This class was drastically different from my other lecture style classes that I have had at Concordia. Instead of the professor lecturing the entire class period, we spent that time discussing, sharing our thoughts, and learning from both our classmates and our professor.
We spent each week discussing a different topic from a research article. Some of the topics we discussed this year were ALS, parkinson’s disease, alzheimer’s disease, autism, obesity, and concussions. Having the ability to read and make sense of scholarly works is a critical skill that one does not get to practice that often. We then individually researched an area of the article we wanted to know more about or get clarification on, and spent the next class period sharing our findings with the class. Not only did this help me to further understand the topic, but it also allowed me to practice explaining the science with other students in the class, helping to develop my communication skills. We then spent the end of the week discussing things related to the topic of the week, whether it was ethics, biology, chemistry, or psychology related. This helped me make connections between different disciplines.
This type of classroom environment fosters self-learning, a love for learning and communication skills. What was really cool about the class was combining the knowledge of those in the class, learning from each other and sharing each other’s ideas to help develop a better understanding of the topic. I think an integrative and communicative based course such as this truly fits the definition of a capstone experience at Concordia. It was an enjoyable and productive way to learn and it allowed everyone to think broadly and critically on a wide spectrum of subjects. I would like to thank my professor Dr. Mach and my fellow students for this enjoyable capstone experience.
Neurochemistry, Not Your Typical College Course
