well i have learned how to deal with a book on reserve and use the photocopy room/get a photocopy card! i feel like these are useful skills. i have also come to realise that perhaps learning about pirates will be hard because i think that all of the information in our books comes from the 1700s, history is so hard to study because its subjective, we will never know what really happened, we can only speculate. this is frustrating but i also still love pirates as a topic just a little frustrated with the research, this is to be expected.
that is all.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
guys...
What I love most about rivers is:
You can't step in the same river twice
The water's always changing, always flowing
But people, I guess, can't live like that
We all must pay a price
To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing
What's around the riverbend
Waiting just around the riverbend.
THIS IS LIKE AQUINAS, WE NEED TO JUST SEE WHATS AROUND THE RIVERBEND AND IT WILL BE OK.
Should I choose the smoothest course?
Steady as the beating drum?
Should I marry Kocoum?
Is all my dreaming at an end?
Or do you still wait for me, Dream Giver
Just around the riverbend?
Ignore the should I marry Kocoum thing.. but we shouldn't take the smoothest course!
What I love most about rivers is:
You can't step in the same river twice
The water's always changing, always flowing
But people, I guess, can't live like that
We all must pay a price
To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing
What's around the riverbend
Waiting just around the riverbend.
THIS IS LIKE AQUINAS, WE NEED TO JUST SEE WHATS AROUND THE RIVERBEND AND IT WILL BE OK.
Should I choose the smoothest course?
Steady as the beating drum?
Should I marry Kocoum?
Is all my dreaming at an end?
Or do you still wait for me, Dream Giver
Just around the riverbend?
Ignore the should I marry Kocoum thing.. but we shouldn't take the smoothest course!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Learning 8 bebe
PIRATES. pirates pirates pirates pirates.
I think this is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Thus far, I have learned a little bit about Bartholomew Roberts, and much more about how to use EBSCO and research tools, I'm trying to research about women pirates and have been at it for like 3 hours now, proving to be a challange. EBSCO WHY CAN'T YOU GIVE ME WHAT I WANT? anyway thats what I have learned for now!
I think this is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Thus far, I have learned a little bit about Bartholomew Roberts, and much more about how to use EBSCO and research tools, I'm trying to research about women pirates and have been at it for like 3 hours now, proving to be a challange. EBSCO WHY CAN'T YOU GIVE ME WHAT I WANT? anyway thats what I have learned for now!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Midterm Learning Reflection
Kelsey Butler
Truth in Society
Reflecting on Learning
As I'm looking back on my first learning journals, I have come to realize that I have experienced exactly what I had hoped for in the beginning- learning on my own, experiencing movies, plays, articles, texts without someone telling me how I should feel or what I should expect. I don't think that I ever really noticed until now, until I was told to look at what I have learned and before I get into the individual subjects I just want to say that I have learned the proper way of learning, through myself first, then listening to others opinions, then re examining my own again and again.
When studying religion, I think it is important to be able to let go of ones beliefs (not completely obviously) and try to see through other lens', like the interpretive lens' described by William Paden. I feel like it would be hard to learn if we didn't know how to “let go” and experience these religions through another view other than our own. I feel as if I've learned how to do this. I found the lens' were specifically useful when studying the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and when we were trying to understand the beliefs and practices of Tibetan Buddhism. The notion of reincarnation may not really “hit home” for all of us it might not make sense but we have to force ourselves to see how to a Tibetan Buddhist it makes perfect sense, especially the notion of reincarnation being a bad thing. I feel as if we all had this notion of reincarnation being good and it is hard for us to see how living again and again can be bad but to a Tibetan Buddhist- it is. Using these lens' can prove to be a hard thing to do because in the back of your mind your own beliefs and faith can never truly disappear. However, these lens' helped me when I attended the lecture by David Adams Richards about 'God Is'. It's the same kind of thing, by trying to see faith the way that he did I could understand where his notion of faith came from and why he has it. I may not really agree with him but at least I can begin to understand. I haven't encountered something where the lens' prove to be irrelevant or useless. I don't know if they can even be considered useless- no matter what the subject if you can push yourself to see things the way other people see them you will have a better understanding of the world and how it works, why it works and why people do the things that they do-- why people come to believe the things that they do.
