Reflecting Back on Some Clark Courses

The Creative Actor - I'd always wanted to take an acting class and I had that opportunity during my first semester at Clark. The course introduced students to acting through weekly dialogues and various exercises. I got to play the role of a very annoying security guard for our final class project in which my partner and I acted out a 10 minute scene. Our teacher gave us the freedom to develop our characters and I took that opportunity by modelling the mannerisms of my character after Brad Pitt's character in the movie Burn After Reading. The class laughed at my character during our scene so I was very happy with the result. And that was my acting career! Hopefully I'll get back into it in the coming years!

Arctic System Science - I took this course to fulfill my major requirements and I very much enjoyed it. Do you know what albedo is? Well you sure will if you take this class! I really enjoyed how the class could blend so many topics together on the region such as climate change, Arctic society and culture, environmental impacts, flora and fauna, hydrology, etc. A few students in my class even had the opportunity to travel to the Arctic (I believe Siberia) the following summer to do research. My end of the year research project focused on the territorial dispute of Hans Island between Canada and Denmark. Hans Island is less than the size of Central Park in New York, yet it is claimed by both countries for potential legal purposes related to oil extraction. You won't be complaining about the Worcester cold after going to this class during a semester and learning about Arctic conditions!

Comparative & Human Anatomy - I took this class back in my "I want to be a doctor/physician assistant" days. You will definitely have to get used to the smell of formaldehyde (which preserved specimens) if you take this class. The class was definitely challenging but instructive. Lots of nights in the lab studying for this course...

Arab Israeli Conflict - One of the topics that I did not previously have much knowledge in before taking this class was the Arab-Israeli Conflict. My professor effectively presented the history of the conflict and crafted the course to question current conditions. Our class had students from all over the world (including the West Bank) and it was very interesting to hear their perspectives on the topic. What made the class so interesting was that so many topics were developing as they were being taught in the course (Syria, Egypt). At the end of the semester, our class was took part in mock negotiations in an attempt to solve the conflict. It's not easy!