Category: Academics At Loyola

Chicago, Loyola, Libraries

Chicago, Loyola, Libraries

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What sort of classes do they teach here at Loyola? Well, a bunch, and they’re all fun (at least, to me!)

This semester, I’m taking a class called the Newberry Library Undergraduate Research Seminar. What does that mean?!? It’s a class they hold every year with a different topic and a different set of professors, teaching students from all over the Chicago area – Roosevelt, UIC, DePaul, you name it! It takes place at the Newberry Library (where I’m interning, but that’s for another post) which is located downtown. This semester, the focus is on Chicago art and literature from 1900-1960, taught by Professor Bradshaw from Loyola and Professor Pohlad from DePaul, a creative writing professor and an art history professor respectively.

The class has been a lot of fun, because I’m certainly learning and reading a lot about a time period I didn’t really know a lot about before. Plus, we get to use the Newberry’s enormous archives to supplement a research project on a topic of our own choosing. How cool!

We regularly get curators and historians from the Newberry giving us guest lectures about topics with archival materials such as Ernest Hemingway’s actual letters to a Chicago publisher, or Ben Hecht’s Oscar, which is super interesting and also the only one they have in the entire library.

Have you ever wanted to go around a museum with someone who actually knew a lot about the pieces? Because that’s what we got to do. I mean usually I do alright in the classical art section (history major, that’s me) but we were focusing on the modern art stuff since the class is about Chicago, 1900-1960. I admit, I wouldn’t probably even go into the modern art section without Professor Pohlad going like: come on, it’s interesting, just look, okay? I’ll tell you about it and why it matters and so on.

 (There he is, explaining a DuChamp. DuChamp is the very same guy who infamously said that a urinal he bought and put on its side was art.)

So the class did. If you haven’t heard, Loyola students get into the Arts Institute for FREE, and I always wish I went more. Tragically within the class time we only had enough time for the Modernists, and barely enough, really, but I fully intend to go back soon and look at the Roman and Greek marbles for as long as I want.

I haven’t been on a class field trip in a long time – once in Tai Chi class in China, and a few times in Rome for history class, but it’s always refreshing to get out of the classroom. Keep the Newberry Seminar in mind when looking at classes, and for sure don’t forget about Chicago’s art!

Such a ‘Bler: I have a show on WLUW!

Such a ‘Bler: I have a show on WLUW!

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And so another adventure begins.

During my college search, I came across a video tour of Loyola’s School of Communication’s Convergent Studio, and well I was hooked. I wanted to experiment, to create and to be immersed in a hands-on academic experience and there it was. I could see myself in this beautiful space and I could see myself at this beautiful university. One baby ‘Bler year later, I’m here. I have a new show on WLUW!

As stated on their official website, http://wluw.org, WLUW is the student-run radio station broadcasting from the School of Communication at Loyola University Chicago. WLUW is dedicated to broadcasting independent music and informative talk programming and is a source of learning and growth for Loyola students. WLUW broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is streaming worldwide.

My show is called “Hyperlinked” – in reference to my hyperlinked brain – and it’s going to address a myriad of topics surround human interaction and relationships. And no, I don’t just mean the romantic kind. One of the areas that I hope to explore with my Communication Studies major, and well my Theatre and Creative Writing minors as well, is how individuals communicate, depend and not depend on one another. How do we perceive someone else, how do they perceive us? And why is the way we are present or not present in someone’s life so powerful?

February 13th was the first training day for the ‘Second Wave’. We are the second wave because our shows will be broadcasted on WLUW’s website rather than the actual 88.7fm channel itself. That way we are able to have more flexibility with our playing of music and discussion topics. The Second Wave is also for the more talk based or podcast based of WLUW’s shows. There’s everything from the purpose of spotlights in the Film and giving spotlights to queer artists. And I’m ecstatic!!!!

Our shows don’t begin airing until after Spring Break but I will definitely keep you posted. Wish me luck!!

 

HEY, I ALSO MAKE VIDEOS!

HERE’S THE SUCH A ‘BLER PLAYLIST:

 

 

Have No Fear, Resume Tips Are Here!

Have No Fear, Resume Tips Are Here!

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It is that time where many of us are either beginning to apply to graduate school, medical school, a job, etc.!

Many of us may need to start working on our resumes whether it is for a job, an internship, applying to a school, etc. Now what is the function of a resume you may ask? It is a concise summary of your education, work/volunteer/internship experiences and other qualifications relevant to your audience’s needs. Employers use resumes as a first impression and will use it to compare you to other candidates. NOTE: a good resume does not guarantee you a job, it just allows you to be considered. A resume demonstrates the skills and capabilities that the reader would value and it is essential for you to demonstrate your abilities and is showcases a sense of direction in your career.

