Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Week 15: Final Reflection

Final Reflection

This is where I had all my FYE classes.(1)

Back in July of 2019, I saw this subject called, "Honors First-Year Seminar" on my Google calendar. At the time, the word "Seminar" made me perplexed as to what that course was about. On August 19th, 2019, I walked briskly from the Newton Building to Edison House. When I entered the class, I noticed that the tables were arranged in a box shape so that everyone can see each other. Back then, the only person in the class that I knew was my roommate, JD. Obviously, a lot has changed in these past five months. FYE is a class that I look forward to every Monday and Wednesday. My classmates and I have learnt so much from Dra. McGrath and our Peer Leader, Taylor Close. From the student learning outcomes on the syllabus, my classmate and I have learnt about literacy skills in an academic and non-academic context, degree engagement, campus resources and diversity and inclusion.
A useful way to evaluate and use information that I learnt in class(2).

In University, there are higher expectations and criteria for students' work. One of the first topics we've learnt about these expectations were plagiarism and academic integrity. Later down the semester, we were taught how to come up with powerful questions and effectively assess information by using the "CRAAP test." Doctora also made us use these skills by asking us to come up with a research question and then find two sources (one scholarly and the other isn't) that will assist in your research and then evaluate the sources. A notable  fun class activity was Doctora's PowerPoint quiz about spotting fake articles. Moreover, Doctora and Taylor showed us how to use Galileo (a collection of hundreds of databases) as well as how to search for information more effectively. I feel as if those topics that were taught would help us in the future when we have to do research. Especially for my Honors Thesis in which I stated back in my Week 11 Blog Post,"I hope to use this knowledge when crafting my Honors Thesis or in any research or problem that I may encounter"(Adharsingh 2019 Week 11 Link Within Text).
Me in the future utilizing my knowledge to come up with an Honors Thesis(3)

Georgia Southern University offers a myriad of resources to assist your well-being and to enhance your degree. Taylor has given us a lot of advice about these resources based off of her own experiences as a student. Besides her helpful advice, she showed us how to schedule an academic advisement appointment through EAB Navigate. She also showed us how to find relevant core maps related to our majors as well as the requirements to graduate. Some Campus resources that I've used are the RAC (Recreational Activity Center) for leisure such as bouldering and badminton, Academic Advisement and the Writing Center. Furthermore, in Week 1 of my Blog Post, I said that,"it provides an opportunity to receive feedback and constructive criticism from experienced writers and teachers who will always find ways to improve your work since they're engaged in what they're doing"(Adharsingh 2019 Week1 Link within Text). The latter two have both improved and shaped me academically. 
This ids where the Writing Center is located in. The Library has so much to offer. Did you know that you can actually borrow laptops from the Library?(4)

Diversity and Inclusion- one of the most prominent topics discussed in our FYE class. For me, this is was one of the highlights of this class. I loved learning about Doctora's trips to Central America, South America and Spain. Moreover I enjoyed listening to my classmates' contributions to the discussion as it provided me with the American perspective. As a person who grew up outside of the U.S. on a small island in the Caribbean called Trinidad, I shared my unique experiences about the topics being taught in class such as international migration. For example in Week 5, I stated,"I choose an article by the BBC which is about Venezuelan immigrants who travel to my island called Trinidad"(Adharsingh 2019 Week 5 Link within Text). Instead of  being taught certain topics in class, we were instead assigned to watch movies about those topics (majority of which were in Spanish). Watching these films provided a more engaging learning experience. Moreover, it opened my eyes to the problems faced around the world and the historical events that were associated with them. Furthermore, this class showed me the value of diversity in any setting whether academic or not. 
These are all the films that we had to watch for FYE

I do apologize if this comes out as offensive but this is me whenever I learn about some of my classmates experiences(5)

