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- INDG 305-1 Treaties in Canada
- FASS 200-1 Writing Right: Strategies for effective revision
- FASS 204-1 Communicating in Conflict and Negotiation
- FASS 207-1 Cultural Humility: Understanding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- FASS 208-1 Introduction to Personal Financial Planning for Students
- FASS 210-1 Language Network Science
- FASS 211-1 Data Literacy and the City
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2018
- January
- Graduate Liberal Studies' Dr. Stephen Duguid now professor emeritus
- Congratulations to the 2017 Staff Achievement Award recipients from across FASS
- Comics a way to express ideas about health
- Alumni Profile: Jon Robinson, Public Policy
- An interview with Rhys Kesselman: Thoughts on an Illustrious Career in Policy
- Students from across FASS sweep inaugural Student Learning Commons Undergraduate Writing Contest
- FASS Graduate Students Up for Public Choice Award in National Competition
- Gerontology launches new student blog
- Communicating with babies--studies show moms and dads can differ in approach
- Autism and Aboriginal families: new project to shed light on health inequity in BC Aboriginal communities
- February
- Graduate Student Profile: Justine Mallou, Political Science
- Jeremy Brown Wins 2017 Excellence in Teaching Award
- New book on Secwépemc people garners critical praise
- FASS students and faculty featured in annual Office for Aboriginal Peoples Newsletter
- 2018 RADIUS fellows include FASS alum, students, and staff
- Urban Studies' Meg Holden awarded 2018 President's Award for Leadership in Sustainability
- March
- Master's students from the School of Public Policy win national case competition
- Chancellor Anne Giardini named Influential Woman in Business
- Meet Gerontology's new postdoctoral fellows, Dr. Theodore Cosco and Dr. Sue Peters
- Prize-winning book brings 10, 000 years of Shuswap First Nation history to life
- Economics' Arthur Robson appointed Fellow of the Canadian Economics Association
- Staff Profile: Rose Baik, Coordinator, Student Recruitment & Advising, FASS Surrey
- History welcomes new visiting scholar, Dr. Katrina Jagodinsky
- Art & Mindfulness event addresses mental health barriers
- Chris Lewis, First Nations Studies alum, appointed deputy chair of SFU Board of Governors
- Curious 73-year-old joins study tour to explore Spain’s Islamic history
- Recognize, render and redirect: Supporting faculty to support students with mental health challenges
- April
- Conference aims to improve diagnosis and support for women and girls with autism
- Claire Trépanier honoured by L'Ordre Des Palmes académiques
- Psychology alum earns 2018 BC Community Achievement Award
- 4th Annual SFU World Literature Student Conference a hit and a win for organizers and attendees alike
- SFU Political Science student named one of Surrey's "Top 25 Under 25"
- English's Colette Colligan uses big data to mine new insights into media coverage of the Oscar Wilde trials
- History's Mark Leier engages students with teaching portfolios and a simple question
- Surrey highschooler studying philosophy at SFU nets international human rights prize
- SFU Undergraduate Research Symposium presents original research by students from across FASS
- Linguistics' Dr. Maite Taboada harnessing Big Data to combat fake news
- May
- Political science prof Michael Howlett named Canada Research Chair in Policy Innovation for Climate Change
- Recognize, Render and Redirect: Supporting Faculty to Support Students with Mental Health Challenges
- SFU's Doug McArthur wins 2018 Lieutenant Governor silver medal for public administration
- Recognize, Render and Redirect: Supporting Faculty to Support Students with Mental Health Challenges
- June
- In Memoriam: Meiyu Li
- SFU and NATO Defense College sign Memorandum of Understanding
- Convocation Award Winners, 2018
- Convocation Profile: Paul Hagen, History
- Convocation Profile: Micaela Evans, Gender, Sexuality and Womens Studies and First Nations Studies
- Convocation Profile: Samuel Thiak, Political Science
- Convocation Profile: Kaitlyn Thompson, Linguistics
- Convocation Profile: Anoop Virk, International Studies
- Convocation Profile: Samaah Jaffer, International Studies and World Literature
