Campus Events

For my two campus events, I attended the opening of the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Turchin Center and the Tunnel of Oppression. Both of these events can be described as interdisciplinary as well as related to my specific area of study.

The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts started The Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy program to broaden the publics’ access to Warhol’s work. They managed to do this by donating 28,500 original Polaroid’s and silver gelatin prints to universities across the country. The Turchin Center was given 102 Polaroid’s and 50 black and white photographs to add to their permanent collection.

The Turchin center displayed Warhol’s photos from wall to wall as well as displaying a replica of one of Andy Warhol’s New York studios. This particular studio Andy and friends had covered the entire space in silver foil and metallic paint. So in one corner of the Turchin center, there was a mock up of this silver space. There was also two photo booths set up in the center of the exhibit so anyone and everyone could have their turn at being one of Andy’s photo subjects.

This exhibit and event can be described as interdisciplinary for many reasons. One, the artist himself was commenting on the art world, popular culture, and societal issues. Two, by the way this concept was both captured and displayed pulls from many different disciplines and viewpoints.

The second event I attended was the Tunnel of Oppression, which was held in the Blue Ridge Ballroom. This was my first experience with this event and it was an interesting one. You are guided through the different scenes depicting oppression as a small group. You witness reenactments of oppression in its many forms. I remember seeing and hearing a Native American tell about how little Native culture is left. I remember seeing racial scenes from movies, physical and mental abuse, the forced separation and brutal shower deaths from the holocaust, trans gendered discrimination in the workplace, wheelchair bound persons talking about inability to get around on campus, and many other scenarios. After the guided tour was over, our group was lead to a room to discuss what we had all just experienced.

This event could also be described as interdisciplinary on many levels. Again, for the concept coming from many forms of oppression and also how this idea was displayed to the viewer. It was a performance piece speaking on the issue of oppression, which is an interdisciplinary approach.

The Tunnel of Oppression is being held on Monday, November the 10th from 5-10pm in the Blue Ridge Ballroom of the Student Union. The tunnel is a maze of scenes of oppression affecting various groups, ranging from transgender workplace discrimination to eating disorders to individuals living with AIDS. It is generally an intense and thought provoking experience, and I highly recommend attending. I will be performing this year, and I hope to see a few of y'all there...

it is free, btw.

Campus Events Paper

Jimmy Hunt
IDS Praxis
11/4/08
Two Events

Campus Events

I attended the speech by Robert Kennedy Jr. at Farthing Auditorium on Oct. 23^rd as one of my two campus events. I thoroughly enjoyed this event, and was able to connect and take away a lot from his beliefs. I consider myself fortunate to hear first hand Mr. Kennedy speak, mainly because an essential part of my major and business deals directly with sustainable living. Though I was aware of his current activism, I did not know his extensive background and educational resume, which built upon the respect I already had for him.

My favorite part was when he got off topic, which was roughly the last hour. He seemed truly passionate, not taking a glance at a single note card or referencing a power point. Throughout that rant, I connected most with his approach toward the issues. Too many speakers and politicians today give the obvious problem, but offer no answer. Kennedy gave a specific and direct plan which would not only help our current environmental crisis, but also directly benefit our economic status.

I was also very fortunate to know the director of Appalachian Voices because we worked together on my green event this past Fall. She was able to let me go early to the event and meet with Mr. Kennedy very shortly. He was just as warm and approachable in person as his presence on stage.

I relate this event to IDS because his speech was formulated from many different aspects; environmental, social, and economically. Kennedy tied in both current and past examples to strengthen his arguments. He used the multidisciplinary route as well to highlight his main points on environmental activism.

The second event I attended was the Do it to Julia CD Release show, hosted by APPS and Split Rail Records at Legends, Oct. 29^th. This was a very fun show and the music was amazing. Do it to Julia is a band made up of all ASU students and over the last year have been boosted up and supported by the ASU community tremendously.

