Self Reflection: Freshman Seminar 2010

This semester's freshman seminar class was definitely nothing compared to what I expected. Although I greatly enjoyed the lecture series and the various presenters, I was unable to truly enjoy the class due to various absents due to sickness and injury. It was also difficult trying to be placed in a group because I had missed the first day of class to attend to matters with the courts system. I didn't get my group for several weeks later and had issues accessing the blogs and Blackboard because it was stating that I wasn't registered for the class. I personally thought that the class would help us to learn how to get around and survive for our extended stay here at Howard. As a sophomore political science major, I still know various freshman who don't know how to calculate their GPAs. I feel as though maybe a compromise between the way that the freshman seminar classes were run last year and this year would be truly beneficial to the students. I think both the lecture and classroom style would be an interesting way to run the class, but I also understand that with the size of the classes it is not always problematic to run a course of this size in a classroom that can fit 25 students at max. Overall, I truly did enjoy the class and loved the wealth of knowledge acquired during the lecture series and am truly glad that the auditorium style was large enough that I did not have to try and override into it and be turned away once again due to constrained seating.

Dr. Dana Williams

The final lecture for the freshman Seminar series was presented by Dr. Dana Williams. Dr. William's main objective of her presentation was to discuss with us the various types and processes of how to conduct research in order to better equip the class with the material needed to complete our group presentations. Her lecture was entitled "Basic Componets of Research" and she gave the class various examples as to what topics we could choose to do our presentations on and how to go about finding the research. Dr. William's presentation was extremely helpful in clarifying any questions, concerns, and issues in regards to our group presentations for the end of the semester. She also went on to go through various blogs of students in regards to the course so far. Dr. Williams also discussed the syllabus with the class and the expectations for the rest of the semester. She elaborated on the specificity of the blog posts and other factors that would affect our grades for the course.

Peer Presentation #2

One of the student groups within our section decided to choose the Effects of Child Prostitution on Society, as their final presentation topic. They when on to explain how almost 100,000 children are being taken from their homes and lived and thrown into the business of human trafficking with many of them put specifically into prostitution and sex trafficking. Many of these children come from highly populated metropolis throughout the United States and various countries in both Europe and Asia. Many of these children are between the ages of 9 and 17 but the average age of the child is 13 when they are initially taken. The group also noted certain bills that have been passed in order to try and stop this shattering of lives, but in my opinion, none of them are really doing the job. I personally was intrigued by this group's presentation because I did a paper on human trafficking and prostitution a few years ago. It is so depressing to see the statistics are almost exactly the same with no new reforms in government to try and prevent this. The business of child prostitution is so detrimental on these children that many of them, both those who are lucky enough to get out of the system and those still stuck within in are emotionally and physically damaged. They are unable to get their childhood back and ultimately end up commiting suicide if the harass conditions and diseases of the system that they are in don't kill them first. I'm glad that the topic of child prostitution was discussed because it is one that rarely gets much light shined upon it for the world to see.

Peer Evaluation #1

One of the groups within our section did their final group presentation on sex and STDs from a not only a political, educational, mathematical, medical persepctive but also fashion standpoint. Then elaborated on the concentration of HIV/ AIDs within the District of Columbia region and how it is still a rapidly growing epidemic. In these few slides they broke down the percentage increase of affected individuals over the past few years and also how many people actually know about their status. As the presentation progressed, one of the members of the group talked about the political aspect of sex and STDs. In his slides, he explained one of the reasons as to why homosexual relations are so opposed to, because the risk and percentage of spreading HIV/ AIDs and other sexually transmitted diseases is higher. The medical perspective was also explained during their presentation. It is here that diseases, such a chlamydia, gonorrhea, and hepatitis B, were elaborated on. She discussed how they are spread, some of the symptoms of these diseases and their lasting effects if left untreated for an extended period of time. Another student then discussed the educational viewpoint on this topic and explained how sexual education classes or health classes are not fairly equipping today's youth when it come to safe sex. Schools are preaching about only abstinence and sexually transmitted diseases rather than safe ways to have sex if you are active. The group's final presenter talked about the sex and how it is being affected by fashion. Clothes for younger children is becoming increasingly provocative and showing more skin. She also noted how skirts are getting shorter, jeans are riding lower, and the cuts of shirts are being made to hug the body like skin. I enjoyed the overall presentation and learned so new information, as well as making known facts more concrete.

Dr. Carr

The first lecture in the Freshman Seminar lecture series was given by Dr. Carr. His presentation focused on knowledge, the wealth of knowledge, history, and wisdom. It was entitled Learning,Wisdom and the African World Experience: An Mbongi" and focused on the roots of knowledge and mankind. It was in Africa that many mathematical methods and sciences began. Dr. Carr then went on to give us a breakdown of Egyptian names, symbols, and terms that he continued to reference to throughout his powerpoint presentation. Dr. Carr also explained how the ancient writing form of hieroglyphics is one of the most advanced forms of writing to date and were used by the egyptians. The Greeks had actually taken their known from the Egyptians and even modeled their gods to mimic those of Egypt. It is in Greece that European history tries to tells us that all of these mathematical, scientific, and teaching methods began, but even the Greeks admit to taking this wealth of knowledge from Egypt and studying in their education system through their references in their work. The time constraint of an hour was nothing in comparison to depth of knowledge in which Dr. Carr presented the audience with. The history and information that I received in this single lecture quickly shadowed any form of historical teachings about African culture that I have had in primary schooling. His lecture left me begging for more and has definitely influence me to pursue taking a course with him before I graduate from Howard University.

Dr. Felder

For the freshman seminar lecture series, Dr. Felder was the guest speaker of the evening. Dr. Felder is apart of the United Methodist Church and is an ordained minister. For his lecture, he decided to inform us on the significance of the teachings of Jesus. Dr. Felder also explained how these teachings were more than just religious stories told by Jesus, they also go into depth about moral values such as freedom and righteousness. He then went to explain exactly what freedom is, the ability to exercise choice and is has ample consequences for every choice that you make. We are more than capable to make both good and bad decisions and a consequence of such a nature will be the result. Dr. Felder then went on to elaborate on the Garden of Eden and its existence in Ethiopia. It was through the changing of books and history over time by different civilizations that is said to have made people believe that it is not a real location but a fictional paradise. The Garden of Eden is indeed located in Africa because of the references to both the Blue and White Nile running through it. As his lecture progressed, Dr. Felder explained why we, as African Americans, were in slavery as a result of bad choices that ultimately had slavery to follow as bad consequences and the robbing of our history and culture is why we caught in such a detrimental institution for so long. He then went on to give an astounding recitation of the speech "Ain't I A Women?" by Sojourner Truth. This was by far my favorite part of the lecture, because when I was younger I recited this poem at an orators competition and it truly hit a nice chord in my past to not only look upon but reference towards in the future with a new spectrum of understanding. I enjoyed the entire lecture and was glued to the speaker the entire time.

