Instructor interview for Place-Based WAC/WID writing instruction in Urban and Regional Planning, clip 5 of 15

Abstract

Brief excerpt from interview: The place-based assignments have really worked out well, and they've been received enthusiastically by the students . . . They were also excited that they could propose something, so that helped with the creativity . . . going out in the field and actually observing was helpful to them to understand all the issues that we as urban planners look at . . . it helps them understand that there are other issues that they have to take into account, like land use, zoning, which kind of drives what goes on in the neighborhood . . . People have different skills because of their disciplinary training--there are people from the sciences and peoples from arts & humanities . . . and having everyone go out into the field and observe things, and writing about them and then discuss them puts them all on the same playing fields . . . They're all observing, maybe in different ways, but they are still going out to the same place: for example, students from architecture vs. arts vs.engineering . . . so we have some really lively discussions . . . and that helps with the oral presentations.