University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

Page 81 text:

ng traditional classrooms on their heads, rofessors vemjure outside, intojmjlsurroimdings, where V cum re hall to learn Silhouetted against the wall, art student Kate Blanchard-Armstrong takes an opportunity to review a classmate ' s work. Art classes re- lied upon peer evaluation and cri- tique; spacious studios in the Art and Architecture Building on North Campus allowed students to feel more at ease with their work and their classmates, photo bv Betsy Foster Field trips offer the chance to connect classroom learning with the raw data of the subject we are studying stated Graduate Student Instructor and PhD candidate in Ameri- can Culture Catherine Daligga. Daligga likes to take her students out into the real world rather than keeping them confined to theclassroom. Her American Culture 206course gets field trip experience in downtown Detroit when Daligga takes on them on her non-traditional city tour. Daligga likes the tour because it not only provides a rel- evant place and context for bringing the course objectives to life, it also allows for spontaneous learning experiences. In particular, Detroit is a place with a hugely complicated reputation. I think it ' s important to show students how scholars and critics have chosen to interpret the city. Also, the opportunity for the unexpected is very stimulating. During one of our visits, for example, we stopped to see Tyree Guyton ' s art installation on Heidelberg Street, and we were lucky enough to find the artist at home and willing to talk with us for a few minutes. In some ways, that spontaneous interaction was more powerful than it would have been had I arranged for him to meet with us states Daligga. Like Daligga, many professors use field trips to enhance their courses. The trips are anything from on campus excursions to the Bentley Library or the Museum of Art to courses that rely entirely on out of class experience. Many students look forward to the field trips and welcome the change of pace that they offer. Senior English and psychol- ogy major Katie Marzolf says, I love a class that takes me away from sitting in a lecture hall. When I was a freshman I took a field trip to Botanical Gardens with Biology 1 62. It was cool to get out of the classroom and see the stuff we study alive in real life. After that class I have taken a lot that go to Detroit or require community service outside of class. It adds a lot to the course. But not all students value field trips the way Marzolf does. Junior industrial operations major Stephen Fleming recalls, Once I had a class that expected us to go on all kinds of trips on Saturdays and outside of class hours. It was too much time and a lot of kids dropped it. Some students do not find field trips to be worth the time they take and, likewise, some professors do not fit field trips in to their curriculum. But for the devout, like Katie Marzolf and Graduate Student Instructor Daligga, the field trip makes the material worth learning. By Caelan Jordan Academics I 77

Page 80 text:

I S Moving among the art work scat- tered on the floor, the students in Professor Vincent Castignacci ' s Painting I class take an opportu- nity to critique and comment on each other ' s work. By their very nature, art classes were intended for studio work, giving students a taste of learning outside of the tra- Using Adobe Illustrator, a graphic design student completes her project for a class called Comput- ers for Graphic Designers. Graphic design students became familiar with many computer programs, including Photoshop, InDesign, and Flash. This laboratory experi- ence allowed majors to employ the same programs used by professional firms, photo hy Bet ' sy Foster ditional lecture hall experience. photo by Betsy Foster 76 I Alternative Classrooms

Page 82 text:

With numerous booths to visit, a student stops to speak with a rep- resentative of Teach for America. Career Planning and Placement gave students the opportunity to meet and interview with success- ful companies targeting students for jobs and internships, ph Abby Johnson A law school application in hand, senior Alice Nam begins design- ing her plans for the future. Many students looked to graduate schools and masters programs as their choice for the years after the conclusion of their undergraduate careers . photo by Abby Johnson 78 | Career Planning and Placement