As a civil engineering major, the majority of classes I’m taking are more technical. They usually deal with a lot of math, and there isn’t a lot of room for discussion. On the opposite side of the spectrum is the Sustainability and Social Responsibility (SSR) class that I’m taking. Although I’m really enjoying all of my courses here, SSR is my favorite. It’s an online course that takes an interdisciplinary approach to climate change and sustainability. The information I’ve learned in SSR is amazing. We’ve learned about our personal carbon footprints, the sociology behind climate change, and the concept of circular economies, just to name a few topics. Twice a week we have an interactive, Skype-like lecture. We discuss the material presented the week before and talk about current events dealing with global warming. The professors and students all come from a variety of different backgrounds which makes the conversations even more interesting. There are always different viewpoints, and the class has definitely opened up my way of thinking.
My favorite place to study for SSR and all of my classes is in the Teviot Row House. Teviot is the student union on campus. There are multiple places to eat, different cafes, and multiple bars. It’s the perfect place to grab coffee and camp out to work on homework, or to meet friends for dinner and watch a rugby game. It also doesn’t hurt that the whole building looks like a castle. The libraries on campus are also great places to study. I spend a lot of time in between classes in the engineering library, but unfortunately the libraries aren’t as pretty as Teviot.
