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HONORS SELF- DESIGNED PROPOSAL

Complete this proposal prior to your experiences start date and upload it in the UHP Database
(https://webapps.uc.edu/uchonorsstudent). Create an experience (Add a new record) in the Tracking Project
tab and upload your proposal document as an attachment. The deadline for submitting proposals is the 5th of
each month (excluding July).
Proposals are intended to be well developed plans for your experience. However, experiences are exploratory in
nature, and we are flexible with changes throughout the experience. If your experience changes after receiving
approval on your proposal, contact your honors advisor to verify the changes still satisfy the requirements of an
honors experience.

Basic Information
Full Name: Jennifer Victoria Meyer
Title of Project: Capturing the City: Photographing Chicagos Architecture
Thematic Area(s): Creativity, Global Studies
Expected Start Date: June 13, 2016
Expected End Date: August 31, 2016

GUIDELINES
1. Proposal submission timeline: Proposals should be submitted at least one month prior to the expected
start date of the experience. International experiences require at least two months notice. Contact your
honors advisor immediately for any exceptions.
2. Proposal length: While the quality of the proposal is most important, strong proposals are typically 3-4
pages single-spaced.
3. Proposal format: Please maintain the proposal format (e.g. headers, layout)
4. Time commitment: Experiences should consist of at least 75-90 hours of preparation, execution, and
reflection. This is approximately equivalent to the commitment of honors seminars and pre-approved
experiences.

REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

All self-designed international travel experiences require two months notice and must be at least one week in
length. You will need to provide a detailed itinerary (dates, locations and activities). If participating in
independent travel (not with UC faculty, staff or student group), you must also fill out a Worldwide: Honors
Experience application via UC International.
Additionally, the Student Travel Policy restricts UC-sponsored travel to countries under a U.S. Department of
State Travel Warning. Those who wish to visit a country with a travel warning must seek an exemption through
UC International. Students traveling without a faculty or staff leader must individually request an exemption.
We cannot allow you to count this travel as an honors experience nor can we give you a grant without an
approved exemption.

1. Abstract
Briefly describe the experience. What makes this experience personally meaningful? What goals do you have for this
experience? What is your timeline for this experience?
*If you are proposing an international experience, provide an itinerary.
**If you are developing this experience from an existing opportunity (class with a study tour, campus organization, co-op,
etc.) that is not already an honors seminar or pre-approved experience, how will you differentiate your experience from
what is already required of other students?
Ever since I was granted access to the family camera, I have enjoyed taking pictures, especially of the beautiful
places I have visited on family vacations. Last fall, I was relocated to North Carolina for co-op and was able share the
wonderful sights I saw with my family and friends through the many pictures I took. It was then that I realized I could
capture and record these experiences better if I had knowledge of photography techniques and better equipment.
It was then that I decided to pursue a self-designed honors experience to optimize my learning. I was given the
opportunity to live in Chicago over the summer while on co-op and want to make the most of my time there. Similar to
my interest in photography, I have always wanted learn more about architecture but have never actually done so. I hope
the design and execution of this project will successfully engage me into both areas.
My plan is to get substantial photography knowledge before taking any photos. I hope to learn proper
photography techniques and how to best utilize a DSLR camera by viewing the Lynda.com tutorials listed below.
Following that, I want learn about the history of architecture and plan to do so by reading A World History of
Architecture by Fazio, Moffett, and Wodehouse. As a member of the construction industry, I believe that learning about
the historical and cultural significance of buildings will help me in my career. Even though I am not designing the
buildings, it is my duty as a construction engineer to see that the buildings are crafted to a fine quality and learning about
architecturally significant buildings will motivate me to do so.
Next, I will develop a plan of the buildings and sites I wish to photograph, trying to find a mixture of the
architectural styles that I learned about. I am excited to explore Chicago and apply all that I have learned up to this point
while completing this portion of the project! Once I have enough photographic material, I will watch the Lynda.com
tutorials listed below that will allow me to utilize Photoshop and Lightroom. Finally, I will put my final photos together in
a printed photo book that I can share with friends, family, and fellow members of the construction industry. Sharing my
work with my colleagues may help them develop an appreciation for architecture as well as encourage them to learn a
skill that they have always wanted to learn but never tried.
To summarize, my goals are to learn and practice photography techniques, properly utilize a DSLR camera,
develop an appreciation for and learn about historically and culturally significant buildings and architectural styles, and
become proficient with Photoshop and Lightroom. I believe that the proposed honors experience will allow me to delve
into two areas that I have always been curious about but have never pursued up until now. I am eager to get started and
cannot wait to see the growth and learning that will come from this honors experience.
Timeline (75 hours total, June 13th August 31st):
Viewing photography tutorials (18 hours, June 13th June 30th)
I will be watching a video course on Lynda.com entitled Becoming a Photographer. This step will be crucial to
my honors experience as I know very little about photography going in. The course consists of ten sessions that
will teach me the basics of photography, including composition, lighting, and exposure. From previewing the
course, I am confident that it will provide me with a sufficient amount photography knowledge without being
overwhelming to a beginner.
Architecture research (8 hours, June 27th July 31st)
I will be purchasing and reading A World History of Architecture so I am able to successfully find and
categorize the various styles of architecture I encounter during the experience (e.g. Gothic, Renaissance, and
Modern). Additionally, I will be using the Chicago Architecture Foundations website to research sites and
buildings. If needed as I progress, I am in close proximity to a public library and will be able to check out
additional sources of information.

