In Class/OutClassed

The space that I pick up is the nook on the third floor of Denbigh, my residential hall. As a common space for students living on the third floor, nook is a part of my life: I do my readings at nook, I skype with my parents at nook, and, the most important, it was nook at that I started to learn how to “social” with other students, in an American way. The nook is like cultural classroom, what happened there taught me how to fit myself in a different culture. As you can see in the picture, the nook was decorated as a space for people gathering together and having some casual chatting. In order to celebrate Halloween, it was decorated by using pumpkins, skeletons and sparking lights. More important, I regard the nook as a space for me to learn more about American culture through intellectual conversations or just some casual conversations I have with different people. I think it is nook that helps me fit myself into the new cultural environment. 

I chose to take pictures of my room because it is where I spend the most time on campus. I took many shots of different perspectives of the room. After reading passages about M. Carey Thomas, I felt that I did not belong in my room because I was not the typical "Bryn Mawr girl" she was looking for but, I am still a student here. My paper revolves around the spaces that M. Carey Thomas envisioned for the women of Bryn Mawr and how I reclaim and re-shape those spaces to fit my education at Bryn Mawr. Although I reclaimed my space at Bryn Mawr, I still feel a sense of disconnect because M. Carey plays a major role in Bryn Mawr’s history and so many of the women here look up to her. It’s difficult to say whether I will truly feel a whole sense of belonging to the Bryn Mawr community.

P.S.-My pictures are on an attached word document because they exceeded 1 MB so I could not upload them, but check them out!

For my paper, I chose the above photo of the door to the McBride lounge in the basement of Radnor.  I wasn't really thinking about the psychology of that choice at the time, but I wonder now if I picked it because my lack of a personal space on campus makes me feel a little shut out of campus life.  My paper is centered around how not living on campus creates a natural barrier between me and some of the social aspect of campus life, but also creates a different kind of space in which the McBrides offer support and understanding of one another.  Though most of us do not have a dorm room, we do have a place that is just ours, shared though it may be, and the ability to form a sort of family untit for each other.  This, to me, makes us space poor and space rich at once.

My thesis revolved around the idea of space as a symbol. Just as nbnguyen found that her desk was a reflection of herself and her personal philosophy of what an intellectual space is, I based my argument around ways that institutions reflect their values through their architecture. As time moves forward, public libraries move from being silent areas of self improvement to more collaborative areas that feature more than just spaces to study (modern libraries have computers, counseling, language classes, etc.). At Bryn Mawr, our space is a symbol of its values and aspirations of its students. I used Goodhart Hall as my example because I love its location and landscape, but the idea extends to virtually anywhere on campus. Goodhart's collegiate gothic architecture evokes a sense of upper class, power and masculinity, yet the landscape gives it a much more feminine feel. Overall, the architecture, placement, and use of Goodhart says a lot about the goals of Bryn Mawr and its students. 

I choose this space because it was outside with no visible man-made structures around. I noticed that we focused a lot in class on the buildings at Bryn Mawr and various rooms inside, but we didn’t discuss this entire other part that makes up campus. I also have found it very interesting how outside spaces are not really used or set up for schoolwork or classes. It seems like outdoor spaces are set aside for more socializing and relaxing activities, while classes and learning take place inside. To me, this separation is reflective of society not valuing education that takes place outside of schools (i.e. street smarts). I’ve also found the learning that takes place inside a classroom is very different from the learning that takes place outside the classroom (but while still in class, like on a field trip). It’s more experiential and to me, it can be more impactful and I can learn a lot more outside of classroom spaces. I think every space has the potential to be place for learning and education. Outside spaces, to me, seem more accessible for learning than inside spaces, especially at Bryn Mawr with all of the grand, imposing buildings. 

I feel as though you

Hi everyone,

I feel like Posse has been brought up a few times and maybe not fully explained.  Here is a blog Jomaira wrote about Posse, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask Jomaira or me!

http://mawrterlife.blogs.brynmawr.edu/2011/04/18/634/

Hey guys! 

I'm assuming (possibly incorrectly) that many of you have seen the recent article written by an ex-BMC student now attending Wesleyan about why she found Bryn Mawr to be a negative experience. She then goes on to extend her view to women's colleges in general. What was most interesting to me about the article, though, were the comments. Many Seven Sister students were immediately up in arms againt what Ms. Chu states in the article. If you had a chance to look at them, what do you think these comments say about the "class" of Bryn Mawr. Do you think this is something that has experienced a shift since BMC's beginnings? 

Also, to play devil's advocate: How does the bashing of Ms. Chu's opinions relate to what we discussed in terms of censoring and holding back opinions in fear of offending someone? Obviously the commenters did not, but is that what they expected from the author? After all, the purpose of an Opinion piece is to express the opinion of the author. What do you think about the fact that the piece is not longer available online? (Or else I would have posted it here..) 

Looking forward to hearing what you guys think!

couldn't resist posting nicholas kristof's op-ed, "occupy the classroom"....
w/ the notation that one of the most interesting signs, @
occupy philadelphia last week,  was one reading "occupy your mind."
meditate on that one...