SOCI 3422 Blog

I just wanted to say that I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The in-depth analysis at some of our minority groups and fun facts in history really created a new dimension for me. I hope everyone enjoys his or her summer and that finals aren't too much of a headache! Professor Warren, may your retirement be as relaxing as possible--it's time after 27 years.

I enjoyed the blogs and I enjoyed the class very much. Keep learning!

I wonder when the final test grade will b posted. Im so anxious to know what I made on it.

Professor Warren I hope you enjoy your retirement and to all my fellow classmates I wish you all success have a great summer.

Hey, just want to share my experience with you all...

I attended a program called xenophobia. The word xenophobia means fear of a stranger. A stranger could be anyone different than what you are used to being around. An example is a Muslim, Hispanic, a homosexual, or a Korean person.

The program was very enlightening. I learned terms that are offensive to other ethnics such as chink, jihad or towel head. A chink is an offensive term towards the Chinese. This word is considered racist. The word jihad means inner struggle, but many people flip the definition around and claim that it means holy war.

The term towel head is also offensive because Muslim people are clearly not wearing towels on their head it is called a Hijaab. The Muslim young lady on the panel explained this to everyone.

There was also a homosexual man on the panel during the xenophobia discussion. He explained to everyone that his is still a man. He likes to fish, drink beer and essentially be manly. But many people believe that because he is gay that he must act like a woman. The young man also explained to us that he cannot be recognized as married in some parts of the United States.

There were also Hispanic individuals on the panel. They explain to us the hardship of crossing the boarder, getting documentation, and even their driverâ??s license. Many people have died on the long voyage to make it to the United States, going through underground tunnels with no ventilation.

And once the surviving few make it to the United States it takes years to become established. The Hispanic young ladies on the panel also told us about the risk and fear of deportation and the difficulty of learning English while still retaining Spanish.

The presentation was excellent and very informative. By participating in this program I now know the correct terms to use when referring to someone other than African American.

I also know what words are offensive to others. I now see that Muslims are just like you and me, they are regular people. And the next time I am around someone new I will not be afraid to open up and talk to them.

Wondering what to expect on this test #So Nervous

Good morning everyone.
Good Luck to everyone on the test. I'm sure professor Warren is going to miss us. We are her last class ever. I did not get to see the honors presentations but I'm sure you all did great. See you all later :)

As I was studying for the test last night, I thought about one of the things I studied. I found it very interesting that Professor Warren told us that "class is more important than race in life chances". I had never really seen it like that until studying last night. We are no long trying to oppress a group of people, these days we are targeting poor people. It just made me really upset to think about.

This has been an interesting semester. I have learned so much from Mrs. Warren. The eyes on the prize book was very informative. At first I didnt want to read it but after I started I really was interested in the knowledge I was gaining. I was once a person that didnt care much for history at all, knowing that their were lots of people that fought to make things as easy as they are today for me but I just didnt care but being in this class this semester has changed me in that sense a lot. I wish she was retiring because I would surely take a class from her again.

As I sat in class and listened to the teacher, as she reminded us of what a great leader and eloquent speaker Dr. Martin Luther King was, I am filled with joy and pride, but then these emotions are quickly changed to one of dismay, confusion, then anger. Why am I angry? There are still so many missing pieces to the puzzle, that evening Dr. King was assasinated, that it makes me angry to think that this entire assasination may have been planned. Like our teacher said, only the very rich could have afforded to travel via airplane, not only that, but the high-powered weapon the assasin used was very expensive, and he could not have afforded these items. I have also spoken to my father-in-law on numerous occasions about the circumstances and events that led up to the evening that Dr. King was murdered. My father-in-law was one of the first black police officers that were hired in Memphis Police Department, and he has been interviewed several times by the local T.V. stations about what it was like to work as a police officer, back in those days and also about the evening Dr. King was murdered. My father-in-law shared with me, that he would always be one of the officers, who would work as a body guard for Dr. King whenever he came to Memphis, but on that day Dr. King was murdered, all black police officers were taken off that shift or sent somewhere else to work on that evening. There are still so many unanswered questions that sad evening Dr. King was killed that it sometimes saddens me to think that it was all part of a conspiracy.

This course has been very informative and I've definetly learned a lot. From the beginning I knew this class was going to be interesting when discussing that there was no such thing as human nature. Which I was shocked to learn and still think about to this day. There have been many different topics in this course that we stick with me. Such as when you care about something it limits your freedom.Which I find true because it limits our free will as individuals. I was also impressed about the history surrounding different ethnic groups and their struggle upon arriving to the United States. This class was definetly and eye opener and a positive learning experience.

