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"I learned about the part-time Graduate Liberal Studies program at SFU, and decided it would be a good fit: there was a wide scope for project subject matter, and I could continue to work since classes were in the evening."
Student Profile: Joanne Crozier
Graduate Liberal Studies master's student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
I’ve always been passionate about design and creativity. I graduated from University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Interior Design and moved to Vancouver about 25 years ago. Since then I have been working as a Registered (professional) interior designer and as an interior design instructor at BCIT, teaching design history and theory.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?
A few years ago, I was part of the interior design team for a commercial project in Vancouver that required quite a bit of historical research. When the project ended, I decided to go back to university and do a master’s degree in history, or in an interdisciplinary area that would combine history and material culture. I learned about the part-time Graduate Liberal Studies program at SFU, and decided it would be a good fit: there was a wide scope for project subject matter, and I could continue to work since classes were in the evening.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH OR YOUR PROGRAM TO A FAMILY MEMBER?
I started working on my master’s thesis in the Fall of 2021, still in the middle of the pandemic. I wanted to build from my interior design background so I created a study called “How Women Working at Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic are Reshaping the Domestic Environment”. I believe that the long-term disruption of the pandemic will transform many aspects of daily life, in particular the home, and the nature of work: it will inspire new design ideas specific to a COVID zeitgeist.
WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT SFU?
I loved my seminar-style classes in the GLS library at Harbour Center; my classmates were from diverse backgrounds, tended to be close to my age, and were friendly and knowledgeable. When we made the switch to Zoom halfway through my degree, I was worried that the online experience wouldn’t work, but I signed up for Sasha Colby’s “The Art of Writing” and she made the online format even better than being in the classroom. I can’t say enough good things about GLS; I have enjoyed my time there so much.
HAVE YOU BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF ANY MAJOR OR DONOR-FUNDED AWARDS? IF SO, PLEASE TELL US WHICH ONES AND A LITTLE ABOUT HOW THE AWARDS HAVE IMPACTED YOUR STUDIES AND/OR RESEARCH.
I was pleased and grateful to receive the Jean-Jacques Rousseau Award in GLS for Fall of 2021.
Contact : joanne_crozier@sfu.ca