Two topics that were etched in my mind were free speech and white privilege. While these two topics were to be discussed for a week each, we spent two extra weeks talking about them. This was because of Crucet's Lecture for her book, "Make Your Home Among Strangers." Some of my classmates may have felt this topic overdone or simply want to move on. My classmate Garret said in his week 9 blog post,"I also have felt a bit embarrassed and disappointed in both sides of the book burning controversy because it is burning bridges and relationships between the university staff, students, and many other people. I know there is a reason for everything in this world, but I would like to move on from the series of events that has taken place the last few weeks."(Gurt 2019 Link within text). I myself felt similar feelings but I am grateful that Doctora took the time to properly explain white privilege to us. This privilege has no extra advantages but rather one faces no disadvantges due to one's appearance. Before FYE, I thought white privilege had to do with money. To quote my classmate Will's blog post,"This question was interpreted as "why do you assume all white people are economically privileged where as the author was talking about social privilege"(Evelyn 2019 Week 8 Link within text). I guess me and my friends outside of  class misinterpreted this before our class discussion. To quote myself from my Week 9 blog post,"I can't relate to Crucet's or Lizet's experiences as a minority in College. Maybe I'm also privileged or ignorant of social stratification in America in order  to relate Crucet's beliefs." (Adharsingh 2019 Week 8 Link within text) Looking back, I still feel the same but at the same time I need to be aware that other people may not. Similarly some people feel as if they are excluded from this conversation such as my classmate Tonilynn who stated in her blog post,"Although they may not face as many pressing issues as other minorities do, they do face many issues of their own and it is important to include them in the conversation as well. I'm putting this in here in hopes that maybe some of you will also consider Asians when discussing race."(Holtz Week 9 Link within Text) All in all, these classes, discussions and events helped me to rethink what is white privilege and free speech in which hate speech is protected under free speech. 
In conclusion I thoroughly enjoyed FYE and will miss all the fun, thought-provoking and interesting discussions and activities we did. I will miss my classmates and all the interesting stories they had to tell with with such passion (Emma). I've learnt so much from Doctora McGarth and Taylor Close who have helped my class to become more prepared for our future here at Georgia Southern. This semester flew by so fast: it felt as if yesterday was August and I had just started University. At the same time, I feel as if I've been here forever. It's honestly hard to describe. My  negative expectations of University and the pleasant reality have changed my perception over time. I have never felt so happy continuously throughout the semester as compared to any other period in my life. Georgia Southern has the perfect balance between academics and the students' well being. All in all, I'm grateful for where I've reached so far and I look forward to the future with arms wide open.

Goodbye Forever 😢  (6)

Sources

Blog Posts Mentioned



Evelyn Week 8-https://willlllllllllll.blogspot.com/2019/10/week-8.html

Holtz Week 9-https://tonilynnholtz.blogspot.com/2019/10/week-9-diversity-inclusion-iv.html

Sydnor Week 9-https://sydnorcollegeexperience.blogspot.com/2019/10/week-9-extended-make-your-home-among.html

Photo Credits





at 1 comment:

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Week 13: Diversity & Inclusion IV - Film - Motorcycle Diaries



Introduction

For the past three classes of FYE, we watched a film,"Motorcycle Diaries," and discussed the issues, themes and people presented in it such as Ernesto "Che" Guevara and topics related to the film such as Che's impact on the Cuban Revolution.

Gael García Bernal is the lead actor in "Motorcycle Diaries" (1)


Personal Reflections

On Monday's class, we watched the beginning of "Motorcycle Diaries." We were then asked to finish watching the rest of the film for Wednesday's class. The only thing I knew before watching the film, was that Che was part of the Cuban Revolution and he was the person with the smoldering look in the iconic photo. The film however takes place before the revolution and shows Che as an honest, naive, asthmatic Med Student who decided to go on a trip through South America on a motorcycle with his  Biochemist friend Alberto Jiménez. It's amazing how they managed to travel that long distance through South America. The film highlights some issues such as the treatment of indigenous people and the leprosy colony. 

A quote from the film that stuck with me was, "The Incas had a high knowledge of astronomy, medicine, math, among others. But the Spanish invaders had [gun] powder. How would America be today if things had been different?" It's sad to know that these people who have been there for thousands of years were decimated by the European colonizers. Furthermore, the manner in which some history books portray these civilizations(Mayas, Incas and Aztecs) as primitive savages is really unjust. The ending of the film, where the events that took place after the motorcycle trip were described, was really shocking  and climatic. How could the Che presented in the film do something like that? 

 In that class, we were handed a table to write about scenes and themes from the film as well as compare/contrast Fuser and Alberto. Afterwards, we discussed what we wrote down and learnt about what Che did after the film's ending. Doctora then showed us the iconic picture of Che and briefly went over its background information. It's funny how his image is just a brand name icon for the uneducated masses.
The Iconic Picture (2)

In the following Wednesday's class, we watched a TedEd video (3) and another YouTube video (4) about Che Guevara. We also looked at the significance of the film's song, "Al otro lado del Rio,"  by Jorge Drexler(5). Afterwards, Che's death was discussed. We were then given a handout put into groups to discuss the questions on it. I was placed in a group with Livia and Charlotte. The three of us talked about the memorable bits from the film and whether he is a hero or villain. The quote that reflects Che's goal of the unification of the Americas as one nation of the mestizo race(people of European and indigenous descent) illustrates the beginning of his radical beliefs. In doing this would result in cultural erasure and lack of individuality.

We were also tasked to find a review. I found one (6) from the Guardian that was written by Peter Bradshaw in 2004. Bradshaw shares similar opinions to mine about the actors' performance in the film (especially Gael's). He also commends the filmmakers for using the people they found at the filming locations to maintain historical accuracy.

