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





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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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Week 15: Final Reflection

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