It related to IDS because there were several different, yet similar organizations working together to produce one event. Split Rail Records, the student run record label, and APPS, the student run promotional team, organized, promoted, and produced the event. They used print, radio, and tv promotion to help spread the word prior to the show. APPS monitored the music and sound and provided the essential necessities for a live music show.

Statement of Purpose Part Two

Erin Devlin
Statement of Purpose: Part Two

My Interdisciplinary studies have been more of a natural progression than a strict plan of attack. My art degree, linked with my Interdisciplinary work has given way to a bigger picture of my overall lifestyle than just a four-year degree track.
To earn my degree, with a major in Art and a minor in interdisciplinary studies I have had to take many classes that may not outwardly seem to relate, but they have all come together to give me a foundation for a lifetime of study. The art classes that I have chosen to take were very basically because of interest. However, paired with my interdisciplinary classes, those art classes taught me more than just the ability to work with a particular medium, they taught me life lessons that I will take with me forever.
A perfect example was my decision to take a ceramics class. I had always admired my fellow classmates who could work functionally and conceptually with clay, but more importantly I admired their patience with the clay. At that time I was apprenticing with a jeweler and my lack of patience was a common conversation topic. The retired jeweler was now working with clay and when I had some down time in the studio I would wander around looking at different pieces he was working on. I would always ask him about different surfaces he had created and he would always reply with the same answer, patience, you have to be patient. I enrolled in the ceramics course, yes to play with clay, but also to slow down and be patient with a new art form. By no means did I master the art of patience, but when working with a new medium, you have to be patient. Many of my art classes have been taken to learn a bit about the medium, but also they all teach so much more, and the student has to decide how those lessons shape over time.
Besides ceramics, my art degree has taken me through two drawing courses, which have developed my skill of observation and given me the ability to sketch out my ideas. I have taken metals classes purely on the love of casting and the dirtiness of it. I have taken art history classes, which give me a basis, sculpture classes, which entertained my childhood imagination, a fibers course, and currently a bookbinding course to broaden my ideas and interests in art.
The interdisciplinary courses I have taken helped me to make connections where otherwise I might not have. The most helpful and meaning course I have taken in IDS is by far Histories of Knowledge’s. It gave me the tools to be able to be comfortable in the sometimes-uncomfortable grey areas of life and experiences. I have taken a Chinese medicine course that taught me the philosophy and culture behind this form of healthcare. It also appeased my interest in acupuncture, medicinal herbs, and overall well being. Through IDS I have also studied at Penland, which taught me that learning does not end once you’re out of school. Penland also taught me that there are many ways of accomplishing a task, you just have to find or create a way that works for you. All of my Interdisciplinary and art courses have taught me something, whether I see it now or will recognize it in the future.
I have chosen to approach my studies in this fashion because it seems like a natural progression. In my opinion, learning is not a concrete structure. Instead you, follow the route to get to your specific destination. However, once on that route, you may find you need to go this way or that depending on what you have learned thus far. It is constantly changing, therefore I know I am a life long learner and my December graduation is only a point along my way.