- FASS Employee Achievement Awards
- First Nations Studies undergraduate Melanie Mercer earns student essay award from Blue Metropolis Literary Prize
- History's Mark Leier and Psychology's Jodi Viljoen recognized for excellent graduate supervision
- Philosophy's Dr. Lisa Shapiro earns Ulrike Detmers Elisabeth of Bohemia Prize
- In Memoriam: Maha El Meseery, School of Interactive Arts & Technology
- 2018 Cormack Teaching Award Winners
- July
- August
- Psychology postdoc partners with BC Hydro to study how innovative light therapy can improve mental health and addictions treatments
- Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies launches 2017/18 Newsletter
- International Studies student enlivens vacant storefronts in Surrey, BC
- Deanna Reder elected to the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars
- September
- New Faculty Profile: Heather Bliss, Linguistics
- American community at SFU helps to get out the US vote
- Welcome Dr. Maite Taboada, FASS Associate Dean of Research for Fall 2018
- Gender Equality Activist Ellen Woodsworth Receives Rosemary Brown Award for Women
- 2018 FASS Autumn Reception and Cormack Teaching Symposium
- Keeping the spirit of Gandhi alive at SFU
- New Faculty Profile: June Scudeler, First Nations Studies and Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies
- Welcome: New FASS Faculty Members
- Psychology PhD student finds suprising data on dating violence
- Psychology grad earns 2018 Terry Fox Gold Medal
- 2018 FASS Autumn Reception and Cormack Teaching Symposium
- Prison tours increase student empathy towards prisoners and staff
- October
- SFU Political Science organizes event to inform BC voters in preparation of upcoming referendum on electoral reform
- 2018 Dean's Medals of Excellence
- Convocation Profile: Don Shafer, MA, Graduate Liberal Studies
- 2018 FASS Employee Achievement Awards
- Convocation Profile: Soraya Janus, MA Criminology
- Sociology's Ann Travers featured on Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences Blog
- Convocation Profile: Alex Garcia Fuentes, International Studies
- Sociology & Anthropology Grad Student Yun Zhang on the International Teaching Assistant Program
- Faculty Profile: Jodi Viljoen
- Faculty Profile: Mark Leier
- 2018 Cormack Teaching Symposium: The craft of teaching and putting yourself in your students' shoes
- November
- Undergraduate Student Profile: Rébecca Brassard, Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies and Political Science
- SFU Psychology places high on Times Higher Education World University Subject Rankings
- Field School Notes: International Studies
- Field School Notes: Criminology
- Video: How FASS graduate students and postdocs can access $15 000 in Mitacs funding
- Criminology professor Gail Anderson's expertise in forensic entomology helps exonerate American woman imprisoned for 17 years
- Travel Report: Benjamin Dipple, History
- Travel Report: Panagiotis Delis, History
- Travel Report: Gyuzel Kamalova, Sociology and Anthropology
- December
- FASS Courses Open Spring 2019
- Welcome Ruby Campbell, new FASS Director of Advancement
- Undergraduate student Natalie Lim earns top honour with CBC Poetry Prize
- New Faculty Profile: Laurel Weldon, Political Science
- International Studies student Raymond Messier on his summer of international search and rescue ambassadorship
- Travel Report: Sarah Vanderveer, Sociology and Anthropology
- Travel Report: Songwei He, History
- January
-
2017
- January
- Christine Kim and Helen Leung on the Institute for Transpacific Cultural Research
- SFU creates institute for tech research on healthy aging
- Anthropology MA student examines lifestyle of Mexican migrant agricultural workers
- Congratulations to Our Recent Order of Canada Recipients
- First Nations Language Centre races to preserve B.C. First Nations languages
- February
- Graduate Student Profile: Noortje de Weers, Linguistics
- International recognition for Criminology's pioneering forensic entomologist Gail Anderson
- New cohort of Squamish speakers hopes to revitalize language
- SFU economist runs the numbers on speed dating
- Study: giving a gift that reflects you rather than your valentine strengthens relationships
- Research Profile: Tina Adcock, History
