McBride Honors Program in Public Affairs

Colorado School of Mines

What is Practicum?

Practicum is an opportunity to design your own learning experience. As the capstone experience in McBride, this course asks you to draw upon experiences and broader learning outcomes from the program, but it allows you to apply those in a context that is wholly of your own making. Additionally, as the title suggests, the course asks you to apply these in practical, experience driven ways. This is an online, asynchronous course that is designed to be highly flexible and adaptable and to meet students quite literally wherever they may be in the world. The course will offer guidance on how to set up successful learning, as well as a community of other students to provide insight, feedback, and inspiration. The Practicum is meant to be taken by students in their late Junior or Senior year. It is not meant for first year McBriders. If you have questions about the course, please reach out to either Justin Latici or Melanie Brandt.

Justin Latici:

jlatici@mines.edu

Office: 1704 Illinois St, room #105

Honors Enrichment Awards: These are available to all McBride students and may be used to help offset some costs associated with the Practicum.

Explore More of the Practicum Cohort

Practicum Cohort

Juliana Dickson

Her Practicum:

I grew up playing and listening to jazz, and it has always fascinated me as both an art form and as an exceptionally unique genre of music. I studied abroad in Madrid during the Spring of 2023 and decided to use that opportunity to explore the world of jazz in a place outside of the US. I spent the semester traveling to several different cities around Spain and experiencing the jazz culture in those places by going to performances and interacting with the musicians and members of the audience, working on my Spanish in the process. I focused on the US influence on jazz in Spain, as well as influence from flamenco and other important historical factors like Francisco Franco’s regime. I used my experiences and analysis of various performances to create my own jazz piece, inspired primarily by flamenco and blues. My exploration and syntheses can be found on my website.

 

McKenzie Jones

Her Practicum:

Everyone has a story that deserves to be told from their perspective. Too often, women’s stories are often excluded, particularly in art. My practicum was an exploration of the way women, particularly women transformed from human to non-human, are portrayed in art. I spent ten weeks in the countryside of France studying figure drawing and painting at the Studio Escalier, honing my skills in making paint into something expressive, beautiful, and alive. I researched the tragedies of three women in Greek mythology who were transformed into objects and monsters, intent on artistically retelling their stories in a way that restores their power. I hope to show the depth and character behind these women’s male-dominated narratives.
https://successful-book-e03.notion.site/An-Exploration-of-Feminism-Metamorphosis-and-Art-dfe8b6bebe7e4d4e8f00f33446d8a24c?pvs=4

Peter Reasoner

His Practicum:

My Practicum included studying abroad in Singapore and exploring the culture and festivals of this eclectic city. To start I investigated different festivals, both in Singapore and in other countries. Through my time in Singapore, I was able to explore the culture of the city through visiting the iconic sites and talking with locals. Upon returning, I embarked on a research project, learning more of the “factual” side of Singapore, comparing the city I saw to what I can research. From that I developed the During and After assignments. Through researching the city and experiencing the city I was able to gain a much deeper understanding and appreciation of my host city. You can see my Practicum here: https://peterreasoner.wixsite.com/retepsworld

Mines student traveling internationally, posing in front for the river

Ben Idler

His Practicum:

I have had a passion for architecture and design my entire life; as a result, I decided to investigate the use of architecture as a tool to further political ideologies and agendas, specifically in Denmark. To begin, I developed a research paper that outlined and analyzed the ways in which architecture has historically been used by political bodies to emotionally and psychologically influence their audience. I then studied abroad for the semester in Aarhus, Denmark, where I applied the ideas discovered in the paper. After applying the same ideas to the structures in Aarhus (and a couple around Denmark), I developed a sort of photo journal that analyzed the use, influence, and purpose of architectural choices and elements in the context of Danish societal and political goals. Immersing myself in the culture and personally experiencing the structures and their interaction with the surrounding environment allowed for a more in-depth and valuable practicum. This truly was an incredible experience that had personal value far beyond my expectations and deliverables.

Parmida Mahdavi

Her Practicum:

Hello! My name is Parmida Mahdavi and for my practicum I explored the role of street food for cultural preservation amongst minority communities in South Korea and Thailand. Food has always been more than just a means of sustenance for me, but a way to share love, culture and stories with those around me without even uttering the words. Over winter break of my senior year, I traveled to Seoul and Bangkok and conducted my research with street vendors in the cities. The best part was, I convinced my best friend, who loves food and culture just as much as me, to come along for the adventure! This opportunity truly changed my life, and I cannot thank the Mcbride program and donors enough for making it happen for me. If you want to read more about what I did, look at my blog below, ask Justin or Karin for “the cookbook” or reach out to me directly at parmidamahdavi81@yahoo.com.

Blog: https://midapracticum.blogspot.com/

Socials: ig: parmidamahdavi

Ava Driscoll

Her Practicum:

My practicum was an investigative exploration of the exotic pet industry in the United States. I started my exploration by compiling information on laws, definitions, and statistics. I created parameters and definitions of my own to work with, as some terms I had to work with were rather subjective, such as “domestic” and “exotic”. I then began seeking out interviews with people involved with the exotic pet industry, such as those who own exotic pets and even a private zoo owner with hundreds of animals. I also visited a wide variety of exotic pet stores. During these outings and interviews, I paid the most attention to quality of care and the “why” of keeping the vast array of beautiful animals encompassed within the exotic pet industry. My “big finale” was when I attended the Nashville Exotic Pet Expo and to capture footage and gain a true understanding of the people who keep exotic animals, for better or for worse. All of my experiences were synthesized into a 50-minute documentary. I believe that this documentary encourages people to think critically about the commodification of complex, need-intensive animals and why we have such a fascination with wild animals. 

https://avadriscollwbl.wixsite.com/altpetsproject

Preston Nash

His Practicum:

My Practicum experience took me from Copper Mountain Ski Resort to Highway 114 over the course of 20 days. I crossed rivers and climbed peaks, all the while exploring who I was and what nature had to offer me. About half of the trip was spent alone, with occasional “good morning” calls from squirrels and one really good conversation with a marmot. The other half of the trip was spent with some of my closest friends and family. As much fun as I had, the trip had two clear intentions from the start. The first was to explore the ways in which humanity connects with nature in the hopes of revealing why American society loves to get outside. The second was to allow my mind to wander the trails my legs couldn’t quite take me on with the dream of being able to communicate why nature is so special to me. I sought answers to my questions both on the trail but also in a plethora of books, ranging from memoirs to poetry to history. I was even so inspired by the literature I read, that I produced my own works of poetry to commemorate and reflect on the trip. While my realizations about nature have years of refinement ahead of them, I’ve come to the conclusion that nature is special because it’s one of the few places where we can be ourselves without influence or recourse. Joy, exhaustion, excitement, adventure, awe, fear, nerves. Nature lets us experience all of it while showing us who we truly are. For more insight into my trip, visit my blog here.

Project Inspiration

Check out some of the fantastic work and experiences that other McBriders have done. Still looking for opportunities? Check out some of the following links that cover a range of opportunities.