Dr. Georgia Dunston

During freshman seminar, the guest speaker, Dr. Georgia Dunston, did a presentation on the Human Genome. I was especially excited for this presentation because I am a pre-med student and think very highly of Dr. Dunston. Her presentation was entitled "The Abandonment, Dismemberment, and Reawakening; The History and Legacy of Howard University." She continued to discuss the importance of the human genome and how it defines us as human begins. Dr. Dunston then went on to tie in our African roots to the dawning of the human era. The human race did indeed begin in the beautiful contenient of our ancestors, in Africa. As much as we may seem different because of the various shapes, sizes, and colors that we come in, all of us share a genome that is 99% the same as anyone on this planet. It is that single 1% that gives us such diversity. It was the expansion of the human population over various contienents and environmental conditions that account for this variation in culture and physical appearance. Her presentation encouraged me to become apart of the leading force that Howard University will become in the education and knowledge of the human genome in order to better inform the world, make medical breakthroughs, and influence social change to better benefit society and the world. Dr. Dunston also educated the class on the fact that we need to become more involved in clinical trials and case studies to help further the research of the human genome and various conditions that can effect the development and various of that 1% difference in each and every human being.

Dr. Segun Gbadegsin

During this week's lecture for Freshman Seminar Dr. Segun Gbadegesin spoke to us about the topic of Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility. Dr. Segun discussed how the African goddesses, such as Ma'at and Pharaoh Amenemope were in existence long before many of the Greek gods and goddesses that we hear about. I found this fact very interesting being as I am in a Classics course now that discusses Greek Civilization and how they claim to have been the founds of rhetoric and other forms of mathematical and scientific methods. In discussing these African gods, Dr. Gbadegesin touched upon ancient books and pyramid texts that predated modern concepts and ideals, like Mill's Utilitarianism. They were known as the principles of Maat. He then went on to discuss the importance and significance of not only knowing yourself, but also knowing your past and those who laid the roadwork for where you are now. It is through knowing your past that you can truly see where you are headed in the future. I, as an individual, was challenged to pay respect and honor to my ancestors and truly appreciate what I have and where I am now. To evaluate my character and hold others up in their endeavors, because a man of character is a man of wealth. Dr. Gbadegesin also stated that ,"good character is beauty." This statement is evident all around us, because some of the most physically beauty people in this world are starving in good character because of superficial materialistic ideals that robbed them of "their internal wealth." I greatly enjoyed and appreciated his lecture and look forward to hearing from him in the future.

Dr. Eleanor W. Taylor

On September 16th, Dr. Eleanor Taylor was the guest speaker for the lecture session and spoke to the audience about the group Hissaid. This group was comprised of various intellectual thinkers and scholars that had emerged from Howard University. She also went into detail about the various gifts or powers that a few of these individuals had and how that specific power was able to impact the world in some shape or form. Dr. Taylor went on to confirm that we students also have such powers that must be harnessed and looked after. As the lecture progressed, she gave us insight on some of the poetry of Langston Hughes, facts about Zora Neale Hurston, and Toni Morrison. She also spoke about the immense diversity within Howard's campus and throughout its student population both back then and at the current period in time.

African Burial Ground Trip

During the month of November, I had attended the bus trip to the African Burial Ground with the freshman seminar class. Although I was not too excited about waking up at 5 a.m. I was more than exstatic about the day ahead of us. When we had finally arrived in New York City and was able to go to both the inside and outside of the building, I was truly touched by what I saw. Those six graves held my ancestors. The pictures montage on the inside was the family that worked so hard to make sure that I could be a student at Howard University today. Those who slaved long, grueling hours and lost the ones that they loved because of a system to hatred used to fuel the economy of this so-called great nation. They lay there in those graves to remind us of how far we've come, but also to fill us with the spirit to keep laboring for better than what we have no matter what the obstacle. I truly appreciated the trip with Dr. Carr because it gave me a better sense of history and purpose in life. Going on this trip also showed me the amount of disdain and disrespect that people can have based off of the fact that they attempted to build an office building on sacred ground and didn't want anyone to find out. This is a clear cut example of the fact that the fight for equal rights and respect as a African American culture is nowhere near over and we as the next generation must continue in that struggle to make tomorrow better for those to come.

African Burial Ground

On October 23rd Thursday's Freshman Seminar course got on the bus at 6A.M and drove up to New York City to visit the African Burial Ground. Though we arrived at the museum late, the information presented was very interesting. The first thing that I noticed when we got there was the Sankofa symbol (a friend of mine had drawn a picture of it before but he only described it to be an African heart). What I learned of the Sankofa, from our guide, that it is not just a heart, but a symbol of the importance from learning from the past. What I also noticed outside was the hills in the grass that looked like grave sites to pay respects to the slaves who buried their own loved ones in that corner those years ago.
When my generation was being brought into the world, the discovery of the slaves buried there was being found out by archeologists. These slaves may not have had to work in fields and farms, but they started to build the huge buildings that makes up New York today. The burial ground was a place for these slaves to come together and pay their respects to their loved ones who have passed with a special ceremony.
I have lived in New Jersey all of my life and never knew about the African Burial Ground before I went there with my class. It's amazing of the information that you learn with being around your own race of people and people who have respect and knowledge of their ancestry.

Peer Presentation #2

Dazed and Confused presentation was about relating suicides to IQs around the world. Their presentation was well researched and the presentated a lot of facts and statistics from around the world, mainly Europe. It's very interesting that they chose this topic because I never thought about relating a person's intelligence to a person's depression. From their research, it basically showed that there is no consistancy between suicide and IQs. Personally, I believe that suicide is an emotional reaction to life and it can not be related to how smart a person is. The group brought up the main point that no matter who the person is, every person who considers suicide has the power to ask the question of 'Am I going to do this?' That means that no matter how depressed or how smart you are you ultimately have the choice between life and death.

Self-Evaluation

I had no idea what the Freshman Seminar course was going to consist of. At first I thought it was probably going to be a lecture course talking mainly about Howard University or freshman coming together as a class and discussing and presenting different topics pertaining to our generation and majors.I now know not to assume how a course is going to be or should be by the title given. For me, freshman seminar was a course that made me think about the importance of 'being true to myself' and having an idea of what I want to do for my future career. It made me think about self identity as a young African American woman and what I need to do to make sure that I stay here in order to get that degree in the end of this journey. Though I am a freshman and I have a long way to go. I realize that success does not happen overnight, but I hope for the best in the end of it all.

Peer Presentation #1

K.A.S.A de Blogs' presentation on HPV was the first to ketch my attention. The virus is the most common and can cause cervical cancer among females. Luckily, for girls there is the gardasil vaccine which helps protect girls from getting the virus and prevents cervical cancer. Unfortunately for boys there is not a way for them to get tested for the virus. Their presentation reminded me that it is so important to have safe sex with your partner and to get tested regularly. Also because the HPV does not have to be transmitted through sexual intercourse it makes it very likely for many people to be diagnosed with the virus. It also made me realize that it is important to know who you want to be sexually involved with since HPV is so common among people--espicially women: eight out of ten women have been diagnosed with the virus.
I was very impressed with the passion and message behind the group's reasoning for presenting this topic to the class. Being aware of STDs, HIV, HPV, etc. is very important, especially for the upcoming generation. It is becoming more and more common among teens and young adults so awareness of the diseases out there can be frightening, but as long as people take precaution and stay protected people will be less likely to have the viruses.

Peer Presentation

This group K.A.S.A de Blogs presented about the STD, human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the leading and most common STD for young women between the ages of 13-26 years old and the most common effects it has on your body are genital warts and cervical cancer. I wrote about this blog because us a young women and men need to take extreme precaution to not practicing safe sex and know the stats of how this can affect your health. Although it's lopsided for men and women to find out if you having seeing as though women can be tested and men can not. Both men and women need to practice safe sex but also both can be prescribed the medication Gardasil but women can also take Cervarix. Gardasil is a shot that you can get from your primary care doctor and you get the shot three times in three month increments. STD's are no joke amongst our peers and around the nation so I advise all of my peers to take precaution because this is your health in jeopardy especially my fellow females. I'm glad that one of the group members was very passionate about this rarely touched subject because she had contracted the STD and felt the need to promote awareness and I agree.Because sometimes you can walk around and not know that you have HPV continue spreading it so go get tested and be ONE LESS.

Peer Project Evaluation #2: Life Changers

Immediately following K.A.S.A. de Blog was Life Changers, who had a heartbreaking subject matter that has always interested me. They were talking about the effects of child prostitution on society as well as on the young ones who are trapped in the institution.

First, though I cannot remember what the quote said exactly, I loved that they used such an honest and direct one. It was startling and really put me in the problem immediately.

Here's what I found out: The girls who end up being put up for sale are normally troubled in some way; homeless, abused, etc. The pimps who end up controlling these children introduce themselves as nice guys and present themselves as boyfriends. They house, clothe and feed the girls and treat them seemingly right. The girl already made vulnerable, the pimp forces the young lady to do as he says, which entails going out on the street and selling sex for money.

What shocked me was the typical age of such prostitutes: nine to thirteen years. I suppose this shouldn't have surprised me, but it did completely break my heart.

Just as I was thinking, "How do people get away with this, anyway? It's completely illegal," they gave the reasons the institution still stands with little police interference. Children normally have stolen identities, prostitution is a low-priority offense and even has police who participate in the debauchery.

My favorite thing about the presentation was the information they gave for the rehabilitation and treatment options and the honesty they had to say that there weren't enough. It made me want to get involved.

Moreover, it made me decide something about my career. As a music therapist, I decided I want to work with women and children rehabilitating from being on the streets. I learned from the presentation that this is something I'm passionate about. I appreciate them for that.

Peer Project Evaluation #1: K.A.S.A. de Blog

On November 4th, the same day I presented, K.A.S.A. de Blog (which I think is a really great name to begin with) gave the class their presentation on HPV, or the human papillomavirus. I had already known a bit about HPV before the group presented, so I was very interested in finding out more. And that I did; all the members of the group seemed to be very knowledgeable about the virus. I learned the following incredibly stunning facts: twenty million people are currently infected with the disease. Types sixteen and eighteen of the virus end up causing genital cancers. Eight out of ten women currently are carrying the human papillomavirus. The fact that really shocked me was that it can be transmitted through sexual activity, but you DO NOT have to be sexually active to contract it. This also frightened me, because this means that every woman and girl is at risk.

Luckily, the group talked about the part I did know about to help circumvent any problems, Gardasil. It's a vaccine that helps prevent HPV. The group listed the ingredients and told me certain information that I didn't even hear about on the commercial I saw for it.

The best thing about the group's presentation, I believe, was the fact that one of the group members was so brave about the fact that she has HPV. She openly stated that she has it, and rattled off the information as if it were second nature, and took all questions without flinching.

Overall, I really enjoyed the presentation, and learned a colossal amount of information that'll I will definitely be spreading to other women.

Interview with Faculty Member for Research Project

In a personal interview with Dr. Anthony Randolph, professor of music theory and composition, he was asked and answered the following:

Q: Why is it important for the music community to participate in relief efforts?

A: "It's important because musicians must prove that they are not only artists, but humanitarians. People think that musicians and other types of artists are too wrapped up in themselves to care about what's going on in the world. And this just isn't true."

Q: If the music community hadn't mobilized for the Haiti relief effort, what do you think the situation would have been like?

A: "It would have been exponentially worsened, because the artists who participated in the different kinds of relief efforts were very popular, and therefore got a lot of attention it."

Self-Evaluation

I had completely different expectations for freshman seminar. I thought it would be a class about surviving freshman year at Howard University and ways to make a smooth transition from high school to college. But I was taken by surprise with the approach of having groups and blog sites seeing as though it was about 250 of us per class. I didn't see how the group projects would go because I'm not too much of a group person and the class was so big but it all worked out in the end. I wouldn't say that this class helped me during first semester but it enhanced my listening skills and I learned a lot about significant members of the faculty in the COAS department. And although the class was once a week I felt like our time was being used adequately because in the end I did leave the class learning something new every week which i cant say for some classes Ihave either two or three times a week. But overall I don't see any tremendous length of growth because of the class but that was okay because it wasn't a high demand for work and like previous stated only once a week.

Peer Presentations

I chose the presentation on "The Effects of Child Prostitution on Society". This group talked about how approximately 100,000 children each year between the ages of 9-17 years old with 13 being the average age are being kidnapped and forced into sex trafficking, sex slaves and sex rings throughout the world. The children primarily come from dysfunctional families from popular cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York City and in other countries in South America, Asia, majority of Europe and West Canada. I chose to write about this particular presentation because child prostitution is such a non exploited problem and because its such a low offense with no filed complaints and most times police cooperation because they enjoy the young children. You just never hear anything about it while these children lives are being screwed leaving them the leading problems of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, infertility, STD's, murder, pregnancy and suicide . This is a serious problem because its effecting our generation and there is no major help to stop these people behind this.I feel like the same way people support the HIV/AIDS campaign, world hunger and natural disaster relief funds is the same amount of work and aid we need against child prostitution because this is our future.The only thing that has come remotely close is in 2000 President Clinton signed the Trafficking Protection Act. But alternative ways we can help is reaching the National Human Trafficking Resource Center 18003737888, checking the offender tracking list online, urge the revaluation of laws regarding the top. And to continue to educate our peers like this group has done and report any type of suspicious activity you assume or know to be child prostitution.

E-Portfolio #10 Peer Presentation 2

The second peer presentation I saw was on the dangers of substance abuse. This presentation was interesting in that it covered substance abuse in colleges. The group began by explaining what substance abuse is and how present it is on college campuses. The presenters than spoke about the most prevalent form of substance abuse that was on college campuses, alcohol abuse. The presenters spoke of how dangerous alcohol can be and how it can affect students socially and educationally. They said how some students can only socialize if they are under the influence of alcohol and how dangerous that is because alcohol, when consumed in large amounts, is extremely dangerous. They then continued and said how it can affect student’s grades because students become dependent on alcohol and either go to class drunk or don’t go at all, which both are detrimental to student’s grade point averages. After this the presenters had us raise our hands if we agreed to certain statements. I was surprised at all of the responses to all of the questions and it was extremely enlightening on the dangers of alcohol abuse. I feel that this presentation was extremely informative and important to college students because new college students have not been away from their parents for too long, and without their parents to keep an eye on them, some students decide to cut loose and they may begin to abuse different dangerous substances. This group was very well spoken and used note cards and their visual aids well to keep the presentation interesting, and clear. 

E-Portfolio #9 Peer Presentation 1

The first peer presentation I saw was on vaccines and specifically the vaccine for HPV, otherwise known as human pappilloma virus. The group began by explain how the virus is spread, which is through sexual contact, and how it can not only cause the effects of HPV, genital warts, but it can also cause cervical cancer in women. The presenters also spoke about how HPV is different from other STDs, sexually transmitted diseases, in those using forms of contraception, like condoms, doesn’t fully protect against HPV. The presenters explained how many males can carry the virus without having and symptoms and they can pass it on to women without knowing. The presenters than moved on to the main focus of their presentation, the vaccine for the most dangerous types of HPV, Gardasil. I have heard of this vaccine before from their commercials on television, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it was for. The presenters explained how important the vaccine was because people could protect themselves from this potentially cancer causing sexually transmitted disease, just with a few shots. I was truly impressed by the passion and time and focus this group put in to their project and topic, but I noticed that the group only mentioned soreness at the injection site as potential side effect of vaccines. I know that vaccines are mostly safe, but there are cases in which it can cause serum sickness which is extremely debilitating and dangerous, but the group must’ve not come up with that information because it is extremely rare. I felt that the group overall did an amazing job on their presentation and I was truly impressed by it. 

Self Evaluation

From the very start of the course, I was confused.

It didn't help very much that I was absent for the first class, and had failed to receive a syllabus as well as a general idea of what the class would entail. Then after I attended the first lecture and the second class, I discovered that everyone else was just as confused as I was. People were even writing it off as a joke since it was so disorganized to some. I was beginning to not take it very seriously myself, but when I finally got ahold of a syllabus, I decided to actually work hard for the course. The syllabus was written very sternly and seriously, with a very strong mission statement attached. This motivated me to take the class as seriously as it seemed to take itself, and to not miss anymore lectures or meetings. I was even on time for them all, and took notes for a few of them, too. I was proud of myself for this, since I did actually find most of them slightly boring. Dr. Williams's lecture was very detailed and she spoke very intelligently and eloquently, and I was proud of myself for both paying attention and fully understanding her explanation of the research project.

The research project went pretty well, all things considered. We were assigned the project during some of my midterms, and I was very, very stressed out about them all. I was working on a particular paper that was a huge 15 pages long written in one week. Regardless, I was happy to finally meet my group and get things started. We all worked well together and put in a good amount of work.

Overall, though, the class itself remained an afterthought. I don't, however, blame myself for this. The course was only once a week, and didn't demand as much work as the others.

As an honors, music major student, I'm proud of myself for doing enough to (hopefully) pass the class.

African Burial Ground Evaluation

The trip to lower Manhattan to the African Burial Ground was highly enlightening and intriguing, overall. The day started rather early, around 6:00am, and began with some bus trouble. The bus I was on was the one that wouldn't start or had break trouble of some sort. Hardly anyone was sure what the problem was, but everyone was very ready to depart for the trip. When we finally did, it was almost seven, but we were happy to get on the road. I believe it was a four to five hour ride, and that entire time I slept. However, when I awoke my excitement reignited and I happily hopped off the bus to see the exhibit. After hearing Dr. Carr's (always enthusiastic) speech before going in, we heard from the tour guide. He was also very excited to impart knowledge upon the class. The exhibit itself was fascinating, to say the least. I had no idea the kind intensive work archeologists employed to evaluate the age, and occupations of the different people buried there. I thought it was beautiful that Africans of the time maintained many of their customs despite the oppression of slavery.

I especially found the film very moving and realistic. It made me proud to know that Howard University was at the forefront of the discoveries made for the burial ground, and that it took part in its existence today.

After the exhibit, of course, it was a lot of fun exploring Harlem and getting to roam around. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and I hope to visit the burial ground again.

E-Portfolio #8 Self Evaluation

I feel that over this semester I have truly learned so much about learning, and the process of it from this class. Though the beginning of the class was rocky because of the fact that I wasn’t sure what was going on and I didn’t know who my group members were or what we were doing our project on, I learned that I have to be proactive to get things done, and have them done correctly. I acted proactively and I was able to communicate my group and create the group, and the blog. In the beginning of the year, I wasn’t  sure what I was supposed to get from this class, but as I sat through the lectures and listened to these intellectual minds share their knowledge with us and coming from different disciplines of knowledge, I was able to see an important theme that was knowledge in all of its differences, can come together to teach the same message. Our class focused on learning and the active classroom and I was able to see that after listening to a few of the presentations. With the group presentations, I learned how work with other and how to plan out extensive things and execute those plans. I learned the importance of group communication and in the end, our group was able execute a great presentation on a topic that I was truly interested in. Though this class was not what I had expected it to be, I feel that I have come out of it learning something that I did not expect to learn. 

E-Portfolio #5 Dr. Cain Hope Felder

Dr.Felder presented on the "Practices of Freedom & Justice in Race". He explained to us that freedom means to exercise choice and the free person is the one who exercises choice and justice is about the right relationship. He took us back to the beginning of Eden and how we are lead to believe that Africa has no history and Greece and Rome predated Africa. Adding that the Blue Nile/Giyan River/Nile River/White River is the longest river in the world. He brought up the book of genesis chapters 1-11 and the story of crime and punishment. How human beings will abuse power for instance pastors who are wealthy and live in these million dollar mansions in the suburbs while their congregation is still struggling and barely have a pot to piss in and a window to throw it out. Dr. Felder emphasized that we need to look back at notables like Sojourner Truth who was illiterate and the most noted and highly outstanding woman in the 19th century but practiced freedom and stood for justice and other notables like Martin Luther King Jr. He also spoke about Kwame "the redeemer" Enkruma another highly notable prime minister,vice president and pan-africanism pioneer. The perspective of history he have stating "we are the people of the day before yesterday", slavery being a big point, and the potential to one day be just as great as these pioneers.

E-Portfolio #6 Dr.Dana Williams

Dr.Dana Williams was the last speaker to present before we begin our presentations. Her presentation "Basic Components of Research" focused on four major elements of a research project giving us insight into our upcoming group presentations. They were methodology, framework, development of the thesis and conclusion. She explained each element for a complete research project backing up her work with the example of a case study of freshmen seminar and how we should go about out projects. This was one of the most helpful presentations seeing as though we were about to start our group projects and many of my peers including myself were a bit confused about what was expected and how to go about our projects. And the fact that we will be heading into ENG 003 next semester which will primarily focus on research papers and with Dr. Williams being the head of the English department it was kind of like a heads up for expectations and a future reference plan for research papers. She explained it well using our freshmen seminar classes as the case study and how it showed awareness and memory through our blog posts. I will very much take heed to what Dr.Williams has shared with us and plan to use it to my advantage next semester and hopefully my group presented our project with this same correct research format to our upmost capability.

E-Portfolio #4 Dr.Segun Gbadegesin

Dr.Gbadegesin presented "OMULABI:Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility" about knowing who you are is very important and those who came before you.He spoke about the African goddess Ma'at,Vizier Ptahhotep and Pharoah Amenemope before it was Greek gods and goddesses.Dr.Gbadegesin introduced the principles of Maat, the books of instructions and the pyramid texts before it was the Sharia,Kant's Groundwork or Mill's Utilitarianism. In knowing one's self he stated "a man of character is a man of wealth" and "patience is prescribed if there is social justice." The Omulabi was the Omo olu iwa Bi which means a child begotten of the chief or source of Iwa.Iwa Iewa states that good character is beauty.Iwa Ioba awure good character is the greatest talisman.Iwa Iesin is the good character is the essence of religion.Dr.Gbadegesin told a story of Iwa about morals and the choices we make. We as young people need to practice Ijuba which is paying homage to those who have come before us and appreciate what you have you never realize until its gone as did Orunmila in the story of Iwa after Iwa left. We also have to learn to not mix enemies with water. And a poem he recited resonated with his teachings was "honor may vanish from your house/cosmetic beauty may fade/Iwa is what endures even into the grave/take care of your Iwa." We need to avoid miseducation and education will prepare young people for their future.

E-Portfolio #3 Dr.Eleanor W.Traylor

At the beginning of class we were given out the book "The Tortoise or the Hare" by Toni Morrison & Slade Morrison and Dr.Traylor thereafter opened her presentation about the legacy of Howard University and its importance to the class of 2014. We are coming after pioneering Howard Alumni and we are being prepared during our four years here to become apart of the legacy of Howard University.She explained her take on knowledge that "without the motherload of wisdom knowledge is just dumbestification" and "knowledge is KING". She also brought her education rendition of E=MC2 and it was wisdom=e2 (e=education). Dr.Traylor heavily spoke about alumni such as Dr.Ronald Walters who had recntly passed away who was legendary in the Civil Rights Movement,Phylicia Rashad who is an well-known actress for her role in The Cosby Show as well as many other plays,movies and television shows. Who was making a comeback to theater at the Rebirth of the Arena Stage and two of the greatest female authors of all time Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison. And Hurston who wrote her first story "John Redding Goes to Sea" while here at Howard University. Also Dr.Lorenzo Turner who was a pioneer for African Diaspora. Dr.Traylor speaking about these alumni was an example that Howard University breeds greatness.The assignments that were to follow this blog weren't to build up a ton of work but for us to gain more knowledge about these people,their accomplishments and to support our alumni.

E-Portfolio #2 Dr.Georgia Dunston

Dr.Dunston presentation was the "Abandonment,Dismemberment and Reawakening:The History and Legacy of Howard University"about the National Human Genome Center here at Howard University and the importance of knowledge about the human genome.She connected the knowledge of Africans, biology, human identity and the pursuit of wisdom across the human population around the world. This presentation struck close to home because she incorporated the use of science whereas my major is chemistry. Although I did walk away from Dr.Dunston's presentation a bit confused I did learn that everybody shares 99.9% of the same genome but that 1% makes us who we are as individuals.Which was shocking because we all are not as different from each other as we think we are. She spoke about the well known fact that all humans date back to Africa and then dispersed into different regions of the world and its seen in our DNA variation.She also stretched not only the knowledge side of the human genome but the medical side as well. And in order for us to be healthy people in 2010 there was a cycle of education and training,increase participation and inclusion in clinical trials. Howard university needs to lead the path of knowledge about the human genome and it will promise medical opportunity,commercial promise,ethical danger and social challenge.

E-Portfolio #1 Dr.Carr

Dr.Carr opened the semester with the lecture titled "Learning,Wisdom and the African World Experience:An Mbongi",expressing his knowledge of African history through different meanings, values, Egyptian hieroglyphics, knowledge of ancient Egyptian and the beginning of our intellectual genealogy to the present to connect with out ancestral wisdom. He spoke about the glorified European traditions that they're given credit for which truly date back to Africa. For instance Seshat and Djehuty created writing and mathematics but were taught in history class it were because of the findings of Greek and Roman philosophers. Ancient values and terms he taught us were ma'at which means truth,sedjem which means listen and sankofa which means go and get it. Dr. Carr emphasized the importance of knowing our ancestors history because without movement and memory we will not remember history and he showed us a great deal of knowledge within our own people that I would never get by going to sit in at an African American Studies class at Georgetown or NYU. I learned so much history not only about African Americans but our roots back in Africa and probably more than I have ever learned about our history in all my years in a public school history class. This presentation was spilling with knowledge and I'm not only happy that this presentation kicked off the semester but I'm also thinking about minoring in African-American Studies!

