WBZ Visit Provides Hands-On Learning Experience
October 23, 2012
No amount of class work can completely prepare students for real-life experience, which is why Professor James Martin’s JR 308 class, “Catastrophes and Disasters: Breakdowns of Our World,” visited WBZ Boston this past week to interview Chief Meteorologist Todd Gutner and Evening Anchor Lisa Hughes. Through asking questions about the impact of catastrophes, the class had the chance to see their classroom learning come to life.Dr. Martin’s JR 308 course, a junior capstone, examines one worldwide catastrophe or disaster per week. Students use history, psychology, sociology, anthropology, science, literature, art and film to explore how humans understand the breakdowns of our world. Through their hands-on learning, outside of the classroom, students study the impact of catastrophes on our belief in human progress and human imagination.
Melissa Jacobson ’14 said, “The visit was enjoyable, both Lisa and Todd are very friendly and had good stories about their careers working with the news station. As an anchor, Lisa said that 9/11 was the biggest disaster and, as a meteorologist, Todd said that the Springfield earthquake was biggest catastrophe. They shared with us the basic safety procedures that we should go through if there were to be a tornado or earthquake in this area.”
A special thanks to WBZ Boston for opening their doors to our students. If you would like to see a photo of the class at the news station from WBZ’s Twitter, click here. For more information on Professor Martin’s course (offered again next fall), check out our catalog.