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16 FALL 2011 . S T. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
were discussing while walking to ODY or
sitting in Sullivan Student Center with my
friends. As an Admissions Ambassador,
I had learned a lot about the history of St.
Lawrence and its buildings; in Environ-
mental Psychology, I was able to uncover
even more. Being able to say that the
bookstore had once been the gymnasium
brought my tours to life in a new way.
As much as I loved the feld trips, my
favorite part of the course was the creative
journal. I benefted from having to express
what I had learned about psychological
concepts in a more creative manner, be-
cause it allowed me to see those concepts
from a new perspective. Most of all, Dr.
Greene’s contagious enthusiasm and
knowledge made the course even more
engaging.
Danni Lanphear ’11
Major: English
Hometown: Minerva, N.Y.
Favorite Course: Queer Teory and
Performance
Imagine a course that makes you
question the structure of the society
around you, how you describe your-
self, and the very defnition of “normal.”
For me, that course was Professor Zachary
Dorsey’s Queer Teory and Performance
in the Performance and Communica-
tion Arts department. I was in Zachary’s
2010 pioneer course that brought queer
theory—a new, ever-evolving body of
critical theory—to SLU.
Mary McAfee ’11
Majors: Sociology and English
Hometown: Queensbury, N.Y.
Favorite Course: World Health
Care Systems
Do you think you have what it
takes to teach a college course?
At one time, my answer to that
question would have been a resounding
no. I didn’t know enough about anything
to have the confdence to teach it to
someone else! But, in World Health Care
Systems, I did more than simply par-
ticipate in class discussion. I led it, as did
the other members of the class, with our
professor, Patrice LeClerc, acting as just
another student. How many college kids
can say that?
Te class did more than simply make me
a “professor for a day.” It sparked my pas-
sion for health care and allowed me to feel
completely confdent in my opinions and
my knowledge, both in the classroom and
outside it, at places like the lunch table
and over cofee with friends.
During most classes, a new country’s
health care system – Norway’s, France’s,
Canada’s – would be discussed and com-
pared to America’s; ofen this discussion
was led by a student making connections
with the material through personal stories,
past readings or even other classes. We
tackled questions like, “Is health care a
right or a privilege?” “Which country
has the best health care system?” And,
“What are the benefts and limitations of
non-governmental organizations?”—the
topic I had the opportunity to lead. Even
questions like “How comfortable do you
feel with your own doctor?” had a place in
our classroom.
I discovered that the more I learned
about health care systems in countries
across the world, the more I learned about
the cultures and people there. Te way
people care for each other, and their views
on the status of health care, can help us
understand what a society is all about.
I used much of what I learned while
volunteering, for example in my intern-
ship at the Social Services Department
of St. Lawrence County and my senior
project on poverty and child welfare in the
North Country. But most of all, I came to
understood a topic well enough that I felt
comfortable leading an entire class, and
still closely follow developments in health
care today.
Lauren Reed ’11
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Cortland, N.Y.
Favorite Course: Environmental
Psychology
Grab your coats; we’re going on a
feld trip!” Hearing these words
from my Environmental Psychol-
ogy professor, Tom Greene, was just one
of the many reasons why I enjoyed this
junior-year course.
I particularly remember packing into a
couple of big white SLU vans and heading
of to a nearby sustainable house. As we
pulled into the long driveway, the big
white farmhouse looked a lot like any
other home. But it soon became clear that
every material used had been carefully
selected.
While each of my classes was exciting
in its own way, the real-life application of
what we were learning in the classroom
really made Environmental Psychology
stand out. In fact, I found the subject so
intriguing that I decided to continue to
explore it in my Senior-Year Experience.
One of our labs took us across campus,
examining the construction of our favorite
buildings. I knew I was developing a
strong command of the subject matter as
I identifed examples of the concepts we
“
From lef, Mary McAfee ’11, Danielle Lanphear ’11, Lauren Reed ’11.