BY CHRIS BUDZISZ, PH.D., ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, AND
LISA GRINDE BUDZISZ, PH.D., ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY

It has been remarked that a person’s wisdom is in proportion not to their experience, but their capacity for experience. One interpretation of this is that it is openness to things, and not necessarily a specific set of experiences, that allows one to gain insight and meaningful knowledge. Experience and adventure can be powerful sources for learning and it is as a community of learners, a people and an institution committed to gaining and applying insight and knowledge, that Loras fulfills its mission of Pro Deo et Patria. Loras challenges students to expand their capacity for experience, to grow and to learn.This growth and learning is essential for students in an increasingly complex world and Loras has committed itself to providing students educational opportunities beyond the traditional classroom through what we call experiential learning. From service trips, internships, study abroad and study away, to the new January Term (often referred to on campus as J-Term), current Duhawks have more choices and outlets for experiencing their community and the world than ever before. With the newly announced strategic plan Loras further signals its commitment to strengthening student, faculty and staff opportunities to learn through unique experiences—adventures, if you will.

Over the last year we have been fortunate to do our own bit of experiential learning and adventuring, as teachers, students and travelers. In these few paragraphs it is, of course, impossible to capture all the excitement, frustration, joy and lessons learned through our own experiential education. We hope only to give a glimpse of our experiences and to lend our voices in support to the Loras initiatives aimed at increasing the opportunities and resources for experiential learning. Along the way, we hope to impart some thoughts on experience, learning and the importance of having a capacity for adventure.

For spring 2007 semester we both served as Fulbright Scholars to Ukraine. We taught courses at Chernivtsi National University and served as visiting professors at Odessa Economic University. In addition, we gave presentations and guest lectures in a variety of public and private fora and presented research at professional conferences in Ukraine. We met with Ukrainian students who had studied at Loras in years past and had current Duhawks visit to conduct a faculty- student research project examining the education of children with disabilities in Ukraine. Together we moderated a panel which included the German Ambassador to Ukraine, participated in a conference on NATO expansion, visited numerous schools and nurseries, started an English Club at our host institution and much more. We even hiked the tallest mountain in Ukraine! Throughout it all we tried our best to understand and experience the people and places of our adopted home. We tried, in short, to learn from our experiences.

After leaving Ukraine in June we continued our experiential learning as travelers. A dozen countries and two months later we returned home to Dubuque, a little travel worn and we hope a little wiser, with our dog-eared notebook and beaten backpack indicating an adventure.

Based on these adventures, we humbly offer the following advice for anyone interested in trying to get the most out of an experiential opportunity abroad. First, try not to turn down any invitation offered. While sometimes landing you in awkward situations, fantastic learning experiences themselves, this openness to opportunity allows for a deeper understanding of the people and places encountered. From visiting people’s homes, sharing meals and attending cultural events, relationships and insights grow. The learning occurs in both directions. Not only are you gaining insight into individuals and the community, but so too are those who invited you. Remember that in some form you serve as an informal ambassador and representative. Second, get out of the main cities and tourist areas whenever you can and try to experience the range of communities. Third, make a serious attempt at the language and be observant of the patterns of life within the community. A little effort will make your experience much richer. Fourth, and finally, be flexible. Mishaps and miscommunication will likely abound if you step away from the tourist routes, but you will be often rewarded by memorable and spontaneous experiences that will increase your education immeasurably. Allow yourself to have an adventure and you will likely learn much. While this advice is mostly for those going abroad, experiential learning can occur anywhere, and often times the most important learning comes from experiences in one’s own community.

On our return from Ukraine and post-Fulbright travels we quickly grew eager for the new and exciting form of experience on the way. As we prepared to live and work in Ukraine we also had proposed courses for the inaugural J-Term starting in 2008, an intensive experiential term now required of Loras students. This time the experiential learning would come right here in Dubuque, and this time we would be teachers designing and executing experiential education for our students. Lisa, along with Nancy Zachar Fett, L.M.S.W. (’90), associate professor of social work, offered a course titled, “The Working Poor,” while Chris, taking advantage of the upcoming presidential election, offered a course on the Iowa Caucus and the presidential nomination process entitled, “The Road to the Whitehouse.”

“The Working Poor” J-Term class engaged students in understanding the individual and societal factors affecting the lives of the working poor. Through making and sharing of meals with local working poor families, through attendance at the two-day “Bridges Out of Poverty” workshop and through experiential assignments, such as taking public transportation, visiting a payday loan operation, purchasing an interview outfit for under $10 and eating a meal at a local soup kitchen, students gained a greater understanding of the challenges facing the working poor. Students also visited with professionals representing local agencies, including Project Concern, the Dubuque Housing Department, HeadStart and Iowa Workforce Development. In addition, students were active participants in a simulation activity in which they worked in small family groups to address daily, randomly drawn, life challenges such as unemployment, family illness, child care issues and lack of access to transportation and health care.

While the shift in the Iowa Caucus date posed a challenge for the “Road to the White House” course, coming as it did at the beginning of J-Term, the intensity of both the Iowa Caucus and primaries and caucuses in other states provided ample opportunity to study the presidential election process. By keeping a flexible real-time schedule of topics, the connection between the classroom experience and the actual campaign was impressed upon the students. Through the course students participated directly in the caucus, examined and analyzed the strategy and tactics of the campaigns, examined voters and election data from the subsequent primaries over the three weeks of the course and even spent some time in the Hoffmann Hall media lab crafting commercials for the campaigns. From concept to story board to script, sound, images and final execution, the students were responsible for the commercials. Even without backgrounds in the specific software and hardware many of the students created impressive work in only a few lab sessions. The course experience was magnified by the intense nature of the election itself. Many of these students continue to discuss and analyze the election and hopefully many will increase their political involvement and openness to the political experiences available to them in the future.

Building from the knowledge gained from that inaugural JTerm, Lisa is again offering the poverty course for January 2009 while Chris is preparing a study abroad course examining political development in Eastern Europe, including Ukraine. We hope to continue to build upon what we learned from our experiences and help students have their own unique opportunities for experiential learning. Teaching at Loras allows us to share in these opportunities and to continue our own experiential education. We look forward to the new adventures!