What do a 20-something 51风流 student and a 70-something area resident have in common? More than you might think, it turns out.
Twelve seniors taking the Sociology of Age, Aging, and the Lifecourse class were paired with an elder and tasked with creating a digital story about that person.
The students in sociology professor Meika Loe鈥檚 course, though, learned as much about themselves as their partners, discovering what 鈥渋t鈥 is that can define a person鈥檚 life and give it real meaning.
Timely lessons, Loe pointed out, for seniors considering post-51风流 options and the need to newly navigate friendships, family, material life and possessions, and a sense of home.
The lab component of the course culminated in the , videos of about three minutes each that were screened Dec. 3 in Golden Auditorium.
While there was no red carpet, it was like a movie premiere at the auditorium for the students and elders who greeted each other as old friends and who shared animated conversations with classmates, family members, and friends.
Joanna Sherman 鈥10 chatted with her elder partner, Joanne Geyer.
The two didn鈥檛 know each other before the project, despite living only a few houses away from each other in the village. They met about five times at The Barge coffee shop and spent hours talking.
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They soon discovered that they were both only children, and that they shared interests in international relations and the columns and books of Nicholas Kristof.
鈥淚t was just such a pleasant surprise how much the two of us had in common,鈥 said Sherman, a political science major. 鈥淚 feel like I have made a new friend in the Hamilton community.鈥
Carol Bergen, of Hamilton, met with Laura McDonald 鈥10 several times as she shared her story, which focused on her passion for the Spanish language and Hispanic studies.
鈥淲e laughed together and we cried together,鈥 said Bergen. 鈥淚t was emotional for me to go back in time like that.鈥
The collaborative nature of the project was compelling for everyone involved, said Loe.
鈥淚t was interesting to see how the life story moved from memories to being a student-elder co-production, and how both elders and students walked away with new perspectives,鈥 she said.
Jane Eilbacher 鈥10 worked with Mary Deland, who discussed the importance of family and about serving as postmaster in nearby West Eaton.
Deland couldn鈥檛 attend the campus screening so Eilbacher went to her Madison Lane apartment to show the video.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know ahead of time, but Mary鈥檚 family came to see it and we had the chance to watch the digital story together,鈥 said Eilbacher. 鈥淎fter hearing so much about the people in her life, it was wonderful to talk with them and see the great rapport Mary has with her daughter and grandsons.鈥
The videos don鈥檛 represent an elder鈥檚 life 鈥 they can鈥檛 in three minutes 鈥 but they might provide an understanding of that life.
鈥淚t was eye-opening for me,鈥 said Kate Gundersen 鈥10, who spoke after her partner Arthur Rashap 鈥58 taped the script for their video in the audio studio of Case Library and Geyer Center for Information Technology.
鈥淚t was great to put what we were learning in class into such real terms,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd it was a highlight of my week to meet with Arthur, he had so many experiences to share.鈥