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Visiting locations in Chicago and taking photos (12 hours, July 1st July 31st)
This will be the main focus of my project as this is where I will put everything I have learned up to this point into
practice. I have planned this for later in the summer because by then I will be more comfortable navigating
Chicago. I will have a plan of the locations I wish to visit before setting out to take the pictures in order to get a
mixture of architectural styles.
Viewing Photoshop and Lightroom tutorials (11 hours, August 1st August 6th)
I will be viewing two video tutorials on Lynda.com entitled Photoshop CC 2015 for Photographers:
Fundamentals and Lightroom CC Essential Training (2015) I have very minimal experience with Photoshop
and no experience with Lightroom so these tutorials will help me become proficient.
Editing photos on Photshop and Lightroom (10 hours, August 7th August 19th)
This is the time that I will spend editing the photos that I took during July on Photoshop and Lightroom. I will
apply what I learned from the Lynda.com tutorials. My goal is to enhance my pictures but retain their original
character and message.
Creating photo book (6 hours, August 20th August 31st)
During this time, I will select my best photos and put them together online in a Shutterfly photobook. I will also
include information about the building and its architectural significance as well as any particular photography
techniques that were used. Once I have the book assembled, I will order a print version that can be shared and
viewed by others. I will go more in detail on this in the Sharing Your Learning section of this proposal
On-going Reflection (10 hours, June 13th August 31st)
Throughout my experience I will regularly reflecting as detailed in the On-going Reflection section of this
proposal. My plan is to blog on my existing learning portfolio and link to the portfolio on social media platforms
so my family and friends can keep up with my experience if they want to do so.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

Brief description of the experience

Personal connection to the experience
Identified goals for the experience
Timeline from start to finish
*Itinerary (international experiences only)
**Explanation of differentiated experience
from what is required of other students

2. Experience Advisor
Identify an experience advisor and provide their contact information. Explain why you chose this person and how you
plan to utilize your advisor for this experience.
Note: Advisor(s) should have knowledge or expertise in an area related to the experience. Honors advisors, undergraduate
students, and family members cannot be experience advisors.

Advisor Name: Meghan Covey

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Phone: (253)-389-8349
Email: Meghancovey@gmail.com
I chose Meghan Covey to be my advisor because she holds a bachelors degree in photography from the University of
Dayton and is also a former resident of Chicago. Therefore, she will be able to field any questions I have along the way
pertaining to the operation of the camera and Photoshop. Furthermore, I plan on asking for suggestions and guidance in
areas such as photography techniques, photoshoot locations, and additional informational guides if the need arises. She
will offer helpful feedback on the photos I take as I go along so I can improve as the experience progresses. I will be able
to contact her by phone and email throughout the duration of the project.
Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

Experience advisor name and contact

information
Description of why advisor was selected
Specific plans to engage with advisor

3. Connection to Learning Outcomes

List 3 learning outcomes from any thematic area(s). Provide specific activities you plan to engage in to help you make
progress towards the chosen learning outcomes. Describe how you expect each activity to help your progress. Include an
estimated time commitment for those activities.