Che Guevara as an Icon

Here's a few examples of his face on everyday items.
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
I challenge you to think of an everyday item and see if Che's face is on it Google Images.

Pictures of Gael for absolutely no reason

(12)

(13)





Final Thoughts

This picture of Che an John Lennon is fake but it looks cool(14)
"Motorcycle Diaries" portrayed Che in manner that I didn't expect. Learning about Che's history really makes you question whether he was good or bad person. It was also really interesting to learn about what went on in South America during the 1950's. How long until we can make a better assessment of him? My parents were toddlers when Che was killed in 1967 and it puts into perspective of how recent his death was. Some people view him as a hero whilst others view him as a mass murderer. It also raises the question, should we remember the good or bad things about people when they die? When would we be able to objectively judge notorious historical figures? 
I really enjoyed  watching and discussing the movie as well as learning about Che Guevara in FYE.
(15)

People forget that he killed the innocent(16)



Sources

Photo Credits

14.)Image taken from video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CRQQNou8Cw

Videos Mentioned


Review Mentioned


 











  

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Sunday, November 10, 2019

Week 12: Evaluating Information & Academic Research

Introduction


Research - something that  we all have to do at some point in our life. This week in our FYE Classes, we learnt how to properly evaluate and  use information as well as how to conduct the process of research.

This is truly shocking and legitimate information that I didn't make up(5)


Class Discussions

(1)


On Monday's class, we briefly went over the "CRAAP" test (best acronym ever) and our Peer Leader, Taylor, demonstrated how to use Galileo. Furthermore, she showed us how to narrow our search and which database to use when looking for information to use in our research. Afterwards, Doctora McGrath asked us to determine whether the articles on her Power Point slide where true or false. At first, it was tricky to determine which ones were accurate and which ones weren't. Eventually I got the hand of it by checking the source as well as the actual information in the article. Some of the articles had really funny and weird titles. Using "common sense", you could figure out that some of the articles were obviously fake. Sources such as CNN and BBC are well-trusted whereby one could assume that they were reliable. On the other hand, Articles made by "The Onion" were fake since I knew that they were a satirical website. It was really fun guessing/figuring out which articles were real. At the end of class, Doctora told us to craft a question related to our Major and find an academic and non-academic source to assist in the research to that question and fill out on a table for Wednesday.
A Door Hinge (2)

Given such freedom to choose whatever topic I wanted felt like a blessing to a curse. Knowing my indecisiveness, I would probably spend more time choosing the topic as opposed to actually getting information about it. To remedy the problem, I decided to think of  the most boring topic that I could possibly fathom. After deliberation,  I decided to do something related to door hinges (pretty boring lol). I spent some time brainstorming the physical and chemical properties of door hinges as well as the real life applications of door hinges and their current limitations. I further narrowed down by research to compare the sustainability of Aluminium and Steel door hinges. Finding a non-academic source(3) was literally a Google search away. On the other hand, finding an academic article(4) was tricky. I had to ensure it followed the requirements of the "CRAAP" Test.

Unaltered photo taken circa 2019 (5)


On Wednesday's Class, Dra. McGrath wasn't their due to prior commitments. Instead, Taylor was in charge of the class. She gave us a sheet to evaluate our non academic source and compare it with our scholarly source. After filling it out, I was able to determine that while my non-academic had information relevant to my research topic,  it wasn't suitable since it failed to meet the other criteria. On the other hand, the scholarly article that I chose was able to pass the "CRAAP" Test.

Reflections

I totally didn't make this up (6)

It's important to learn how to properly use information in Research to avoid embarrassing yourself and looking like a pillock. From what I've learnt in class, I would say that I'm more prepared to properly use and evaluate information in my academic and non-academic life. I was also made aware of the dangers of fake articles. In the modern era, we are plagued with the burden of determining what's factual and credible and what isn't. It's pretty easy to create a fake article. Last year, me and my friends used to make a few funny articles that were fake. Although we used it as a means of entertainment, other people may use it as a weapon or tool to spread hate or misinformation. Hence, we have to  carefully evaluate what we read as the information presented to us shapes the way we feel and think. All in all, I hope we all learn a thing or two about how to utilize and appropriately evaluate information. 

Sources and Links

Photo Credits



5.) Photo courtesy of Emma Williams 

Websites Used



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Saturday, November 2, 2019

Week 11: Preparing for Registration & Meaningful Inquiry

Introduction

6am 4th November, 2019. The day registration for Spring 2020 begins. Why though?...Inquiry(probably not a meaningful question I just asked). This week in class, Erin Martin, our Honors Advisor, visited to discuss Registration. In Wednesday's class, we discussed meaningful inquiry.

