Bridge 1 was a group Project that was more general compared to the rest. I first learnt how to work in a team and equally distribute work among the members. We learnt the benefits of brainstorming and bouncing off ideas among each other. My task was to summarise the group discussion around the theme of the space. I wrote about our understandings of joy and how we agreed upon our final idea.
Bridge 2 focused on our selected neighbourhood. I learnt how to look at a subject with a holistic perspective. The project taught me the importance of qualitative and quantitive data as well as the need to ask questions regarding various phenomenas and form conclusions. Since my visits were so personal I learnt the skill to collate information while editing out the irrelevant details. A major skill learnt included mind mapping. I summarized my observations by listing the characteristics of the neighbourhood that I thought were surprising.
While continuing to work with mind maps I learnt how to analyse and prioritise issues. Bridge 3 taught me how to problem solve and work through the method of trial and error.
Lastly Bridge 4 consisted of various ups and downs. The skills I learnt through this project were more existential than educational. I learnt to tackle self doubt as initially I was extremely unsure about writing something so extensive. I learnt to manage my time by making progress graphs and setting timelines in order to get the work done on time. The end result of Bridge 4 was self gratifying and I felt like I wrote a strong research paper that answered to my thesis.
Successes and Failures
Successes include learning about new terms and ideas such as gentrification, racial divide etc. Failures included lack of organisation while collecting qualitative data. I wish I kept my interviews and observation records in a more orderly manner.
Intellectual inspirations and lessons
Thus, all in all the few things that I took away from Integrative Seminar 2 included-
- Utilise your resources
- Organisation is key
- Branch out of your comfort zone
In the near future I would like to put into action all my learnings and skills. I look forward to observing more and understanding new social and political phenomenas. I want to be able to observe and analyse environments while also pointing out issues and potentials. Further, I would like to explore solutions to such constructed spaces and later design to solve them in real life.
