Week Thirteen

Welcome to this week's topic - Diversity & Inclusion IV - Film - Motorcycle Diaries

These past two weeks have definitely been ones to remember. I have done so much with my friends and family, and I have had a great time. Thanksgiving was a blast, and I am excited for Christmas. 
Christmas break, where are you? It is hard to think about not having FYE next semester; I will miss all of the fun, interactive classes with my fellow classmates, Taylor, and Dra. I am very thankful to have been a part of this special FYE group.

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Regarding this week's topic - Motorcycle Diaries was a very interesting film to watch. Before watching the film, I had never heard of Che Guevara. I am glad that I was given the opportunity to learn about him. It is quite astonishing to watch an entire movie about someone who you have no prior knowledge about and then see that person in a positive light only to learn about how terrible that person actually was. I am sad that Che Guevara turned his life and his intentions into something that eventually hurt so many other people. I now know the true purpose of all the shirts and the bumper stickers - this experience has taught me that it is really important to truly know the details and the purpose of something for which you openly show support. I am glad that Will mentioned in our GroupMe that his uncle has a Che bumper sticker. Without this class, I never would have known about the importance of the Che symbol.
In class, we were given a sheet where we had to describe our personal most memorable moment of the film. While I do not remember exactly what I put, I do remember how impactful the scene where Che goes out of his way to speak to the young diseased girl was. It definitely showed his openness and compassion at being a physician.

I am glad to have had this class to learn about this important topic, and I look forward to one more week of class. Thanks for reading!

Resources:
(1) no link
(2) https://images.app.goo.gl/A2CnwPoZ2NnyjKLn8

Week Twelve

Welcome to this week's topic: Evaluating Information & Academic Research

This week has been rather slow, and I think that I am officially ready for this semester to end. On Tuesday, I hit an unwanted bump in the road because I didn't do as well on my economics exam as I hoped I would. I have never understood the phrase, "I studied, but I just didn't do well." Now, I get that. I was very upset to begin with, but as the week progressed, I eventually healed (dramatic, I know). I've had fun with my friends this week, and we watched Titanic Thursday, which was lots of fun and very therapeutic. Overall, it's been a good week.

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This week in FYE we have been talking about research. Ah, everyone's favorite type of paper to write. Thankfully, Dra. is not making us write a research paper, but she did give us an assignment where we had to conduct some research. I was not in class on Wednesday, but I was given a sheet where I could do the class work on my own time. On this sheet, we were asked to brainstorm a question that we could use as a possible research topic. I decided to use the idea, "Why is it so easy for people to adopt a "different" life online? I find this question to be very simple, but also intricate. I found two articles: one on Google and one on Galileo. On another sheet, we were told to evaluate our sources using the CRAPP test (1). The CRAPP tests consists of Currency, Relevancy, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. All of these methods can be used to determine whether or not an article over your research topic will be beneficial.

On Monday, we also did a fun activity at the end of class to learn more about "fake news." I enjoyed this activity a lot, and it was interesting hearing everyone struggle to determine what was real and what was not real. The basis of this activity was to get us students to look carefully at what we read online because it may not always be true. FYE was interesting this week, and I look forward to this upcoming week!

Thanks for reading :)

Resources:
(1) https://docs.google.com/document/d/14wJbwQtIT0ot2i7h_rSPu7G2psV-JbSm7sWzTmTCTUA/edit?usp=sharing
(2) https://images.app.goo.gl/9TXwPrzgKWtbpzQr8

Week Eleven

Welcome to this week's topic - Preparing for Registration and Meaningful Inquiry


Although this week has gone by quickly, I have had a great time with my friends! I am worried about my work load next week because I have an economics exam and a math exam on the same day - send help. This weekend will be filled with lots of studying! This past week, I went shopping with my roommates, and we went as Alvin and the Chipmunks for Halloween. We had a great time, and I am so thankful for our friendship!

Regarding FYE this week, I was presented with a lot of important information. On Monday, Erin Martin came to visit our class to give us more details about registering for classes. I have already met with my advisor to discuss which classes I need to take for the Spring semester, so I have completed the first step! Later this weekend, I am going to utilize the course search to find the CRN numbers that I need for my classes. I am hoping that this next semester won't be too difficult, but I know that my math will probably be more challenging. I'd much rather get it over with, though. I am glad that Erin came to visit because I know a lot more about the specifics, and I am also thankful that Taylor was able to show us the student's perspective; both were a lot of much needed help!

Before Wednesday's class, we were instructed to read a document title, The Art of Powerful Questions (1). This article was actually pretty interesting, and it made some interesting points that I had never thought of before. Even the questions we ask have an effect on how a person may perceive us or simply - how they conduct their response. One must be careful not to "target" or to make broad assumptions even when asking questions. If we want to leave room for meaningful discussions, we must first be able to create powerful questions.

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We also did an anonymous worksheet where we had to discuss an event that has happened in our lives recently and come up with a powerful question to go alongside the event. After we each received someone else's sheet, we got into groups to discuss our classmate's answers. Enysa and I agreed with both of the questions that were presented, but we were able to make them less offensive and/or targeted. After having the discussion with Dra. about analyzing questions, I was able to see how much of a difference a powerful question makes. For example, one of the questions Enysa and I received said, "Why are people so confident online? And why do they actually deserve attention?" Instead, Enysa and I came up with the question, "Why is it so easy for people to create a separate identity online?" Our new question was more powerful, and it left room for a more open-ended discussion. Overall, I enjoyed FYE this week, and I look forward to next week!

Thanks for reading!

Resources:
(1) http://tiny.cc/ycs2qy
(2) https://images.app.goo.gl/bsxrmxHDy2syAmM6A