Me trying to come up with powerful questions (1)


Class Discussions

On Monday's class, Erin Martin thoroughly explain the process of registration. She explained terms such as 'RAN', 'CRN' and 'holds'. She showed us the process of registering through wings. For science classes with a lab, we had to select the class and lab with the same letter. Summer classes were also explained in which you can take them as a regular term or half term in which class times were twice as frequent. She also showed us a SOAR registration planner (which I should've used) for planning our next semester. She also explained online courses  and E-core to us. All in all, Erin Martin was extremely helpful in helping us to understand the process of registration.

Before Wednesday's class, we had to read an article called "The Art of Powerful Questions"(2). When I read the article, some of the content in it were similar to that of effective communication and discussions which I had previously learnt in FYE and English class. This article was just a helpful reinforcement of what we already knew as well as a useful tool on crafting and critiquing powerful questions. 
In class, we were asked to fill out a table about the table and write a question about anything discussed in FYE. Afterwards, we were given another paper to write anonymously about anything that has occupied your time recently and to craft a question that would enable one to carefully assess and evaluate what was previously written. I'm going to be honest- I struggle to come up with interesting questions and ideas on the spot so I took some time to do it. We critiqued the questions that were on the first paper. Afterwards, we were paired off into groups of two to discuss the second paper that was filled anonymously . Rachel and I were  placed in a group and we had to discuss the paper shown below:


These two questions were truly anonymous. The majority of students in my class were taking a Bio Class and I assume a lot were busy. Rachel and I couldn't relate to the " being busy situation"  and I couldn't relate to the lengthy Bio Lab Report (last time I did a Bio Lab was in 2016). I guess we got sort of distracted with the question but we still critiqued it. The question about lengthy Bio Labs was somewhat subjective in terms of 'lengthy'. The question sounds more like a complaint than a question(totally understandable). Maybe the question could be rephrased to talk about the scrupulous detail in the documentation for the lab reports.

The other issue written on the other paper was more detailed. Furthermore, the person gave an explanation as to why they feel like they have no free time. The question this person asked was really a proposal for a solution in which they wanted to know how they can get time to breathe and relax. This class was probably the first time in a while in which everyone was having an engaged conversation with each other. 

Class Discussions

Currently, my Major is Mechanical Engineering. I'm pretty sure I won't change majors because Mechanical Engineering is a really broad field which gives me the opportunity to specialize for my Master's. Prior to enrollment, I have earned credit for Calculus I&II ,Intro to Physics I&II, Survey of Chemistry I&II and Elementary Statistics from A-Levels in High School (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam). Currently I'm doing a 16 credit hours for Fall 2019. Based on my credit hours, I  believe I can graduate a semester early in Fall 2022 if I wanted to. It was really tricky to pick classes for the Spring Semester because there's some professors and classes that I want to take at conflicting times but I figured it out eventually.

In the long-run, I believe that being in the Honors program will help me in my career path and will also help me grow as person. With respect to the four foundations of the Honors Program, a Global Perspective would assist me in understanding people of different backgrounds as I intend to do my master's degree and further my career path in either Canada or England. The sense of Civic Responsibility will direct me in using my knowledge for the greater good of humanity. In my case, I intend to specialize in renewable energy. The Spirit of Creativity and the Critical Sense of Inquiry will assist me in my field because as an engineer, you need to have a very creative and logical way of thinking.

Whilst on the topic of inquiry, "The Art of Powerful Questions" really helped me to improve my sense of Inquiry in a meaningful manner. According to the article, we focus too much on getting the right answers rather than asking the right questions. In essence, good questions need to be thought-provoking and stick to the listener's mind. Not focusing on the correct things/aspects when asking a question really stood out to me because maybe we all do this to some extent and ignore the real questions. Imagine a world where everyone can come up with powerful questions that would shape humanity into a better world.

Final Thoughts


image.png
Screenshot of the course search (3)

This week has gotten me prepared for Registration on Monday. Learning about making and critiquing questions will help us as Honors Students to develop a critical sense of inquiry. I hope to use this knowledge when crafting my Honors Thesis or in any research or problem that I may encounter.Being in the Honors Program will help me with my career goals. It is an Honour to be a part of the Honors Program(Pun Intended).

Sources

Article Mentioned

2.THE ART OF POWERFUL QUESTIONS: Catalyzing Insight, Innovation, and Action
by Eric E.Vogt, Juanita Brown, and David Isaacs

Photo Credits

3.Screenshot taken from https://my.georgiasouthern.edu/courses/

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Sunday, October 27, 2019

Week 10 Degree Engagement

Introduction 

Core classes, electives, credit hours, those terms used to confuse me until this week in FYE when we discussed Degree Engagement  as well as our Values.