Explore a new creative competency/medium or seek new ways to engage an existing competency/medium.
o The creative medium I will be exploring is photography. Though I have used a camera before, this is the
first time I will be learning how to use one properly. I expect the quality of my photos to improve
significantly once I learn the basics and upgrade from a smartphone camera to a DSLR camera. I plan to
learn how to use the camera effectively using Lynda.com tutorials. I believe watching these tutorials will
be more engaging that reading a book on the subject. I have found a Lynda.com course made for novices
such as myself with an 18 hour duration. Its ten videos will give me the information I need about
photography basics, composition, lighting, and exposure to start the project. Once I have finished that, I
plan on applying what I learned in these tutorials while taking pictures of buildings in Chicago. I plan on
focusing on this portion throughout July and estimate that it will take 12 hours. I can send the unedited
photos to my advisor as I take them so she can give me feedback. That way, I will be able to improve as I
progress through the experience. I am excited to turn this honors experience into a lifelong hobby. As an
engineering student, I dont often use my artistic and creative abilities but photography will give me a
way to do so.
Understand and optimize the use of people, technology, physical resources or community in a creative process.
o In this proposed experience, I will be using technology to optimize the pictures I have taken. I will be
using Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom to do so. Similar to the photography tutorials, I will be viewing
two Lynda.com courses, one on Photoshop and one on Lightroom. I chose these tutorials because the
descriptions say that the tutorials will show me how to enhance my photos while keeping their original
character and message. As mentioned in the abstract, 11 hours will be spent viewing the Photoshop and
Lightroom tutorials while 10 hours will be spent editing the photos. Another time technology will be used
in the creative process will be making the photo book online with Shutterfly. This program will allow me
to arrange my pictures and captions online. Then, I can order a printed version of the book from the
company. I estimate that it will take 6 hours to put book together between laying out all of the pictures to
writing the captions detailing the architectural styles, historical significance, and photography techniques
used.
Summarize the interconnectedness of geography, history, cultural traits and world issues.

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o

By researching types of international architectural styles and the buildings history, I will be able to make
connections between each buildings architectural style, history, cultural influences, location in Chicago,
and demographic served. As mentioned earlier, I will be reading A World History of Architecture by
Fazio, Moffett, and Wodehouse in order to learn the information I need to make these connections. Due to
the variety of architectural styles in the book and the size of the city of Chicago, I will be able to analyze
a wide range of buildings. I estimate spending a total of 8 hours doing architecture research for the
project. I will express what I have learned with respect to each buildings architectural style, history, and
cultural impact by writing details about each picture in my photo book.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

3 learning outcomes explicitly identified

from any thematic area(s)
Examples of activities and explanation of
how each will assist the progress towards
the chosen learning outcome
Estimated time commitment for each
activity

4. Academic Resources Connected to the Learning Outcomes

List 1-2 academic resources you plan to use to enhance your understanding of the learning outcomes. Explain how each
resource connects to your learning outcome(s) and helps you execute your experience. Please include the title and
author/creator for each resource.
Note: Academic resources are professional works that can be used to assist your understanding of the topic. Some
examples are books, documentaries, videos, or research journals.

A World History of Architecture by Fazio, Moffett, and Wodehouse

o I will be reading this textbook to research and learn about the history and types of architectural styles. I
have previewed the book and it will offer a wide range of eras and cultural styles of architecture from
Gothic to Baroque and everything in between. I am excited to apply what I learned from this book in my
project and beyond.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

1-2 academic resources connected to the

learning outcomes
Title and author of each resource
Description of how resources will help
make progress towards learning outcomes
and execution of experience

5. On-going Reflection
The on-going reflection should help you process the experience and progress toward your chosen learning outcomes.
Describe your method for reflecting throughout the experience. Indicate specific reflection questions/topics you plan to
use to guide your reflective process.

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Note: A variety of methods can be used for on-going reflection. Some examples are videos, drawings, blogs, songs, and
journals. Reflection topics to consider include your ideas/insights about the experience, connection to other areas of
involvement, and your progress towards the learning outcomes.
My method of on-going reflection will be blogging on my existing honors learning portfolio. I think that blogging at least
once per week during the project will be sufficient. The following is a plan of what I will put in each blog post for each
phase of the project

Video tutorials (Photography, Photoshop, Lightroom)

o Summary of the content of the video
o What new skill or information was taught?
o How, specifically, do I plan on applying this new information to the project?
o Is there anything that I found especially interesting? What did I take away from the video?
Architecture/history research
o Summary of the architectural styles researched
o Out of the buildings that I have seen/know of, are there any that fit the styles that were researched?
o Beginning ideas of what buildings in Chicago might fit the researched styles
o How can I apply what I learned to the construction industry and engineering?
Taking the pictures in Chicago
o Upload unedited pictures
o How did I apply what I learned from the first two phases of the project in each picture?
o What did I do well in each of the pictures? What can I improve upon for the next time? What did I learn
while taking the pictures?
o Describe the neighborhood and surroundings of the building. How does this connect to the people that use
the building and the architectural style? What is the historical and cultural impact of the building?
o How did technology help me in the creative process?
Photo editing on Photoshop/Lightroom
o How did apply what I learned from the video tutorials?
o What additional Photoshop/Lightroom skills did I learn during the editing process?
o What steps were taken to enhance the picture but retain the original idea?
o What did I do well in each picture? What areas can I improve upon for additional editing sessions?
o How did technology help me in the creative process?
Creating the photo book
o Any final connections between architectural styles, location, history, and cultural impact that I didnt
notice previously.
o How did I tie together everything that I learned into one final piece?
o Is there anything unexpected that I learned while doing this experience? Did I learn everything that I had
set out to learn? What do I plan to do next to grow in my knowledge of photography and architecture?
How can I apply what I learned to construction and engineering?

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

Method for ongoing reflection

Reflection questions/topics clearly
specified

6. Sharing Your Learning

Describe how you plan to actively share what youve taken away from this experience with a targeted audience. Explain
why you chose this specific audience.
Note: While social media can be an effective platform for sharing, only posting on your personal learning portfolio or
social media account(s) does not reach a targeted audience.

I will summarize everything I learned while doing this project in my final photo book. I will select my best work and write
descriptions of each. The descriptions will include the buildings location, usage, brief history, architectural style, and the
connections I make between these items. It will also include any photography techniques used and a concise description of
the process taken to edit it. I will create this online using Shutterfly and then order a print version to be shared with
friends, family, classmates, and professional colleagues. My target audience will be fellow engineering students and
members of the construction industry. Perhaps my project will inspire other engineering students to explore an area
theyve always been interested in but have never tried. Additionally, I hope my final book will instill an appreciation of
architecture in other members of the construction industry. As I said before, I think an appreciation for historically
significant architecture would increase the quality of the construction industrys craftsmanship on new buildings.
As for the submitted reflection to my honors advisor, I can use the guidelines on the UHP website to write the 750 word
reflection essay as well as submit a photocopy of the Shutterfly photo book.
Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

At least one method to actively share takeaways/learning from the experience

A specific audience and why the audience
was selected

7. Budget (if applicable)

Provide an itemized budget and indicate your source for cost information.
*If you are engaged in an unpaid internship or research, please indicate the number of weeks and hours per week you
plan to participate.

Canon EOS Rebel T5 DSLR Camera with 18-55 mm Lens Kit (Refurbished) - $250, personal savings
o I considered simply purchasing a less expensive non-DSLR digital camera but currently plan on investing
on a DSLR camera as I hope to do continue photographing beyond this project.
A World History of Architecture by Fazio, Moffett, and Wodehouse (Used) - $18, personal savings
Adobe Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC (1 month) - $9.99, personal savings
Shutterfly Photobook - $22, personal savings

** Note - I have accrued enough savings from co-op employment to comfortably fund this honors experience
Advisor Feedback
Notes:
Detailed budget of expenditures with
sources to justify budget estimates
*Indicates the number of hours per week
and number of weeks of participation

Required Revisions:

Effective: