Ten years of Experiential Education in social sciences

Romanian folklore in literature is not the most researched subject in the world – which
is exactly why Ana-Maria Dragomir jumped at the chance to study it.

With the support of a student project grant from social sciences' Experiential Education
program, the anthropology student was able to independently study the mythology of
her native Romania during her third year at McMaster.

“Like most oral traditions, Romanian folklore has a great deal of substance, making it
difficult to translate to something like a poster presentation,” she said. “I'd like to
eventually use such research in the field of archaeology. I'm interested in seeing if
stories and tales that have been around for hundreds of years can suggest real world
actions, such as migration.”

Her work ended up attracting the attention of writer Anca Radu Chelariu, who featured
Dragomir's work on a blog for Romanian-American writers.

“Being able to do such research at the undergraduate level is great,” she said. “You have
opportunities to write, to network, to really get involved that you wouldn't otherwise
have.”

It's experiences like these that have kept Experiential Education in social sciences
growing over the last decade. The program, which fosters unique approaches to
learning both in the classroom and in the community, helps students explore the
relationship between career, community and education. Cristina Foley, who has worked
with Experiential Education since its inception in 2000, says that while the number of
opportunities offered has increased, what students want to get out of those
opportunities has remained the same.

“They're looking to apply their education in the field,” said Foley. “They're also looking
to try career options out before dedicating time to pursuing them, which is very smart.”

Foley says that one of Experiential Education's strengths over the years has been its
ability to offer new opportunities while maintaining the link to academics, something it
is continually building on.

“Moving forward, we want to expand our partnerships, especially with on-campus
student leaders and groups, as well as expand our career placement program, which is
incredibly popular,” said Foley. “We're also working on a third-year leadership course
that will give students the skills they need to be successful both in academics as well as
their professional careers.”

Recent graduate Kelly Brown credits her academic success to the work she was able to
do thanks to experiential education. While at McMaster Brown worked on three separate
experiential study projects, including a visit to an archaeological dig site in Greece in
2008. She later presented a research poster at a conference in Sacramento, California,
an opportunity not often given to undergraduate students.

“Experiential education offers you the opportunity to do so many different things,” said
Brown. “I wouldn't have been nearly as successful as a student had I not taken
advantage of those opportunities.”

A recent open house held in Council Chambers celebrated ten years of Experiential
Education in social sciences and allowed staff to reconnect with program alumni.

“It's wonderful to be able to catch up with students who were given the opportunity to
work in the field during their time at McMaster and who have been successful because
of it,” said Foley. “Experiential education has a real, tangible impact on the students who
take part.”