The Academic Essay

We will look, in your academic essay, information that will tell the reader as many as possible of the following aspects about you*:


(*)Adapted from the Faculty Handbook
(**)The tools we use to voluntarily exchange information are: email (to share text and ppt presentations), this web site, our moodle site, our program list, phone calls, visiting time (also for presentations and learning summary seminars) in the classroom every tuesday and thursday and every other saturday in our Theory to Praxis seminar. We have recently opened the possibility of using Skype video/phone and share work via You Tube with one of us for now as an initiation period.

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Since his enrollment at the Evergreen State College in 2006,  Jon wanted to fully embrace the concept of integrated learning. He wanted to be part of a program that allowed him the freedom to choose his own curriculum and create his own personal path of discovery and learning. By enrolling in this program for fall and winter quarters, Jon has accepted the challenge to be a self-motivator and the prime investigator of his own academic path.
  
In the Fall quarter, Jon focused on three main subject areas of study: Spanish, History and Agriculture. For Spanish, Jon directed most of his work through the on-campus language lab where he spent 1-2 hours 3 days a week working with Rosetta Stone and writing short stories in Spanish. Through these exercises he gained a strong grasp on the basic structure of Spanish grammar and furthered his vocabulary base. He also attended Spanish speaking conversation groups with regularity throughout the quarter in preparation for the Spanish immersion he was to experience on his trip winter quarter to Peru.
  
For the history component of Jon’s work he read texts and attended lectures. The books he read are as follows: Makes Me Wanna Holler by Nathan McCall, Women, Race, and Class by Angela Davis, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins, Cultural Theory: an Introduction by Philip Smith, and Imago by Octavia Butler. These books do not follow a traditional “history” path, but instead helped Jon learn about issues including, race, ethnicity, class, identity, and the history of people who have had their history marginalized within the broader context of the master narrative. Jon attended lectures about current events including Obama’s election, racism towards Middle Eastern “looking” people, and feminism. Fall quarter Jon broadened his knowledge, and gained valuable understanding of how culture impacts history and how history impacts culture.
  
Finally, during the fall quarter Jon started down a new path of study to explore sustainable Agriculture. Jon both read texts and volunteered time on Evergreen’s organic farm in order to begin understanding the issues surrounding sustainable agriculture. The texts he read included, Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades by Steve Solomon, The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, and The politics of GM food: a comparative study of the UK, USA, and EU by Dave Toke. These texts provided valuable introductory information about the basics of sustainable food production, as well as an introduction to the arguments for and against genetically modified foods. The Secret Life of Plants introduced Jon to a side of science that many people scoff at; plants are sentient beings and thus opened the door for a new understanding and way to look at the world.
 
Winter Quarter Jon travelled abroad to Peru for a family stay and immersion into Peruvian culture and the Spanish speaking world. During his stay in Peru, Jon continued his learning of Spanish, study of American history as well as learning a little about Peru, its culture and people.
  
For the first 5 weeks in Peru, Jon attended an informal Spanish class at a local community school in order to ask questions about the language, and have Spanish dialogue. At this community school he also taught English to 6-11 year old children, which helped further his Spanish comprehension. He spent time with a Peruvian family that allowed him the opportunity to engage in Spanish dialogue at anytime he wanted. All these combined, along with traveling through the country, allowed for a complete Spanish immersion with plenty of practice and study.
  
During his stay in Peru, Jon continued his study of American history and read the following books on American history:  The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama, The End of Poverty by Jeffery Sachs, and A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn. As part of his academic focus at Evergreen, these texts furthered his knowledge of the American political system, the histories of marginalized people and the repercussions American political decisions have on the world. During his stay in Peru, Jon was able to speak directly with people who had very different opinions on the United States, and learn that many people in other countries depend on the USA for economic stability. Therefore, when the USA is in an economic crisis, people in poorer countries are in a worse crisis.
  
Lastly, during his stay in Peru Jon learned about Peru and its culture. He kept a daily journal that contained both reflections and short stories about his observations in Peru. Through his writings, he developed a more creative style of both travel writing and personal reflection in order to compare and contrast the United States and Peru. He also read two texts, Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire and Broad and Alien is the World by Ciro Alegria, which helped Jon gain an understanding of the oppressive situation the Native Peruvians face and the response to oppression by Freire. Freire’s text was seminal for Jon’s learning this quarter, because education is one of his long-term goals and Freire’s book contains important ideas (indirectly) about how the Western education system functions. The book stresses the importance of dialogue and “non-banking” style education and are two ideas important for him to keep in mind for the future.

Credit distribution:

Fall quarter
4    Sustainable Agriculture
4    Intermediate Spanish
8    U.S. History with a focus in Cultural Studies.

Winter quarter
4    US history
4    Creative Writing
6    Advanced Spanish Conversation
2    Peruvian History and Culture. 
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