Building the Bridge from Chicago to Paris to Folleville
For my project, I am documenting various Vincentian artifacts present on DePaul’s campus. DePaul prides itself on being Urban, Catholic, and Vincentian and while the first two are pretty easily understood, the last one seems to be a bit of a mystery to most students. Through this project, I will not only highlight our Vincentian history but provide meaningful context to allow students to begin to forge the connections between their DePaul experience and the Vincentian mission.
When analyzing this project through the lens and key points of Farrell’s “Sizing Things Up: Colloquial Reflection as Practical Wisdom,” I came to the following conclusions:
This project will engage with contingency because it draws on the choices, actions, and lived experiences DePaul students and community members choose to make during their time here. It will showcase the underlying connection between all who have attended or worked at the university.
Magnitude will be touched on through showcasing just how vast and relatable our shared Vincentian heritage is in a way that is more tangible for those encountering it. And phronesis will be used by causing the viewers and readers to pause and think in a potentially new way about the images, statues, and places that they may interact with on a daily basis.
Through this project, I hope viewers walk away with a better understanding of the Vincentian mission and its deep roots at DePaul and worldwide, as well as an invitation to explore how their lives and experiences can connect to and relate back to this mission. If I can so much as just make one person reflect on the meaningful aspects of their time at DePaul I would consider it a success.