How to layout and format a good resume:

There are a few basic resume types but lets focus on some things that are particularly helpful –

  • It is recommended to format chronologically so that the reader is able to see organization qualities as well as being able to follow your experience.
  • Aim to fit your resume on 1 page – unless you have more experiences that are relevant to the job, you should limit it to one page because it is a general overview of your skills and capabilities.

  • AVOID using templates as a basis for your resume because sometimes they can be difficult to alter and limits you from standing out if your resume looks just like everyone else’s. (Remember, the person reading your resume is most likely reading soooooo many others.)
  • Use CAPS, bolding, underlining, bullets, and indentation to direct the reader’s attention and separate different sections of the resume.
  • Do NOT use graphics or unusual fonts and colors to “dress up” your resume. It doesn’t look professional and you need to limit your space as well because you only have 1 page remember.
  • Use margins between 0.5″ – 1.0″ which leaves enough blank space on the page so that the document is comfortable to read and enough margin to allow for different viewing software and printers.
  • It would be better to save your file as a pdf before submitting electronically so that it preserves the format.

 

Sections within your resume:

 

Contact information

  • Include your name and email address as well as the phone number and street address you would prefer to be contacted at

Introductory Statement 

  • “Objective” statements are often considered awkward, obsolete, or unnecessary.
  • If you use a summary statement, make sure that your experiences live up to that statement.

Education

  • List degrees in reverse chronological order
  • List the official names of the school you have attended
  • You may list your GPA if it is strong
  • Course Work descriptions: which can include honors and awards (scholarships/fellowships)
  • Study abroad – list school(s), location, dates

Work Experiences 

  • List experiences in reverse-chronological order.
  • Show the name of the organization, your title, and dates of involvement.
  • Be consistent in your formatting of each experience
  • Use bulleted phrases to describe each experience which should demonstrate skills and capabilities – consider how your experiences demonstrate core work skills (communication/interpersonal skills, organization/time management/leadership, analytical/problem solving skills.
  • Use a professional and active voice

Internship, Co-curricular and Volunteer Experience 

  • List experiences that involve leadership or organizational responsibilities
  • Format the same way and be sure to demonstrate core work skills

Skills

  • This section is optional but this includes additional language skills you possess or certifications/licenses
  • This can also include technology or soft ware skills that are relevant to your career.

 

Hopefully this helps many of you! If you need additional guidance, refer to Loyola’s Career Development Center – they have many available resources, including sample resumes/cover letters!

 

 

Such a ‘Bler: The First Playwriting Workshop

Such a ‘Bler: The First Playwriting Workshop

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I’m finally taking THTR 204 – Playwriting and wow has it been a treat! I have always been a writer at heart and though theatre is my minor and I’ve written a whole musical before, playwriting is still relatively new to me.

We have two workshops throughout this semester and the first of those was on Friday. Each playwright would submit their 5-7 page scene a week prior and then have them casted and read out in class during the workshop. And then, discussion would begin.

Each discussion is led by a student (who is not the playwright in presentation) who will ask the audience a short series of questions such as “what stood out about the scene/what was crucial to the scene?” and “what would you like to see more of?” After the group has exhausted the exploration, the spotlight would be turned over to the playwright who will ask and/or clarify anything they felt wasn’t cover or were still curious about.

It was nice to hear everyone’s voice, both through written words and through the readings. It occurred to me just how much a person’s voice can be found in the theatre/art they make, even if it’s just a short scene and even when they are not presenting it. The difference between each piece were so distinct and brought a refreshing start to the class each time we began a new read.

Our professor, Devon De Mayo stressed the importance of creating a safe space for our fellow writers. We even ran over ways to rephrase comments and suggestions such as saying “I crave…” instead of “I think you didn’t put enough emphasis on…” and I really appreciated that.

My turn is next Friday, and well I’m anxious and excited and everything all at once. But I know I’m in good hands.

 

HEY, I ALSO MAKE VIDEOS!

HERE’S THE SUCH A ‘BLER PLAYLIST:

 

Such a ‘Bler: Light Lab Life

Such a ‘Bler: Light Lab Life

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Like what you see? (I do hope so, I’m being graded on this haha) Well let me introduce you to Fine Arts Annex. It looks a little different right now because it’s set up for our Lighting section of THTR 352 – Design II.

For this portion’s final, we had to create lighting designs for 7 scenes of ‘Aglaonike’s Tiger’ and capture them to discuss with our prior researched and created lighting storyboard of the play. Our instructor, Lee, brought the lightboard from Loyola’s underground theatre to the annex and we got a chance to play around with it before diving into the project, and let me tell you miniature lighting design isn’t as easy as you think.