- SFU honours FASS Connections Mentorship Program
- March
- Research Profile: Dr. Colette Colligan Discovering Wilde Data
- Graduate Student Profile: Andrew Czink, GLS
- Psychology student shares four tips for couples in a long distance relationship
- Award for best dissertation won by Criminology's Evan McCuish
- Students win at Model NATO Competition
- Graduate Profile: Reema Faris, GSWS
- A FASS sustainability champion wins President’s Award for Leadership in Sustainability
- Hope Caldi wins national award for her public policy recommendations
- Criminology's Sheri Fabian receives SFU's highest honour for teaching
- Alumni Profile: Robert Bittner, GSWS
- Undergraduate Profile: Sarah Duggan, International Studies
- April
- May
- Study suggests drug criminalization undermines global HIV efforts
- Photovoice Exhibit Explores Immigration, Aging, and Lived Experiences
- PhD Student Lindsey Bannister on Writer in Residence Programs
- Gloria Gutman, Gerontology, Invested into the Order of Canada
- GLS alumna Roberta Staley on women in media and gender equality in Afghanistan
- Graduate Student Profile: Alex Thumm, Urban Studies
- History Undergraduate Student Jazmin Hundal Receives 2017 George Paris Award in Scottish Studies
- June
- Criminology grad recognized for volunteerism and academic achievement
- Convocation Profile: Jennifer Cooper, Political Science
- Convocation Profile: Julie Andreyev, GLS
- Convocation 2017: Matty Taghipour, BA, advocating for restorative justice
- Convocation 2017: Billie Joe Rogers, PhD, evaluates a BC program for indigenous youth
- Convocation 2017: Bangladesh research, co-op readies MA student Kirk Hepburn for career
- Graduate Convocation Medal Winners, 2017
- Convocation Profile: Kelsey Wilson, World Literature
- Convocation 2017: SFU experience “life-changing” for Lucia Pecnikova, BA
- Convocation 2017: Glenyth Caragata, PhD, research on understanding older drivers’ needs
- Dionne Brand to receive honourary degree and give Shadbolt Lecture
- 2017 FASS Convocation Speakers
- Study on Aging and Resiliency Benefits from New CIHR Funding
- Jordan Abel Wins the 2017 Griffin Poetry Prize
- Nancy Olewiler, Public Policy, Named a 2017 YWCA Woman of Distinction
- July
- GSWS study results in new support services for LGBTQ+ newcomers
- Video by Director of World Literature program featured in The Tyee
- Faculty Research Profile: Dr. John McDonald, Psychology
- Students launch second edition of De Voix Vives
- Danielle Murdoch returns to place that kindled her passion for criminology
- Graduate Student Profile: Laura Kadowaki, Gerontology
- August
- September
- Dr. Evan McCuish has a strong background in research collaboration
- Graduate Student Profile: Nadine Boulay, GSWS
- John Harriss (International Studies) named Royal Society of Canada Fellow
- Coaching Hockey in China: How a Political Science and Economics Major Spent His Summer
- Research Profile: Tanya Broesch, Psychology
- Video connects World Literature community
- October
- 2017 Dean's Medals
- SFU Aboriginal Reconciliation Council presents calls to action for reconciliation to SFU President Andrew Petter.
- How Vancouver Specials make Vancouver special
- Convocation Profile: Esinam Ayesu-Attah, Sociology and Criminology
- New Major in Labour Studies to Launch in Fall 2018
- Grad strikes philosophy degree off long bucket list
- Travel Report: Lindsey Bannister, Department of English
- Convocation Profile: Roisin Elworthy, French
- November
- Field Notes: Anna Lechintan, World Literature
- Mastery grading: How one professor uses tests to help his students learn
- David Chariandy’s second novel, Brother, wins 2017 Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize
- SFU community loses Donald Grayston, humanities and religious studies scholar, retired priest, and activist.
- Postdoctoral researcher in linguistics, Katharina Ehret, studies why online comments matter
- World Literature Program celebrates 10 years
- Restorative justice researcher and SFU alumnus Alana Abramson recognized by BC Ministry of Public Safety
- Engaging in eco-friendly behaviours can promote well-being say SFU researchers
- SFU community loses Donald Grayston, humanities and religious studies scholar, retired priest, and activist.
