The collective vision of the GRS class fall 2011
Oct 12: Personal Vision for GRS
Some juicy ideas came up in our discussion of a vision for GRS this year. Take a look at the image below for a reminder of what was shared by your peers. For this discussion topic, comment on what you envision for yourself as a student in GRS this year. What inspires you, what drives you, why are you here rather than somewhere else? What would you like to do with your time, and how do you think you can go about achieving your goals? What sort of support would you like from your peers?
[…] 28: Ground rules and visions for GRS […]
Hi!
I have been thinking about that class since then and I would like to say how great it is to have that many students full of energy and enthusiasm about our program. However, I felt a little “uncomfortable” when we came to talk about discussion manners. I am not sure that having this type of session about oral rules actually helps to improve the discussion quality and the mutual respect. I think that we have been taught since we are quite young how to socially interact, listen and express our ideas.
By setting those rules that we all have at least heard of, I think that we penalize even more and exclude from the group the individuals that break them.
Maybe an example would make me sound clearer: Let’s have John as a student in GRS. There is a great chance that wherever he comes from, one of his teacher or family members or friends… have already told him that it is not appropriate to talk when someone is talking. Yet some day in the GRS class, the discussion gets intense and John suddenly express an idea even thought someone was talking at that time.
In our case where discussion rules have been established, the other students might be much more severe about John’s misconduct, because he does not respect the established rules.
But if we did not set any rule and used that example to talk about mutual respect, I think it would be much more efficient. Indeed the idea of non-respect would be experienced within a context and stress the fact that it is a student not respecting another student and not a student not respecting a rule.
I think that it is difficult to discuss in a group without any blunder and that is why we still talk about manners even in university. So it is probable in my opinion that an incident like that will happen because we are passionate people and I think that it would be better if we talk about it when it happens, instead of pointing it and leaving the faulty students without any excuse. Does it make any sense to you?
Also I really enjoyed the shaking hands idea when we agree with the speaker^^
Thats a great point Valentin, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Lets start a conversation about what respect looks like. What do you think?
Hey!
I been thinking about your comment Valentin. I think it was good that we discussed discussion manners in class. There are so many people from different backgrounds, for example, I barely had discussions in high school or in my first two years of university. If we didn’t have discuss this, I probably have ‘hurt’ someone without knowing it. I would just jump in the conversation, instead of raising my hand so I can speak. Even though is kind of awkward, but maybe for some people that is their way to share ideas.
I’m glad we shared what was in our minds. I was able to get to know my classmates more and more. I hope we have a discussion soon! maybe that will help us more to grasp the “norms” we have set.
I envision interacting with people who have likeminded interests and passions in the GRS program. For myself, I am interested in development work in Africa, particularly, I hope to one day work with an NGO in eastern Africa. Inequality motivates me as do social justice issues. I feel that being a part of GRS will help me further explore and delve into these areas. The GRS program is also great with sending out emails about current volunteer events in our areas of interest. Overall, I plan on learning as much as I can in my field of interest to help prepare me in the future, whether that is with my career or a Masters degree.
I agree that it is important to try to respect our classmates while theyre talking, and especially during large class discussions, but I do think that in smaller settings people tend to blurt out what they are thinking. They arent trying to be rude or disrespectful, they may just be particularly impassioned about the subject. I think that we should perhaps think of our brainstorming results as “guidelines” rather than ground rules, since the word “rule” does imply a set restriction being broken. I agree with Valentin that the concern should be focused more on respecting each other and our potentially different opinions and ideas, rather than respecting a particular set of “rules”.
You’ve all made some good points. Is there anyone opposed to changing “Ground Rules” to “Guidelines”?
I agree that we have all been socialized from a young age of what is the “right” way to discuss and interact with our peers. However even now as adults we can lose sight of how we are supposed to treat people and can allow our emotions to become too involved in a discussion. I agree that it is a good idea to not get too caught up in the rules/guidelines, but rather use this class discussion as a reminder to yourself and how you present yourself to others. Sometimes when you are involved in a discussion (especially if it is something that you are passionate about) it can be easy to get worked up. We are always going to encounter people who have views that differ from ours. That is a given. I think the main point of this discussion was to serve as a reminder that we can all give to ourselves before we engage in class discussions in any class, not just GRS. Be ing respectful isn’t always easy, so I think brainstorming about what makes a respectful person will only help keep those ideas at the forefront of peoples minds during discussions.
I also agree with whats been said so far. In GRS, we can have controversial conversations, conversations that some people are very passionate about, and conversations where some people may not know so much about the topic. With these types of varieties, it is important that we are respectful towards one another. If one person is more knoweldgable about a certain topic than others, this person may lead the discussion and may end up talking more, which is fine i think as long as everyone has the opportunity to say their opinion and ask questions. We are all hear to learn and to share ideas, and being respectful is an important start to have meaningful conversations.
