Qu 210 - Reflection Paper

Andrew Wagner

QU 210

12/4/14

Final Paper

Throughout this semester, I have learned a great deal from my QU 201 class and what it means to be an individual in the national community. From class discussions to our weekly journal entries to our political debates this course has equipped me with the tools and understanding to be a great listener and speaker.

Some specific events throughout this semester that I feel I have significantly benefitted from include our political debate leading up to the midterm election, the Socrates Café community event, and the WTLs we have done throughout the semester.

I like to consider myself knowledgeable when it comes to the topic of politics, but this in class activity really showed me how much research and time it takes to truly understand politics. The in class assignment that we had to was to first discover if we were a democrat or a republican. Next, we used this information to research the candidate in our corresponding party who was running for governor of our home state. We then would have to be prepared to argue in favor of our candidate and debate as to why he would be a better governor than his opposition. This assignment forced me to back up things I said with factual evidence, not just spew words from my mouth like most young people do. This made me a more well versed “politician” so to speak; having facts to back up the claims you make. This was a very useful assignment and the skills I learned while doing this assignment will help me for the rest of my life.

Another event that really helped me see the world in a different way was the Socrates Café community event entitled, “Does Race still Matter?” on November 6th in the Student Center Piazza, moderated by Professors Don Sawyer and Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox. As the old saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind”. This saying especially holds true when it comes to the topic of race. White people have no idea what black people go through on a daily basis and, in the same respect, black people have no idea what white people go through on a daily basis. So, to better understand each other and share experiences, events like the Socrates Café are an extremely useful tool. When we arrived in the piazza, Professor Don Sawyer immediately began cracking jokes to lighten up the mood because he understood something very critical- race is something that needs to be talked about and the best way to do this is first to clear the air for everyone present. We covered the standard race issues of affirmative action and prejudice, but what really took me by surprise was when black student started opening up about their problems and struggles that they face every day. You could never really understand a group of people until you walk a mile in their shoes, but I figures hearing first hand testimony was the next best thing. This event taught me a lot about equality and understanding, and it is these lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life

Aside from discussions and events, writing assignments also played a big part in shaping my QU 201 experience. Sometimes through self reflection in our writing we end up discovering the most about ourselves. This especially holds true for me when writing the second WTL- interviewing a foreign exchange student. I chose to interview a young man by the name of Jiguur Arriunbold from Mongolia. Up to this point, I had already known Jiguur for a year and though I knew everything there was to know about him. I knew what his town was called, his parents’ names, his pet dog’s name, his favorite hobbies, etc. I thought this interview would be a walk in the park, but I had no idea how much Jiguur was going to change the way I looked at life here in America. We take so many things for granted here, including some of the best universities in the world. Jiguur told me that it is commonplace for Asian students to travel to America for college because American degrees are so highly regarded. Asian students travel half way around the world for something that we have here in our backyards. Jiguur taught me to appreciate all the great things I have here in America because the rest of the world simply cant even compare to this country. Since that interview, I now have a newfound appreciation for the country I live in and I will try to never take it for granted ever again.