The Experience of Water: Healing and Hardship

When we turn on the tap, how many of us stop to think about the water that flows out into our glass? It’s essential to life on Earth, but too often, we take it for granted.

Associate Professor Erin Hurley wants to change that. She taught a First-Year Tutorial titled The Experience of Water: Healing and Hardship in fall 2024 that explored some of the many complex issues surrounding water.

From the Pool to the Classroom

The study of water is a natural choice for Hurley, who recently retired as Grinnell’s swimming and diving coach. “I have been in and around water for all but about four years of my life,” Hurley says. “It has shaped so much of my life experience and my profession.” 

The tutorial students were eager to engage with the subject material, Hurley says. They each chose a focus area based on their own interests. Through water-centered exercises and assignments, they developed their writing skills and prepared for future college writing.

New Perspectives

First-year student Astrele Khalsa ’28 says she wanted to explore the healing properties of water. “I enjoy ways in which we can support our mental and physical well-being,” she explains. Khalsa also appreciated learning about the ways that water positively affects our mental health.

“Having access to water is a privilege,” she says.

Caden Branum ’28 agrees. Coming into the course, he was particularly interested in water shortages, water contamination, and the effects of climate change on water. But now, he says, he also understands more about how water affects us as individuals.

“The part of this tutorial that I find occupying my mind is the effect of experiencing water and how that can have effects on my physical and mental health,” Branum says. He learned that exposure to just one hour of water or nature can help students perform better.

Now, Branum says, he has new insights on how to study more effectively. “I find myself asking if I have spent enough time outdoors this week,” he explains.

Encouraging Creativity

Hurley’s assignments included free-writes to encourage creativity and reflection after a field trip; other assignments helped students build their research skills with help from Assistant Professor Kayla Reed in the library. Taylor Price at the Writing Lab helped students explore the process of writing through brainstorming topics and argument ideas. The class collaborated on group projects focusing on the liberal arts, class selections, and academic honesty.

Water in the Wild

The class took a field trip to Rock Creek Lake State Park for canoeing on a peaceful fall morning, with help from Grinnell Outdoor Recreation Program Director and Assistant Professor Amanda Preperato. They also visited the College pool and spa.

Khalsa says she particularly enjoyed these opportunities to experience water in a personal, firsthand way. “All the water immersion experiences that we have had so far, kayaking and swimming, have been incredible. They provided a break from all the stress of schoolwork, which in part I think was to illustrate how water has a positive effect on the human body.”

The final assignment asked students to write a persuasive argument using their own

research and readings. “Building on their previous writing assignments, they identified a problem related to the class theme and then proposed a solution to that problem,” Hurley says. Each student presented their work to classmates in the final days of the course.

Former swim/dive team member Summer White ’18 visited campus and spoke to the class about how Grinnell has helped her prepare for life after college. Another former team member, Delia Soloman ’14, joined the class via Zoom to talk about her successful English Channel swim.

Intro to Grinnell

As a tutorial professor, Hurley wanted to relieve some of the pressure new college students feel. “My tutorial motto is, ‘You don’t have to master anything,’” she says. “This is an introduction to the academic side of Grinnell.”

Hurley also hopes the course has empowered students to ask for help when they are unsure, to take on their next seven semesters at Grinnell with new enthusiasm, and to make time for a dip in the pool!