Reflecting on a Semester... while it's still Green

Coming back from India on August 28 and going to the first year students' Big Questions graduation right away. Classes started the following Tuesday- this was an interesting semester. I taught the First Year Seminar, Global Business, and Principles of Marketing courses. I pushed hard and raised the bar across the board. This has been one of the most rewarding of all my semesters of teaching at EC.

The Global Business course had an interesting mix of students. Hopefully they learnt something from the many fascinating events happening around them every day. As one student wrote, "...This class has helped me learn that many other countries, especially China and India are very strong and capable business countries. We are going to be competing with them and other countries for jobs even now more than ever. I am thankful to be aware of this. After taking this class I do feel very well rounded in the field of business. It has opened my eyes to new ideas and concepts that I had not been familiar with before this class. I also feel confident in my ability to be able to work with a firm that operates globally. I feel that I have obtained enough knowledge in this course that I would be ready for almost any kind of business, either foreign or domestic. Knowing the many concepts I have learned in this class like: globalization, Foreign Direct Investment, exchange rates, trade theories, trade regulations, NAFTA, CAFTA, and the many cultures of countries overseas, I feel prepared enough to challenge myself with any job that requires me to know about businesses on a global scale. I enjoy this class and I would recommend it to both business and non-business majors. This is the kind of class that will expand your ideas and knowledge about the world."

The Principles of Marketing Course was a lot of fun- but was also difficult to assess. Half the class got A grades, and perhaps a couple were borderline. The nice thing about this course was that several topics we talked about had eventful outcomes during the course. We did an exercise on Boeing versus Airbus, and the 787 had its maiden flight the day of the exam. The top students in the class were quite excellent.

Perhaps the most challenging course, and the most intriguing was the First Year Seminar, "Local Choices, Global Effects." An interesting class, with varied personalities, the students pulled together an interesting course. What made this special was the involvement of a couple of juniors and a couple of graduates and my teaching partner. It made for a great learning experience- for me. The students taught me about vampire electronics and student eating habits. The visit to the Jardine Plant was highly educational. Some quotable quotes from the FYS students-

-No matter where you come from and what challenges you face, perseverance, motivation, dedication, and hard work can get you anywhere you wish to be. This set the tone for the beginning of my college years.

-“Trust but verify.” – Professor Gurram Gopal

-Since August I have become a more independent person. I have come into my own and have learned my strengths and weaknesses. I am proud to say that I have the drive to succeed. I do all my work to the best of my ability. I know what I am worth and the great things that I can achieve. Like Forrest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Life is unknown and often unexpected, but I am going to strive for my dreams. Whether I make it or not, well only time will tell. What is important is that I try my best now, in this moment.

-This course also helped me to become more in tune with the campus of Elmhurst College. It also made me feel more comfortable here. Through this course I met some of my closest friends here.

-I first decided to take this class, not because I wanted to learn more about how to protect the planet, but because I wanted to be able to hold intelligent conversations with one of my good friends who was always talking about “organic food” and the like. It made me somewhat upset that the only kind of conversations I could have with her was based on opinion, and not fact. I wanted to be able to have these conversations with her and be able to present her with specific information to prove that I knew about sustainability, too.

-In conclusion…. I have come a long way from that first day in this class. I know so much more about green living than I ever thought possible, and I can see the connection between food, energy, and waste management under the broader term of sustainability. They are all interwoven and each individual aspect played a crucial role in understanding sustainability. Food, for instance: by studying food, we looked at organic food versus conventional food. This information led into our next topic of energy; food not only takes energy to grow/produce/make, but it also gives us energy. From energy, we looked at waste, which again tied into consumerism and food waste (compost) and into energy (i.e. it takes energy to make plastics; by recycling plastics, we can cut down that energy.) I am confident that I can now hold those “intelligent” conversations to which I aspired. (In fact, I have already have had some of those conversations with the friend I mentioned earlier. I stumped her in many cases!) This class, however, did not just teach me things about the environment and how to protect it; it also showed me how valuable a liberal education really is. I feel more prepared to enter the professional work world because of this class. And through all of this, as I have illustrated, we, as a class, and I personally, have accomplished the course objectives given to us at the beginning of the class. Mission accomplished, I think.

The Honors Reading Seminar, based on the book 'In Defense of Food' was also quite informative, though I wish the students were more questioning.

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In addition to the courses, the start of the EC Greenjays on campus was a highlight of the semester. Started by two of my advisees, it is "all green" and holds a lot of promise.

The presentation on the FYS at the NRC Conference on Students in Transition, and a presentation on India at the Indian Prairie Public Library were other activities of interest.