We got 5 hours of lab time each and I used every minute of it. Lee taught us the important to modeling – using light to highlight the important parts of the cast and props so they don’t blend into the background or are not seen correctly. So I made sure to adjust each light for that main purpose. And well I also played around with colours to change up the mood.

My favourite part was using gobos – patterned pieces of circular metal that create different shadows when having light casted through the patterns. These are placed into the source of light. I manipulated a few to represent the presence of water and leaves on the stage floor and backdrop. The plot was a mixture between the themes Ancient Greek Traditions and Postmodern. I wanted to move away from realism with this plot and thought it was a good alternative for props and made the scenes more unique.

I’m very new to lighting design and well electrics in general, being mainly a playwright and dramaturg when it comes to theatre. I even had to call Lee in the middle of my session to ask for assistance…We were also required to provide two lighting sketches, which the techniques for were taught in Design I. I had to do some digging through my notes for a refresher but I’m glad they were good notes haha.

The project and section have been quite challenging, yet I feel so alive! It’s always good to step out of your comfort zone and see what your skills how do and how grow. Sound design is up next, stay tuned!

 

HEY, I ALSO MAKE VIDEOS! 

HERE’S THE SUCH A ‘BLER PLAYLIST:  

Loyola opens ‘Flex Lab’ to Accommodate for More Lab Space

Loyola opens ‘Flex Lab’ to Accommodate for More Lab Space

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GREAT NEWS for all of us science students… Loyola is planning to create new labs to be utilized by students from various science majors on North Broadway Street, between Bar 63 and the Life Storage building.

Turns out, Loyola had bought this building in 2011, but it was just used as a storage area until it was torn down this summer. Now, plans are undergoing to construct additional lab space to house students from different science departments. The construction has begun the last week, and the final building is expected to be finished by this July according to Peter Schlecht, the Assistant VP for campus planning.

This has been such an important construction plan, as there has been increasing need for more lab space over the past few years. The estimated cost of the lab is about  $4.7 million and will be at 6335 N. Broadway St. Because it is a ‘flex’ lab, it won’t be restricted; thus, it won’t limit or exclude any of the sciences.

We have such a high enrollment in the science department here at Loyola, so having this flexible lab will make things at Loyola much easier and give the science department much more ease in accommodating large number of students.

 

Of course, this doesn’t mean that multiple departments of the sciences will inter-clash — scheduling for lab use and which courses will take over will be all planned out.

The goal is to make this easier for students and faculty members, but also encourage interdisciplinary research and learning among our science department. Hopefully, this building will allow students to work among different fields aside from their won and learn from each other with this new cooperative learning environment.

Some argue that its great that Loyola is investing a new flex lab to accommodate for these spaces, however, there are other things the money should go towards, especially if these facilities already exist.

It may be awhile before labs can actually be used, but this is a good direction the University is headed towards creating more integrated spaces for students and faculty members which will hopefully encourage learning and research opportunities.

How to Stay Focused in Class

How to Stay Focused in Class

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Focus

One of the most difficult thing I have faced in college is staying attentive and focused during my classes. Because I am a commuter, I try to take the earliest classes possible so that I can go home before before it gets dark. So yes… I take 8:15 a.m classes, and yes it can be quite difficult. I thought i’d share some tips on how to stay awake and attentive so that you can pay your money’s worth and actually pay attention in class!

  1. First and foremost, you need to stop those allnighters. Yes, I know sometimes its extremely necessary, but time management is key. You need to learn to balance your time throughout the day so that you don’t have to pull an allnighter. Getting good sleep is the KEY to success in classes.
  2. Eat a healthy breakfast! Many students skip breakfast but it is extremely important because it keeps you energized throughout the day and avoids unhealthy snacking.
  3. Avoid sitting with friends. I know class can be fun with friends around, but if you notice yourself not paying attention when your friend is next to you, just establish it between the both of you that it will make a difference in both of your performance in the class.
  4. Put your phone on silent and keep it in your bag! This is one of the biggest distractions because after going through all of the other distractions, your last resort is your cell phone. It is definitely difficult at first, but either sacrifice it for an hour or get a bad grade that’s stuck with you forever. Your pick.
  5. Take notes, ask questions, have a goal. You need to focus your attention to what you need to know. Ask yourself questions, do I know this material? Don’t just copy what the teacher writes on the board, understand it.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and interact in the class, chances are, someone else has the same question. Also, a lot of the time, we over think what we want to know/say so don’t let that get the best of you.

 

 

Shifts in Body Image

Shifts in Body Image

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How crazy is it that the idea of body image has shifted tremendously throughout the years? But, what even is this idea of body image? Body image is a person’s perceptions, thoughts, and feelings about his or her body.  It includes how these feelings are affected by exogenous and endogenous factors, and how these feelings subsequently affect behavior.