Interesting discussion on the “rules”. It just struck me now, while reading these posts, that our “ground rules” of acceptable discussion (though I agree with them and believe that respect for l’autrui/others is a rather universal concept) are quite culturally based. They very much reflect Canadian conversational or table-manner culture and rules of politeness. Although other cultures definitely have social rules for conversation they may not be quite the same. Butting into a conversation may not be so “rude” in other cultures, for example. Anyhow, just a side note (since our class is rather culturally/ethnically diverse) of perhaps little importance. Curious to know if anyone from a non-Canadian background (other than Valentin) agrees.
Not exactly sure where this discussion panel was supposed to go, but I just wanted to lay out my hopes for GRS. First, I’m really excited about all the new ideas and different formats that the class could take and that people want to see it “expand”. However, regardless of what slight variations the class may take on, what I most want is to be able to network with other GRS students (as well as with speakers/professors). There’s so little time and I can only take so many classes (unfortunately) so I love asking other students what they are studying and trying to figure out how that can be useful to me. Chances are that there is at least one other student out there studying something completely different from you but that you find interesting or useful/applicable in some way to what you plan on doing in the future. Last year’s very hypothetical “Haiti aid project” really helped me to realize this. It gave me a new appreciation for how soil sciences, resource policies, law, international economics and culture (to name a few) all intersect. There’s no way one (or two) people can effectively “help” or serve anyone on their own. That is why I would like to be able to build relationships (hopefully some might even last a lifetime) that will be useful resources both now and in the future. Sorry if I sound horribly utilitarian, I don’t just want to build friendships for those reasons, but that’s part of it. So I would love to see more opportunities (even or especially out of class) to meet other classmates I would otherwise be to timid to approach (or because I only see them for 1.5 hours per week or so) and to get to know the ones I have met. Cheers!
This year, I envision myself making connections and learning from others. I aspire to gain new perspective by exposing myself to a diversity of topics of study. I also hope to acquire new career related ideas that will help me plan for the future.
What inspires me the most is a desire to use my education in a way that will allow me to help others, and to make a positive contribution to the world around me, both locally and globally. I want to discover what it means to be a true global citizen. I am inspired by the endless opportunities that we are fortunate to have here at UBC. There is so much potential, and I hope to make the most of it.
I really enjoyed reading all the great comments, in regards to one of the questions about how we can a go about achieving our goals; I believe that it is vital for everyone to feel and to be part of a supportive network as their means to reach their goals. In my opinion, a network usually reflects people that share similar interest and goals. This is one of the characteristics that make GRS a great place to start a supportive network where everyone contributes and encourages new ideas prior to starting in the work field. A supportive network is passionate about a cause and I feel this one thing that we share as a group. We all have a particular topic or resource that we truly enjoy learning from and we like to share with others. GRS helps us find the means to achieve our goals by connecting us with students and professionals that have either the same interest or that are involved in activities that we can be part of and we would like to promote with them. I have met incredible people in the program that have truly inspired me to reach out for new opportunities that get me closer to achieving my goals.
Reading this thread is bittersweet for me. On one hand it’s great to finally participate a class discussion, but on the other hand it reminds me of what I’m missing by taking the course online (my athletics schedule doesn’t let me take any night courses).
Now, onto joining the conversation of respect, guidelines, and culture.
My first thought of calling them guidelines instead of rules was the scene from the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie where the pirate captain tells Keira Knightly that the pirates code is more like guidelines than actual rules. I definitely agree with the discussion on treating them like guidelines rather than black and white rules. When you’re a diverse group you can’t combine everyone’s culture or way of doing things perfectly. Also, it’s far too easy to get wrapped up into how somebody is saying something rather than what they’re saying. I’m not going to pretend that I’m from some wildly different culture (born Canadian with British parents) but I find myself offending many Vancouverites as I’ve been raised in a large, sarcastic, rowdy family while playing several sports and attending an all boys high school. For myselft in recurring group discussions, I love initially chatting about guidelines so I know how not to offend people!
My personal vision for GRS:
Basically just learn (as opposed to get a degree). I’m studying natural resources in British Columbia but I hate lectures, exams, and learning for the sake of getting a grade. GRS provided a way for me to take courses that interest me and (hopefully) avoid poorly taught courses (fyi don’t take CONS 200). Also, I have opportunities to study outside of the classroom and learn through experiences and people rather than through books and essay. I’m pretty bummed that I can’t take night courses and that field hockey takes up so much of my time and energy as I feel like a huge assest of GRS is in the people in the program.