- December
- January
-
2016
- January
- February
- Can you predict romantic attraction? This Psychology study is trying to find the answer
- Linguistics Manager Rita Parmar Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
- Congratulations to Psychology's Dr. John McDonald and Dr. Marlene Moretti on their Canada Research Chair Appointments
- International Studies Student, Claire Sieffert, Campaigns for National Eating Disorder Policy
- Alumna Profile: Janice Morris, English
- Governor General's Medal for the late Liz Elliott
- March
- Indian linguist teaches Haida language—and learns it in the process
- Faculty Research Profile: Dr. Sonja Luehrmann, Sociology & Anthropology
- Getting Closer With Kindness: Social Anxiety Disorder Research
- Stephen Duguid receives Excellence in Teaching Award
- SFU recognizes sustainability champion Wes Regan, Urban Studies student
- GSWS Students Call for Sexual Assault Prevention & Support Centre at SFU
- April
- Urban Studies and Public Policy conference discusses 50 years of regional district model
- War Narratives in the 21st Century
- Haida experience moves Indian language scholar
- Alumna Profile: MLA Melanie Mark, Political Science
- Martin Andresen receives the 2016 Western Society of Criminology Fellows Award
- SFU celebrates Tartan Day with a visit from 78th Fraser Highlanders
- History Undergrad William Gill Receives Centre for Scottish Studies Award
- May
- June
- Congratulations to Professor Emerita Sandra Djwa for her Honorary Degree from McGill University
- White Rock politician seeks to improve public policies
- Dr. Sonja Luehrmann receives Waldo Gifford Leland Award from the Society of American Archivists
- From senior to señora: Margaret Torgerson’s journey in gerontology
- Undergrad takes on the full university experience: Andreas Hovland
- Shedding new light on sex offenders' crimes reveals surprises
- Graduate Profile: Xueqiong Feng, BA, Economics
- Graduate Profile: Katarina Bogosavljevic, BA, Criminology
- Graduate Profile: Sarah Wu, MA, Gerontology
- Graduate Profile: Daniel Mundeva, MA International Studies
- Dean of Graduate Studies Awards for Excellence: Eric Beauregard, Criminology
- 2016 FASS Convocation Speakers
- Graduate Convocation Medal Winners, 2016
- Undergraduate Convocation Award Winners, 2016
- July
- August
- Graduate Liberal Studies student, Shawk Alani, organizes photography workshop for Syrian refugee children
- Department of French launches De Voix Vives, an online journal of student poetry and prose in French
- Criminology's Eric Beauregard recognized for excellence in supervision
- New app from First Nations Language Centre preserves Shuswap legend
- September
- October
- Sociology & Anthropology Convocation 2016
- English Alumna Lucia Lorenzi receives Governor General’s Award
- Habiba Zaman, GSWS, Honoured by Hohai University
- Research Profile: Luba Petersen, Economics
- 2016 Dean’s Medals
- Convocation Profile: Fredrick (Levi) Wilson, First Nations Studies
- Convocation Profile: Cameron Young, Economics
- Convocation Profile: Alana Abramson, Criminology
- Convocation Profile: Linda Chen, Economics
- Convocation Profile: Joy Walcott-Francis, GSWS
- November
- December
-
2015
- January
- February
- Political Science and International Studies Students Represent SFU at Model Nato Youth Summit
- Bill Reid Centre Relocates to Burnaby Campus
- Department of Linguistics Delegation to Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Institute for the Humanities Hosts Karen Ferguson Lecture on Black Leadership in America
- School of Public Policy Team Wins National Policy Case Competition
- March
- April
- May
- June
- GSWS Student Caroline Doerksen Receives Pride Legacy Award
- Convocation Profile: Nathan Murray, Economics BA
- Student Profile: Claudia Arrieta, International Studies
- 2015 FASS Convocation Speakers
- 79-year-old Meg Penner Graduates with a Master’s in Humanities
- SFU Wrestler Collects BA in English on Way to 2015 Pan Am Games
