As a social sciences student majoring in Geography and Criminology, I seldom go into overly scientific issues in most of the courses that I have taken for my majors. To me, science, particularly pure science, has always been boring, difficult to understand, and dull since my secondary school life. Yet, the two Common Core courses in the theme of “Scientific and Technological Literacy” that I took changed my perspectives on the subject. While CCST9053 Responding to Natural Disaster challenged me to think about natural disasters scientifically in interesting ways, CCST9042 The World of Waves taught me that waves are part of our life, and I learnt from it that scientific calculations are not necessarily unmanageable to me.
Other fields of enquiry of the Common Core courses are inspiring to and useful for me too. CCHU9062 Buddhist Visions in World Cinema under “Arts and Humanities” introduced me Buddhist teachings and how implicit messages in movies, which I am always interested in, can be interpreted; CCCH9006 China’s Modernization in the East Asian Context under “China: Culture, State and Society” supplemented my understanding on China’s development that I have already gained from my study of the History subject in secondary school; CCGL9021 Globalization and Tourism and CCGL9002 Hong Kong Culture in the Context of Globalization under “Global Issues” enhanced my knowledge of globalization and its impacts on the world, which are actually very relevant to my Geography major.
Having taken these 6 Common Core courses, I also have to say that perhaps the most valuable thing that I have gained from them is the chance to meet people from different disciplines and backgrounds, who I might not have met if I did not have to take the Common Core courses. Not only have I made more friends, interactions with them also allow me to realize the importance of multi-disciplinary studies, for a single issue can be understood very differently by different people from different backgrounds.
Being a Common Core Student Consultant, I am delighted to assist the Common Core Office in enhancing the Common Core Curriculum which I personally enjoyed, and hope others may enjoy as well. If you students see me on campus and need assistance in selecting the Common Core courses for you, feel free to talk to me!