Carter Stokes

Week 10: Degree Engagement               This week in Class we went back to discussing more specific things about college and how to be successful in college rather than the larger social issue in america we had been discussing last week. Although I missed the lively and insightful conversations of last week it was nice to get back into a routine. This week our main topics were Degrees and values; as well as techniques to help us accomplish our goals.                Doctora started the class Monday by showing us all about the Catalog( List found here ). The catalog contains the list of recommended core classes as well as all the requirements to graduate with a specific degree. If you want to change majors, which is a very common occurrence, and want to know the amount of extra work it would take the catalog will outline it for you. Doctora mentioned that about 5,000 students filled out a request to change majors last year alone and it is okay to change majors. College is just as m

Week 9: Controversy and White Privilege                So this week in class we were supposed to discuss the film Elian, A documentary about Elian Gonzalez and the controversy around him, but after the speech give by Crucet the Author of Make your Home Among Strangers (the talk can be found  here ) our class time was taken up discussing the controversy around the speech and book burning after the fact. In class we took an anonymous survey about our feelings about everything that occurred, and though the answers to the survey and in class discussion it was apparent that many people thought that Crucet was being insensitive when she made a comment about an active shooter and the comments about ignoring white women's tears, but the entire class agreed that the students were rude and even cruel with there statements and actions after the speech. I was taken back with the statements about white women tears, but I didn't even register the insensitivity of the gun violence comment

Week 8: Home Among Strangers           On Monday we came into class and prepared to talk and discuss about the first half of the of the book Make Your Home Among Strangers written by Jennine Capo Crucet. The book is centered around Lizet, a freshmen Cuban-american who most overcome many obstacles that a freshman may encounter. One of which is now feeling like an outsider because she is from a poorer family and is non-white and now is among wealthy white people who appear to be really fitting in and have things figured out.              In class we talked about our overall impressions of the book. Everyone was pretty indifferent to the book, and no one seemed to have any negative emotions toward the book. Personally I liked it.  Probably wasn't my favorite book ever but it seemed to me to be a completely logical choice of a book for a first year seminar class, because the book is almost completely about the college freshmen experience of Lizet. Although I cannot completely rel

Week 7: Diversity and Inclusion III In class this week we watched a movie call "Instructions Not Included"  Link Here  before meeting on Monday. We were all shocked by the ending with the daughter of Valentin being the one with the illness. The movie was quite funny in the beginning but then towards the end was really sad. the film explores many theme such as parenthood, what it means to be a father, commitment, and facing fears. The theme of parenthood brought up a good discussion in our class about how courts would be inclined to give custody of a child the biological mother regardless of the situation.  This is an issue I was completely ignorant about and was happy to learn about. I found it sad to think about all the custody cases that where potentially ruled wrong and children suffering due to the ruling because of the bias the judge or the institution holds. Although we did not discuss the other themes as much in class I feel that the theme of fear really drove the m