LS 690 - Liberal Studies Senior Seminar
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Professor: Karen Coopman
Interdisciplinary theory, research and practice. Examination of key questions and complex problems from multiple perspectives through the preparation of a substantial piece of work.
(SFSU Course Catalogue)
This course was the culmination of my Liberal Studies education. It challenged me further than any other course because of the expectation on two main projects. These projects were writing assignments in which we had to take an interdisciplinary approach. The first assignment was to explore our own education through different disciplines as a referendum to our LS 300 course Intellectual Autobiography. The second assignment was to create a research proposal of our own decision through incorporating research from three different disciplines. The intense amount of research that went into this lengthy research proposal was a great experience to have as a graduating Liberal Studies pupil. It allowed me to dive into three different fields of study to create a unique piece of work.
COURSE REFLECTION
This course was prodigious and I feel as though it was a necessity to take before I graduated. It allowed me to challenge myself further than I thought possible with my writings. I chose the topic of composting in elementary schools for my research proposal. I used the discipline of environmental studies to research current trends in composting world wide as well as the benefits of composting for the environment. Next I used the discipline of elementary education to examine current trends in composting in elementary schools and the incorporation of composting into curriculum. I then used the discipline of sociology to research parent involvement due to finding that the most effective composting programs had large amounts of parent involvement through my elementary education research. All of these disciplines combined created my unique piece of work that approached the issue from multiple angles. It is something I am very proud and feel as though all graduating seniors
should have to write and interdisciplinary research proposal on a social issue before they graduate.
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION
This assignment was the culmination of the San Francisco State University’s, Liberal Studies degree. It is an interdisciplinary writing assignment in which we had to heavily research material surrounding our topic and then write a lengthy research proposal. As students we had the opportunity to decide the topic of our research. I chose to write the research proposal on composting programs in elementary schools. The research proposal included a executive summary, introduction, background, literature reviews for each discipline we chose, an integrative process, a study design, an outcomes portion, and a conclusion. This assignment also included doing an annotated bibliography for all of our research. Choosing my topic of composting programs in elementary schools led me to the disciplines of Environmental Studies, Elementary Education, and Sociology. I chose Environmental Studies to further understand why composting is beneficial in fighting climate change. Elementary Education was chosen to analyze current trends in on site composting program in elementary schools. Lastly sociology was chosen to further obtain knowledge about adversities that affect parent involvement in school which is needed when starting a composting program. My research question was Can elementary schools particularly Title I schools have enough parent, teacher, and administration support and involvement to implement a lasting and effective composting program with student volunteers in the Mount Diablo Unified School District?
ASSIGNMENT REFLECTION
The Liberal Studies program tests its student with this assignment by making sure that its students are ready for the real world. This was an extremely labor intensive piece of work in which I am the most proud of throughout my entire college career. This is because it took me months to complete. It was not an assignment that you get done in one week but rather something that you work diligently on for the entire semester making it special and something you become attached to. Although at times it made me want to throw the computer across the room it was also something that I became quite invested in. I mean its fifty six pages long and that is not including the annotated bibliography. Also because we had the opportunity to decide on our own topic it was meaningful to me because it dealt with children and climate change, two things I am passionate about. All in all I feel as though this project will be something I am proud of for my entire life and I am glad to showcase it on my portfoium.
Professor: Karen Coopman
Interdisciplinary theory, research and practice. Examination of key questions and complex problems from multiple perspectives through the preparation of a substantial piece of work.
(SFSU Course Catalogue)
This course was the culmination of my Liberal Studies education. It challenged me further than any other course because of the expectation on two main projects. These projects were writing assignments in which we had to take an interdisciplinary approach. The first assignment was to explore our own education through different disciplines as a referendum to our LS 300 course Intellectual Autobiography. The second assignment was to create a research proposal of our own decision through incorporating research from three different disciplines. The intense amount of research that went into this lengthy research proposal was a great experience to have as a graduating Liberal Studies pupil. It allowed me to dive into three different fields of study to create a unique piece of work.
COURSE REFLECTION
This course was prodigious and I feel as though it was a necessity to take before I graduated. It allowed me to challenge myself further than I thought possible with my writings. I chose the topic of composting in elementary schools for my research proposal. I used the discipline of environmental studies to research current trends in composting world wide as well as the benefits of composting for the environment. Next I used the discipline of elementary education to examine current trends in composting in elementary schools and the incorporation of composting into curriculum. I then used the discipline of sociology to research parent involvement due to finding that the most effective composting programs had large amounts of parent involvement through my elementary education research. All of these disciplines combined created my unique piece of work that approached the issue from multiple angles. It is something I am very proud and feel as though all graduating seniors
should have to write and interdisciplinary research proposal on a social issue before they graduate.
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION
This assignment was the culmination of the San Francisco State University’s, Liberal Studies degree. It is an interdisciplinary writing assignment in which we had to heavily research material surrounding our topic and then write a lengthy research proposal. As students we had the opportunity to decide the topic of our research. I chose to write the research proposal on composting programs in elementary schools. The research proposal included a executive summary, introduction, background, literature reviews for each discipline we chose, an integrative process, a study design, an outcomes portion, and a conclusion. This assignment also included doing an annotated bibliography for all of our research. Choosing my topic of composting programs in elementary schools led me to the disciplines of Environmental Studies, Elementary Education, and Sociology. I chose Environmental Studies to further understand why composting is beneficial in fighting climate change. Elementary Education was chosen to analyze current trends in on site composting program in elementary schools. Lastly sociology was chosen to further obtain knowledge about adversities that affect parent involvement in school which is needed when starting a composting program. My research question was Can elementary schools particularly Title I schools have enough parent, teacher, and administration support and involvement to implement a lasting and effective composting program with student volunteers in the Mount Diablo Unified School District?
ASSIGNMENT REFLECTION
The Liberal Studies program tests its student with this assignment by making sure that its students are ready for the real world. This was an extremely labor intensive piece of work in which I am the most proud of throughout my entire college career. This is because it took me months to complete. It was not an assignment that you get done in one week but rather something that you work diligently on for the entire semester making it special and something you become attached to. Although at times it made me want to throw the computer across the room it was also something that I became quite invested in. I mean its fifty six pages long and that is not including the annotated bibliography. Also because we had the opportunity to decide on our own topic it was meaningful to me because it dealt with children and climate change, two things I am passionate about. All in all I feel as though this project will be something I am proud of for my entire life and I am glad to showcase it on my portfoium.
Comments