- Degree Helps New Westminster Mayor Solve Real World Problems
- Criminology's Dr. Ehsan Jozaghi and his Commitment to Research in Harm Reduction
- Graduating Sociology Student Kevin Kimoto Co-founds Social Venture
- Life through Autofiction: French MA Graduate, Laurence Gavreau Sinotte, on Québécois Novelist Nelly Arcan
- Undergraduate Convocation Award Winners, 2015
- Psychology's Dr. Samuele Zilioli receives Governor General's Gold Medal
- Graduate Convocation Medal Winners, 2015
- Surviving Grad School: History’s Mark Leier and Artist Sam Bradd Illustrate Advice for Graduate Students
- July
- August
- September
- October
- Nathan Lyndsay awarded Rosemary Brown Undergraduate Scholarship in Social Justice
- Sara Diamond, Digital Media Arts Pioneer, on her "Early Days" at SFU
- Remembering Canada's Difficult Histories: Japanese Canadian Oral History
- Bad Guys, Good Bugs: Criminology's Gail Anderson on Forensic Entomology
- Suicide Research Prompts CIHR Banting Fellowship
- Stephen Collis co-recipient of Sterling Prize for Work in Sustainable Energy and Materials Policy
- November
- December
-
2014
- January
- February
- SFU Leaders in Public Engagement: Dr. Marlene Moretti of the Department of Psychology
- SFU’s Research Chair in Environmental Criminology, Dr. Graham Farrell, on Criminology’s “Dirty Little Secret”
- Alumna Profile: Jennifer Scott, English
- The Elephants in Vancouver’s Sustainable Food Movement
- Metro Vancouver Housing Under SFU Microscope
- March
- SFU Policy Case Team in Toronto: How Seven Days Turns into 20 Minutes
- Gendered Tensions Across History: Dr. Lara Campbell on Emerging Research and Contexts
- Indigenous Literatures in Canada
- Student Profile – Aleks Besan, International Studies
- Historian Willeen Keough Takes on Housing Justice Struggles
- Alumnus Profile: Benjamin Hendriksen, Public Policy
- April
- Tricycle Symbolizes Freedom for Residential-School Children
- Bev Davino, Psychology, wins 2013 Staff Achievement Award
- Marjorie Griffen Cohen Honoured With Lifetime Achievement Award
- Scientists Discover Brain’s Anti-distraction System
- Study Says We’re Over the Hill at 24
- Faculty Profile: Chung-hye Han, Department of Linguistics
- “Learning to Tell Our Academic Stories in Different Ways”: Dr. Sasha Colby
- SSHRC Storytelling Finals for FASS Students
- Sandra Djwa: Biographer Extraordinaire
- May
- June
- William Doulome: Emerging Educator and Advocate for the Visually Impaired
- Infrastructure Versus Aftershock: Keren Zaiontz and Peter Dickinson on Performance, Global Mega-Events, and Human Rights
- PhD Student Adam Vaughan Examines Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System
- 2014 Cormack Teaching Award Winners
- Workshop on the History of the Philosophical Concept of Pleasure
- Dara Culhane: Performance Studies for Teaching and Practicing Ethnography
- Undergraduate Convocation Award Winners, 2014
- Graduate Convocation Medal Winners, 2014
- Researchers to Expand Child Exploitation Web-Crawler
- Economist Arthur Robson Awarded John Rae Prize
- July
- August
- September
- October
- Safety and Autonomy in Trans Self-Identification: Call for Preferred Names at SFU
- Want to Feel Good? Spend Money on Someone Else Says Researcher
- Bodies at Sea – Ocean Oxygen Levels May Impact Scavenger Response
- FASS Student Convocation Speaker
- Convocation Profile: Amarachi Nnah-obgonda
- Convocation Profile: Julie Shum's MA Highlights Seniors’ Housing
- Faculty Profile: Kendra Strauss, Labour Studies
- November
- December
-
2013
- January
- Mark Blair on Discovery Channel Talking about Gamer Skills
- Sandra Djwa's Bio on Poet P.K. Page on Short List for Charles Taylor Prize
- Ellen Vaillancourt, CCSMSC, Awarded the 2012 SFU Staff Achievement Award for Work Performance
- Christine Harper, Economics, Awarded the 2012 SFU Staff Achievement Award in Humanitarism
- February
- March
- April
- May
- June
- Julie MacArthur Receives Dean's Convocation Medal
- Jodi Yager Receives Dean's Convocation Medal