Campus Events

William Lehman
IDS 3300-101
Dr. Derek Stanovsky
November 4, 2008
Campus Events

On October 6th, I attended a small lecture/informational meeting in Raley Hall. The event was hosted by a Business school professor; the guest was a multi-cultural, international businessman. He has worked significantly in globalistic settings. He spoke mainly on the inter-cultural struggles that he has overcome as an African educated in China and now working mainly with Germany, Mexico, and the United States. He discussed how he had overcome language barriers and how he had to struggle to connect to workers in the manufacturing plant in Mexico. He also talked about how we should have a very open mindset when working in an international setting.
This was an Interdisciplinary event because there was a melding of Linguistic, Socio-Political, and International Business. I consider this event a Socio-Political because he spoke of trying to understand the workings of the group in an official and unofficial setting. There is also an aspect of Linguistics portion to the lecture because of how of the language barriers that must be overcome to accurately represent expectations and meaning. International Business from the aspect of how a global business should be approached and managed.
The second event I attended was, on October 10th, the High Country Global Opportunities Conference. It was hosted by the AIESIC Club on campus; the guests were several successful business men ranging from niche entrepreneurs (Freddie Davis), to government employees from the US Dept. of Commerce (Greg Sizemore). The US Commercial Service is a government office that is there to help businesses go international, because of the significant amount of revenue that can be made through international trading. The business men went over the market that is available for us to capitalize on.
The Opportunity Conference was not particularly interdisciplinary. There was a significant amount of knowledge to be gained but it was mostly economical, possibly some International Law but to no great extent beyond that. It was informative but altogether not very helpful to me furthering education in Interdisciplinarity.

statement of purpose -part one

Christina Fisher

November 4, 2008

Statement of Purpose: Part One

In the field of Interdisciplinary Studies, I am self-designing a program that merges the concept of environmental stewardship with the social and emotional growth of our young people. In 2000, I began my study in the field of Interior Design. I planned to design rooms ergonomically fit for small children. I had been a child care provider from a middle school age. In working with small children, I actively studied phases of developmental growth and tools by which to best facilitate that growth and learning in early childhood. I soon realized that a lot of struggles that young children dealt with the fact that they are very small in a big world. Preschool aged children can often learn to accomplish tasks mentally before they may so easily do them physically. In many situations, adjustments of chair height and ease of access to move from room to room as well as the ability to reach their own things gives them the confidence to explore beginning skills in areas earlier than if they to have constant help.

I originally thought that in would spend my life as a care giver because of all the wonderful things that little ones have to offer. However, in realizing the growing need for child friendly furniture and organization, I felt that an interior design degree would allow me the access to better achieve my ultimate goal of aiding in the development of the children. As I studied design, I also took classes in several other disciplines that I felt would help my future in the field. As I got further in my degree program I realized that the classes I liked the most and I felt satisfied my general goals, would only be a small niche in the design field, but seemed to come together for something that I was not quite sure at that time.

I have completed minors in sociology and art, which helped me see deeper into the roots of why children learn the way they do, what stands in their way, and a myriad of possibilities to facilitate better family communications and household needs with an approach that can hold their attention. At that time, as well, I was learning about issues in our society at large that were beginning to emerge.

By 2005, I felt that I needed time to reflect on what I was actually going to do. I felt further away from basic interior design goals and more focused on social issues at hand. Beyond the social or abstract areas I had studied, my interior design programmed classes addressed such a wide variety of skills that I was accepted into the Peace Corps. I was either going to work in Asia on a water and sanitation project or to work in Africa to help patients with AIDS. I was excited, because my program had led me to that path. However, my department head and advisor felt that it took me away from their goals for their graduates and that I no longer had the “heart for interior design”. I was stunned because I thought that they would be proud that I was taught such a range of things through them that allowed me to come to this point.

I did not that year go away to Asia or Africa, but I knew then that I obviously was looking at a much broader picture than I would be allowed to piece together as a basic interior designer. I left school to explore opportunities at home, the first of which was a trip to help rebuild a convent school in Mexico. On that trip, I learned much more than how to paint a classroom. I actually learned about the unique approach that nuns in this area were using to teach Spanish to the indigenous Tarahumara people of the mountains of Chihuahua, so that they could work certain trades as opposed to begging from tourists. Also I took note that the reason the people needed this help was that the drought they experienced, left them with nothing in their fields but licorice which is obviously not going to sustain a mainly agricultural society.

About a month after I came back from that trip, hoping and praying for those people to get rain, the rains did come. Unfortunately our prayers must not have been quite specific enough because where the rain fell was in Mississippi and Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina hit hard that fall and because of my interim of unemployment, I was able to be deployed with the Red Cross to help. Still having my college experiences fresh on my mind, with my use of Spanish and sign language I was able to help in ways I could never have expected. More than food or money, the people just needed compassion, because they were simply never given the tools to handle such a situation.

