FOOD
This is the second of three framing reflections based on my experiences in Liberal Studies 100 which is the introductory core course for the LSBA degree program at Capilano University. This semester, Liberal Studies 100 was composed of three modules each covering a different topic. The theme of inquiry for the second module was food and this is a reflection on my experiences working with this theme. In addition to engaging with course readings on the topic of food, I also continued to refine my working definitions of the concepts underpinning this course, disciplinarity, multidisciplinarity, and interdisiplinarity, and embarked on a process of developing an e-portfolio. This reflection will include thoughts on these two processes as well.
The two classes focussing on the theme of food that I attended both involved my classmates and I responding to videos and readings on the topic. I noticed that my classmates’ engagement was remarkably higher in response to video material than to text and this observation prompted me to consider different forms of media literacy and whether the traditional notion of literacy based on the ability to “read” and “write”, simply with one’s eyes and hands, was growing obsolete. Both the technicality and language requirements of academic writing have been repeatedly challenged by scholars and critics and according to First Book Canada’s latest statistics, “a quarter of Canadian households don’t even own a single book” (Seth). While this number initially struck me as sad, because I do see great merit in reading texts (in the traditional sense), I also recognize the multitude of types of human bodies on this earth who deserve to safely and fully experience perceptions comparable to “reading” and expressions comparable to “writing”, in alternative ways to the traditional sense that I was taught. Innovation in the technical engineering and biomedical fields are giving rise to countless new devices and means for people to engage with their environments regardless of physical ability sets.
A connection then began to emerge, for me, between the theme of investigation of the course, different approaches to knowledge, and the diverse modes of information absorption, synthesis, and representation that my classmates and I utilize in our academic lives. I began to reflect on my own unique challenges and preferences in gathering, comprehending, and sharing knowledge. Upon reflection, I noted that my strength lies in reading texts in paper format and I struggle with the increasing prevalence of electronic literature and the growing demand to consume it. As a coping strategy, I often print required online course materials and read them in paper format enabling me to make notes in the margins, highlight important passages, and to minimize my time in front of a lit screen. Unfortunately, this habit also increases my personal waste which is a serious flaw.
Our readings covering different perspectives on the role of the academic disciplines were of particular interest to me, during this module, as they forced me think seriously about their social costs and benefits. Some scholars see the disciplines as frameworks to support different ways of meaning-making with their distinct methodologies and terminologies while others criticize them for being hierarchical in nature, giving validity to and reinforcing social inequities, and narrowing potential innovation by restricting thought and limiting free exchange of ideas. I find the latter take most resonant as I view the social power hierarchies established and sustained in the disciplines as having direct impacts on society including, but limited to individuals’ access to resources (such as tertiary education) and their prospects for social mobility. In my experience, the different salaries associated with degrees in the different disciplines account for one mechanism by which these impacts are realized.
My reflections upon the structure of the academic disciplines also led me to further refine my understanding of the terms multidisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity and to clarify their distinctions. According to Repko, “multidisciplinarity is the study of a complex issue, problem, or question from the perspective of two of more disciplines by drawing on their insights, but making no attempt to integrate them” (Repko 35), while interdisciplinarity draws on the insights of the disciplines by integrating them. The integration is said to be key in “construct[ing] a more comprehensive understanding of the problem” (Repko 35). This account of the concept of interdisciplinarity suggested to me that the academic disciplines, or some form of them, may be a necessary precursor to interdisciplinary research if it is the case that the integration of their insights is the very foundation of interdisciplinarity.
When I was originally told we would be asked to mount an e-portfolio, I was resistant to the idea based on my wariness of the increasing presence of social media, the self-commodification it entails, and my assumption that it would take time from other, potentially more useful or interesting coursework. I questioned the value and purpose of an e-portfolio within a Liberal Studies program and felt displeased about being required to design one. Since then, I have laid the foundation of the website which I call “my e-portfolio”. I am pleased to announce that I have a clarified view of its function and worth and didn’t find it as laborious as expected to establish. I intend to use this e-portfolio as an academic archive for my undergraduate degree and as a platform to showcase my academic breadth and excellence. It will also serve to demonstrate the skills and competencies I have developed through the completion of this degree and could potentially serve as a digital portfolio for prospective Master’s programs. Currently, my e-portfolio is a live website hosted by Capilano University and the template for the design belongs to WordPress. The page consists of a quote by Oscar Wilde (regarding the complexity of “truth”), photographs (all taken solely by me), and several examples of my academic work. I have also included a visual pie-chart to help visitors understand the individualized undergraduate coursework I’ve completed thus far.