The study we have done around Doubt has actually taught me so many things- no matter how much we thought we were killing it. Like I said in one of my learning journals Doubt is apart of the circle of life and no matter how much we hate it we can never escape it. So I would just like to say that I don't hate Doubt but have learned to appreciate it. I think that Doubt has definitely shown me what text can be for and what it can do. I have never re thought one text so many times in my whole life. It has shown me how by re examining parts of a play can have an effect on my interpretation and how I see it. I have come to understand why I see things the way I do when I read something and how if I had different beliefs I would see it another way, and I have watched my peers reactions change and shift with their own beliefs. Doubt became so much more interesting once we learned about the author, once I understood that John Patrick Shanley didn't know whether or not Father Flynn was guilty it shifted my beliefs about the play and about the writing. I think the relationship between author and reader is very delicate because once a reader knows what the author was thinking or what might have influenced the author to write certain things- this can change the readers interpretation and that's exactly what happened to me. Even though I thought Father Flynn was innocent with all my heart.. once I knew that a member of Shanley's family was molested I was convinced he was guilty even though Shanley has claimed many times not to know himself. Research has helped me to understand everything I know about Shanley and Catholicism at the time that the play was based. If we didn't have research, our interpretations and opinions might never change and we might not be able to see past what our original reaction to the play was. I think the most valuable thing I have learned in English besides everything about is just actually about doubt, not to be corny or anything. I never saw or thought about doubt the way that Shanley presented it through the play. I always saw doubt as a bad thing but I really don't think that you can escape it and maybe we do just need to learn to live with some sort of doubt creeping in the back of our minds no matter how certain we are. Maybe it's just apart of life.
Before Journalism, I really had no idea how to write an article, what role journalism played in our society or why it matters. I feel as if I have learned (to some extent) all of these things. Opening the class with a reading of King of Silence was the perfect way to get me interested in journalism because I never really thought about the kind of power and freedom we have and how journalism gives us this. I think that journalism benefits everyone because its a source of news and information. Journalists that write for a newspaper are critical because they write about news that is relevant to the people living in the town, opposed to news stations that are nation wide. On the other side, contemporary journalism is important to, this was illustrated to me through the documentary College Days College Nights. Journalism like this is very important because it can bring many different experiences surrounding the same aspect, in this case college. I feel like I have learned a great deal about how journalists write, I was really scared taking a Journalism course because I had no clue how to write like a journalist. I learned about jargon and how to write simply without making it fluffy and verbose. After this first section of journalism I feel more confident in with my writing.
I feel like these three separate disciplines mean more and go deeper through the Aquinas program, they all focus on the central theme of truth in society and I can link them together through this. I can link belief systems, faith, truth, interpretation and perception to all of them. Journalism is a means of media, it in a way shapes our belief of the world because it tells us what is happening, and the article in turn is shaped by the person who wrote it who is influenced by their own beliefs and interpretations which shape ours. Religious Studies is all about what you believe and why you believe it because religions are something that we believe in, something we have faith in and we all have our own truths that are shaped by our perceptions of the world and our interpretation of it. The way we interpret a text in English is shaped by our belief system and then again by our perception and assumptions about life and situations. Everything is subjective and interchangeable. Truth in Society has also forced me to experience things I might not have through occasions, and I don't mean force like its a bad thing. By going to lectures and plays and elections I have experienced different atmospheres, opinions, beliefs and I have come to realize that my interpretations of them are shaped by events in my life and through my own personal lens. I think its neat that I am now beginning to understand how events in my life actually control and shape my opinions, even if I think that I can take a completely unbiased stance on a subject I never really can because everything in my life plays a part in my thought process.
Truth in Society
Reflecting on Learning
As I'm looking back on my first learning journals, I have come to realize that I have experienced exactly what I had hoped for in the beginning- learning on my own, experiencing movies, plays, articles, texts without someone telling me how I should feel or what I should expect. I don't think that I ever really noticed until now, until I was told to look at what I have learned and before I get into the individual subjects I just want to say that I have learned the proper way of learning, through myself first, then listening to others opinions, then re examining my own again and again.
When studying religion, I think it is important to be able to let go of ones beliefs (not completely obviously) and try to see through other lens', like the interpretive lens' described by William Paden. I feel like it would be hard to learn if we didn't know how to “let go” and experience these religions through another view other than our own. I feel as if I've learned how to do this. I found the lens' were specifically useful when studying the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and when we were trying to understand the beliefs and practices of Tibetan Buddhism. The notion of reincarnation may not really “hit home” for all of us it might not make sense but we have to force ourselves to see how to a Tibetan Buddhist it makes perfect sense, especially the notion of reincarnation being a bad thing. I feel as if we all had this notion of reincarnation being good and it is hard for us to see how living again and again can be bad but to a Tibetan Buddhist- it is. Using these lens' can prove to be a hard thing to do because in the back of your mind your own beliefs and faith can never truly disappear. However, these lens' helped me when I attended the lecture by David Adams Richards about 'God Is'. It's the same kind of thing, by trying to see faith the way that he did I could understand where his notion of faith came from and why he has it. I may not really agree with him but at least I can begin to understand. I haven't encountered something where the lens' prove to be irrelevant or useless. I don't know if they can even be considered useless- no matter what the subject if you can push yourself to see things the way other people see them you will have a better understanding of the world and how it works, why it works and why people do the things that they do-- why people come to believe the things that they do.