Class Discussions


On Monday, we talked about Degree Engagement and the requirements we have to get to earn a degree. Furthermore we discussed the Major Requirements Catalog and other useful resources to keep us on the right track with our degree. Afterwards, we were given a paper. On it, was  a table with a myriad of words- some similar in meaning while others were vastly different in meaning. Out of 161 words, we had to circle 15 which are important to us. That was really difficult since a lot of the words are similar in meaning. Some of my classmates struggled with this task (which is understandable) . Afterwards, we had to underline ten of those and then put a star next to five of the ten. The five that I chose were:Faith, Relaxation, Efficiency, Family and Wealth. These choices reflect my present and future. I chose faith as in media, religion, science ,technology and the things that everybody else has. If I ever lose my faith in any of those things, there'd be no purpose in my life.  I chose family because (I know this sounds cliché) I wouldn't be where I am if it weren't for them. I chose relaxation and efficiency because presently they help me live a peaceful life. I chose wealth because I desire wealth (material and non-material) to enjoy life. For the rest of Monday's class, we talked about each other's choices with respect to their popularity and reflection of the past or future. 
Screenshot taken from Maurice Ashley's Ted-Ed video.
In Wednesday's class we watched a Ted-Ed video (1) of a Chess Grandmaster, Maurice Ashley, who showed us the concept of working a problem backwards to solve it. Some of those examples were mind-blowing. We were then split up into groups to discuss the video and we can apply it to our goals as well as the five values we chose from Monday's class. I was assigned to be in a group with Rachel and Livia. If I remember correctly, Rachel's goal is to get into forensics and Livia's goal is to be voice/speech therapist. We discussed how were planning to reach those goals. Dra. McGrath briefly showed us a table comparing US Values with other countries. Some of the things being compared are abstract or complex but after some thought, I would say my county's values are similar to that of the US.

Personal Reflection

In the book, Make Your Home Among Strangers, Lizet chose to pursue a major in Biology because a lot of students at her University chose to do Biology. It doesn't really seem like a good way to choose a major but who am I to judge. She should have chosen something that she genuinely wants to do. For me to criticize her would be very hypocritical.

3)
Growing up, I never had a strong passion for any career path nor did I knew what I wanted to do. In year 3 of highschool, I had to choose subjects that I wanted to do for O-Levels. I chose to do Maths, Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography) and Spanish. I only chose those subjects because all my friends were planning to do those subjects (which wasn't a good reason). After year 5, I had to choose what subjects I wanted to do for A-Levels. This time, I chose Maths, Physics and Chemistry because I enjoyed those subjects and was good at them. Before Year 7,my final year, I had to think of a career path to go into after graduating. In my school, we(the students) associated Biology and Chemistry with Medicine and Maths, Physics and Chemistry with Engineering. With that mindframe, I chose to do Engineering. More specifically, I chose Aerospace Engineering as my career path. I only chose it because it sounded cool and would impress my friends and family. I took a gap year to apply to Universities. In that time I switched my desired area of study to Mechanical Engineering because my academic advisor said that I shouldn't specialize so early in my career path which was a good decision because Mechanical Engineering is a broader field. 

Last week, I had my Major Advisement and Honors Advisement. They both guided me on what I should do during my time at GSU. They both talked about research, co-op and internships.My Honors Advisor said that I should do internships and Co-ops then Research in my Junior and Senior years. This week on Wednesday , I went to an information session about research opportunities for Mechanical Engineers. Although I'm a freshman (academically sophomore), most of the research were suited for older students but I was still happy to learn what Research was going on and which Professors were doing research. From the information session, I wish to get involved with research on Wind Energy and renewable energy. I chose them in order to help the Planet and because they would be in greater demand in the future (I hope that's a good reason).
2)

Final Thoughts
Some of my goals in life are to travel the world and  to make enough money to retire early whilst finding a good source of passive income. Does the reasons why I chose my Major bother me? Not really. I don't care. Regardless, I'll still put it in the hard work because I have to. I'm on top of my classes. This is a walk in the park compared to highschool. All of my classes are really fun and interesting. Maybe I will never be all the things that I'd like to be. I do feel that I'm in a better state of mind for my career path compared to any other point in my life. I think this week's classes combined with the School's resources really helped me to envision what I need to do in order to get my degree and further advance down my career path.

Sources and Useful Links


Video Mentioned

1.) Working Backward to solve problems- Maurice Ashley

Photo Credits

2.)Terzic/iStock 




at 2 comments:

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Week 9 : Moving Forward

Introduction
Book Burning. White Privilege. Jennine Crucet's Lecture(1). Minorities. The media. These are some of the things that have lingered on our minds from last week. This blog is going to be about all of this, as well as moving forward together in understanding each other's differences so that we can grow together in an improved environment. 

