Abstract
Each year the Department of Residence Life hires upper classmen (juniors/seniors) to become Resident Advisors to freshman and sophomores living on campus. The Advanced Horizons Project is an assignment during the introductory Student Staff Course (COU 390) to provide student staff a experience of putting themselves in a situations that is “not the norm” for them. They are encouraged to experience the event as “another or a visitor.” New student staff members in Residence Life are encouraged to challenge themselves and their conceptions of self in an other cultures. They are then asked to journal about the experience and explain the following:
•What they did or where they went, and why the project was a challenge for them.
•What they learned as a result of participating in the experience and whether or not they enjoyed the activity.
•They are asked if the felt their perceptions of other changed during the project and if so to explain how and why.
•They are asked to discuss the project with peers and to journal about the why their peers responded.
•They are asked to reflect about the impact this type of activity would have on them as RAs and whether or not their perceptions of the Resident Advisors position changes as a result of this and similar activities.