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2nd / 3rd / 4th Year Class Field Trips
"Indeed, to travel is to live a fuller life." Mark Twain
Off-campus programs form a core part of the education of an architect as they provide opportunities for the students to experience places outside their usual perspective. This is particularly important for the students at Cal Poly given the relatively isolated location of the campus. To this end, Cal Poly has long supported off-campus programs during the fourth year of a student’s study. However the need to experience architecture within a metropolitan environment and to learn from this first-hand exposure should not be limited to the later years. Learn by doing goes hand-in-hand with learn by seeing and studios, lectures, and practice courses throughout the student’s years should be linked to first- hand knowledge of the greater world. In order to give the students an opportunity to make a more direct correlation between what they see in photographs and the reality of space making, the Architecture Department is proposing funding to support field trips in the second, third or fourth years. These are the years which mark the integration of studio, history, and theory and are critical years for students to understand architecture and the practice of architecture as part of the larger world. Students by participating on field trips, inevitably return to campus as better citizens, enlightened by what they have seen and experienced about the architecture, the people, and the magic of cultural immersions.
Ideally these travel experiences would last from a few days to one week and combine exploration of a place as well as office visits thereby bringing together culture, history, and professional experiences. This experience may be seen as a first step toward internships and, for many, an initiation into the possibility of living ‘elsewhere,’ and perhaps encouragement to participate in a longer off-campus program/professional studio during their fourth year. This is the first generation of students who come almost entirely from a suburban background, yet the urban environment will be a large part of their professional challenge. Field trips allow exposure to great metropolises both nationally and internationally.
These travel opportunities would be based on studio and/or practice courses (lectures and activities) and would be designed to include all students. Traditionally faculty have embraced this important learning component but too often a majority of students are unable to participate due to lack of funds (funds to pay for the trips coupled with the loss of income from missed work). The formal funding of these field trips as a component of the classroom experience for all students is critical for this important learning experience. The benefit to the student is invaluable: cultural exposure, enrichment of architectural knowledge, advancement of civic responsibility and personal growth.