Class Discussions

(2)

 Before Monday's class, I was excited to hear what everyone had to say but also worried that the class discussion would consist of all us 'venting' our opinions in a disorganized manner. That wasn't the case. Instead, we were asked to fill out an anonymous quiz on Crucet's Lecture and Book Burning in which we wrote our opinions about thoes topics. Afterwards, we discussed Crucet's Lecture and the effects it had on the audience. We talked about how some of the white people, after the lecture, were crying with guilt: those people felt sad because they didn't ask to be white nor did they want to put other races at a disadvantage. We all came to general consensus in class that Crucet's tone was not suitable in an academic setting. We were handed a sheet containing excerpts taken from Crucet's Lecture , and we spent the rest of the class talking about it.

 For Wednesday's class, I was initially upset that we still had to continue talking about the incidents  of the prior week. I was wrong. I thoroughly enjoyed Wednesday's class because I got a new perspective on white privilege as well as, a lesson about society's negative perceptions and beliefs about other races. We also read a list about the way white Americans avoid talking about race which illustrates the fragility of some people. Dra. McGrath made it easier for us to understand white privilege by equating the struggles of an African-American with the differences in men and women's thought process when doing an action such as walking alone in the dark night with headphones in your ears. Because of the news and the internet, I had some knowledge about racial profiling and unfairness. But, to hear these examples described in class is really depressing. Black people can't wear their hoodies up, they can't wear bandannas, there hands must be out their pockets, they need to keep some distance away from white people in order to not scare the white person or be seen as a threat, etc. This made me realize that white privilege does not provide much additional benefits, but they don't have to think and live in fear like other races.

Unfairness

Coming back from a 1956 trip photographing South Carolina’s segregated beaches for Jet magazine, Cecil J. Williams stops at a filling station, closed at the time, and drinks from a “WHITE ONLY” water fountain.
(3)
You would think after the ending of segregation and the abolition of slavery, everyone would be treated as equals. As much as I wished that were true; that isn't the case because many people are being treated unfairly based on their race.
Some of the systematic inequality can be seen in the difficulty for black people and minorities to to move to the suburbs or get a housing loan application because of the effects of red lining and  former Levittown homes' Policies. This video (4) offers a brief explanation on the issue.
Another systematic inequality was caused by the "War on Drugs" (5) and the "Just Say No"  campaigns which resulted in mass incarceration of African Americans for simply owning a minute quantity of drugs. Some believe that this was done to target black people.
Another systematic inequality is the justice system in dealing with cases of racial profiling, police brutality and hate crimes. Ever since the Trayvon Martin - George Zimmerman case, I have seen countless other stories of innocent African American kids getting shot, killed or arrested because the officer thought whatever object the kid was holding in their hand was a weapon. As a result,many black people live in fear of the same thing happening to them or a loved one.

 The next example is a bit shocking and contains explicit language. I wanted to share this one with you because of how it illustrates the effects of race on criminal justice and sentencing. It's about Mark Wahlberg( the actor).
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg (6)

 "In June 1986, Wahlberg and three friends chased after three black children while yelling "Kill the nigger, kill the nigger" and throwing rocks at them.The next day, Wahlberg and others followed a group of schoolchildren taking a field trip on a beach, yelled racial epithets at them, threw rocks at them, and "summoned other white males who joined" in the harassment.In August 1986, civil action was filed against Wahlberg for violating the civil rights of his victims, and the case was settled the next month.

 In April 1988, Wahlberg assaulted a middle-aged Vietnamese man on the street, calling him a "Vietnam fucking shit" and knocking him unconscious with a large wooden stick. Wahlberg attacked a second Vietnamese man later the same day, punching him in the eye. When Wahlberg was arrested and returned to the scene of the first assault, he told police officers: "I'll tell you now that's the mother-fucker whose head I split open." Investigators also noted that Wahlberg "made numerous unsolicited racial statements about 'gooks' and 'slant-eyed gooks'". Wahlberg was charged with attempted murder, pleaded guilty to felony assault, and was sentenced to two years in jail, but served only 45 days of his sentence." (7)

 The fact that he wasn't severely punished for racist hate crimes while black people get sent to jail for petty crimes says a lot about racial discrimination. I would also like to note that Mark Wahlberg had sought a Pardon and forgiveness from his victims in 2016. Another interesting case is the Philadelphia Police Bombings (8) which is worth checking out. I could go on and on about this unfairness and not provide any solutions or treatments to this unjust society.