I started again piecing my experiences and my education together, this time realizing how much I felt the need for incorporation of my knowledge on basic geology and sustainability of our lands. Even after my return, my experience as a nanny for a family whose home in Florida was demolished by Hurricane Dennis made me realize even more that one of the biggest needs for our growing children at this time is rooted in our ecological state.

From the years of 2005 through 2007, I worked as a nanny, but constantly dealt with issues involving weather changes and our need for changes in our cultural climate of complacency. I was able to assist children from ages 1 to 9, not only by ‘babysitting them’ but engaging them in more healthful activities that encouraged them to be conscious of other people and respectful for what they had. In very nontraditional ways, including art projects from collected materials, and with their families, teaching them to take care of the toys they had so that they last longer, and to give away instead of throw away things they no longer needed or wanted. I got into recycling furniture and clothing for children and was able to create a small network of people who all traded toys and clothes which saved many people a lot of money, but also helped keep things out of landfills and gave the children a sense of pride in doing one act of kindness that would help in so many ways.

Because of the results I saw in the clothes recycling projects and work to help limit chemicals in the children’s foods and homes. I saw its importance for their social and emotional growth. I caught an ‘eco-bug’. I recognized a growing interest in parents of young children to participate in environmental activities, not just for their children’s own health but also to save money in this economy. Elements of functional clean design fit for children coupled with more energetic attitudes that empower them through art, dancing, and just being silly, can create not just fun learning environments, but can help them to be healthier in body and spirit. I have come back to Appalachian State to become more informed in my social and ecological efforts. I want to learn more inventive ways to utilize that which I have already learned, with a more refined touch that will give me the tools to be more effective in my endeavor.

The Dissemination of Environmental Awareness

There is no doubt in my mind that sustainability will become increasingly more important in the near future. A future of Sustainability in regards to the principles of human rights, environmental protection, encouraging positive ecological economical investments is the goal of my concentration and personal life. My major concentration in environmental policy and planning is a framework of courses that encourage the development of a conceptual knowledge of our environment and our interactions with it. The best method for environmental protection is to teach respect and appreciation for the environment we inhabit. Our race populates this earth in common existence with many other life-forms. To reconnect people to the earth which bore them is a fundamental idea behind positive environmental action and inspiring others to open their minds to a more natural existence. There are many changes we need to make in order to attempt to adopt a lifestyle of sustainability, the root of which occur with the initial change of perception from trying to compete with nature and control it, to developing with nature in mind. The principles of sustainability in conjunction with social leadership skills, a foundation in biology, and an array of classes spanning anthropology, geography and planning, and Japanese language and culture classes, are the preparatory subjects I have studied and continue to hold an interest in. Slowly drawing connections between these fields and observing their interactions helps formulate a plan of action with efficiency in mind. Understanding the systems of our environment and the systems of our society and trying to tie them together while remaining balanced and not viewed as radical, hypocritical, overly liberal, or ecocentric, but rather rational, logical, and impartial is how I will approach my concentration.

Creating a community garden helps to provide positive physical work for multiple people to contribute and gain from. Helping to reach compromise among contributing neighbors, developing an overall conceptual functioning idea of the land available, organizing diversity and efficiency in the plots, and finally the physical work of planting everything, are managerial tasks I am currently employing to help develop my skills. What I aim to do could be considered to cause social change by providing a positive example for action, however there are many formations of knowledge functioning at the same time, not only will I provide a positive role model for environmental responsibility, but I am also in a location where understanding the power relationships between the rental company which may or may not own the land being worked, the neighbors who have different priorities in what should be planted, what should actually be planted there considering the climate, and surrounding plants, as well as sunlight are my responsibility to take into consideration. Developing a community garden helps promote diverse social growth, for plants and humans and it helps restore the connection between people and the environment that helps support them. Growing fresh food and preparing it can function as a conduit between people and our habitat, and works to help restore a respectful view of land.

