CAS Hands-On Day encourages students to explore majors
Students trying to play the cello, African talking drums (Gangan) sounding in the background and moral problems with real life applications to be solved were just a few of the many activities that Hands-On Day & Majors Fair 2014 presented to students last Tuesday in the Goshen Lounge.
Jennifer Regh, professor and chair of the Anthropology department and Wendy Shaw, Dean for Academic Programs and Faculty Development, at the Forensic Sciences table.
According to Dean Wendy Shaw this event is meant to show students what CAS departments can offer and what they can really do with the degrees in the professional realm.
“All these majors are much more exciting than sitting and writing,” Shaw said. “It encourages students to explore what the possibilities are with their majors because there are many options that you may have never thought of.”
Hands-on Day also helps students to have a better idea of what type of employment they will enjoy after graduation, according to Shaw.
“Students tend to stereotype and think of geography as a memorization of countries and capitals,” Shaw said. “Geography at the university level is way different. Geographic information system is a very powerful tool using computers and mapping and has a lot of applications and a lot of jobs involved within it.”
Brian Hinterscher, CAS Advising coordinator, who represented the program of liberal studies, said the event is an opportunity for students to get a better understanding of their program or look at different minors. For undeclared students, it is a great opportunity to access information from each department and to experience hands on activities, Hinterscher added.
The African Studies program presented the opportunity to explore African talking drums.
“In African culture, drums are not just music, they can have a speak-to-each-other function,” Shaw said.
Professor and chair of the Economic & Finance department, Ayse Evrensel, said “to give students the opportunity to see what the departments are offering in one day, in one place, and in a couple of hours is great.”
The Economic & Finance table displayed a poster that allows students to change the allocation of the national economy resources to fix the U.S. budget. Evrensel explained students can see economics as a more tangible subject.
“They will realize economics is a real life problem,” Evrensel said.
According to Shaw, the Hands-On Day event has been held since 2010 and has helped students realize the diverse opportunities the CAS departments can offer.
For more information visit http://www.siue.edu/artsandsciences.
Filed Under: General CAS Stories
