Gaining real-world experiences in the publishing world

A new collection of academic essays published by VIU’s Liberal Studies program examines issues of morality, love and death. 

The Compass Rose: Explorations in Thought is an online collection of essays written by undergrad students at VIU and at other institutions. 

It’s a joint project between the Liberal Studies Department and the Alexandro Malaspina Research Centre. The goal is to help students gain real-world work experience that relates to what they learn in class.

“Even though students find the Liberal Studies program enjoyable, they often ask themselves what sort of job they can get after they graduate. They wonder what opportunities are out there,” says Dr. David Livingstone, chair of the Liberal Studies program.

He began to look at ways to connect the dots between liberal studies and a real-world career, and The Compass Rose began publishing in 2016. The  name takes its inspiration from the Compass Rose on a map that shows north and south orientation.

David encourages all students in the Liberal Studies program to get involved and contact him if they're interested. Students “get the experience of being part of an editorial board that makes decisions about what papers to publish,” he explains.

One of those students is Jonathan Ranallo.

Jonathan was on the publication's editorial board and graduated from VIU this past spring. He now works for Broadview Press.

“Being part of the editorial team for The Compass Rose was a rewarding experience,” says Jonathan. “I had the honour of reading many fascinating papers and I learned a lot about the world of academic publishing.”

He was even able to meet the founder and CEO of Broadview Press.

He encourages current Liberal Studies students to get involved with the program's publication.

“You'll gain valuable skills and might even make some connections that end up paying off very well, like I did."