So far my experience of taking an IATL module for the first time has been overall very positive. I’ve been able to look and broaden my study in so many areas that relate to globalisation. As someone who loves trying new things constantly, this module was perfect and quite refreshing.
I really enjoy how the module is structured in terms of having a variety of outside speakers. I had always enjoyed talking to my friends about their courses at university and found these interesting so being able look at an issue from the perspective of multiple disciplines was I also very much enjoy having an array of reading/reflective material which includes works of academic writing as well as other media such as videos and poems. I thought this was beneficial since it is very relevant to this kind of topic, and newer sources of information that make use of modern media is provide a wealth of information that should be just as valued as older academic books and articles. A combination and synthesis of these I find to be very useful to my learning.
The only negative is that I felt that my group was quite slow to contribute and get involved at first, where there didn’t seem to be any sort of engagement happening when we would perform our weekly tasks. However, after a few weeks this slowly changed and we started having better, more involved and exciting conversations, where it felt like we were all genuinely interested in asking discussing the topics. So although at first it was somewhat awkward I would still say that the group tasks were something I really enjoyed, especially since during the pandemic it is quite hard to connect with people. In a module where everyone was new I did not have high expectations to get to know many people, however, the groups tasks and breakout rooms were probably the closest thing to emulating an interaction. I also took a sociology module this term, for which I have a 9am seminar and where everyone has their cameras off so I can safely say I don’t know anyone, except for recognising a few other people that have spoken more regularly. As this module is also an outside module it would have been helpful to connect to some people to discuss the content and assessment as it is not familiar to me. For this reason I really appreciate the effort to which IATL has gone to in order to make the module interactive.
From a more personal perspective the module has also helped with my anxiety as, being in final year, I was very much overwhelmed with the pressure of academia and my anxiety was very high in term 1. I am sometimes quite bad with fixating on my studies and not balancing other things alongside them. This module, although academic, felt more relaxed and welcoming, and I was particularly excited about having the freedom to do anything for the SDA. For the first time in a while, I found myself genuinely excited as I hadn’t been able to pursue my creative hobbies as much in the last few years.
In terms of my future, I am at a point where I know that I currently would like a break from academia and have more experiences outside of university. I am looking to perhaps work for a charity organisation and some of the weeks of this module have given me new ideas and allowed me to realise the sheer opportunities available for such a sector, as I applied the same interdisciplinary technique we used in the module when searching for internships. I am now more open to new positions and roles. One such example would be to work with environmental organisations as this is something protecting the planet is something I am very keen about and I can combine this interest with working for a charity organisation. In this sense I am more hopeful and relaxed about the future.
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