The study we have done around Doubt has actually taught me so many things- no matter how much we thought we were killing it. Like I said in one of my learning journals Doubt is apart of the circle of life and no matter how much we hate it we can never escape it. So I would just like to say that I don't hate Doubt but have learned to appreciate it. I think that Doubt has definitely shown me what text can be for and what it can do. I have never re thought one text so many times in my whole life. It has shown me how by re examining parts of a play can have an effect on my interpretation and how I see it. I have come to understand why I see things the way I do when I read something and how if I had different beliefs I would see it another way, and I have watched my peers reactions change and shift with their own beliefs. Doubt became so much more interesting once we learned about the author, once I understood that John Patrick Shanley didn't know whether or not Father Flynn was guilty it shifted my beliefs about the play and about the writing. I think the relationship between author and reader is very delicate because once a reader knows what the author was thinking or what might have influenced the author to write certain things- this can change the readers interpretation and that's exactly what happened to me. Even though I thought Father Flynn was innocent with all my heart.. once I knew that a member of Shanley's family was molested I was convinced he was guilty even though Shanley has claimed many times not to know himself. Research has helped me to understand everything I know about Shanley and Catholicism at the time that the play was based. If we didn't have research, our interpretations and opinions might never change and we might not be able to see past what our original reaction to the play was. I think the most valuable thing I have learned in English besides everything about is just actually about doubt, not to be corny or anything. I never saw or thought about doubt the way that Shanley presented it through the play. I always saw doubt as a bad thing but I really don't think that you can escape it and maybe we do just need to learn to live with some sort of doubt creeping in the back of our minds no matter how certain we are. Maybe it's just apart of life.
Before Journalism, I really had no idea how to write an article, what role journalism played in our society or why it matters. I feel as if I have learned (to some extent) all of these things. Opening the class with a reading of King of Silence was the perfect way to get me interested in journalism because I never really thought about the kind of power and freedom we have and how journalism gives us this. I think that journalism benefits everyone because its a source of news and information. Journalists that write for a newspaper are critical because they write about news that is relevant to the people living in the town, opposed to news stations that are nation wide. On the other side, contemporary journalism is important to, this was illustrated to me through the documentary College Days College Nights. Journalism like this is very important because it can bring many different experiences surrounding the same aspect, in this case college. I feel like I have learned a great deal about how journalists write, I was really scared taking a Journalism course because I had no clue how to write like a journalist. I learned about jargon and how to write simply without making it fluffy and verbose. After this first section of journalism I feel more confident in with my writing.
I feel like these three separate disciplines mean more and go deeper through the Aquinas program, they all focus on the central theme of truth in society and I can link them together through this. I can link belief systems, faith, truth, interpretation and perception to all of them. Journalism is a means of media, it in a way shapes our belief of the world because it tells us what is happening, and the article in turn is shaped by the person who wrote it who is influenced by their own beliefs and interpretations which shape ours. Religious Studies is all about what you believe and why you believe it because religions are something that we believe in, something we have faith in and we all have our own truths that are shaped by our perceptions of the world and our interpretation of it. The way we interpret a text in English is shaped by our belief system and then again by our perception and assumptions about life and situations. Everything is subjective and interchangeable. Truth in Society has also forced me to experience things I might not have through occasions, and I don't mean force like its a bad thing. By going to lectures and plays and elections I have experienced different atmospheres, opinions, beliefs and I have come to realize that my interpretations of them are shaped by events in my life and through my own personal lens. I think its neat that I am now beginning to understand how events in my life actually control and shape my opinions, even if I think that I can take a completely unbiased stance on a subject I never really can because everything in my life plays a part in my thought process.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Learning Journal 6
AH I've learned so much this week!
Religious Studies- Since this class has begun I have learned so much about Catholicism. The thing that interests me the most however is the Tibetan Book of the Dead. This amazes me, I wish that I was a Tibetan Buddhist! Even though it is really hard to become enlightened and therefore I'll just come back as a bug in my next life! Religion fascinates me a lot, I can't wait to explore other religions although I want to concentrate on Buddhism for longer!
English- I have learned that Doubt is apart of the circle of life and no matter how much we hate it, we can never escape it.
Journalism- I'm actually quite surprised with this class. I'm not going to lie, I was more scared of journalism than any of my other classes, I didn't think I could write like a journalist. Having done my first assignment I feel ok about it and am starting to like it. :)
Religious Studies- Since this class has begun I have learned so much about Catholicism. The thing that interests me the most however is the Tibetan Book of the Dead. This amazes me, I wish that I was a Tibetan Buddhist! Even though it is really hard to become enlightened and therefore I'll just come back as a bug in my next life! Religion fascinates me a lot, I can't wait to explore other religions although I want to concentrate on Buddhism for longer!
English- I have learned that Doubt is apart of the circle of life and no matter how much we hate it, we can never escape it.
Journalism- I'm actually quite surprised with this class. I'm not going to lie, I was more scared of journalism than any of my other classes, I didn't think I could write like a journalist. Having done my first assignment I feel ok about it and am starting to like it. :)
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Learning Journal 5
I would like to start out by saying that it is about time to let Doubt go. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE DOUBT. It's a great play, I have learned so much from it. I have learned how people think, their logic behind their thinking and where they get their perspectives from. I feel as if I have learned a great deal about Catholicism especially when Michael Higgins came to speak in our Religious Studies class. I enjoyed him very much although at times it was hard to understand what he was saying because some of his vocabulary went right over my head..oops. But I got the general message, his intelligence scares me and kind of devoured my soul... I love listening to him speak though.
COLLEGE DAYS COLLEGE NIGHTS!! love this documentary, I love watching people going through the same thing (college) yet having completely different experiences. This is amazing.. LOVE YOU LENNY!
COLLEGE DAYS COLLEGE NIGHTS!! love this documentary, I love watching people going through the same thing (college) yet having completely different experiences. This is amazing.. LOVE YOU LENNY!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Learning Journal 4
So this week obviously we studied Doubt.. in depth. I feel as if I have learned a little bit about Catholicism, although I'm sure to learn more on Thursday. I have learned how to (somewhat) understand peoples different perspectives and how they interpret situations within the play. I love talking about Doubt in English class because I love finding the hidden symbolism such as the crow WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Maybe I'll find out. Journalism has been interesting, I'm actually terrified of Journalsim because I don't think I can write like a journalist.. but I have enjoyed the class thus far. hmm.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Learning Journal 3
Well I wasn't there on Tuesday but I really liked the classes on Thursday. (even though we didn't have Journalism) I think the individual classes will be better than the group sessions because I'm excited to get into the individual subjects. I love how our first English assignment was to go see a play.. I can not say this enough. I learned how Religious Studies works, kind of. I'm interested to see where this class goes.. also I'm looking forward for our first Journalism class. This is all!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Week 2
This week I learned how to use the library website! yay! Actually didn't know that you could do that... feel pretty good about it.
Also I learned so much about the Rwandan genocide that I didn't know before. How it started, the history behind it and many of the crimes committed. It's so sad I hate thinking about it but at the same time I'm glad that I know about it so I can try to understand it. I feel like we may have spent too long on these articles and I have to fight to pay attention sometimes but thats ok. I'm just really excited to start the individual classes..... finally.
Also I learned so much about the Rwandan genocide that I didn't know before. How it started, the history behind it and many of the crimes committed. It's so sad I hate thinking about it but at the same time I'm glad that I know about it so I can try to understand it. I feel like we may have spent too long on these articles and I have to fight to pay attention sometimes but thats ok. I'm just really excited to start the individual classes..... finally.
Monday, September 21, 2009
learning..
I think that in truth in society I haven’t learned anything retaining to the specific subjects- obviously since we haven’t technically started them yet. I feel however, that I have learned more about people and how we feel about things. In a sense, I have learned that other people feel the same way I do about subjects and others not. I have learned that this class is going to be challenging yet stimulating. I came to a happy revelation when reading the transcription made from our ink sheds from prompt 4 I think it was, that people feel the same way I do. We all want to be an individual, we all want to be heard and appreciated. Besides this, I don’t really feel as if I learned anything which I think might be stupid to say... I know I don’t just learn from books but it’s hard to realise what else I could have learned. I will say that I’m one hundred more times excited for this course now than I was before, I feel that compared to my other classes it’s going to be more intellectually stimulating and more satisfying. I had an English teacher in my high school who hated giving exams and teaching in the conventional way because he felt as if experience was better than lecturing, and he would always talk about doing it. I’m so happy I get to experience it. Also, so many people are worried about the arguments and debates we are going to have because everyone has their opinion but I feel the exact opposite... I’m so excited for it! I have my opinions obviously but I think it’s good to hear someone express that they believe something that is the exact opposite of what I believe.
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