Fresh Experiences in UC Berkeley
Gao Yifan 2021 Humanity CHC
In late July and early August, I had an unforgettable summer at Berkeley. This new journey, which began with joy and curiosity, also ended with full harvest, emotion and love.
First of all, this study abroad exchange has played an important role in building a deep connection with the world. From transferring to long-haul flights and finding lost items at exotic airports, to using google Map to get to where you need to go or booking uber and restaurants in Berkeley and around San Francisco, being in a new country and city is a different experience. Among them, we also experienced the moment when our bank card could not be tied to uber before departure one day, when we arrived at the destination, we found that the platform had automatically paid an excessive fee, and we were also confused by the map on foot. However, it was also these moments that enabled us to solve problems independently and enjoy the state of facing the world and embracing the world as a real adult.
What attracted me most was the teaching and curriculum here. I chose two courses, one istopics in the history of musicand the other isAmerican Language and culture: Berkeley experience. There were not only Berkeley students in the Music History course, but also people from different countries, not just Asians, so the experience was very fresh and challenging during class discussions. Berkeley had a tradition called Berkeley Time, where the teacher didn't lecture for the first 15 minutes of each class, and you didn't need any reason to enter the class in those 15 minutes. Every day before the start of the lesson, the teacher would ask us to put the chairs in a circle so that each student could face each other. Berkeley's students work system was very efficient, with a complete syllabus and daily tasks to be completed on the course system. Every day's literature reading would revolve around a theme, and there would be about five or six literature readings and relevant music and video references, and on this basis, we needed to think, discuss and exchange. Every day, new perspectives, concepts, and research methods were learned, and topics and related literature gave me a refreshing feeling, such asIndigenous Animism,The 'Howling' Other: Race and Animal Studies,Ecologies of Animal Soundand so on. In addition to completing daily assignments and emailing the teacher, there were two tasks that required more time and energy, namely planning playlists and pre-concert presentations, which required multiple knowledge of philosophy, aesthetics and historical views, and aesthetic experience, creativity and inspiration, not mechanical tedious work, so I was very pleasant to explore and improve.
In class, Virginia listened carefully to the ideas and opinions of each student. Even if you were a non-native English student or the expression was not so accurate, she also gave you enough encouragement and recognition. Some classmates turned in their homework late and said “sorry” to her, Virginia replied "you don't need to feel sorry". Every morning she said that you had the right not to do my homework but you should tell me. Before the discussions she usually repeated "no wrong answers" and "I love mistakes". During the office hour, I just finished task one and was a little nervous, so I wanted to ask Virginia something about my homework. She said to me that "my main comment is that you did very well,you got a very good grade, so you don’t need to worry about that". I was very touched. In addition, she also provided a lot of suggestions and ideas for my topic selection, which made me more confident to complete my homework and also got an A. I think Berkeley's evaluation system was reasonable and meaningful, for example, the two big assignments in this course were equivalent to midterm and final, but the grading ratio of these two parts does not exceed 30%. And as long as you are engaged and enjoyed in class, the score would naturally be your satisfactory result, or the score was not so important here. What I gained the most were the class discussions and listening to the conversations between teachers and classmates. What is more, my English communication has been greatly improved. The students around me were people of different countries with different skin colors and ages. Some were in their forties but they were the most active and serious students in the class. Some were already engaged in art-related work but came to study, and some were looking for a job in California but still used the summer vacation to attend classes. Some happened to come to class because they went Berkeley just to visit their relatives. I was amazed at being able to communicate with people of different ages in the same discursive environment. Here you could build a friendship between friends and classmates who spoke on an equal footing, and you didn't have to feel timid because of the lack of social experience. In this class, we shared the experience in the same time and space.
The other course was the Berkeley Experience, which focused on small group work and field exploration. We interviewed Berkeley students on the street, visited the Oakland Museum of Art (OMCA) in California, Chinatown, the Beat Museum, the 1951 Coffee Company and so on. We learned a lot about the local culture, increasing knowledge and communication skills through interaction, and established friendships with classmates.
In addition to learning, in our free time wealso visited the campus. The architecture here was unique. The arched Sather Gate was influenced by Gothic style, and many buildings and cafes were also full of classicist elements. The most iconic buildings were probably Berkeley's Clock Tower and Doe Library, on the top floor of which you could overlook the entire campus and the city of Berkeley. The Pacific Ocean was where water met in the distance. I heard that Berkeley has 27 libraries, each of which was beautiful and rich in books. There were divided spaces to meet different needs, such as public open areas, discussion areas, seminar rooms, and some quiet rooms to read. Outside of campus, we also went to the surrounding cities of San Francisco and Oakland, experiencing crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on windy and foggy days, and we also appreciated the oil painting tones in the Palace of Fine Arts, visiting places such as Stanford and Yosemite, and we enjoyed the stunning sunset over California on the way. The class and free time were very fulfilling. The people we met were polite and friendly, and they were very willing and good at praising others so that you would hear friendly compliments and be in a good mood.
In general, we have gained a lot at Berkeley. Thanks to the opportunity and the platform provided by Cuiying College and the help and care of the teachers, so that we can meet our growing selves ina larger world.