When I first entered class on Monday, I have to be honest, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I didn't have any classmates or friends that had ever been in the class. My older brother, Jonathan, is typically my go to person when it comes to picking out classes in the journalism college. However, he wasn't much help and had not heard much about the class either. I must say it is very rare for me to actually enroll in a class that I have not had recommended to me or chosen through Pick A Prof.
I originally thought our class on Monday would be just like any typical first day of class, or "syllabus day" like many of my classmates and I refer to it as. During a normal syllabus day I am used to the professor reading the entire syllabus in full. The professor typically goes into very deep analysis of their classroom policies that they think vary greatly from those of other professors, yet the policies rarely ever vary from professor to professor. But our class on Monday was very different from the typical "syllabus day" I, and I am pretty sure the majority of the students sitting in the classroom, had even imagined.
I was a bit shocked when you asked us all very open questions such as "What is your personal definition of race?" I think at that very moment we all looked down at the floor, up at the ceiling, or any other possible direction we could to not make eye contact with you and avoid being called on to start. The tension in the room was very noticeable, as you had pointed out, and I think we all let out a sigh of relief when we were not the first people called on to start the discussion.
Although I believe a majority of the class was extremely uncomfortable opening up so much on the first day of class, I have to say I find it very important that we open up with each other. We are all going to spend the entire semester discussing topics we normally would not discuss and at some point we must get comfortable speaking about these issues. I think as the class progresses we will all begin to step out of our comfort zones and slowly start to be more comfortable talking about these hot issues in the media.
I think that in the media there are a lot of common misconceptions about many different races, whether it be black, white, Asian, or Indian. As soon to be college graduates, we will be entering the work force in many different areas of the media. I think it is our job as well educated students to break down the previous misconceptions of each race and gender. By the end of this class I think I will be much more comfortable talking to new people about issues I originally thought were unacceptable to talk about.
Hey there,
ReplyDeleteWhew, glad that first class is over. There are so many components of race and gender that we don't want to talk about. Sometimes, we won't talk, we will watch a video and then I will let you get in groups and process. Hey, sometimes the best things in life are hidden, next semester maybe you should also take a class or something from a prof that you have not heard about....Step out of that box Jordyn, it is what is expected of young college students. Read an author you have not read, a song by someone who you have not heard before, I suggest Etta James or Nina Simone. Some of the most popular singers today list them as mentors.
Welcome...
Les Brown said, “If you put yourself in a position where you have to stretch outside your comfort zone, then you are forced to expand your consciousness.” I think this corresponds beautifully with exactly the things that can be accomplished in our class! We have obviously already begun to tear down walls and create windows in our vision to start seeing things from divergent perspectives. But like you said, many of the conversations in our class, I’m sure will not be easy to have. A developed consciousness is not always light on the heart or easy to deal with. Talking about hot issues in “mixed company,” a term that has been used many a time when I am one of the only Caucasians in my African-American studies classes, is something that is definitely abnormal. However, the more we are able to get used to being uncomfortable, the more perspectives we will be able to understand and the more people we will be able to reach.
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