Going into this class, I did not know much about it. My initial reason for taking it was that it was an Honors class that fit into my busy schedule. However, I had no idea what an amazing opportunity it was going to be for me. This course was a “Places-As-Text” course which focused on wondering through different places and making note of what you saw. The point is to let your mind wander with your body and to be open to getting a little bit lost on your adventure. Meeting once a week, our small group practiced wandering around Farmville and discussed the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which is where we would eventually go over Fall Break in order to put what we had learned into practice. Once in Pittsburgh, we were put into different groups everyday and assigned a location to wander through and make observations about. Finally, back in Farmville, the remainder of the course was spent working on a project comparing and contrasting some aspect of Pittsburgh and Farmville; using our own observations and research, each group created a poster presentation to be displayed during the University’s Research Day.

Click Here! Pittsburgh Project

Stella Morris, Fall 2019: Above is a link to my group’s Research Day presentation comparing and contrasting the city of Pittsburgh, PA with Farmville, VA. Our particular focus was on accessibility and how it is maintained in both places.

Reflection: This class was unlike any other I have ever experienced, in the best way possible. It forced me to move outside of my comfort zone and look at things with a new perspective. One of my favorite things about the research project done at the end of the class was that while there was some research involved, many ideas came from our own observations while walking throughout the city; the pictures on the poster having been taken by our group members. This course taught me that it is okay to do things that you are not sure about. By allowing yourself to let go, you may even experience an amazing adventure with memories to last a lifetime.