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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."
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