Kierra Hunter
On Tuesday, Oct 26, CCBC Catonsville held “Culture Shock Baltimore” at 12:45 p.m. in The Barn.
The event, in collaboration with the Communications Club, Student Life, and the MCOM 112, Applied Advertising, Public Relations, and Marketing Course, highlighted stories of Baltimore and its citizens. “Culture Shock Baltimore” also fostered student engagement on campus through High Impact Practices.
High Impact Practices (HIPs) are learning techniques that focus on student's needs and institutional priorities to promote successful learning and student engagement.
CCBC Assistant Professor and Coordinator Sherry Tucker said, "The Communication Department is doing a very specific High Impact Practice which is focused on intercultural communication."
According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities, HIPs can include:
A First Year Semester Experience, Common Intellectual Experiences, Learning Communities, Undergraduate Research, Diversity/Global Learning, Writing-Intensive Courses, Collaborative Assignments and Projects, Service Learning, Community Based Learning, Internships, and Capstone Courses and Projects.
This event was focused on 3 main HIP’s which were a Common Intellectual Experience, Diversity/Global Learning, and Collaborative Assignments.
Mass Communication Student, Devin Curtis, accounted his experience planning the event claiming, "the planning process really didn't take too much work to pull off. We had what we needed, we just needed to execute. As for how this experience effects my upcoming career, it helps me with planning events which I know I'm going to do."
CCBC student, Rashard Hall, opened the event with an introduction. CCBC students and faculty were then asked to recite "positive and uplifting" stories about their first experiences in Baltimore.
The storytellers were students: Jim Ndiga from Kenya, Samikshya Sapkota and Insan Upreti from Nepal and Ruut DeMeo from Finland.
The professors who told their stories teach in the School of Liberal Arts. Mr. Robert Owens (Communication Arts) and Ms. Sarah Vitale (World Languages), who are both from New Orleans, LA shared their experiences in the time allotted.
The event was open to all students and faculty, as they looked forward to trivia and the pizza buffet.
Two exhibit booths were on display in the barn that showcased the history and the many historical and cultural figures that come from Baltimore such as actresses Jada Pickett Smith, Edgar Allen Poe, and Julie Bowen.
Assistant Professor Tucker said, "when everything comes together, I honestly believe that students are the best teachers and motivators. It is sometimes better to learn from another student. Tucker continued, "I am looking forward to the international students that I have in my CMNS 101 class to talk to students who are from Baltimore and the MCOM 112 students. I am excited for them to talk to you guys because I want them to see (show) another side of Baltimore."
Despite a few technical difficulties and the late start, the event was overall a success. Curtis revealed, "I think the event was a minor success. I'm not going to say it was a big success because we had a couple setbacks, but towards the end, it was a success.
For More information on The MCOM 112 course (Applied Advertising, Public Relations, and Marketing) contact The Mass Communications Department or Assistant Professor Sherry Tucker.
