this process?
The structuring of this course to not have exams and instead be project based is something that I was familiar with coming into the semester. Although the class changed a noticeable amount from Modern China, that I took virtually, I think my appreciation for this courses alternative approach has continued to grow. This semester the freedom that we have been given with our assignments to not only pick what we are writing about but to also the way in which we present our research is something that is truly unique at Muhlenberg. This freedom transforms the class from a uniform experience to one that everyone is able to tailor to their own interests. Moreover, as we progress through the semester and work on our projects, we are helped not only by our professor but are also given to opportunity to bounce ideas off our peers. For me this was invaluable as earlier this semester I was struggling to define what I wanted my project to look like until I had a conversation with a peer. She was doing something completely different to me but listened to the concerns I had about the holes in my project. In the conversation we discussed how I might change the perspective I was taking in my research so that I would be more able to add an academic element to my project that I was previously lacking. These regular conversations amongst students were something that we did continuously and were done with a high level of respect but also with an honest eye. For a student like me, that hadn’t really ever bounced ideas off peers (unless in the same group), I think I have definitely come to recognize the value of another set of eyes and how even conversations can help to stimulate ideas. Going forward this will be something that I think that I will continue to do when I hit a wall or am struggling with a problem.
- “When I look back at the start of the semester, and what I felt, knew and did then, and I compare to what I know, feel and do now in this course, I ….”
When I look back at the start of the semester, and what I felt, knew and did then, and I compare that to what I know, feel and do now in this course, I feel a sense of pride as each week I not only learn more about the history of China but I feel as though I expand my academic perspective. This gaining of academic perspective I think comes due to huge amount of diversity that we see in everyone’s different projects and the mediums that they use to discover and explore Chinese history. For me being a business and finance major I typically find that my classes have a very concrete syllabus and structure that teachers try and stick to as best they can. At times this limits creativity and I find has narrowed my focus in the way that I approach many classes, as I try to make sure that I am doing something the best way possible. When looking at something as rich as Chinese history you can’t learn everything in the space of one semester and because of this (like it is with many things) there isn’t necessarily a best/fastest/most effective way that you can cover the material. Coming to understand that this semester has helped me to focus on Chinese mythology in my projects that you probably would not touch on if this was a regular class but are nevertheless important to understand when looking at Chinese society.
