posted by Sam Richards
…because, honestly, I have other things that I could be doing. Two things stand out. First, he wants “honesty.” Second, there are two questions: 1. Does anything change your opinion, 2. Has anything “made a difference to you.”
05
Apr
After the people actually said where they were from, it was amazing to me how wrong the student was who grouped them and I think it really taught me that you cannot just look at somebody and think you know really anything at all about them. Just because we think people might look the same does not mean that we are in any way correct, I’ve found. It just makes me think harder now when I see someone who does not look just like me. It has also opened my eyes up to a bunch of different cultures and different ways of thinking. Not only Sam’s class alone, but more the discussion group I have found very useful and I feel like that has taught me a lot.
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I think Sam’s class is probably the class where I have learned the most information simply by just listening and not scribbling down notes just to pass the test. Also, the class is so interactive, it is easy to pay attention and although the topics may seem like common sense, it makes it easier to get involved and really hold an opinion over the topic. I have really learned from the way that Sam does not hold back at all. He is not worried about being politically correct and addresses the stereotypes the way people think of them but seem a little bit too afraid to say, so I think the class has really taught me a lot. I don’t necessarily think I can sit here and list of things that have changed an opinion for me or what has made a difference because I think a lot of what goes on in Sam’s class is of value and use in the real world.
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This is definitely a legit question and it encourages to challenge students of Soc 119 to think where they stand in the class.
My thing is this: This is everyday life as we know it, and it occurs whether we think about it or not. It is very difficult to teach an unbiased course on Race Relations for everyone to understand and to "appeal" to everyone. When thinking about this question, think about what Sam said in the very first lecture for this class. It wasn't to change our minds on what we already think or believe on a subject… its to make us "think" and to participate with questions and ideas in class. He's looking forward to responses to what he has to say.
Let's go back to the basic desires of any teacher. When they teach a subject, they look forward to students asking questions or commenting on something they're currently teaching in lecture. It makes them feel as if they are not wasting their time, and students either understand or show concern in what they [the teacher] is conveying in the lecture. So just remember why he says the things he says in lecture. Do I believe EVERYthing he says is appropriate, life/thought-changing, of relevance? No. Especially the period explosion and bleeding stuff. Although Sam has his times or utter ridiculousness, its only to get us to "think" or contribute back to what we have to talk about in class.
You have to admit, a lot of the things he brings up (with the assistance of his TAs) interesting videos and pictures during class. For example, the Persian Versus Arabian video, which entails a comedian telling the difference between what a Persian looks/talks like and what an Arabian person looks/speaks like. THAT subject is pretty relevant to me because people mistake Persians for Arabians, and vice-versa everyday. The chocolate thing is more deeper when it comes to everyday thinking, but in reality, slavery still exists. Here, Sam doesn't want you to change your opinion on eating chocolate, he just encourages you to think about certain things that occur in the world.
Other things that are relevant that he brings up are deep as well. You have to be in-humane to not feel saddened or moved by the lecture where he shows Indians in poverty because their land was taken over. The things he spoke about in lecture about how Native Americans felt about their home and Christopher Colombus taking over. I mean, how would you feel if a group of people came into your home with more updated technology than you (with weapons), made their own landmark in your house, and said "this is my shit now, everybody get out". You would feel some type of way. To add insult to injury, the group of people are discussing "who claimed what" over YOUR house because some people stepped in the door first, second, third, etc. This all comes together with the "King of the Hill" lesson, and other lessons tied into it. You may not say that Sam has changed your opinion on certain subject, but at least have the audacity to say that you actively put some thought into what he's speaking about, and can say "You know what, that's deep". That's ALL he asks for, and the majority of the time, his lectures make sense.
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I definitely think this question is worth examining. But one of the immediate answers that come to my mind is that we are all different when it comes to interpretation and decision. I have taken Sam’s Soc100 class last spring and thoroughly enjoyed it, simply because it was a different way of teaching, among other things. This Soc119 class is the same idea, except I am feeling more and more familiar with his way of teaching. What Sam has given me for this class is that although I may not agree with everything he says, I believe that one of his main goals for his class is to show awareness for the things happening in our world today. I think he makes many valid points when he talks about how easily people can be hypocritical with God, church, sins and what not. But, I also think to myself, that sometimes the solutions to many of these problems can seem unrealistic. As much as anyone can stress the fact that “if we all just do our jobs, eventually we can end this,” people aren’t always reliable, and I’ve been told never to put my eggs in one basket. I guess it is hard for me to believe that if I focus so much on all of the issues in the world today, I would still live the one life I have to the fullest. I know that may sound extremely selfish to some people, but it is indeed, the one life I will ever have to live.