Final thoughts

Image may contain: text
(9)

 There is no political solution to stop systematic inequality and society's negative perceptions of other races. I believe that we, together, can change our attitudes and behaviors on the individual level to stop this. We can simply research examples of the struggles other races experience and talk with people of different races about the struggles they face because of their race. If we get a better understanding of each other, we can move forward together in harmony. That is why I placed some examples of the unjust treatment of African-Americans in this post in order to educate the viewer on this issue. I acknowledge that many other minorities feel the same way in America and that most of my examples were centered around African-Americans. After rereading, my classmates anonymous answers, I gained a better understanding of these issues faced. Furthermore, even though some of their answers varied, they contained a reasonable explanation to it. Overall this week really changed my method of dealing with these issues faced by my peers.



Sources and Useful Links

Articles Mentioned

7) Mark Wahlberg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Wahlberg#Arrests_and_felony_assault_conviction

11 ways white America avoids taking responsibility for its racism
https://www.salon.com/2015/06/16/11_ways_white_america_avoids_taking_responsibility_for_its_racism_partner/?fbclid=IwAR0PE5-X29XsXX2TKQECfxwcp7iM_CRRDXRwnEwtPUyFsTWHjGSzsyuaLK0

Videos

1) Jenine Crucet's Lecture 

4) Adam Ruins Everything - The Disturbing History of the Suburbs | truTV 

5)War on Drugs 

8) Philadelphia Police Bombing 

Things Black Men Are Tired Of Hearing 

SGA Diversity Forum Highlights 

Photo Credits



6) Mark Wahlberg Photo by Kevork Djansezian - © 2011 Getty Images 




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Saturday, October 12, 2019

Week 8: Make Your Home Among Strangers

Introduction

Make Your Home Among Strangers book cover (1)


Well, this week went a bit different🙃. We finally got to discuss the common read, "Make Your Home Among Strangers", assigned to all those who had FYE classes. On Wednesday, we didn't have an FYE class so that we can go to Jennine Crucet's Lecture at the Performing Arts Centre which turned out to be entertaining for me😂.

Class Discussion

Donato Dalrymple holds 6-year-old Elián González on April 22, 2000, as federal agents recover the boy from the home of his relatives in Miami (2)



Prior to our class on Monday, we had to read up to Chapter 18. We were handed an article from 2001 which recounts the Story of Gaspar Leiva who came to the U.S. from Cuba on a boat/raft with his kids, he's currently a Professor at Georgia Southern University. I'm really impressed that he managed to survive the journey with his kids. In class, we focused on some of the real life events that were reflected in the book- Elián González who is portrayed as Ariel Hernández in the book. I was the only one of my classmates who had knowledge of Elián's story, but what I didn't know was the manner in which he was taken. Dra. McGrath showed us some news footage (3) of the raid to capture Elián and deport him back to Cuba. If I were Elían, I would be traumatized😨. While there were many other kids who faced the same immigration issues as Elían, his immigration status was a national concern in the U.S. Maybe he was chosen by the Cuban-Americans to be their icon on Cuban migration to U.S. Similarly, he was also chosen to be Cuba's icon when he returned. My Caribbean Studies teacher in high school told my class that he would be at the front of Cuban parades and would be raised so everyone would see him. This boy's deportation also changed the outcome of the U.S. 2000 Presidential Elections. To me, it's sad that Elían was forced into being a puppet for the Cubans and Cuban-Americans in order to push their agenda. 
In class we also talked about how Cuba was taught in schools- Cuba was painted in a negative light by American Schools whilst in my High School, we had a somewhat balanced view of Cuba. All in all, Monday's class discussion educated me on U.S.- Cuban relations.

Make Your Home Among Strangers

Author, Jennine Capó Crucet, holding her book (4)


This book reminds me of a generic Wattpad© story that was written by a teenage girl (and not in a good way). The book may also pose a difficulty to some readers for two reasons. Firstly, the dialogue isn't placed between apostrophes which makes it hard to distinguish who's speaking. Secondly, if you don't know simple Spanish then you wouldn't be able to understand the Spanish dialogue that some of the characters speak in. Luckily, I learnt Spanish in highschool, so I was able to understand most of the Spanish dialogue. However, the only well-written parts of the book were the parts that were unnecessary to the plot; I don't need to know what Lizet and Omar did in the backseat of his car, the floor, the couch ,bed and even the doorstep😐.