At first, body image issues revolved around women with eating disorders and women who were concerned with their weight. It is known that research on eating disorders led to research on body image. This, of course, suffered many consequence such as

  • Body image limited to women
  • People with eating disorders
  • Only pertains to body weight and shape

Body image is such a vast topic and has problems and effects such as:

  • Effects of specific physical characteristics
  • Physical appearance in diverse contexts (cross cultural)
  • Physical appearance/body image in medical and allied fields (medical conditions, cosmetic/reconstructive surgery)
  • Factors that affect positive and negative body image across the lifespan (aging)
  • Social media effects, neurological effects (unrealistic standards)

It’s crazy to see how quickly ideas about the ‘ideal’ body image have changed across time periods. A lot of times it went hand and hand with the fashion sense of the time. In Egypt, women were seen as equal and were typically slim. From the middle ages through the renaissance period, a number of images suggest that fleshiness and a fuller female figure was the ideal. What I typically think of is a portrait of Aphrodite. Then, it began to shift quickly. Here is a run down of some time periods that really captured the ideals:

  1. 1800s: butt enhancers worn under dress and corsets, narrow waist
    1. late 1800s – full bustle in the back
  2. 1920s: loose dresses, short hair, less emphasis on curves
  3. 1950s: fitted dresses and skirts come back to show off hips
  4. 1960s: mini skirts and bikinis- thin ideal returns –> eating disorders increase
  5. 1980s: thin and FIT
  6. 1990s: boyish – super thin returns

Body image issues lends itself a lot to many eating disorders, self consciousness, body shame, and other critical components. Loyola is offering a Body Image Lab and discusses a lot of the issues in this particular topic. It is definitely a fascinating class, and I 100% recommend you all to take it if you would like to learn more about the historical context of this transition as well as create your own research in this field!

Cold Weather Hits Chicago

Cold Weather Hits Chicago

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As many of you may know, Loyola never cancels classes. At least for the 4 years I have been here, not once did any amount of snow or low temperature stop Loyola from holding classes. However, one of the coldest air masses will hit the Midwest this week. The temperature in Chicago is predicted to fall to record and dangerous lows on Wednesday. After seeing a high of about 34 degrees today (Monday), it will shortly drop to zero and Wednesday is expected to drop to -23 degrees, this is a record compared to the year 1985, dropping to a low of -27.

The lows Tuesday and Wednesday could break records set in 1966. They’ll also feel much worse with wind gusts up to 30 mph, which will make it feel as low as negative 50 degrees, according to the weather service. But there could be as much as a 30-degree disparity from the north to the south end of the state, while lakefront communities could get a small reprieve, but that largely depends on how much ice cover there is on Lake Michigan.

Loyola faculty is monitoring the forecast over the next 24 hours, and they plan to notify the campus community of any potential class schedule changes or cancellations by 2 p.m. on Tuesday. This is a big deal for Loyola students, as this never really happens. 

The weather on Wednesday will be very dangerous, and it is important that all individuals take caution. Be sure to wear layers of clothes, cover exposed skin, be outside as less as possible, stay dry, and avoid alcohol and caffeine. These beverages interfere with the normal physiological defense against cold and can actually increase heat loss.

With a wind chill of -18°F to -35°F, frostbite can occur in 10 to 30 minutes if skin is exposed. Please be safe and stay warm!

Such a ‘Bler: My First Playwriting Assignment

Such a ‘Bler: My First Playwriting Assignment

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Playwriting is perhaps the theatrical class I had been most excited to take since I declared my Theatre minor. This is however, also a course that I feel equally anxious about. This is because I am a writer at heart, I am very rusty after taking more design-based courses in my first 3 semesters here, and in general lack theatrical knowledge in comparison to my peers who have been deeply surrounded by theatre their whole lives. Nevertheless, I am passionate and pumped to grow!

Our first writing assignment made me smile – frankly because it was fun, but also because it was exactly what I needed. We were asked to record a conversation between two other people, that had to be at least five minutes – equivalent to five script pages- long, and then transcribed it precisely. This meant every pause and stutter, no matter how odd had to be recorded accordingly. Our professor stressed the importance of this, even if it meant uncomfortable punctuation and grammar because that is just how people really talk!

I appreciated this because I’ve never been too great with dialogue if I must confess. This exercise really put me into perspective with the rawness needed to write good dialogue, or at least one pertaining to the naturalistic and realistic spectrum of theatre.

You could say this is a pretty good start and that this writer is ecstatic for an adventurous semester. Wish me luck!

 

HEY, I ALSO MAKE VIDEOS!

HERE’S THE SUCH A ‘BLER PLAYLIST: