England: Mariah Justice (Learning on Excursions)

Learning on Excursions

Having reached Fall break I’ve taken the time to reflect on the first half of this semester, from the in-class instruction, to the hands-on experience during our excursions. The most impactful, in my opinion, was the first outing in my Media in Britain Course. This excursion was to the BBC Earth Experience, featured in a purpose built venue with massive floor-to-ceiling video screens. Each video screen depicted a journey across the seven continents showcasing its diverse wildlife, with footage from the BBC’s renowned series “Seven Worlds One Planet.”

As soon as a visitor enters the space it feels all encompassing. The massive video screens wrap around the room displaying beautiful vegetation and wildlife from a continent at a given moment. With David Attenboroug’s narration projecting through the speakers, it pulls you further into the beautiful cinematography. Sitting in this space, watching the animals interact and move across the screens was absolutely amazing, and without our instructor orchestrating this experience I never would have gone.

What made this experience all the more impactful was its relevance to the topics we had been covering in the class. Including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a publicly owned and funded service via a compulsory fee all British households pay. Because of the mandated access, many critics argue the BBC is unjust since it makes it hard for other companies to compete. However, with the release of the series “Seven Worlds One Planet,”  critics began to see how impactful the service is. It’s because of the reliable funding that they were able to film such an extensive and informative piece.

London | BBC Earth Experience, bbcearthexperience.com/london. Accessed 26 Oct. 2023.

Mariah Justice

Major: Undecided

Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin