Peer-Review #2

I really enjoyed the presentation on single parent households. I really learned a lot. I truly never understood the effect of single parent households. I was blessed to have both of my parents there to raise me. It is sad that we can look at single mothers and not even think about trying to help them. They struggle just like anybody else. We give our money to national causes, but are ignorant to the people that are struggling right beneath our noses. I applaud the strength of some of the kids who go through the struggle of a single parent home. The group’s research found that that were likely to do poorly in school, join gangs, do drugs, and go to jail. But there are still kids who make it. It isn’t all negative. I don’t know what I would do without both my mother and father being there, so I commend their mindset to strive despite how the odds are stacked against them. Still, as Americans, I feel as if it is our duty to stand up and help our neighbors. If a young boy or girl doesn’t have a mother/father figure, then someone needs to stand up and take on that role. All these young kids are looking for is a role model and someone to love them. They should not have to run to gangs to receive this. These young kids should not be asking for attention in the most negative way. We should already be giving it to them.

Self-Evaluation

My self-evaluation for this course is a little bit complicated. When I saw freshman seminar on my class schedule I kind of assumed that it was going to be an informational class on college. I thought that almost the entire grade would be based on attendance and no work would really be needed. This class however does require a good amount of time and effort. The knowledge about Howard, Black history and the our origins will be invaluable, in later life but right now I really think the kind of class that I wanted was one where I could home my study skills and achieve now so that I could use the other knowledge better on another level. I listened to the entire lecture and gained valuable information from each but what I really want is the opportunity to use that knowledge and to do that I need study skills. For this reason I in a way discarded the first half of the class, keeping the information, but not caring about the class itself. During the group project I gained some real life experience on how to research and present a certain topic so during that part of the course I was much more enthusiastic. I feel that if the organizers of this class were somehow able to infuse the cultural information that was given to s via the lectures with study skills and researching tips that would help us right now, that the class would be much more effective

Peer Group #1

The first group presentation that I would like to write about is that of the Music Helps group. There presentation on how rap music and its positive and negative role models effect the behavior of young people in society. Some of the statistics this group were able to come up with were very surprising. The fact that in a study that involved your women listening to rap music for a year it was found that thirty percent of those women acquired a new STD and that over seventy percent consumed alcohol was a shocking stat. It was also shown how role models in the music industry affect how people act. This topic of positive and negative role models is something that I have taken to heart and I have begun to evaluate artists on what type of message is sent out to the listeners. Trey Songz was cited as a negative influence and once I began to think about it I really did not see many good and important topics covered in his songs. Another artist that I picked out on my own who I feel has nothing but a negative impact on black culture is Wiz Khalifa. Many of his songs deal primarily with weed and none at all focus on relevant issues that could help a young person become inspired or motivated to be better. Positive role models such as Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige and John Legend do exist but it seems as if that are far outnumbered by the negative

African Burial Ground

The African Burial ground located in New York city is the area that many African-Americans are able to trace their ancestry too. I always knew that it was a very important site to black culture but once I visited it mixed feelings were evoked in me. The ground is very sacred to all Black Americans who my not be exactly sure where to trace their ancestry because the site is a possible resting place for our family members. The mixed feelings come from the fact that this site was seen as being so unimportant that it was paved and built on over century’s with complete disregard to the PEOPLE who were laid to rest there. Although I was able to see the shrine which has been erected, and feelings of pride and identity were awakened in me, I couldn’t help but to feel resentful over the treatment the site has been subject to. Even today much of the sacred burial area is left buried and undisturbed under the New York City streets because it is not considered to be of great enough importance to reconfigure a small area of the city. Some would see this as racism but in my opinion, until more black Americans begin to speak out against the ignoring of the burial, there is no room to point fingers. In fact if we do not take the appropriate affirmative action to get the rest of the grounds uncovered then we must point the finger at ourselves. The burial grounds is one of the most important monuments to black history in America, therefore we must make sure that it reaches its full potential.

Dr. Williams

Dr. Dana Williams gave the last presentation for our freshman seminar class. I found it ironic in a way that this research-based lecture was slated last on the list of presentations because I found it the most helpful to me here and now. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed all of the valuable information that was shared in all of the previous lectures but for attending college, I would have really like to have a class that was geared more towards student organization, time management, and research. With this presentation delivered last out of all the speeches I found it a little late in coming. In my opinion this last lecture should serve as an introduction to the other lectures on culture. This would allow future students to receive a preview of what the class will be like while still being able to gain a few of the essential tools that they will need for success in school. Ultimately what I think needs to happen, however, is that even some of the cultural speeches should be infused with knowledge about how to handle the college experience. What students really want in a course like this is to learn what college is going to be like. The information on culture can still be kept but there must be more in the way of skills that can be applied to success now. If this does not happen I believe that no matter how interesting u make this course, many students will pay very little attention to the important knowledge that is being imparted.

Peer-Review #1

Anytime I hear research about music, I think the same thing. Each and every research project about the effects of music says the same thing: it’s negative. When the group who did their research topic about this stood up to present their findings, I felt as if they were preaching to the choir. Now don’t get me wrong, I commend their hard work, and I enjoyed the way they conducted their research. Their survey was very intriguing and they way they conducted it was very well done. I like how they gave the survey to many different age groups. But I felt as if they didn’t bring anything new to the topic. Too many research projects have said the same thing. Negative rap music has a negative effect on kids. It has been said many times. I would have loved to see them show the positives of rap music. I feel like there is a positive effect of rap music on kids. Rap creates a social consciousness. It talks about things that are relevant in society. Therefore kids who listen have a better understanding of the society around them. Although it may not be directly around them, there is no reason to be oblivious to the fact that certain things are still present. It also has poetic justice. Few people can tell a story through words that can touch millions of people all at once.

I don’t ignore the fact that there is a lot of ignorant music in the world today. I also recognize that this music can have a negative role on youth today. But I also believe that you don’t have to listen to Bach and Mozart to hear positive music.

Self-Reflection

Coming into freshman seminar, I was falsely notified about how the class would work. I was told by upperclassmen that nothing was done in the class, and it was considered a “blow off” class. I originally did not like the class, as I blew it off as just another “black history” class. Don’t get me wrong I love my black history but I saw everything at Howard as this. But now as the end of the semester is here, I truly understand the value of the class. Not only did I not learn a lot about Howard, but I learned a lot about my ancestry. For the former, there is so much legacy reeking from the walls of Howard University and I never recognized it until I was told in freshman seminar. Each building is more than a building, but a representation of the famous people who helped carve African American history. It just feels great to know that I walked the same ground of many great scholars. I also learned a lot about my ancestry. The things that I was told in freshman seminar revealed my ignorance about my ancestry. It was because of this class that I would research my background on my own time. I never truly understood how rich my culture is. I was under the impression that my culture was always “down in the dumps.” But the time of slavery is only a road bump in our true history. My culture has had prominence for over 12,000 years. Furthermore, freshman seminar has made me understand the true legacy of Howard University. I recognize the where I’m at, why I’m here, and what it took to get me here.

African Burial Ground

Due to the fact that I have a Saturday class, I was not able to take the trip to the African burial ground. I really wanted to go, but I had to understand my priorities. But from what I heard, it was a truly inspiring trip. I looked up information on the trip and it seems very exciting.  Just to think that my ancestors could have been buried there excites me. I’ve always had a will to learn more about my ancestry, and the more knowledge that comes up about it I love to explore it. To think of the struggle that the people that are buried there went through, and the current situation of African-Americans today makes me more joyful. I recognize my blessings just because I know why so many bodies are buried there. I understand that some of their deaths gave me life.

It’s also exciting to say that I went to the school that did research on the bodies. It’s exciting to say that I been in the same building where the bodies were studied at. I feel blessed to say I go to a school that values African research so much. I feel like my ancestors died so I could come to Howard, and they came back to Howard to see how their hard work paid off. I commend all the people who worked to make the African burial ground what it is today. To all of the other 10,000 bodies that were buried in the area, although you weren’t discovered, you are still recognized.

Self Reflection

When I first came into the freshman seminar class, I did not know what to expect. I hadn't heard anything about the class but I knew it was something I was obligated to take. Now that we have reached the end of the semester, I have been able to see the rewards of being in a freshman seminar class. Not only did I learn a lot about Howard University but I also learn a lot about myself and who I am as a student. I am an observer of the world around me which is a trait that has been naturally bestowed within me. Furthermore, the knowledge of my ancestry offers me the competence that many others don't have the opportunity to ever obtain within their lifetime. I have been placed on this earth to contribute to the legacy of my past and I will seek to achieve nothing less than excellence. Throughout the freshman seminar course I have been able to learn about the legacies that have been established before me. Such knowledge empowers me to develop into an individual who lives out each day seeking improvement. Additionally, I have become more prideful in Howard University. Some of the lectures in freshman seminar taught me about some of the people who have attended Howard University and the amazing things they were able to do while they attended and after they graduated. I was also able to learn more about the history of the buildings at Howard University which is very useful as I walk around campus. Ultimately, I am appreciative of the freshman seminar class. I have learned a lot about myself and because of this I will be a more successful student in the future.

Peer Evaluation #2

Personally, I would like to commend everyone who completed the freshman seminar research project. I'm sure there are other things we would all like to do instead of a research project but hey, welcome to college. A constant theme I kept seeing during the freshman seminar presentations was "How does rap music effect the behavior of young children". The most common conclusion that all of the presentations seemed to address rap was the cause of youth disobedience and academic failure. Although the conclusion seemed to be unanimous amongst all of the presentations, the conclusion is actually WRONG. No group adequately explained the results of their findings correctly in accordance to psychological theory. CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION. To state that hip hop is the cause of youth disobedience is silly and inaccurate. Just because a child who listens to Lil' Wayne does bad on a spelling exam doesn't mean Lil' Wayne is the root of everything negative within the child's demeanor. None of the group presentations stated the proper limitations to their findings. To properly measure the extent to which the music influences a young person's behavior the researcher must first isolate their variables. There are many factors that limit such research. For example, IQ, adequate educational supplies, appropriate scoring rubrics etc. all effect the results in this specific research question. A more appropriate research method would have been to take a large class of the same grade and divide them into even groups allowing them to listen to different genres of music while taking a simple quiz. The results from this experiment will adequately show how music affects the school performance of youth because most variables will be controlled.

Peer Evaluation #1

Today a group presented on the effect one's favorite music artist can have on the morals of that individual. When I first heard the topic of their presentation, I was satisfied to see that it was an ORIGINAL topic. I was tired of hearing about the "effect hip hop has on school performance" and other topics along those lines. My opinion on those presentations will be in another blog. Anyway, since I was shocked to see such an original topic, I was immediately drawn into the presentation. The method in which the presenters attempted to draw in the crowd was quite innovative as well. The power point presentation was themed like a twitter trending topic. Since twitter is very popular on Howard's campus, that was a good way to relate to the members of their audience. Furthermore, the method in which the group collected their data was very effective as well. They took quotes from the artists and highlighted the main aspects of life they felt their music reflected and then they interviewed numerous people and asked them what they valued most in life and who their favorite hip hop music artist was. Shockingly, the group's results showed that the individual's favorite hip hop artist correlated to their values in life. I found this very interesting and it made me reflect on my favorite hip hop artist and how that person relates to my values in life. I give this group presentation two thumbs up but there could also be some improvements. Not everyone listens to hip hop so not everyone can relate to this presentation. Instead of only focusing on hip hop artists the group could have been a little less specific in order to reach out to everyone in the audience.

Faculty Interview

My contribution to our group's research presentation was to find out the effects my major (nursing/pre-med) has made on the relief efforts following the Rwanda genocide. Ultimately, the goal of our research topic was to show how every field of study, no matter how abstract, can contribute to the solution of any world crisis. The faculty member I decided to interview was my academic advisor Ms. Smith. I take frequent visits to go see my academic advisor and I always ask her questions about my major so I decided I might as well use the questions I ask her to guide my research. When I first came to Howard, my academic advisor asked me why I chose to major in nursing. I told her that my career goal was to be a pediatrician and by majoring in nursing I will able to have the medical knowledge and experience that will be beneficial when applying to medical schools in the future. She went on to ask me why I wanted to be a pediatrician and it was then when I realized the impact medical careers have on the community. I want to make the impact in young childrens lives that my doctors have made in mine. Doctors, more specifically pediatricians, have the ability to nurture a young child to health when that child is in their most vulnerable state. Every child healed is a new life given the chance to make a difference in our world. After being asked such thought provoking questions I went on to ask my advisor why she thinks nursing is an important major and influential career choice. I also asked her about her experience as a nurse and how education beyond a bachelors degree is beneficial to the medical world. The interview I had with Ms. Smith allowed me to reflect on the medical industry. That day I walked away with a new outlook on my future endeavors.

African American Burial Ground

Let me begin by saying I love my Howard University. If I had not chosen to attend such an institution in which tradition and history were the focus of the core curriculum, I would have never gotten the opportunity to visit such a historical landmark. When I was initially informed that all of the fresman seminar classes would be visiting the African American burial grounds in New York City, I was overcome with joy. I'm not going to lie, I was mainly looking forward to the free trip to New York. Being from the south, the opportunity to travel to New York does not come up very often so when I heard about the opportunity I was ecstatic. On the way to New York, I had a lot of time to contemplate on the experience I was about to encounter. When I think about slavery, I envision whips, chains, shackles, and large, dry plantations with hundreds of colored people working their lives away. Yes I know it is a terrible vision BUT travelling to the African American Burial Grounds enstilled a sense of pride in my past that I hadn't acknowledged before. The African American Burial Grounds became a national historical landmark because of the important impacts slavery made on our country. Had my ancestors not gone through the hardships they encountered during slavery, African Americans may not be where there are today. The imprisonment of slavery led to resistance and from this resistance came progress. I appreciate the hardships my ancestors had to endure in order to create a brighter future for people like myself.

Group Evaluation #2

The group whose topic was History of Poverty did a very nice job. They spoke clearly they knew what they we talking about. I learned more about poverty in less than an 20 minutes than I have since I've been in school. I was shocked to learn that 1 out of 3 kidss in the DC area are living in poverty. People are getting paid billions of dollars per hour yet the less fortunate have to scramble around just to find food.
I think it's funny how our government can go overseas to help third world countries bet we won't help ourselves. After hurricane Katrina hit it took weeks to get people government assistance, but when the earthquakes in Haiti came it took no time for us to go help them. Why is it that we can help someone else but won't help overselves? We have poor, starving people over here as well as other countries. If we don't help ourselves how can we help others? The higher class citizens have jobs being created nonstop while the lower class has to wait in lines at the unemployment office or a temp agency.
If we as a nation would come together, we could possibly get the less fortunate out of poverty. There is no reason why children have to go starving. Some circumstances may be different from others but no child should go unfed. We have all this money and resources but we throw it away on useless things. Maybe one day America will get its' act together.

Self Evaluation.

I am a stubborn person and I'm very guitly for that. I know I didnt participate to my best ability and I felt like I held my group back. Some of them might agree with me. I'm a close minded music nerd that only has one thing one her mind and I've always been that way. If it doesn't have anything solely based on music then i wouldn't do my best in it. In this semester, and every other semester to come, a majority of my classes will be music based. Unlike some, I'm already starting classes for my major which is Music Ed.
My performance was less than satisfactory and my attitude towards the class was very unnecessary. It has taken me too long to get myself together and get my work done. I wouldn't have gotten a U for my midterm grade if I would have only been compliant and got the job done instead of waiting until the last minute. I've very disappointed with myself because I know I can do much better than what I have done.
This class has truely been a learning experience for me. I still don't understand the class, but it made me look at myself, at what I've done/haven't done, and what I've become. I really need an attitude adjustment, but I'm really giving myself one as I evaluate myself. Maybe somewhere down the road this class will actually help me. Who know's, but I'll keep you posted.