Developing environmental policy and planning for a sustainable future are two tremendous goals that cannot be accomplished without the skills required to manage and organize huge efforts. By redeveloping a cultural respect for the land which feeds us, and recognizing the potential of organized social progression we can make strides toward a sustainable future. Beyond the conglomeration of different subjects and their connections the IDS core classes help develop a method of meditation designed to help organize and renew the thought processes which are used most in academic studies. Observing the learning method by participation in it and analyzing it, helps to increase efficiency in personal understanding, as well as promote healthy emotional growth. By combining these courses and the ideas they promote I will develop and employ my skills to organize and inspire others to create a positive change in the way we think about and interact with our habitat.

Reflections on Campus Events

The two campus events I attended were the Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speech on environmental policies and progressions and the Hispanic Heritage Festival.
Robert Kennedy Junior came to Appalachian State October 23 and spoke at Farthing Auditorium at 8:00 pm on his ideas for the environmental issues and the emphasis that we as a nation should be putting on these policies. His passion for his field of work was fascinating and inspiring as he spoke well over his time limit and was never exasperated on everything he mentioned. His statements, facts, statistics and ideas were nothing less than impressive and displayed his wide range of knowledge on everything dealing with the environment. He spoke on such issues as mountain-top removal-where his relationship with Appalachian Voices Executive Director Mary Ann Hitt is very close-, maintaining the rivers, creeks and streams that comprise our water systems, and essential sustainable advancements for all environmental issues. An example used to prove potential environmental political necessity on the American economics is that Americans use 700 billion dollars on foreign oil each year, which was the exact amount of the bailout this year, and if we outsource that amount of foreign oil on other ways of creating efficient energy through bio-fuels or whatnot, then the deficit would meet par. His campaign for the environment was very moving and the Watauga county audience was deeply moved. He ended his speech with this, “It is time to restore American prestige. It is time for every American to become an entrepreneur and every home a power plant, making everyone the ‘dogs of war.’”
The other event I attended was the Hispanic Heritage Festival which was held on October 24 at 7:00pm in the Blue Ridge Ballroom of the Student Union. This event was completely for fun and to bring awareness to the Latin culture that is present on the Appalachian campus. The evening was filled with enormous amounts of food, eating contests, educational power points on the different Latin American countries, and salsa dancing. It was very much enjoyed by myself and the international community that was present there, as most of the students studying abroad here are friends. Learning the salsa was a feat unto itself, but was very much enjoyable, despite my inability to salsa even after lessons.
Neither events were really interdisciplinary because both focused on a specific subject and advocating for their educational purposes. I did share qualities with both events though. Kennedy’s passion reflects my own, not necessarily the same passions, but passion none-the-less. His passion is for the environment, and while I agree that much emphasis needs to be put on ways to make the environment top-priority, my passion lies within people and helping those who are unable to help themselves because of political or economic oppression. With the Hispanic Heritage Festival, I compare with the event because I am concentrating in Latin American Studies and enjoy everything international. Education was inevitable, however, through both events, but both were very enjoyable.

Statement of Purpose Part Two

In order to be able to create Yahweh’s World, the non-profit organization, I need to be skilled in a lot of different areas. I decided to major in IDS because it gave me the chance to do that. I have taken classes such as Communication in Organizations and Public Speaking in the Communication Department which has helped develop my ability to speak in front of large groups, as well as, understand how people interact within a group. I have taken Careers in non-profit in order to understand the tasks and basis of a non-profit organization. This was a service-learning class that enabled me to assist in fundraising and program planning for a local non-profit called Sugar Grove Developmental Day School. I learned from the Executive Board what the needs of a non-profit are and helped raise a few hundred dollars in an ink-cartridge drive. I got a lot of good experience and got to interview all the different positions including an essential member, the grant writer. I am in the process of getting a minor in sociology and have taken Social Problems in America. Through this department I have gained an understanding of the problems in our society and also how to make a step towards progress. I have also been taking Special Education classes since that is the target population for the organization. In the future, I am taking a Business writing course that will give me a chance to write grants and memos, and some leadership classes that will help build the skills needed to lead a team of workers.