I guess you can take what you want from a class like this. Although this wasn’t really an objective, one of the biggest things I’ve learned in this class is that to continue putting people into categories seems ineffectual unless a group deficits from their identification. Every single person in this world is completely different, with different views, different looks, different emotions, and different opinions. Even their sense of what is right and wrong is DIFFERENT. So why do we continue to group ourselves into a general category? Yes, to make it easier when it comes to college applications maybe, but it is just as easy to leave a blank letting the person describe who and what they are. This may sound too easy, but couldn’t that possibly solve part of the issue relating to racism? It is becoming more clear to me that the more you group people into generalizations, the easier it becomes to discriminate against what is not your group. But when you don’t belong to a group, and there is no majority or minority, it may become a lot more difficult to discriminate. All in all, I’ve learned a sufficient amount from this class already, but I can definitely say one of the most important things is the awareness aspect from this class.
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It’s not that Sam has dramatically changed my opinion on certain matters but rather he has opened up my mind to different aspects of things. I don’t think Sam’s intention is to brainwash us and make us believe everything he advocates but what he wants to do is to get us to think about what he’s talking about. Most of what he says is to challenge the mindsets of most people and to get them to question what’s really going on. I know he has made me question things many times.
For example, Sam opened up new doors for me on the issue of affirmative action. I didn’t really know the background of this topic until I took this class and learned the actual statistics. Sam also opened up my eyes to different ethnic and racial prejudices. I was very naïve before this class and didn’t realize many diverse issues that were occurring around me. Now, I realize that not every Asian decent looks exactly the same. Or even, people who look similar are definitely from the same continent. These subtle observations have allowed me to open my mind and become more knowledgeable about different cultures and races. And I think that is the point Sam is trying to express. I wouldn’t consider myself ignorant before this class because I wasn’t set on my ideas or thoughts but moreover, I was immature about the different concepts and depths of racial and ethnic issues.
Although some of my ideals have been slightly altered, it isn’t always to match what Sam says. When Sam kept talking about the “King of the hill” concept I found myself continually disagreeing with what he was saying. He said that we are only in our position because of our racial background or because of our parents and/or ancestors. But I find myself disagreeing with certain aspects of this. Even though I’m obviously in Pennsylvania because of my parents and am economically well off because of my parents, I also worked hard to get to the position I am in. I could have slacked off in high school and only been able to get into a community college, if I even would have attended college at all. But instead I worked hard and was able to attend the college of my desire. In this sense, my opinions weren’t changed by Sam’s lectures but instead strengthened and deepened by different topics he addressed.
I have also retained new information from my recitation sessions. In these small group settings I am able to discuss racial and ethnic issues openly and listen to what others think or have been speculating. The differences between people in my group allow for a diverse mix of voices and opinions which serves as an interesting setting. Some people have stronger opinions than others which lead to exciting and intense conversations. And I think getting involved in these debates has allowed me to grow and understand more on these controversial topics. Overall I think this class has just been opening my mind to different things rather than radically changing and altering my opinions.
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Coming into this class, I have always understood the point and what we were supposed to get out of it. The underlining meaning of this class is to open our minds to different situations to make us think with a broader mindset. Most people think that Sam is trying to conform us and make us think the way he thinks, but in all naturality he probably doesn’t even think that way. He is just trying to look at all sides of the spectrum. Many people’s opinions are formed because of parents’ opinions or opinions that are community or culture based. I believe Sam does a good job completing his task. Although there are a lot of things he talks about that I do not per say want to hear about or even believe or agree with in the slightest. But I always stay openminded to hearing what he has to say.
I, personally looking back cannot say that there has been a time where I have changed my views on what he has said completely, but there was a time when I really listened to something he said and realized that I fell into the category of being a way that was labeled a hypocrite. I usually am a strong minded person and do not change my opinions off of listening to someone else but I will give a listening ear to someone who has proved his point and brought up interesting and proven points. This is how I feel that Sam tries to relay his information. Maybe if we all just opened our minds and placed ourselves into the shoes of another person or view2ed a situation from another standpoint we would be different as people.
The point of this class is not to go against what you believe but to be exposed to another side of the story so that you can better understand where they are coming from. Sometimes listening to things that we do not want to hear can be helpful to our development. For example in Dr. Mulvey’s book she mentioned that even though black people do not want to be treated unjustly we often treat others that way. And as much as I hated hearing Sam all class talk about whit people feeling bad and feeling audited around black people I realized that he was right. I cannot say that I have changed exactly what I do to this day, but I can say that I am more aware of what I say and do and I try not to act certain ways so that I do not fall into the category of being a hypocrite. So I would say to answer the student’s question I think we all have self-consciously learned or changed something whether we admit it to ourselves or not.
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It is who you are darling! You are still ignorant to the world and issues happening in the world. Nobody said you must change your daily lifestyle and go around advocating for slaves. He is just telling you these things to introduce you to social issues. You are missing the whole point of taking this class..What do you want to walk out of Soc 119 an expert of race and relations? Seriously the late drop period has passed and you claim you are not learning anything important and it is a waste of time… uumm okay so here is a thought..Why did you not drop the class? The school presented you two chances to drop the class. But somehow you chose to sit in the classroom and say negative things. Like who does that?
You probably so caught up with your own culture, you do not see the essence of learning about others. Sam is teaching us, forcing us to think outside the box, make us immune to what is going on in the world! I urge you to stop being ignorant..It well get you nowhere in life.
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