E-Portfolio #7 African Burial Ground Trip

The African Burial ground trip was an extremely interesting, informative, and thought provoking trip. Though the day started a bit rocky with us leaving late, we were able to take our bus up to New York City and visited the African Burial Ground in lower Manhattan. Before going in , in Dr. Carr spoke to us about the African Burial Ground and its importance. As we visited the site of the burial ground, I was able to see how important it is for one to connect to his or her heritage. Though I am not of African descent, I was able to notice the true  the importance act of connecting with one’s past. Also from the trip, I was able to see that many different people worked together to create this national monument. It was amazing to be able to see the work that my university, Howard University, has done for a national monument. This was extremely fascinating to me and also made me feel much school pride. I feel that from this trip to such an important national monument to people of African descent and all people of the United States, has truly enlightened me on many different things regarding the importance of one’s ancestry. After our visit to the burial ground was complete, we were able go a bit around the city which was great. Even though Howard University is in the District of Columbia, it doesn’t compare to the experience of one of the largest cities on the Earth, New York City. 

African Burial Ground Trip

The trip to the African Burial Ground was such an eye opener. This was my first time both hearing about the burial ground and going for a tour although i'm from New York City.When we first arrived at the national monument we were greeted by a very enthuastic tour guide and before we begin Dr. Carr gave us some background information on the Africans buried at the memorial site.So he recited a libation for our ancestors and then the tour guide began. I learned so much about the Africans apart of the transatlantic slave trade in New York City, the diversity within the African community seen in the items that the Africans were buried with and the outside memorial full of knowledge with a cosmograph centered in the middle of it with African symbols around the inner walls pointing towards the rising sun in the same direction as the ancestors that were buried. Inside the monument we watched a video based on the lives of Africans in NYC from the 17th and 18th centuries to the discovery of the bodies at the burial site to the protest and celebration of our ancestors being recognized and ceremony starting at our beloved Howard University to NYC for the bodies coming home. The inside of the monument was very nice and there were pictures and quotes from the 17th and 18th centuries up to the celebration of the opening of the monument and one quote that caught my attention was by Maya Angelou "You may bury me in the bottom of Manhattan.I will rise.My people will get me.I will rise out of the huts of history's shame." Throughout the entire trip I felt as though I was in a history class with the wealth of knowledge our tour guide and Dr.Carr were sharing with us. All in all I enjoyed and learned so much from the trip and the mini visit to 125th wasn't a bad look either.

E-Portfolio #2-Dr. Dunston

Dr. Georgia M. Dunston from the Department of Microbiology & National Human Genome Center at Howard's College of Medicine delivered her lecture for the Freshman Seminar class on September 9th. Though she was very quiet throughout her speech, she was very happy to be there and give her message to the freshman class. Her oration was entitled, "Abandonment, Dismemberment, and Reawakening: The History and Legacy of Howard University", but she talked mostly about her deeper message about the Human Genome. According to Dr. Dunston, this genome carries all the information to acquire knowledge and further wisdom. Dr. Dunston stressed the importance of the human genome, and that as students we must use it properly to become the best we can. Like many of the other professors and adults at Howard, Dr. Dunston wanted to speak to us very explicitly about working to our fullest potential. It has become my understanding that this is the aim of the lectures. In our four years at Howard University, we will be fed and led to an abundance of information that can either hinder or help us. It is our job, as Dr. Dunston said, to make good, sound choices what will aid us in our journey through knowledge. Because knowledge is what will help us get through the many pressing issues of the time. Dr. Dunston emphasized the medical problems of our age, such as cancer and AIDS that must be remedied by our generation. We have entered the world of higher education at a prime time and place in the world, and this lecture motivated me to take advantage of that.

E-Portfolio Entry #1-Dr. Carr's Lecture

n September 2nd, in our second week of formal classes, Dr. Carr delivered the first lecture of six to the Freshman Seminar class. His message, "Learning, Wisdom, and the African World Experience" was very passionately conveyed through Dr. Carr's booming voice and excitable articulation. Though I walked into the class about ten minutes late, I was taken right into the world of ancient Egyptian knowledge and the hieroglyphic meanings that Dr. Carr expertly transcribed. Values such as ma'at, (which translates to "truth") and Medew Nefer ("good speech") are things that were stressed in Egyptian teachings and are also held in high esteem at Howard. Wisdom, which is what builds upon the foundation of knowledge, is the next step in acquiring a good education. Employing wisdom means to knowing exactly what to do with the knowledge you gained. This is something the ancient Egyptians understood very thoroughly, but their understanding of such an important postulate for success was shielded by historians who wanted to display their own version of history. Dr. Carr emphasizes that it is imperative for Howard students to know where they came from, and to therefore believe in their own potential and to, most importantly, exercise it. Overall, I really enjoyed Dr. Carr's lecture. It was extremely informative and motivating. It made me want to go the library and learn! I can tell Dr. Carr is very enthusiastic about African and African American history and culture; I wish my other professors were as fiery as he is. His lecture made me look forward to the others to come, and hope that they were all as interesting and inspiring.

E-Portfolio #6 Dr. Williams (10.8.10)

This week, we had the pleasure of having Dr. Dana Williams give a lecture for us. I was happy to finally know who this woman was, because I had seen her in class often. Dr. Williams offered Freshman Seminar students an abundance of valuable information, for which I was very appreciative. For those who were confused about the class to begin with (like myself), Dr. Williams did much clarification as well as provided additional knowledge for doing well in Freshman Seminar. She approached the subject of our group project that we will be starting soon, and gave us insight into how we will be addressing the issues we will be presenting. Methods for research and questioning were discussed, as well as techniques for broaching the subject itself. Dr. Williams then went on to answer questions and clarify how the class will be carried out from then on. As the head of the English department here, I felt Dr. Williams was very eloquent in her delivery of the information. She displayed everything that was expected of us eloquently and clearly. I was very unsure about the research group project, so I'm very glad she demonstrated how to effectively execute the assignment. Despite the amount of work we were presented with, Dr. Williams spoke of the project as if we are all capable of getting a good grade on it. This made me feel a bit at ease about the entire thing, and almost excited to get started. Overall, Dr. Williams articulated very deliberately what we as Freshman Seminar students were to achieve within the next few weeks, and left me feeling determined to get it done.

E-Portfolio Entry #6. Dr Williams' Lecture 10-7-10

Dr. Dana A Williams came to speak to our class on October 7, 2010.  Dr. Williams is the department chair of the English department at Howard University. She began the class by continuing the tradition began by Dr.Gbadgesin which was to pay homage to those who came before her, with her, and after her. This was interesting in that it showed that Dr. Williams really cared about what other lecturers did and said. Dr. Williams then went over the research project that we are going to in class. She then further went over the different types and processes of research and gave some examples that we could do for our project. Dr. Williams’ explanation of all of this was extremely important to me because I had so many questions about the research project and she answered all of my questions. Also, Dr. Williams then went over and read different blog posts of others which gave great insight as to what other people were saying and doing.  I found this extremely interesting and informative and a great addition to the presentation. We also reviewed in class the scheme for the rest of the year, which included the amount of blog posts we need by the end of the semester, and the other factors that affect our grade in freshman seminar. This was very helpful because I was able to create a plan for having a successful rest of the semester in freshman seminar. Overall, Dr. Willams’ presentation was informative and interesting and I was extremely happy to finally feel caught up and informed with everything in our freshman seminar class.

E-Portfolio Entry #5: Dr Gbadegesin's Lecture 9-30-10

Dr. Gbadegesin came to lecture our class on 9/30/10.  He is a professor and associate dean here at Howard University in the college of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Gbadegesin came into our class and first paid respect to those who came before him, after him, and to us. I found this to be an extremely interesting and effective introduction technique that drew me in to what his lecture was going to be about. Dr. Gbadegesin then started to discuss the story of Iwa, and then he used this story to relay the morals of the story which was about being yourself and your character because those are the only things that truly last. This message, I found was extremely important to think about because in today’s society, character truly isn’t valued as much as other things like money and beauty. It amazed me how an ancient story was able to still apply truly to today’s world and attitude on how to act. Dr. Gbadegesin then moved on to discuss the precursor as he stated, of the Ten Commandments, the “Principles of Ma’at”. Dr. Gbadegesin explained how these carried the same principles of the Ten Commandments and his explanation of they truly could be the precursor to them was truly interesting and plausible. These principles had great and important messages for all of us to listen to, and be reminded of.  I really enjoyed listening to Dr. Gbadegesin’s lecture because his speaking skills were great and he was able to keep the whole class interested the entire time. 

E-Portofolio #5: Dr. Segun Gbadegesin (9.30.10)

September 30th's Freshman Seminar lecture presented Dr. Gbadegesin with the topic of "Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility". Before he begins to delve into his topic though, he pays homage to important people and figures that guide our lives. Also, something that I appreciated was that he payed homage to us, the class of 2014. Dr. Gbadegesin then tells the class the story of Iwa, a tale from his childhood that teaches very valuable morals. To summarize, Iwa, a woman who represented existence and character, married Orunmila . She warned him numerous times that it was imperative that he not stress him out. However, he did and thus lost Iwa. Along with his wife, Orunmila began to lose luck and knew it was a direct consequence of his actions towards Iwa. He then sought out to find her, and when he did they continued they blissful life together. The most obvious thing one can learn from the story is to treat others with respect along with the value of appreciation. Dr. Gbadegesin, however, is more concentrated on the representations of the characters; who you are is important, according to him. After this concept has sunk in, the discussion then turns to the history of who we are as a people. As Dr. Carr has expressed to us, many principles of learning, philosophy and ethics came from ancient Egypt. The Goddess Ma'at is introduced, and her principles of moral righteousness are shown to mirror the Ten Commandments with which we are so familiar. All of the ideals of Ma'at, however, urge people to remake themselves. Dr. Gbadegesin then says that this is what he urges us to do at this most opportune time in our lives at the university with the most opportunities.

E-Portfolio #4-Dr. Felder (9.23.10)

On September 23rd, Dr. Felder presented a lecture to our Thursday Freshman Seminar class. The main objective of his talk was to display how Jesus of Nazareth's teachings have more than religious value. They also have moral value in the areas of freedom and righteousness. According to Dr. Felder, freedom explicitly means the ability to exercise choice. Addressing us students directly, he explains that choices can either be positive or negative correlate directly with the consequences we are given. The conversation is then directed to the origin of man and original sin. Adam, says Dr. Felder, was given a choice, and having chosen the less more one, was given a consequence. This well known story is an example of how man abuses the power that is generously given by God. The misuse of power is the reason African Americans were in slavery for so many years. Dr. Felder emphasizes this fact and explains that the Garden of Eden, having been in Ethiopia, is not a fictitious place. In fact, distortion of history is why Eden is even thought to be just a place out of a book. I concur with Dr. Felder on this concept. In English speaking lands, to have rights or say in a governmental body, a race or group of people must have a history. Depriving African decedent people of a history allows for the deprivation of rights. Therefore, we African Americans are left to investigate for themselves, which is why institutions like Howard are so important. This is when Dr. Felder segues into figures of black history, specifically Sojourner Truth. Here is when I really enjoyed the lecture. Dr. Felder recites part of Sojourner's famous speech "Ain't I a Woman?" and explains that she gave this oration in front of many white people and received applause. She also received an accusation that she was a man, to which she bravely exposed her chest. Felder then stated boldly that such a brave woman should be as admired and remembered (if not more) as much as popular rappers and other superficial idols. Like many other presenters, Dr. Felder urged us to remember what is important while we are here at the Mecca.

E-Portfolio Entry #3-Dr. Eleanor W. Traylor

Dr. Eleanor W. Traylor, in her lecture, offers the class of 2014 a chance to be inaugurated into the legacy of Howard University. Her passionate oration invited us Howard freshman to become apart of the heritage that we heard about in considering Howard. Dr. Traylor takes the seminar into the history of the University, including the names of the buildings in which we study. As she continued to speak on notable alumni and names of Howard, she continued to urge us to know who these people are, to fully comprehend the impact they've had on world we currently live in. Additionally, she implored us to realize who we are learning from; we are in an institution filled with great minds. As she continued with the distinguished alumni, Dr. Traylor gave us numerous assignments. These assignments started off plausible, but the became vague and far fetched. However, to me, her point was clear. We, as students at such a prominent university in such a prominent city, should take full advantage of the opportunity we've been given. There is no reason why we should not be interested in seeing the extraordinary Phylicia Rashad perform live onstage. Living in D.C. and being students at a historically black university should make us want to see an exhibit about our history. We're in a much too relevant setting to continue being unaware of who were are, where we've been and where we should be going. Dr. Traylor may not have been well received by the Thursday seminar class, but those of us who listened attentively well understood her motives. She was not there to assign us work, she was there to engage our minds.