Along with these classes, I am doing a lot of extracurricular things to help in my integration of all my studies. I am a Resident Assistant in the dorms, so I am in charge of 36 residents. This position allows me to work on my managing and leadership skills. Each semester I have to do a certain amount of programs and also keep the hall clean and positive. This takes a lot of patience and time management, two skills that will help in the future. I work in the ACT office as a co-chair for the impact team. This is a volunteer group of students to help raise awareness about social issues in our community in Boone. We put on the big events on campus such as MLK Challenge, a day of service in honor of Martin Luther King, and Dance Marathon, which is an event that you raise money for 2 local non-profits and then dance for 24 hours. With this organization, I am learning how to encourage and motivate volunteers with things other than money. I am learning cool fundraisers that I can do in the future and building my network for the future. On top of these two things, I try and volunteer as much as possible and also at a variety of organization. I have worked with the Hospitality House that gives warm meals and shelter to people living in homelessness, and with the Humane Society that works to get homes for abandoned and abused animals; I have also worked on trails and with environmental groups like Appalachian Voices, and a mass of groups in between. I have helped with groups that were just getting started to groups that are well known and established. This is very helpful because it is helping me make a checklist of what needs to be done in each stage. All of my extracurricular stuff is giving me the hands on experience I will need in the future.

I am working towards an internship with a local non-profit. I try to apply everything I learn in class to what I do outside of the classroom. The outside stuff is helping to integrate the many disciplinary subjects together. In working with Sugar Grove I put on a Thanksgiving feast, but because the school had a lack in funds I had to work on getting donations. This didn’t just require my programming skills but also my ability to write for a non-profit to be able to get donations. Everything is interconnected just sometimes it takes an unexpected circumstance to see how they fit together.

Statement of Purpose Part One

I am an Interdisciplinary Studies Major, individually designing my course of study. My concentration is Non-profit development, learning the skills and the abilities one must have in order to create an organization. I aspire to make one that gives positive influences to children and adults with disabilities, as well as, help parents learn the skills needed raise their child. The question I am working towards is “How can I educate the surrounding population about the different disabilities while at the same time developing more opportunities for the disabled population to succeed and grow?” The organization I would like to create is going to be called Yahweh’s World- Come as you are, be who you be. The word Yahweh in Greek means “I be who I be”. This phrase applies to this population perfectly, what one child with Down syndrome can’t do another can. I hope that this will become a safe haven and a place of guidance.

There are four parts to this program. Part one, will be a life skills program set up for the adults in the area. This will give them a chance to work on skills such as setting the table, counting change and using cleaning supplies. There are a good percentage of people who could live in a group home or even with a small group of friends, if they had extra training and practice. This part of the program will hopefully give adults with disabilities more opportunities for jobs and positive feedback. This will also be a way for them to get out and meet people, by having social gatherings and doing service projects. Part two, will be a summer camp. Counselors will have a child with disabilities and a child without disabilities. The counselor will be responsible for facilitating growth between campers to teach love and acceptance at a younger age. Part Three, will be a mentorship program set up in a similar way to the camp where the Big Sibling will have two younger ones. This will occur throughout the year, and the requirements will be to do at least three hours of service as a group and have at least two social gatherings each month. I believe the best way to be accepted into a community is to give back to it. Part four, will be a support network for the parents of the organization. This will be a chance for them to get out and have fun, as well as, learn skills as a parent with a child with disabilities. This gives them a chance to talk with, to learn from and encourage each other. I hope to have Parent’s Night Out at least once a month.

