I was completely horrified at the prospect of taking another chemistry class, much less a senior-level chemistry class. Chemistry is not my friend and as a result I was very worried about taking Neurochemistry. Even the name sounds a little scary. However, I was pleasantly surprised and it has been a good experience for me. The purpose of this post is to outline how this class has applied to the goals for liberal learning.
Instill a Love of Learning
This is the goal that I think has been featured the most prominently in this class. We did not understand all of the information that was presented in the articles we read and it was our job to come and say what we didn’t understand and needed help with. We were then assigned a topic to research for the following class. This presented an opportunity for us to dig into the literature and do research that would be helpful to the whole class. I have also found that there is a difference between reading something for your own benefit of understanding and reading so that you can explain the content to someone else. Selecting topics also allowed us to decide what we were comfortable with. My background is in psychology and neuroscience so the topics that were connected to that felt safe to me, however, there were times that I tried to stretch myself and take topics that were not exactly in the areas that I was comfortable with.
Develop Foundational Skills and Transferable Intellectual Capacities
Throughout this class we were challenged to utilize a storytelling format. This made me think about how to explain the science in a way that would make sense to more than just me. This happened on Wednesdays when we were challenged to explain to each other what we had learned in our research. This was difficult but many of the people in the class had some background knowledge. The challenge was doing this in our blogs. We had to work under the assumption that most people would have very little knowledge about the science behind the topics that we were focused on. This can be very difficult to do and I realize that I am guilty of not taking other people’s background knowledge into account. This comes to my attention when someone I am talking to speaks up about needing a little more information. However, I can only imagine how many people have not wanted to speak up. It is important for scientists to be able to explain the science because we do the research we do because it is important to the general public and everyone should be able to understand it if they want to.
Another big component of his class was our community action projects (CAP). My group’s project was based around PTSD in he Fargo-Moorhead refugee community. This project went through a lot of changes and was a very time intensive project. I think this was a good lesson for me that not everything goes according to plan and it is important to adjust to those changes. This project was also my first experience working on a project that was going to truly impact the community. It was a very meaningful experience and a reminder that I am in college so that I can make a positive impact on the world.
This course also fostered a sense of cooperation that is not seen in many classes. Typically there is not much communication among students about the course content. In Neurochemistry we had to rely on others in the class to help us understand aspects of the articles and discussions on Friday allowed us to see the perspectives of our classmates. Cooperation is an important skill throughout life and some of the best ideas come from cooperation.
Develop an understanding of disciplinary, and interdisciplinary and intercultural perspectives and their connections
The focus of my group’s CAP was one that required an understanding of cultural differences. The goal of our project was to develop a program for students to meet with refugees and we had to think of how to do this in a way that would allow for an understanding of the refugees’ cultures and a sensitivity towards their life circumstances.
Friday discussions were a good way for me to think about what I knew from my background in psychology and neuroscience and how it could relate to the topic of the week. I could also hear the perspectives of students who had a different educational background than myself. There was also the opportunity to hear the perspectives of other students that were based on their own personal experiences.
Cultivate and Examined Cultural, Ethical, Physical and Spiritual Self-Understanding
The CAP project was an opportunity for me to examine how different my life is than the life of refugees. A big part of my Concordia experience has been focused around examining the privilege we have in the world and how to utilize that privilege to make the world better. I think the CAP project was a good experience in how to do that to make the lives of others better.
Encourage Responsible Participation in the World
The first part of the CAP was to examine what need as seen in the community. There is a tendency to do projects that we find interesting without critically examining the needs of people who are living in the community. The hope is that the project we worked on becomes something sustainable and continues to positively impact the lives of people in the community and Concordia students.
The air of cooperation that was found in this class was also much more responsible than the typically sense of indifference or competition that can be found in many courses. We should be willing to help facilitate the learning of our fellow students.
I am grateful for the experience I have had in Neurochemistry and my experience at Concordia in general. We have been encouraged to Become Responsibly Engaged in the World and our education is designed to prepare us for this. Liberal Arts comes from Latin and the literal translation is the skills needed to be free. It is not enough to have a lot of knowledge about neuroscience. Responsible participation means a well-rounded background designed to show the importance of all subject areas.