I agree with what everyone is saying in the comments above. Although I like to think of our group in GRS as a very welcoming and receptive group of individuals, I understand how our class can sometimes be a little bit intimidating to speak in. I for one am guilty of mostly sitting silently in class rather than getting involved in all of the discussions. But this is not to say that everyone in class is unwelcoming to others. Most of the topics discussed in class are of great interest to most, if not all of us, and there are many extremely intelligent people in the class who’s intelligent comments may make us feel like we do not know as much of them, but I know that those people who do a lot of the speaking do not feel this way at all. I think that we all respect each other a lot and we show this to one another. I trust everyone in our class to listen fully to what others have to say, and because of this, I am going to make it my goal to participate more in class discussions.
Hi! It is great seeing everyones comments.
First, in regards to respect in discussions, I agree with everyone. Respect in discussions is about not making a person feel uncomfortable, it is not about just following a rule. I was once told that having good manners is not acting a certain way and following strict rules, it is really is about, when being with someone else, not letting that person feel uncomfortable in any way.
Also, I also am not sure if this is part of the discussion, but as others have posted here, I will to. This is my first semester in this class and it has made me feel amazingly better here in UBC. I feel that I am just starting to do what I want in my career and not just filling in requirements. It is great getting to know people that are passionately doing what they want, and that are open to share their experiences. Going to GRS doesn’t feel like a requirement at all. I like going to class.
For me, every GRS class is inspiring, and learning from others experiences gives the opportunity to reflect on oneself and see how we can adopt in our life the good things that other people does. Each class is like going to a place where your get counseling for encouragement, to improve your personal skills and succeed, and honestly, sometimes I feel really overwhelmed with many good topics discussed in the class. Just being part of a community of learners who share the same vision of learning from each other respectfully, even though we are all in different specializations, is what makes GRS unique. I think the idea of community potlucks is AWESOME. Sometimes, it is hard to share many thoughts during class and getting together out of class hours would be great to exchange ideas and strengthen our friendships. I would like to recall what Ze Soryal mentioned about his social experience in a Canadian university compared with his university in Egypt. He said that the education system in Egypt allowed him to be with the same people and friends in all his courses during all the university years. It is the same in my home country, and I would love that our collective goal could be to get more interested on each other and let us be open to build and strengthen friendships that last long.
First of all I would like to mention the comments before me. I think some really great points were raised in terms of perhaps focusing on guidelines instead of making strict rules. This seems to be a far more friendly and less intimidating approach.
In regards to the discussion questions I would have to say that for this year as a GRS student I hope to grow, learn and keep an open mind. I realize that that is an extremely vague statement but I want it to be. I don’t want to restrict myself too much with extremely specific goals, although I believe they have their benefits I think they may also hold us back sometimes acting somewhat as blinders. By focusing on very specific things we might miss out on other opportunities along the way.
I am most inspired by other people and the possibilities for change and amelioration. That is much of the reason that I am in GRS and not somewhere else, I believe the students and alumnae of GRS are truly amazing people who have accomplished so much and it is inspiring to see what can be done when individuals set their minds to something they are passionate about. In terms of support from my peers, I would hope that everyone in the class keep an open mind but also share their knowledge. I feel like as a collective we have so much to offer because students focus on such a wide degree of specializations.
Reading through everyone’s ideas intrigued a fresh one of my own. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of “HONESTY”, and what that means to people.
I think that honesty can tie into respect quite nicely. Other than the obvious reason of being respectful by being truthful, I really think that when you embrace your freedom of being true to yourself, you are liberating others to do so too, and a mutually respectful environment is created!
I’ve witnessed and experienced this myself lately, where during a series of exercises a group I was with had a real transformation. As people we do not always realize we tend to hold back a lot from being mindful of others, and we speak and act differently depending on the people we are with. But as we discovered and acknowledged those walls, amazing things happened when we chose to let those walls down between us… people started to first appreciate who they were, and then began to appreciate others for exactly who they were too! They were freed in their hearts to be joyful and embrace one another!
So with that, I encourage every person to find the honest goodness within and liberate others by first letting your beautiful self be true! 🙂
Keeping these in mind, are there any thoughts on how we can find the important balance between being honest and being considerate towards others too?
Interesting point Virginia. Your question made me think of one of my mentors who believes in three “gates of speech”. Before she opens her mouth, she asks herself three questions:
1. Is it truthful?
2. Can it be said in a way that is non-harming?
3. Is it necessary?
I can’t say I’ve completely mastered this, but it does come in handy when a conversation gets heavy.