I chose this area of study out of inspiration from my friends Ronda, Cameron and Will. They have a range of disabilities from Down syndrome to Microcephaly. I have been hanging out with them for the last 7 years and each day they amaze me. Before I met them, I had no knowledge of disabilities and I was very ignorant. I was one of the people that pitied them and felt bad that they were born incapable. I have learned so much from them and had my expectations thrown out. This year Will is graduating from High School, Ronda and Cameron are going to be seniors. Each child, whether born with disabilities or without one is special and capable, things may take longer but one thing that helps is having expectations and love for what they are capable of. I think we do a poor job of loving on people for who they are, without comparisons to others. This is something that happens in all populations of people, Ronda is a girl who happened to be born with Down syndrome, she is not her disability. We get so hung up on titles whether it is disabled, freak, jock or prep and forget that we are all people who crave relationships. I feel a calling to teach this to the world: that we are more alike than we think.

Everyone deserves an opportunity to develop and grow while being loved in their struggles. I feel called to create this program. I know it is going to be hard and there is a lot of work that will go into it, but this is something I have been planning out for over 5 years now. My concentration is giving me the opportunity to develop all the skills needed to accomplish my goal.

statement of purpose, part 1

Katy Barnard
11/2/08

Here at Appalachian State University I am studying film. This school doesn’t technically have a film studies program so I am studying it through Interdisciplinary Studies. I could have majored in English with a concentration in film, but I decided English was not my forte and I would find a better way to study what I really wanted. What I really want to study is the technical aspect of film because that really interests me, and the English department didn’t have anything on the technical aspect of film.

I hadn’t really put any thought into what I wanted to study nor do with my life my first couple of semesters here. I was focused on taking all of the classes I had to in order to graduate. While taking those classes I couldn’t seem find anything that I liked enough to take more of or that had potential for me to work in after graduating. After putting a little more thought into it I remembered a class I was placed into in high school. One class I wanted to take was full so the school placed me in a literature and film class. Looking back that was the best thing that could have happened. That made me look into film classes offered here. I took the Introduction to Film class with Craig Fischer and I was hooked. I remember asking him one day after class if there was any way to study film outside of the English department. He was the one who told me about the Interdisciplinary Studies department and how students before me had wanted to do the same thing. He also gave me recommendations of teachers and classes in other departments that would help me out.

I’m studying the technical aspect of film through the Interdisciplinary Studies department because it allows me to take classes from different departments and put them together in a specific way that helps me plan what I want to do career-wise. The classes I have taken so far have been very enjoyable and I look forward to taking as many more as I can. I would really like to be a part of the whole film making process. I have only just recently learned how to use a camcorder to shoot scenes and to edit them with different software, but I love it! I don’t necessarily want to be the next big Hollywood producer or cinematographer, I would be perfectly happy working on independent films. Just about anything that involves being hands on in the process of making films would make me incredibly happy.

I don’t know how many times I have walked away from a film thinking, “Wow! I never thought about that before,” but I love that feeling. There have been countless films that have changed my point of view about certain subjects, whether they were documentaries or major motion pictures. I know that most films have to be taken with a grain of salt because there can be major biases present, but sometimes they hit home for people. I think it would be amazing to help change someone’s life through a film. But, then there’s the lighter side of films that interest me too. Sometimes I see films just to escape reality for a little while. I would also like to assist others in doing the same.

The Third Annual Diversity and Social Justice Conference will be held Friday, Nov. 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Appalachian State University’s Plemmons Student Union.

Registration is $7 and includes lunch and giveaways. To register and for detailed information about the conference’s sessions, visit www.multicultural.appstate.edu or call 262-6252 for more information. The registration deadline is Nov. 5.

The keynote speaker is Jamar Banks, director of the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership at Appalachian.

Participants can choose from concurrent sessions that begin at 1:10, 2:10 and 3:10 p.m.

All of the sessions would relate to my course of study, and all seem very interesting...I'm not sure yet which ones I will attend....