E-Portfolio Entry #4: Dr.Felder's Lecture 9-23-10

Dr. Felder came to lecture to our class on 9/29/ He is an ordained inister in the United Methodist Church. He headed the black caucus of the United Methodist Church. He has been in many important periodicals such as "USA Today", The New York Times", and "The Washington Post". The main focus of Dr.Felder's lecture was on how Jesus of Nazareth was the epitomy of freedom and justice. Dr. Felder, in his powerful and inspirational lecture said that, "freedom is the unfettered ability to exercise choice", from this he spoke that even though we do have this freedom to excercise choice, we must face the conseqences of these choices. An example he gave was that if we did something good, good consequences would result, now we excericed choice and chose to do seomthing good, but we are free and are therefore able to also choose to do something wrong, which would have a resulting consequnce based off of the choice. Dr.Felder's explanation of freedom, choice and consequence was very interesting and enlghtening to me. Dr. Felder came to lecture to our class on 9/29/ He is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. He headed the black caucus of the United Methodist Church. He has been in many important periodicals such as "USA Today", The New York Times", and "The Washington Post". The main focus of Dr. Felder's lecture was on how Jesus of Nazareth was the epitome of freedom and justice. Dr. Felder, in his powerful and inspirational lecture said that, "freedom is the unfettered ability to exercise choice", from this he spoke that even though we do have this freedom to exercise choice, we must face the consequences of these choices. An example he gave was that if we did something good, good consequences would result, now we exercised choice and chose to do something good, but we are free and are therefore able to also choose to do something wrong, which would have a resulting consequence based off of the choice. Dr. Felder's explanation of freedom, choice and consequence was very interesting and enlightening to me. Dr. Felder also discussed many parts of the Bible that have been altered by history and many civilizations. For example, Dr. Felder spoke of how the Garden of Eden, according to the Bible must have truly been in Africa between the White and Blue Nile River. Dr. Felder’s lecture was not only informative in the basis of what he spoke about but it was also informative in the way he presented. Dr. Felder was able to capture my attention and made it seem to every audience member that he was speaking directly to you. From this, I have learned about a new way of personalizing speech in a way that all can relate which seems like a very important skill to have.

E-Portfolio Entry #3: Dr.Traylor's Lecture 9-16-10

Dr.Traylor spoke on 9/16/10 on, the eloquence of scribes. Dr. Traylor focused on the different forms they can take and she then gave examples of different people in the forms and how they fulfilled their forms. Dr. Traylor also would speak of a secret organization called HUSAID that would work against “dumbassification”. Dr.Traylor would also mention a crystal palace in the sky where knowledge was sourced from and only few could enter. Dr. Traylor, in her discussion of the different forms of scribes spoke of shape shifters, like actresses. She invited to see a play at a local theater. Dr. Traylor’s lecture was very interesting in that in changed form as the lecture continued. It began as more of a speaking lecture without use of the PowerPoint, and as she went into her discussion of the different scribes, she began using different slides filled with visuals. This transformation in the presentation was very effective, and kept our attention to the information that Dr.Traylor was giving. Dr. Traylor also gave different assignments with her presentation, and the questions that she posed for us to write about were all very thought provoking and truly extended the lecture beyond its original teachings. We were challenged to try and connect these different people in the real world to their basic root form. For example we were to see a play and see how the actress took on the form of the shape shifter. Dr. Traylor’s lecture was extremely informative and her presentation skills were extremely effective and innovative. 

E-Portfolio Entry #2: Dr. Dunston's Lecture 9-9-10

Dr. Dunston’s lecture on 9/9/10, was titled, “Abandonment, Dismemberment and Reawakening: The History and Legacy of Howard University”. Dr. Dunston began her lecture by adding on the lecture of the past week by Dr. Carr. Dr. Dunston commented on the importance of wisdom and sharing that wisdom. Dr. Dunston then continued by speaking about her work on the Human Genome Project and how from the Human Genome project, there is so much that can be learned about mankind. Dr. Dunston continued her lecture on the importance of our (the students) role in shaping the world. Dr.Dunston also spoke about how Howard University is an institution that is reawakening the process of taking knowledge and turning it into wisdom. Being a Biology major, the science that Dr.Dunston’s lecture was based on was truly amazing and interesting to me. The work of the human genome project is something that has moved the world of medicine ahead by many years. Knowing the sequence of the human genome now allows us to see some genetic expressions that predispose different people to different conditions. Dr. Dunston spoke about how we are entering an era of personalized medicine where our personal genetic information can be decoded and medicines formed specifically for a person’s genes would be able to be produced. Dr. Dunston’s pure passion for teaching, and discussing knowledge was truly inspiring and capturing. Though time did go over, many students, including myself, stayed later to participate in a question and answer session with Dr. Dunston who took all the questions that she was allowed and further extended the topic from which she lectured on. 

E-Portfolio Entry #1: Dr. Carr's Lecture 9-2-10

Dr. Carr’s lecture on September 2, 2010, was on the basis of knowledge in the world. He spoke about important concepts such as how knowledge was used to acquire wisdom and how wisdom was important to the progress made in mankind. We learned about the gods of Egypt and how the Egyptians used one of the most advanced types of writing, hieroglyphics which is still one of the most advanced forms of text in today’s world. We learned the importance of the scribes, who are the reason why today’s world has become so advanced. Dr. Carr also spoke about the many different sciences and mathematics that are present in today’s world that started in Africa, and specifically Egypt. These are things like the calendar and time, which we learned was modified by the Greeks to include their Gods, but it used to be a ten month calendar, which is exemplified by the roots in the names of the months, like the Oct in October which means eight, but because the Greek additions, October is now the tenth month of the year. From this lecture I was able to take away many important messages. One of the most prominent messages from this lecture that lingered in my mind was the importance of taking knowledge to the next level and using knowledge to acquire knowledge because without wisdom, we are unable to use knowledge for something worthwhile, without wisdom, knowledge is just a bunch of meaningless numbers. Also the explanation of the basis of many counting and scientific principles and how they were modified by other civilizations explained a lot of the discontinuity I noticed in our counting system (specifically the monthly calendar).