To be completely honest, I had no idea what a bachelor in Liberal studies entailed. I had never heard of liberal studies as a degree so I had no idea what to expect when I walked into my first LBST 100 class. All i knew is that I could get this degree from Capilano University, and then apply for the PDP at either UBC or SFU to become an elementary school teacher. As a bonus, I could also use all my credits from my past years at cap, while I was in the Arts and Social Sciences program. Once Sean Ashley went over what the degree entailed I knew I made the right decision picking this degree. It really is the perfect degree for me as I am able to pick exactly what kind of classes I want to take with only a few mandatory ones. It’s a build your own program, so I am able to pick classes that suit me and what I want to learn about/ what I want to teach in the future.

So far in this class I have learned about different approaches to knowledge. I have learned to respect all opinions. Just because the opinion isn’t mine, I should still respect it. I might learn something from that person, and possibly change my opinion based on what they said. I have also learned that there can be numerous approaches to a specific topic, and that they can all be correct. Since Liberal Studies 100 isn’t a “typical class” in regards to it not being a note based class and it not having a textbook. I have learned to listen to other peoples opinions and thoughts and I have learned not to put my thoughts above other peoples thoughts. Just because they don’t feel the same about a topic doesn’t mean their opinion is wrong or less important than mine. I am also learning to view subjects and topics in different ways, as well as, how to analyze different topics differently. This class is expanding my knowledge and my way of thinking.

During the first week of school, I have been also to identify a personal behaviour/ bias that I have in regards to learning. I have always thought that the only way I could learn is with a textbook and class slides/ powerpoints. I have also learned that in many situations, there is only one right answer. However, with being in this class, I have learned that you can learn (and the information can stick) with articles and discussions, not just slides.

During class, I find that I am relating differently to people and conversations, than I normally do. I am able to make a much clearer connection to many of the conversations than I am typically able to. For example, when we were reading the articles on forests, I just read the articles because we were suppose to. However, after we talked about the articles, I was able to make a stronger connection to why we were reading them and how they benefit our knowledge. I have found myself thinking differently about knowledge in other classes. I am now writing down what other people are saying in discussions and not just what the professor is saying. I have realized that their input can help me further understand the topics and ideas in the future.

Overall, I am enjoying this class a lot more than I thought I was going to. I find the conversations are really interesting and the discussions really make you think. I am looking forward to what the next few months bring in this class.