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Fall 2009 Coursework
Introduction to Student Affairs
Our Introduction to Student Affairs course provided us with the foundation for understanding and working in our profession. This course exposed us to "Pillars of our Profession," provided us with the opportunity to understand Student Affairs structure at another University by taking us to another Penn State campus, and charged us with understanding structure on our own by scheduling a visit to another College or University. The course also aided us in our learning about various functional areas on a campus by having groups of students research and present a specific area, asked us to critically examine a current issue in higher education, and engaged us in conversation around the importance of understanding institutional culture. This course really forced me to think critically about my own undergraduate institution and experiences while also looking towards my future.
Social Justice
A definition for Social Justice never seemed to culminate with one solidified construct for me, however my thoughts on the need for a solidified construct itself, have changed. Social Justice to me is equitable opportunity to live in peace, happiness, and healthiness. This includes but is not limited to, religious freedom, freedom to marry whom you love, freedom to dress the way you desire without fear of harm or persecution, the privilege of feeling safe and supported and having basic necessities, and being able to have differing opinions in a constructive manner. My Social Justice course allowed me the freedom to know that Social Justice does not need one definitive answer and that it can mean many different things to many different individuals; that is the beauty of the term. We were also able to contribute to the learning as we developed our syllabus topics as a group. Based on our reflections the professors accommodated our learning so that we really had investment in our education. One of my course reflections can be found by clicking here.
In the Social Justice Course we learned theory and had direct conversations around topics of social justice, privilege, and oppression. Social Justice has many definitions, plays a varying role in a multitude of lives, and transpires in a variety of ways. The best method for serving as an advocate for others is intentionality in the approach; there is a time and a place for every action. Another component to be kept in mind is that one situation does not necessarily determine whether or not you are an advocate, ally, activist/agent. The only factor that is constant when working towards Social Justice is the need for a continuous cycle of education, reflection, experience, and compassion. Ultimately I believe Social Justice comes down to respect, being able to learn from others’ difference, and working towards creating positive change; it is not equality but equity and fairness.
Below is a group presentation that charged us to critically examine a case study, reflect on the issues being presented, determine which Student Development Theories could be applicable, develop a few intervention methods, and reflect on potential outcomes and unanticipated consequences of our interventions. It was an intensive process that brought together each of the pieces discussed in our courses throughout the semester.
In the Social Justice Course we learned theory and had direct conversations around topics of social justice, privilege, and oppression. Social Justice has many definitions, plays a varying role in a multitude of lives, and transpires in a variety of ways. The best method for serving as an advocate for others is intentionality in the approach; there is a time and a place for every action. Another component to be kept in mind is that one situation does not necessarily determine whether or not you are an advocate, ally, activist/agent. The only factor that is constant when working towards Social Justice is the need for a continuous cycle of education, reflection, experience, and compassion. Ultimately I believe Social Justice comes down to respect, being able to learn from others’ difference, and working towards creating positive change; it is not equality but equity and fairness.
Below is a group presentation that charged us to critically examine a case study, reflect on the issues being presented, determine which Student Development Theories could be applicable, develop a few intervention methods, and reflect on potential outcomes and unanticipated consequences of our interventions. It was an intensive process that brought together each of the pieces discussed in our courses throughout the semester.
Higher Education
This course served as an introduction to higher education as institutions and focused on current and anticipated student enrollment trends. Through a series of lectures, readings, and group discussions we had the opportunity to analyze organizational and academic characteristics. We were also required to reflect and write weekly on our assigned readings. One of my weekly reflections can be found here. Towards the latter half of the semester we were asked to critique on our own undergraduate institutions based on the concepts we had discussed throughout the semester. That assignment can be retrieved by clicking here.
Counseling Theories and Methods
The Counseling Theories and Methods course provided a basic knowledge for understanding various psychological and counseling theoretical frameworks. We began our course with a historical perspective on the field of counseling and learning about the prevalent theorists such as Freud and Jung. The course developed chronologically as we continued to learn about other theorists, eventually discussing current contributions to the field. During our course we had many opportunities to put theory-to-practice, one example was presenting a theory to the class and demonstrating a counseling session in which the counselor utilized the specific theory, there was also a written component to this assignment which can be retrieved by clicking here. At the end of the semester we had the opportunity to take all the knowledge gained in conjunction with our personal reflections about each of the theories and develop our own theoretical framework. This allowed for a very intentional reflection on the elements of certain theoretical frameworks that were more salient than others. My developed theory can be found here. The course overall reinforced prior knowledge gained during my undergraduate career but also served as a framework for approaching our Helping Skills course. The CSA program has a strong emphasis on Theory to Practice and we were really able to see the relationship between this course and our Helping Skills course develop from the Theory to Practice approach.