Course Annotations
Autumn 2020
CEP 301: “The Idea of Community” (5 credits)
“Theories of community and communal rights and responsibilities. Experience building a learning community within major. Explores struggles for community in every sector of life.” CEP 301 was all about studying the aspects of a community and whether those aspects were successful in making the community what it wanted to be. This was done through reading several novels where the community was the main point and discussing these communities. This class contributes to my educational goals because it gave me a deeper understanding of how much goes into a community to make it work, and how that can be done in a way that yields the best result.
CEP 400: “Governance” (1 credit)
Governance is integral in developing many skills that are very important in daily life such as: planning, communication, and leadership. The committee that I chose to be a part of this quarter was the Communications committee. This helped me with my educational goals because it allowed me to further develop my ability to effectively communicate with my peers and it gave me an opportunity to continue working on my design skills.
CEP 300: “Retreat”
(1 credit)
​“Focuses on planning analysis assessment and development of the major. Opportunities for community building and all-major policy deliberation and decisions. Workshops for skill building in consensus, facilitation, and for major-specific activities such as developing individual study plans and study abroad experiences.” Retreat is a great time to further connect with my peers and learn as much as I can from them. In this quarter we focused on setting up the year and it really helped prepare me for what was to come throughout the year.
L ARCH 352: “History of Landscape Architecture”
(5 credits)
“Survey of the development of landscape architecture as an art form from Mesopotamia to the present. Relationships to physical landscape, climate, culture, religion, and other arts.” In L ARCH 352 we focused on the history of Landscape Architecture as a whole and dived deep into certain periods. This class helped me with my educational goals because it gave me a more full understanding of Landscape Architecture and therefore the built environment as a whole. It is very important for any field in the built environment to have an understanding of the other fields because they are constantly working together. This class also satisfied some of my W credits for the University requirements.
Winter 2021
CEP 302: “Environmental Response”
(5 credit)
“Explores issues of environmental crisis and societal responses. Readings and reflective analysis from broad selection of authoritative sources to develop grounded perspective in ecological literacy and consciousness. Concurrently, experiential education in challenges and practical responses to building sustainable society through participation in community-based environmental effort.” This class focuses on the environment aspect of CEP. This class helped my educational goals because the environment is an extremely important aspect of the built environment and the world in general. This class allowed me to have a better understanding of how the environment has been impacted by humans throughout history.
CEP 400: “Governance”
(1 credit)
During this quarter of Governance, I continued my work in the Communications Committee. I focused on designing flyers for advertising the application to the CEP Major.
CEP 498: “Special Topics”
(5 credits)
“Systematic study of specialized subject matter.” CEP 498 helped me with my educational goals because it gave me the opportunity to work with a real world client on a real world project. For this quarter we were working with the Planning Department for the City of Seattle in order to start developing a plan for the city’s recovery from COVID-19. This class was extremely valuable to me because it allowed me to learn a great deal of how professional planning is conducted.
CM 250: “Construction and Culture”
(5 credits)
​“Evolution of modern building construction with emphasis on the relationship between the projects built over time and the people who built them. Focuses on the development of building technology, equipment, and materials used by Western civilizations.” CM 250 was helpful in my educational goals because it focused on the construction methods of structures throughout history and how those methods have changed. Understanding this aspect of the building process is crucial in designing a structure because the designer may need to know if certain aspects of the design are possible to be installed. Having the knowledge about the methods of construction from the past and present will be valuable to me moving forward.
Spring 2021
CEP 303: “Social Structures and Processes”
(5 credits)
“Investigates use of formal and informal social structures and processes within context of community and environment. Looks at patterns and institutions of social organization and relationships among different sectors. Issues of interrelatedness, citizenship, knowledge, and communication.” CEP 303 focused on the planning aspect of CEP. This class helped my educational goals because it gave me more experience with real world planning. While in this class we did not work with a client, we did dive deeper into the different types of mapping professional planners do on a regular basis. Getting a better understanding of these different methods of mapping will be very valuable to me moving forward.
CEP 400: “Governance”
(1 credit)
This quarter in Governance I continued in the Communications Committee. I continued to work on advertising flyers, and we also managed to design and produce a CEP sweatshirt.
CEP 300: “Retreat”
(1 credit)
For this retreat we reflected on the past year and the Senior class handed the torch to us Juniors to take over the CEP Major.
CEP 473: “Digital Design Practicum”
(5 credits)
“Uses digital technologies for mapping, drafting, modeling, and communication. Includes real-world case study projects that focus on urban design and planning issues.” CEP 473 is a digital design studio that focuses on urban design and planning. This class was extremely helpful to my educational goals. Designing is a profession where one has to be familiar with several computer programs that perform different tasks. This class taught me how to operate some of the most common programs throughout the field, Adobe Creative Suite and Sketch Up. Being proficient in these programs will be very helpful to me in the future.
