Staff Ed: Reflecting on our favorite parts of our majors

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Well, Geneseo, April is coming to a close. Approaching what we at The Lamron have lately been referring to as “end of semester purgatory,” we wanted to strengthen our resolve by reminding ourselves of the things we love most about what we study. Below you will find them listed by major or department, and we hope our exercise in optimism will encourage you, our readers, to take a moment amid the lingering due dates for papers, presentations, lab reports, and exams to reflect on what sustains you through it all.

Languages and communication:

For our Lamron staff members in the language and communication departments, connection is one of the greatest benefits in their majors. One editor said of their comm studies, “Communication is literally the backbone of society, so I love feeling like my argumentative, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills have improved!” For one of our students of language, the gains are much the same: “The reward for doing well in a language major is that your world gets bigger and you get to communicate with people you wouldn’t have been able to talk to before.”

Our communication majors also wanted to add that, although students in other disciplines like to say that communication is “easy,” the things they learn are truly valuable. “It’s taught me a lot about what communication systems I value,” one student added, “and which I’d want my future workplace to rely on, which is so important!” Our e-board members studying communication agree that it can be challenging and engaging, and its merits in professional settings are not to be overlooked.

Business:

Although business students are a minority in our office, they too have plenty of love for their studies. With the versatility of the skills built in business courses, The Lamron’s students in the field feel that they gain a greater understanding of the world: “I love how business literally applies to any subject you take outside of business. It makes understanding things much easier.” Citing not only the career benefits of an education in business studies—including, in the words of one e-board member, “learning how to professionally communicate with someone (email or text) [and] learning the basics of finance which will be helpful in life”—our friends in business also enjoy the professors in the department, adding that they are “so down to earth about everything they teach.”

History and political science:

In the often discussion-based settings of history and political science courses, Lamron members (who, if you’ve ever attended a general meeting, you’ll know are delightfully chatty!) absolutely thrive. Students of both disciplines feel passionate about the analytical skills they acquire through conversation and debate. “It’s so discussion-oriented and we really get to break down a lot of the narratives we were taught,” notes one student of history. Our political science buff adds that the discussion “makes going to class feel like a real experience and like everyday is something meaningful…I love when I can share my ideas with my classmates/professors and hear theirs as well.”

Both majors pay particular attention to the context that shapes our current world; our e-board members appreciate how these majors enable them to understand and think critically about the systems which influence current events in the United States and beyond.

Education:

We have a few future educators in our office as well, and it is a joy to understand the passion behind their hard work and dedication. One e-board member shared one of her favorite parts of the major, saying, “I love learning about all the different ways to educate students and create an inclusive atmosphere.” With all the commitment that education requires, our education majors assure us that the rewards are worth the sacrifice: “Seeing the evidence that what you are doing is working is genuinely one of the best feelings ever. Every time I notice a student succeed after I gave them some help or taught them a new skill, I get emotional because I am making a difference.”

The pressure that education majors face can be heavy, and, although “it can be discouraging at times,” one of our teachers in the making says that the result is that “I get to become the teacher I always wanted to have!” 

English and creative writing:

To conclude The Lamron’s indulgence in our academic passions, we felt it appropriate to end off with our most popular area of study. As you can imagine, the office is downright infested with English majors, many of whom share the interests of communication, political science, and history majors in discussing and debating course content. Our English majors identify working closely with fellow students who share their passions as a clear highlight. “Being around other people who share that excitement with me is so uplifting and cool,” says one e-board member. Another noted “arguing over literary analysis and seeing the passion people bring to literature” as one of the most energizing aspects of the major.

English literature and creative writing allow the readers and writers in our office to immerse themselves in the intrigue of “try[ing] [to] get inside the brain of another person through their work” as well as “learning the best, most effective ways to put words together.” The coursework has opened up new worlds to our e-board members, introducing them to “a lot of texts that [they] wouldn’t have read otherwise” and enabling them to indulge their ideas through writing, “especially considering that I never thought it would be a path available to me,” in the words of one creative writing student.