-Faith Cooper

Group Evaluation #1

I enjoyed one groups presentation about the effects of music on kids and teens. Music is my passion so I made sure to pay close attention. i agreed with allt he research and what they had to say. Music has a large impact on the mentat state of people, especially an immature mind. Plenty of research has been done to support this.
Centuries ago, certain styles of music were thought to have a different affect on people. Of course, like today, some music was played mroe often than others. Young boys weren't allowed to listen to slow, sad music because the society thought it wasn't masculine enought. The boys were to carry on their family's name so they needed the most aggressive, most harsh music they could find. No one wanted a weak-ling to carry on their families name. It was said that some Greek kings would have musicians play soft musice to ease the minds of their soldiers before a battle.
They had a chart that showed the SAT scored of people who listen to certain music. The people who listend to Beethoven scored the highest. I felt proud because I'm one of thos people. I lkke some music of my generation, but I think the rest of it is garbage. Nowadays, everbody can be a singer and rapper whether they can sing or not. Electronics have taken the place of actual instruments and the quality of someone's voice. Everything sounds the same and there is no variet. I'll stick to Beethoven, Chopin, Robert W. Smith, and many other great composers.
I feel more stimulated when I hear the actual music. Sometimes I just get the instrumentals of music to bob my head to because I could care less about the words. The music of my generation has really fallen off. Every other song i hear has a ripped verse or music from old songs. Where is the originality?!!!!
Overall, the group did a a wonderful job. I enjoyed their presentation and it was nice to know that their discussion was on one of my favorite topics.

Research

Quite honestly, I feel the last lecture should have been the first. I was confused as to what the purpose of the class was until the last lecture. If I would have known this from the start I would have taken this class more seriously. The thing that really blew my mind was having to write a blog about lectures that really had nothing in common. I tried to have open mind but if I'm not convinced from the beginning, I sure won't be in the end.
From what I gathered, the class is supposed to help us better ourselves in research skills. I don't recall researching anything until our groups came together to work on our projects. If the blogs had something to do with research I would have done my stuff on time. It didn't make sense to me why we had to make blogs. I shouldn't be close minded but that's just how I am, I can't change that.
I understand that we all have to do things in life that we don't want to do, but I would rather do things that make sense to me, and if I don't get it right away hopefully I'll have an epiphany. I did learn more about my culture than I have in elementary-high school but it didn't really click. The first lecture went back to our ancestors, then it jumped to thousands of years later and the topics got stuck in that era. But in the end, I did receive good tips on how to do research.

Justice or Just Us?

Some say that freedom is not always free. Only certain groups (races) are allowed to be free while the others fall by the wayside and don't get the freedom they deserve. Doctrines and Constitutions have been written to ensure "Freedom" but failed to include, "To certain people." The Declaration of Independence was a written statement TELLING King George III that he was no longer in charge of the colonist. They TOOK their freedom. So why is it that when any other racial group tries to do the same, White America goes insane?
The Constitutuion was great for the rich white land owners but had nothing to do with slaves and women. They were deemed unimportant in society, yet they were the most important factor in their civilization. They wouldn't have been successful without slaves doing their work and taking care of them, and their wives to have babies. Slaves started revolting against their masters and mistresses and running away. They too wanted to claim their freedom but were forced to be treated like 3/5ths of a person.
Abraham Lincoln came along with the Gettysburg Address to announce that slaves were to no longer be slaves. this filled their heart with so much joy, but they would learn that their freedom wasn't free in any way, shape, or form. White men did whater they could to make black's lives miserable. They did everything they cold to hinder them from gaining true freedom. It became so bad that they added amendments to the Constitution, but that didn't make much of a difference either. The government came after that a made Jim Crow Laws. This made voting even harder.
This so called "Justice" is only a political term. Yes, you can go to courst and pass all these laws and add amendments, but if you don't carry it out to all people it's a completely useless piece of patper. There are always exceptions to the rules. So Freedom isn't free, and Justice is only for Just Us.

Dr. Dana Williams

The last freshman seminar lecture was concluded by Dr. Dana Williams. Her lecture was mainly on research! Which is perfect because we have to do our group presentation all off of research. Our topic is Rwanda Relief Efforts, and how was our major here at Howard, relevant to our topic.

Introduction of Dr. Williams lecture was specifically on the six components to research. I'm sure we all know about the six components of research because the topic was stressed on us during our years in high school. However, she stated the problem, or challenge that they were trying to find a solution to for freshman seminar. She noted that the one thing that needs to be fixed is us being "miseducated", mainly on our African American history. Which I honestly agree and understand. It's imperative for the future of our culture understands and comprehends our rich and everlasting culture.

Then she spoke about the next four steps: Methodology, Framework, Development of Thesis, & Conclusion, of research. Dr. Williams overall wrapped up the meaning and reasonings of all the past lectures we have received. Definitely appreciated the conclusion and all that I've learned through this course.