Reading eyes on the prize was bittersweet for me. Being of African American Heritage I was so proud to know my people have done so much in gaining rights and freedoms that I enjoy today. I learned about people who were major influnences in the movement that I never knew existed. When you think of the movement you think of Rosa Parks and of course Dr. Matin L. King, but there was so many more who were just as important. When I thought about all they endured it made me proud to be connected to such a strong group of people. At the same time it made me feel bad that they went through so much for things they could not control, like the color of their skin. They believed in themselves and their dreams. They didn't mind standing up for their truths. These days you don't see that any more. You don't see the youths marching and standing up for anything. It makes me wonder what will become not just of my people but of this nation. We all live here together. Much has been acomplished but much is left to conquer. Why are we not marching about "American" jobs being out sourced? Why are we not marching about Tax hikes that affect everyone who are not rich? We are not standing for anything anymore and the country is being turned upside down as a result. I wish the people of today were half as strong and half as brave as the people during the civil rights movement. If we could carry on where they left off, truly the sky would be the limit. Thank you Mrs. Warren for your passion!!! We talked about my attendance a couple of times :-) but I have learned so much from you about America and my own people. This has been an eye opening semester for me. I may never view America the same. :-) To my classmates I enjoyed the presentations, the blogs, the class talks it is hard to believe it is over. I wish every well on their journey of life!

It has been a very interesting semester in this class. I have learned so much that I we were never taught in grade school that it's mind boggling. As I finish up my paper for the honors class, I think about how far our country has come since those years and how far we still have to go. I had a really great time in this class and I hope to keep the knowledge I have gathered for years to come.

I really like this book. I was dreading reading it but once i actually got started reading it was a very easy read. (The first chapter at least) Who else read?

This course has truly presented a challenge for me. Not only did we discuss things that I had never thought about or even heard before about this country, we showed how different ethnic groups can create unity without having many things in common just by being in the same classroom and sharing the same interests. I am currently in the process of writing the 6-page paper due tomorrow before the test for the Honors section. Along with writing this magnificent literature, I am also reading Eyes on the Prize and reviewing for our Final Exam. As I am blasting through all of the information I am presenting to my mind, I am adding to my study guide and trying to define every word within the text of that marvelous gift she provided us with. The study guide is the key to our survival. It holds the grades that we need to make in the class. I feel that it is only an aid for me though because if you truly care about these issues you will remember the important things while learning and reading upon them. Stella Warren is a truly amazing person and a fantastic professor and teacher who is also willing to learn. She has been added to my list of the most influential teachers on this campus. If only the students taking this class in the future would have her teachings. They could change many things in this messed up country. I hope she has a very happy retirement! :)

Eyes On The Prize is easily one of the best history books I have ever read. I'm not just saying that to get extra credit:) it was a super easy read. I really expected to be bored, but after I got not the second chapter I just couldn't put it down. I tore through that book, and I was really amazed at all of the things I didn't know. I've been educated on the court cases and events of the Civil Rights Movement before... or at least I thought I had. Eyes On The Prize offered more details about court cases I thought I had already learned forwards and backwards. The book discussed more names than I've heard of before, and more appalling murders that I don't remember ever having heard of. If you didn't read the book before the test, you honestly missed out. I know it's hard to find any kind of motivation after the class has ended to go back and actually learn the material, but Eyes On The Prize is definitely worth that. Good luck to everyone for the test tomorrow!!

America should be a place of hope and opportunity as it once was. It should be a place of freedom for whomever seeks it. It should be a land filled with nothing but dreams of a better future.

But for the poet, America has never treated him this way.
America should be all that we have hoped for. It should be a land with endless possibilities where nothing is out of reach. You can be whoever you want, love whoever you want, and do whatever you want. It should be a land with Democracy where no one is under the authority of anyone who isinâ??t fit to lead the country.
But for the poet, America has never treated him this way.

America should be a land where all men are free, and their liberty isinâ??t just for show. It should be a land where every man, woman, and child are free and equal. It should come as naturally as breathing.

But for the poet, he has never experiences such equality.

The poet is someone who had faced adversity in a land that claims to give freedom to all. He represents the negro slaves with the scars that wonâ??t heal. He is the man that holds on to a false sense of hope that America refuses to deliver. He is the man who lives in a greedy land where man only seeks to gain what will make him profitable. He represents the black working class that ca not dig themselves out of the pit of injustice and oppression.

He remembers that he once saw America as a land of hope that he anxiously awaited. However, it failed to deliver such things. Nothing is as he thought it would be. There is no freedom for his people. He wants to see America live up to its claims of freedom. He dreams to see it become what he had always envisioned it to be. America has never been kind to him, but he believes that one day it will. It is up to him and his people to create a land of freedom.

This course has been overwhelming at times, teaching me things that I have never really taken into consideration. I highly enjoyed listening to each of the presentations on different ethnic groups. This class has given me a new found respect for each of these minority groups. Learning about the struggles and contributions of each group has given me a glimpse into the life of their culture. Reading "Eyes on the Prize" has shown me that there were so many men and women who worked directly with the civil rights movement, yet were never given the credit that was due them. They are not the people that we normally read or hear about growing up in school. I very much enjoyed getting to read about their lives and their role in fighting for desegregation.

I can't believe how fast this semester has gone and even more amazed how fast this class went as well. There are many things that I will take out of this class as I continue to go to school and beyond that. It's strange to think that we were able to go through two text books and learn so much about other cultures in our class. I've learned so much in these 16 weeks than I have learned years and years of history courses throughout middle school and high school. It's good to know that I've learned things way beyond that of which grade school textbooks were skeptical to teach. My eyes have been really opened with all the things I have learned in this class and I hope that everyone feels the same.

I have really enjoyed this class. I learned a lot more than I anticipated. I also really enjoyed reading Eyes on the Prize. It was a really easy read, and it was very informative and interesting.