Final Blog Entry: Self-Reflection

This past semester has been unforgettable. I've had my ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and hardships and triumphs. I've learned so much about myself and the world around me. At times I was overwhelmed and at times I was surprised at my own capabilities. Freshman Seminar has helped to strengthen my research skills and shape my view of the world. I can't wait for next semester!

Review of Peer Presentation #2

I went to Thursday's night class in support of my friends in the group HKSWW. They did their research on low political participation and voting rates amongst African-Americans. The group gave a lot of shocking statistics showing low voter turnout rates amongst African-Americans. HKSWW explained that the low participation is largely due to distrust of the government and historical barriers to the political process. For years African-Americans were left out of the process so when they were given rights to vote and become involved, they felt so detached that they had no desire to become involved. It is unfortunate that so many African-Americans are so uninvolved in a process that affects so much of their lives. The voter turnout rates for all Americans very dismal in and of themselves. The group's research was very thorough and very informative.

Review of Peer Presentation #1

One group's presentation today was on HBCU graduation rates. They presented data on recent Howard graduation rates, recent graduation rates of other HBCUs, and recent graduation rates of predominantly white institutions. The group's findings were fascinating when looked at in the right context. What was particularly interesting was that HBCU graduation rates were not too different from the national college graduation rate. I think all too often we sensationalize the problems of HBCUs and unfairly compare them to only the most elite institutions. Overall it was a great presentation on a topic very relevant to Howard students.

Interview with Dr. Harrell

Aisha and I interviewed our Psychology professor . Psychology is one of my majors and Professor Harrell is one of my favorite professors. I really thought he would have an interesting view on our research topic, genocide, and he did not disappoint. Our actual research question was: "What are the political and psychological frameworks surrounding genocide?" The other members in our group interviewed a political science professor. There were a few things that really stood out during Professor Harrell's interview. When asked what would lead a person to start a genocide, he explained to us that their is something wrong with the mental wiring of a person such as this. He also told us that when one group is leading the genocide against another, at some point before the genocide, there was coexistence between the two groups and that some third influence is what caused the genocide. Dr. Harrell believes that this third influence is often an issue of leadership. The issue of genocide is one that I'm pretty passionate about. In high school, I did a lot of activism to increase awareness of genocidal issues. Dr. Harrell gave us a ton of information that will be so useful in putting together our upcoming presentation!

African Burial Ground

I couldn't go on the trip to the Burial Ground the week my class was scheduled to go so I went this past week. It was a blast!

I live really close to New York so it was nice to almost be home and even just to be in another city for a day. I often take my proximity to New York for granted. Many of my classmates had never been to New York before and it initially came as shock to me before I quickly remembered that not everyone lives as close to New York as I do. NYC is one of my favorite cities in the world!

Visiting the Burial Ground was a truly moving experience. The park rangers were very knowledgeable and reinforced Dr. Carr's teachings about being in touch with our African heritage and knowing more about Classical Africa. I learned so much about Africa's influence on Western culture and of how so much of Africa can be seen in our culture today. One of park rangers was of mixed ethnicity but he looked as if he was only white. He had a very interesting take on the Burial Ground and Classical Africa that reinforced a strong sense of pride in me. It was also great that one of the park rangers was an HU alum.

Once we left the Burial Ground, we had some time to roam the Harlem area. Though some may disagree, Harlem is a bastion of rich history and culture. It was great to end the trip at one of my favorite soul food restaurants, Sylvia's!

Research and Methodology: Inscription as a Liberating Practice

This week's lecture was our last of Freshman Seminar! I can't believe the semester's almost over; it went by so quickly! Our final lecturer was the chair of the English department, Dr. Dana Williams (she's a fellow Williams so I knew she would be great ;) ). Dr. Williams really put the purpose of the course in context. She spoke to us about how to be effective researchers. She shared a variety of methods and resources for us to make use of in order to conduct proper research. These tips could be applied to just about any research field of study. It was interesting to think about how the previous lecturers employed these tools to conduct their own research. I've been doing research in my English class and I hope to conduct research this summer. I know for sure I'll be using a lot of what Dr. Williams covered.

Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility

This week's lecturer, Dr. Segun Gbadegsin, was very engaging. He spoke on our responsibility to our community and the importance of realizing that we are each a part of something larger than ourselves. Being an African-American in today's world, this message rings especially true. What made this week's lecture particularly engaging was the fact that Dr. Gbadegsin lectured from his personal experience. The way he spoke was so narrative-like. He told us of his life in Nigeria and gave a real life example of an abstract theory put to work. This was definitely one of my favorite lectures.

Representative Thinkers

This week's lecturer, Dr. Kane Felder, examined the ideas of freedom and justice. In true Socratic fashion, the class was expected to really think about the questions: "What is justice?" and "What is freedom?". These questions seem to have such clear cut answers but in reality they're incredibly complex. Really thinking about them was a very self-actualizing experience. Dr. Felder very appropriately began the lecture with the quote, "All that is hidden will come to life!" From what I understand, this meant that regardless of what your idea of freedom and justice is, the two concepts exist and any action you carry out will be known one way or another.

Eloquence of Scribes

This week's lecture has been one of my favorites so far! Dr. Benjamin of the Fine Arts department spoke to us about the "ancient scribes" who have shaped the world's culture simply by writing things down. She then gave a detailed history of Howard, specifically explaining the significance of the numerous influential African-Americans many of our buildings are named after. I'm a history buff and loved learning about the meanings behind the names of the different buildings. I was somewhat familiar with many of the building's namesakes but there were a few that I did not know anything about. Dr. Benjamin referred to the Douglasses, the Lockes, and the Drews of the African-American community as our "ancient scribes". It's truly mind-boggling to know that one day my peers and I will make our own marks on the world and become "ancient scribes".

The Human Genome

This week's lecture featured Dr. Georgia Dunston, the chair of Howard's Microbiology department and a Founding Director of HU's National Human Genome Center. Dr. Dunston explained to us that Genome Center is just one of the many things that makes Howard such a unique institute because it is only one of a few in the country. Throughout her lecture, she explained to us that each of us has a genome, a type of genetic code that makes up who we are. What I found particularly interesting though was that she also spoke of a type of aura that surrounds that makes us who we are as well. She spoke with conviction as she explained to us the connection between science and the spiritual. that each of us has an aura. Because Dr. Dunston was so engrossed in the material, she unfortunately did not get to her actual slideshow. Although I was lost at certain points throughout the presentation, overall, I was impressed.

Learning Wisdom and the African World Experience

I've been experiencing difficulties with my blogger account and after FINALLY having them resolved, I'm posting all of my blog entries now.
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Dr. Carr's lecture was both enlightening and inspiring. He called to attention that as a result of years of historical disenfranchisement, all too often we are taught that our history begins with American slavery. This could not be any less true. Africa is one of the earliest, if not the earliest, of earth's civilizations. African history pre-dates slavery thousands of years. We are taught that the Greeks and Romans have shaped Western civilization. But, it was another Mediterranean country, Egypt, that shaped their civilizations. Classical Africa is a fascinating civilization that has had an astounding impact on all civilizations and unfortunately, much of it has been left unstudied. Nevertheless, I'm eager to learn more! I think this quote is the most appropriate way to conclude this entry: "To be black is to be the beneficiary of a great inheritance."

Self-Reflection

Aisha J. Brownlee
12:10-1:00
Freshman seminar was an interesting class. At first I didn’t really enjoy it. I didn’t understand why we had to take the course and what I was supposed to gain from being in this class. I don’t particularly enjoy lectures but I did find some of the lectures interesting and others not as effective as they should have been. Either way, I believe that the lectures should have been more interactive, seeing as how the speakers needed to capture the attention of 100 freshmen at a time. Although they weren’t interactive, the lectures were great and sufficient examples of detailed research projects that each speaker undertook. The speakers provided information from different fields of study that gave the freshman class a perspective of Africans and research from different points of view. These lectures showed that intellectual research is essential to all fields of study and that research should be done for the good of the black community. Once research is done, it should be inscribed so it can be passed down to the next generation. This concept of inscribing and moving information to the next generation was stressed in all of the speaker’s lectures and is needed in the reeducation of blacks in the community. These lectures provided the class with examples as to how to go about undertaking research which was ultimately the goal of the course, to conduct intellectual research to contribute to the black community as well as others. My experience with the research project was essential to the rest of my academic growth at Howard. To learn how to do research is an important part of learning and is something that contributes to one’s intellectual development. Freshman seminar is vital for this reason, and provides us with the foundation to build on our research to continue the inscribing for the upcoming generations.