Struggling to figure out which pathway or center is right for you? Read about some of Juniors experiences!
Peace and Conflict Pathway
-The Peace and Conflict pathway allows students to connect domestic and international conflicts to their major(s) or minor(s). This pathway intrigued me because I am all about solving world solutions, but I also wanted to connect my history major and minor. The pathway is allowing me to do that! I am investigating the impact instances of performance have had on on social justice movements. I get to study and work with the concept that intrigues me, I have studied instances of performance during the AIDS epidemic, Apartheid, Civil Rights movement and so much more. Studying the pathway has really helped me find my passions!
CISLA
-CISLA, a.k.a. the Toor Cummings Center for International Studies and the Liberal Arts, allows students to internationalize their majors through a funded internship in a country relevant to their chosen language and a senior research project. I knew I wanted to apply to CISLA before I even thought of a research project or declared my Sociology major because I have always been excited about improving my French and working in France. Once I came up with a project proposal I was passionate about, CISLA provided me with a super supportive space to explore my interests in a global context. It is super exciting to be able to create my own research project and feel like I can take my academic engagement to a new level. My CISLA project is focused on examining the reasons for the decline of small cities across France; but more importantly, on how to revive and maintain them. I will spend next summer doing an internship in a small city in France with either the local government or a non-profit, all in the interest of finding out what it takes for a small city facing difficulties to succeed. CISLA has given me so much support and direction to refine my project and try to find the answers to my questions.
Ammerman Center for Arts and Technology
-The Ammerman Center is an interdisciplinary center that allows students of all majors to intersect their interests in the arts with interests in the STEM fields. The center has students from all majors including computer science, music and technology, physics, and art history, so there is no limitations when it comes to academic interests. Beyond the classroom, the center is involved around campus by hosting artists for a bi-annual symposium. I have always had an interest in both the visual arts and the fields of engineering and I am now a double major in computer science and studio art. Being a part of the center has allowed me to integrate both of these majors and find ways that I could eventually turn my interests into a career. I am excited to have my Senior Integrative Project combined both of my academic interests with another interest of mine, physical anthropology. I hope to conduct research in facial reconstruction of skulls. I would not have been able to integrate so many of my interest without my involvement in the Ammerman Center.