This is probably what I imagine Omar's car to look like (I won't advise you to sit in the back seat because it smells weird and has sticky stains.) (5)
The story is overly dramatic and ridiculous. The majority of Lizet's problems were caused by herself. She was the key reason why her parents divorced. She wasted her hard-earned money on a flight ticket to visit her ungrateful family for only two days during Thanksgiving. She attended a mandatory diversity ice-cream social where she was given handouts and pamphlets on tutoring and academic writing, yet she chose to ignore that and failed most of her courses and had a Hearing for Plagiarism in one of her writing papers🤦. Her boyfriend, Omar, doesn't understand her problems that well, but she continued to be in an unstable relationship with him for purely physical reasons until they eventually broke up. Lizet also lacks effective communication skills where she can't express her problems and feelings in a clear and concise manner. As a result, she destroyed her friendship with Ethan. Lizet is a person who gets easily upset and throws tantrums. Despite her academic achievements, Lizet is an utter pillock. She's a really unlikeable character. What I did enjoy in this book, were the themes and issues discussed - going to a new school, being a freshman, different values and beliefs, and imposter syndrome. I also liked the references and details to illustrate that the story is set in 1999-2000: Ariel Hernández, frequent use of TV, physical mail instead of email,inefficient flat irons, and the recounting of votes in Florida during the presidential elections between Bush and Al Gore. One theme that interested me was the Cuban Diaspora. In highschool, I learnt that a diaspora refers to a group of people who share common beliefs and cultures. A more simple explanation can be found in the movie, Thor: Ragnarok , where Odin says,"Asgard is not a place. It's a people". In the book, we learn some things about the Cuban Diaspora in America such as food, drinks, dances and Nochebuena. We learn that Lizet doesn't consider herself as a Cuban for most of the story until Ariel's issue. She practices a culture influenced by Cuban culture such as her meals, dancing in nightclubs in Miami and listening to Reggaeton. This part of the story made me reflect on myself; I don't consider myself to be a true Indian because my ancestors left India in the 1800's and I don't know that much about their culture despite my country's culture being influenced by India's. The only issue I have with the Cuban Diaspora's portrayal in the book, is the accuracy of the portrayal and does it truly reflect Cuban-American's values because readers will make general assumptions about Cuban-Americans based off of this book.

Jennine Crucet's Lecture at the Perfoming Arts Centre


Jennine Capó Crucet during the Q & A session of her lecture. 


I guess this is probably one of the highlights of my week. The Performing Arts Centre (PAC) was so packed that some of us had to watch a projection of the livestream in another room. As the norm with most featured speakers, they usually tell their boring life story to the audience. After telling us her life story,she began to talk about representation on campus in terms of race and white privilege. She says this because she went to Cornell University where there was only one Latino Professor and the majority of students on campus were white and wealthy-she said many of their parents were lawyers. 
Then it was time for the Q and A session where the drama began😂. Basically, a whole debate about white privilege was sparked by a girl asking Crucet about her authority and qualifications to talk about white privilege. There were lots of uproar and laughter. 
I felt that she spoke with a condescending tone towards the white audience , especially when making generalizations about them in regards to white privilege. I do believe that white privilege exists through systematic inequality and common beliefs, but white privilege does  not exist to the extent that she described , because some white people live in trailer parks, work minimum wage jobs and live in a cycle of poverty-their privilege isn't significant.  
I also don't agree with the belief that a University should reserve teaching jobs for people solely on their race. If it were based on race and qualifications, then I would agree. I don't take much consideration to my professor's race. Out of the six professors that I currently have, five are white Americans while one is Chinese. I currently have no professors that are of Indian descent. The only friends of Indian descent that I have on Campus are two girls who are also from my country. That information doesn't bother me. Despite being a minority, I don't feel depressed or face negative effects. I can't relate to Crucet's or Lizet's experiences as a minority in College. Maybe I'm also privileged or ignorant of social stratification in America in order  to relate Crucet's beliefs.
The aftermath of the Q and A was somewhat chaotic. Some frustrated students felt the need to burn the book ( that they paid for) because of the author's belief. Obviously, a simple one on one discussion with the author would have resolved the issue. Ironically, by burning the book and facing no repercussions/punishment, demonstrated that they have white privilege 💁‍♀️. 
What was really shocking and heartbreaking to me was that the Crucet had to be moved to a different hotel after people were threatening her at the hotel she was staying in. It's sad that she had to experience this incident which doesn't reflect Georgia Southern's way of dealing with different viewpoints.

Final Thoughts

Just a few Articles from a Google search about the whole incident.


The book aimed to help every freshman relate to moving to college as well as understanding how some minorities feel. The Q and A session was a wasted opportunity for students who have to analyse the book, and would have wanted Cupet's input for their analysis of her book. The book burning made its way into  a lot of news articles. Any kind of publicity is good publicity 😎. At the end of the day, she made around $51,000 USD from our School while the upset individuals gained ashes and hatred in their hearts. I guess some people forgot why this book was chosen for the common read , as well as why the author came to talk about the book and her beliefs. I do appreciate that Cupet was able to come and talk about her book.

Sources 

Video Mentioned


Photo Credits

1. Picador

2. Alan Diaz / AP

4. Jennine Capó Crucet





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