The inaugural class of students on taking part in the Global Engagement Seminar Program:
Robyn Peers, Faculty of Arts student
"The interdisciplinary nature of this course has been one of its greatest strengths, as I found the ability to be in a classroom with students from the other faculties, especially given our siloed campus, offered me the chance to hear perspectives that I have never been able to access before. This greatly improved my learning, and also helped me build connections beyond Arts, which I’ve found to be one of the most difficult and frustrating aspects of my undergraduate experience."
Keegan Morrissey, Faculty of Math student
“An important aspect of this program was that it gave me not just the skills to think critically, and articulate my thoughts, but the class also gave me the confidence to engage with my peers. I will always appreciate the skills that I have learned in this class, but it may be the confidence that I gained in this class that helps me continue to engage in important issues in the future.”
Mariam Flifli, Faculty of Arts student
“This course was truly unlike any other I have taken throughout my undergraduate degree, and I don’t say this lightly! The opportunity to interact with students from different faculties and engage in an interdisciplinary manner allowed me to take my teachings in Political Science and attempt to solve issues that demand multi-pronged approaches. As opposed to being restricted to thinking of “political” solutions to the issue of populism, I was able to engage with engineers and scientists and discuss creative solutions that counteracted the negative effects of populism and restored agency and knowledge to society.”
Don Tu, Faculty of Engineering student
“I honestly feel as though this course has brought about a paradigm shift in the way I look at the world and want to lead my life. In terms of specific skills, I can say that now that I know what neoliberal ideology is, how it manifests, and what alternatives to it look like, I feel much more equipped to analyze the world around me – as Henry would say, ‘interrogate’ it instead of ‘echoing it’.”
Erin Tonita, Faculty of Science student
"ARTS 490 has exposed me to current and pressing social issues in the world, and has stressed how important it is to maintain, and fight for, democracy. Sometimes we fall into traps of accepting things as they are without question – this course challenges you to imagine a better future. This course also gave me the opportunity to collaborate with wonderful and passionate students from across all the Faculties at the University of Waterloo. The work we did together over the semester was enlightening and inspiring. Overall, this course has been such a blast and I will carry what I have learned into my future work as a scientist."
Samir Reynolds, Faculty of Environment student
"This course was very interesting and gave me the unique opportunity to work with students across the faculties. Through this, I was exposed to new backgrounds, ways of thinking, and ways of approaching problems, both small and large. This really helped me see a more holistic and interdisciplinary approach to the complex, multifaceted issues facing contemporary society, particularly those surrounding the issues of populism and democracy. It also gave me very valuable experience working in a diverse group to complete an open-ended project, which is very applicable beyond the classroom."
James Mallari, Faculty of Science student
“The degree to which the course was student-led, was no short of amazing. Normally I feel that having too much freedom in direction can lead to a bit of mild chaos. Yet I was so taken back and impressed by the final products of everyone from the course. This obviously speaks to the initiative, curiosity and hard work of the students but also the coaching and input from Jasmin and Dani. The course was so engaging and perspective changing.”
Jillian Barlow, Faculty of Arts student
“Henry Giroux was such an incredible addition and I loved talking to him on Skype every week. In this course, I really felt like an equal and my input was useful. I enjoyed engaging with the author of the articles we were reading, and having Jasmin there for further support.”
Logan Miller, Faculty of Environment student
“The ARTS 490 course was undoubtedly one of the best courses I have taken at UW. It allowed me to engage with an interesting global topic and to create something relevant to that issue. I also did so with interesting students from across the university that brought perspectives different from my own.”
Sarah J. Lukaszczyk, Faculty of Environment student
"The school needs more courses like this, where faculties come together and explore issues that transcend faculty, campus and geopolitical boundaries. We need to be given space to explore how to be a citizen, and a globally conscious human being."
Savannah Voll, Faculty of Arts student
“Above all, this course reminded me how important it is to think critically, which is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I highly recommend this course to everyone considering it.”