When I get asked what my favorite course has been while I
have been at James Madison College and Michigan State University, I have
instant anxiety. Many of the courses I have taken have changed my life and have
made me love attending class, including MC 395, Performing the Nation, as well
as MC 482, Gender and Violent Conflict. However, after much thought I have
concluded that my favorite class is MC/FW 445, Biodiversity Conservation Policy
and Practice
Before I can explain why I loved this course, I must explain
the events that brought my to take the course in the first place.
Interestingly, I actively tried to avoid taking this course. With no background
with endangered species protection and policy, I felt as though this course
would only stress me out and leave me steps behind my classmates, as many of
them were obtaining the Science, Technology, Environment and Public Policy
Minor (STEPPM). However, there were few courses offered and I knew
that I needed a course that fulfilled my global governance requirement for
International Relatiions. Ultimately, after speaking with other professors in
attempts to create an independent study, I came to the conclusion that I had no
option but to take MC/FW 445.
I was surprised in so many ways. As my first experience with
topics like endangered species protection, the creation of protected areas,
biodiversity, international environmental agreements and much more, I was not
only interested in the course but became excited to attend class. I had always
been interested in exotic animals, and the ability to speak thoughtfully of the
plight of the rhinoceros or elephant is an amazing opportunity and was so
different than so many of my other courses. In addition, this course succeeded
in doing something that I believe higher education should aim to: Diversify
students’ knowledge bases while providing real world practice in the topics at
hand. Not only have I learned about a topic I had never expected to, but I can
speak about this topic comfortably and confidently. Because the course is
technically a course in James Madison (MC) and Fisheries and Wildlife (FW),
there are so many perspectives from students in majors from Agribusiness to
International Relations to Fisheries and Wildlife. With these diverse perspectives,
including my own from CCP as the one of my major in this course, our class
discussions are routinely fascinating but informed from multiple perspectives
of the issues at hand. Finally, Professor Kramer has been one of the most
supportive, understanding and organized professors I have ever had, and I
appreciate his feedback and welcoming demeanor every morning at 8:30AM.
As the time for scheduling has arrived, I actively tell any
International Relations student that this is a course that they should consider
for their global governance requirement. The course has changed the number of
possibilities that I can see myself reaching for in my future, and I will
forever be thankful for the risk that I took when I enrolled for the course.
Danny
Junior
Junior
International Relations
Comparative Cultures and Politics