Autumn 2021
CEP 460: “Planning in Context”
(5 credits)
“Examines theory against backdrop of practice for broad historical understanding of social, political, environmental planning. Critique from viewpoints, e.g., planning history, ethics, ecofeminism, environmental justice, class and capitalism, planning and global economy. Develop personalized history reflecting individual experience, professional experience, and philosophical heritage of planning profession.” CEP 460 provided me with even more real world experience in the realm of planning. For this class I was able to work with a real world client on a real world issue. This experience has better prepared me for the professional world because it allowed me to understand how real world processes work.
CEP 400: “Governance”
(1 credit)
​In this quarter of governance, I switched my committee to the Program Events and Student Engagement (PESE) committee. With this being the first quarter back in person after COVID, I really wanted to be involved in planning events and forming community in CEP to make up for the time lost.
CEP 300: “Retreat”
(1 credit)
​During this retreat, I planned out my senior year and prepared for the year as a whole. Additionally, it was a great time to connect with the rest of my peers because it was the first retreat in person.
CEP 490: “Senior Project Prep Seminar I: Research and Project Scoping”
(3 credits)
“Supports the conceptualization and planning of senior project/capstone work. Focuses on selecting a project, beginning a literature review, finding a mentor, and developing a plan.” During this quarter I started to decide what I wanted to do for my Senior Project. This stage in the process was focused on developing an idea and presenting it at the end of the quarter in the form of a Proposal. This required a large amount of research that built the foundations for the project.
PHYS 114: “General Physics”
(4 credits)
“Basic principles of physics presented without use of calculus. Suitable for students majoring in technically oriented fields other than engineering or the physical sciences.” In order to apply to architectural design graduate programs, I needed a general physics credit. This class satisfies that credit.
Winter 2022
CEP 461: “Ethics and Identity”
(5 credits)
“Examination of personal, societal, vocational, environmental, planning ethics. Readings and discourse on ethical foundations for public life. Individual and group readings on values, human potential. Develops understanding of ecological context, moral responsibility, self-awareness. Constructs positive, diverse view of humanity, environment regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, beliefs.” Understanding different peoples culture, background, and ways of thinking is extremely important. This class helped me understand different perspectives in the world and provided me the tools to better understand and discuss topics such as ethics, morality, and philosophy. This allowed me to better work with different people because it was easier for me to understand their way of thinking, and it made me a more knowledgeable person overall.
CEP 400: “Governance”
( 1 credit)
​In this quarter of Governance I continued my work in the Program Events and Student Engagement committee. This work included organizing events to promote connection between students in the major such as a board game night.
CEP 491: “Senior Project Prep Seminar II: Methods and Actualization”
(3 credits)
“Focuses on implementing the senior project/capstone, including revisions and updates as seen fit.” This quarter was focused on the process of actually doing my senior project. This included more research, interviews, site selection, beginning to design. At the end of the quarter we had to present to the rest of CEP detailing our projects at that point.
R E 510: “Introduction to Real Estate”
(3 credits)
“Provides a basic overview of the participants, processes, workings of different components of the real estate industry (including a variety of uses spanning from residential, office, retail and industrial to specialized) as well as the quantitative components of the real estate decision-making. Additionally, students are introduced to an overview of construction management, sustainability, corporate services, property law and ethics.” Real Estate is a large and important industry within the built environment. This class introduced me to the basics of Real Estate. Being able to understand the basics of this industry allows me to better understand the financial aspect of the built environment. This helps me better understand how the projects I will be working on will fit into the world, and expands my overall knowledge on the built environment.
CM 311: “Construction Documents”
(2 credits)
“Introduction to construction plans and specifications with emphasis on reading and interpreting them. Focuses on architectural/engineering drawings and associated specifications used in building construction.” Creating construction documents is something I have to be extremely comfortable and good at for my future career as an Architect. In order to be able to create these at the highest level, I have to be able to fully read and understand them. That is what CM 311 helped me achieve. Being able to fully comprehend and navigate a set of construction documents will be immensely valuable to my future aspirations.
Spring 2022
CEP 462: “Community and Environment”
(5 credits)
​“Capstone quarter merges core seminars, disciplinary courses in major, community field experiences for mastery of personal knowledge and skills. Reflection and synthesis of themes in major; engagement with contemporary issues. Compares theoretical definitions of community and environment with individual philosophies and knowledge within thoughtful, applied context.” CEP 462 was the final push for everything I needed to complete for CEP. This included finishing my Senior Project, the video presentation of my project, and the final write-up for my project. I also completed my E-Portfolio for this class. This was the class to wrap up my time in CEP and at the University of Washington.
CEP 400: “Governance”
(1 credits)
In this quarter of Governance I continued to work with PESE to plan and organize events. This quarter also included some time for us seniors to organize details for graduation.
CEP 300: “Retreat”
(1 credits)
During this retreat I will reflect on my time in CEP, pass the torch to the Juniors, and prepare to take the next step in my life.
CEP 446: “Internship”
(5 credits)
​“Connects core and individual courses with field work. Group and individual readings develop understanding of how students' internships and field placements constitute particular element of community and environmental planning. Explores how what we do for a living is part of our lives as citizens and public service.” The internship element of this class was dropped as requirement because of COVID. Therefore, this class served as a professional development class which focused on basic skills and knowledge for life after graduation. These included resumes, interviews, graduate school, and others.