- Xianghua Wu Receives Dean's Convocation Medal
- Governor General's Silver Medal Honors Passion for Political Science
- Engaging the World
- Lifeguard Floats Future in Literature
- 2013 FASS Convocation Speakers
- English Department Award Winner Patty Kelly
- Undergraduate Award Winners, 2013
- “Historic Plaque Goes Missing: The Second Eviction of Olaf Solheim”
- Psychology Departmental Manager, Beverley Davino on 36 years of Service at SFU
- Sheila Delany, Emerita, Department of English
- SFU’s New Institute for the Reduction of Youth Violence
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- Alumna Profile: Anne Giardini, Economics
- Engaging and Empowering
- Professor Emerita Sandra Djwa winner of the 2013 Governor General’s Literary Award for non-fiction
- SFU Professor Undertakes Prostitution Policy Research
- Telling the Untold Story: “Reclaiming The New Westminster Waterfront”
- Dr. Ralph Mistlberger on 25 Years Studying Circadian Rhythms
- December
- January
-
2012
- Cormack Teaching Awards and Dean's Medals
- Students Gearing Up for the Mongol Rally
- World Literature Grads Excel at Community and Global Engagement
- Robert C. Brown Award Winner
- 2012 Dean’s Undergraduate Convocation Medal Winners
- 2012 Dean's Graduate Convocation Medal Winners
- English Professor Wins Dean of Graduate Studies Leadership Award
- 2012 Cormack Teaching Award Winners Announced
- 2012 Theodore Saloutos Memorial Book Award
- André Gerolymatos Wins President’s Media Award
- Two Shadbolt Fellowships Awarded
-
2011
- FASS Recipients of the 2011 SFU Outstanding Alumni Award
- Martin Cooper, FASS Dean's Office, at the "Oscars"
- 2011 Cormack Teaching Awards
- 2011 Dean's Medals
- Criminology Department Wins Major Continuing Education Award
- FASS Community Members Win Graduate Studies Award
- Convocation Awards to FASS Students
- History’s Paul Sedra Publishes New Book
- Arthur Robson Wins Prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship
- The Fight Against “Pink Viagra”
- Psychology Faculty Win Accolades
- FASS Well Represented in 2011 Outstanding Alumni Awards
- New Chair to Address Youth Violence
- 2010
- Community
- Teaching
- Faculty & staff portal
- FASS at Surrey
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FASS News, Students, International Studies
How FASS helped me grow my professional skills and personal confidence
International Studies student Sophie McCann shares the most important things she learned throughout her two-semester co-op with FASS’s Marketing and Communications unit.
Why did I apply for this position?
When I started my co-op job search, I didn’t have a certain career or path in mind. Despite being an International Studies major, I found that job postings within international relations required skills and experiences that I didn’t have yet. My work experience to this point consisted of part-time jobs and volunteering throughout high school, so I wanted to find a position that taught me soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and leadership. I wanted to have experiences that would be easily applicable not only in future co-op positions, but also in my future career.
To broaden my job search beyond International-Studies-related positions, I began looking for jobs not only within my home faculty, SFU’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), but within Communications and Business as well. Little known fact (that I thank my co-op advisor for telling me): SFU students can apply to co-op positions from all of the university’s eight faculties. So, I felt comfortable searching through a wider range of possible jobs.
I was interested in positions within communications for a variety of reasons. I had heard many positive things from friends who had previously worked within communications for their co-op semesters. Although they were Communications majors, I knew that we had many skills in common, including social media management and graphic design.
My position, as well as many other communications jobs, required experience in graphic design and social media management, and specifically looked for those with experience with Adobe platforms such as InDesign and Photoshop. Although I didn’t have direct experience with Adobe platforms, I had worked as the external relations representative, main graphic designer, and social media manager for SFU’s Global Asia Studies Student Union for two years prior to my job search. This position taught me graphic design, social media, communication, and student engagement skills. It was these skills, and my interest in developing them, that gave me the confidence to explore communications positions and find my future position with FASS. A pleasant surprise: my search for a communications position led me back to my home faculty, as it turns out FASS has its own internal marketing and communications unit!
What were my daily tasks and responsibilities?
Some of my daily tasks as Marketing and Communications Assistant with FASS included daily monitoring FASS’s social media accounts, including their Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. I created original content, including graphics and copy, for these platforms. I also designed pages for and updated the existing FASS website, and researched and wrote articles for FASS News. Not only did I get to experience working with a close-knit team of professional communicators within the FASS Marketing and Communications team, but I collaborated with communicators, faculty, and staff throughout the many departments within FASS, including World Languages and Literatures, Indigenous Studies, and English.
Some of the projects that I’m most proud of are the articles I wrote and posted on FASS News and my re-vamp of the FASS Instagram account. These projects helped me develop creative and professional aspects of myself and allowed me to explore the variety of opportunities available within the realm of communications.
My article on 2021 Convocation speaker and Psychology graduate Jennifer Chou allowed me to highlight some of the amazing extracurricular work and community-engagement done by FASS students. The impact of Jennifer’s work in groups such as the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS), SFU’s Disability and Neurodiversity Alliance (DNA), and the SFU Knitting Club can be felt even after her graduation. I was able to show a different side of what a FASS degree can do by focusing on the ways that the work she did outside of her major influenced her university experience and future job opportunities.
I was also fortunate enough to be able to combine my personal interests with my job by writing an article introducing the new chair of the Global Asia program, Nadine Attewell. As a Global Asia minor and executive member of the Global Asia Studies Student Union, I was especially interested in learning more about both her personal work as well as her plans for the future of the program.
Finally, my most recent project is a re-vamp of the current FASS Instagram page’s feed. I wanted to create more content for the platform that would be useful for current and future FASS students and remain relevant as time went on. This meant redesigning the feed to have three designated columns, one for highlighting or promoting current events happening within the departments at FASS, one for posting evergreen content with information on FASS’s programs, staff, faculty, and students, and one for “throwback” posts highlighting past events and achievements within FASS.
What did my Co-op semesters teach me?
One major struggle that I faced working in this position was confidence. Since this was my first real job experience, during the first few months I was nervous about making mistakes or disappointing my supervisor. I had never worked in a full time, professional position like this before, and wasn’t too confident in my technical skills, especially when it came to graphic design.
However, I quickly found that reaching out for help and advice was the best way to learn and improve.
My supervisor helped me a lot in those first few months with direct, one on one training that stemmed from me asking for help. Throughout my co-op semesters, I became more confident in both my skills and myself.
The FASS Marketing and Communications team is always looking to advertise to new students applying to SFU. However, many students wonder what jobs a Bachelor of Arts (BA) can lead to. They also worry that they may find themselves without strong employment opportunities if they decide to major within FASS. At the start of my major, I found myself thinking the same things. Many of my friends from high school had gone into Engineering, Science, or Math, giving them clearer career paths compared to what I had in International Studies.
My experience within the co-op program changed all that. From my first job applications to the last few weeks of my time with FASS, I’ve learned first-hand how a BA can lead to amazing job opportunities and both professional and personal growth. Although my co-op didn’t seem related to my major, it was my passion for my minor program that helped me develop the skills necessary to work within communications. If I hadn’t decided to get involved with the Global Asia Student Union, I would have never discovered my interests in graphic design and social media management.
I also now feel confident that no matter what job I decide to pursue in the future, whether it’s related to communications, global Asia, or international relations, the communication, leadership, creativity, and teamwork skills that I’ve gained in this position will forever be a huge asset. These flexible, transferable skills, and wide variety of options for a future career is what I love about both studying and working within FASS.