Facul-tea Presentation

This afternoon, I attended the Facul-tea Presentation in the Library study room.  I found this experience event to be unique from others I have attended because of the information that was explored.  The speaker, Professor Jennifer Koosed, is an author and biblical expert who presented her paper titled Bread and Barely in the Book of Ruth.  This paper discussed the theme of food and the metaphorical role it plays throughout the book of Ruth in the Bible.      

Particularly, her conclusion about the involvement of food in the story suggested that food has a direct relationship with fertility.  If you are familiar with the book of Ruth, you know that the main character Ruth spends the night with a man named Boas who ultimately fertilizes her.  But as a metaphoric representation, he sends Ruth home the next morning with her apron full of grain, ultimately representing the idea of impregnating her.  

 

Also suggested by Jennifer's paper, bread is represented as a "primary food" throughout the story.  To the people of Bethlehem, food is bread, and bread is life.  The town name Bethlehem even supports this statement in its derogative origin with "Beth" meaning "house of" and "lahem" meaning "bread or food".  

Finally, the type of grain that Ruth gleans says much about her social status in the story.  Because she uses the grain of barley, it is apparent that Ruth lives in poverty.  This is because of all grains, barley is the least white, fluffy, and soft and thought of as inferior to wheat.  The use of barley grains indicates Ruth's cultural identity as a lower-class citizen.  

Relative to media, I found that the information in this event had a lot in common with themes we've been studying in class. The idea of representation of a cultural identity through literature is ultimately a form of media.  Also, the metaphorical theme of food in place of fertility is another method of using representation in media.  This can be compared to our studies of race and representation of stereotypes through media.  

 

Overall, I found the information that Professor Koosed's presented as interesting and thought-provoking.  The only suggestion I would make would be to present the information with visuals and other manners of teaching because I found myself zoning out often.  Other than that though I thought this event was unique, not to mention I enjoyed having refreshments after all the talk about food.  

Experience Event: Sybil

On Wednesday November 18, I attended an experience event, presented by Psi Chi, in which they showed the film Sybil. This movie was made in 1976 and is based off a true story about a woman that suffers from dissociative identity disorder. The reasoning behind this disorder was that the main character, Sybil, suffered from psychological trauma from when she was a child. The film shows how one psychiatrist helps her remember what happened to her when she was little and to battle this disorder. The film also documents the different "personalities" that Sybil suffers from.

Because this film was originally a television series, the film was over two hours long. However, during the whole movie, the students were able to learn about Sybil and her disorder. I felt as if I was learning about her disorder as the character was. In the end, all of her "identities" come out and it is said that Sybil is now in peace. After the movie, the Psychology Honor Society, Psi Chi, held a discussion session about the movie. Here, the students discussed whether or not dissociative identity disorder is or is it just made up. The students were also able to discuss the symptoms and how this disorder is caused.

It was very interesting hearing Psi Chi talk about this disorder because I am not a psychology major. I thought this was a great experience event because it taught me about a very important disorder that is caused by childhood trauma. Although this experience event was around two and half hours long, it was worth it.

Academic Workshop: PowerPoint Presentation

Yesterday I attended a workshop offered by the library. The instructor taught the students about the new PowerPoint 2007. We learned everything from the different themes of a presentation to the animations that can be used during a presentation. Attending this workshop taught me about the new features that is offered in the new 2007 version rather than the 2003 version. The instructor's workshop was easy to follow and he took the time to help the students learn about the program.

What I found most interesting was that not only did we learn about the features of PowerPoint, but also different techniques when giving a PowerPoint presentation. He told us that white backgrounds or light colored backgrounds keep the audience focused and it is easy to read; rather than dark backgrounds such as black. Also, the students were taught that when making a presentation, one shouldn't add too much information; it would be overwhelming to the audience. The bullets on each slide are there for a student to add key points that will be covered in the presentation and the Notes section, which appears at the bottom of the screen is used for a speaker to remember what he or she is going to be talking about. Here, the speaker can put as much information needed for the presentation without having it appear in the presentation.

I think that this workshop is great for college students to attend because it will help students with better, more professional presentations. The instructor was very understanding and provided useful tips to having a great presentation. Overall, it was a very beneficial workshop.

Academic Workshop: PowerPoint Presentation.

Yesterday I attended an Academic workshop that went over how to make a good power-point presentation. I was unfamilar with making power points but this workshop was very beneficial. However, I do not own a PC so i would be unable to make a power-point presentation like this because it is a little bit different on a Mac. The workshop was very basic and gave me a better understanding about how to work with the Microsoft PowerPoint program.

The instructor gave us tips on how to make our power-point presentations look formal but at the same time appealing to our audience. We started off by creating different slides describing ourselves. We learned the basics like how to incorporate clip arts into each slide and how we can make the pictures look 3-Dimensional. Then we worked on how to set up the layout and what colors and designs look appropriate. One thing I learned is to never make a dark background because it makes it harder for the audience to see what is written. You want to keep your presentations as clear and precise as possible. We learned how to change fonts, styles, colors, bullet points, etc, in order to design a good presentation. Since this workshop was only an hour long i got a general understanding of how to work the program.

After the workshop was over i felt like it was very beneficial especially if I need to make a power point presentation in one of my classes. He said there was another workshop with more detail about the program ,which i might attend too.

The Broadway Trip

This past weekend, i went on the broadway trip experience event. We had the option of going to see Hair or West Side Story.

i chose to go to west side story. i thought that the play was really good. i really like broadway plays but i've only been to three including this one, even though i live in new york. It was a long day. We had to catch an 8am bus into the city. When we got there, we were able to walk around for a couple of hours. My friends and i grabbed lunch. None of my friends were from new york so i took them to Rockefeller Center for lunch. Then we went to the NBC store, saw the christmas tree (it was only being put up) and the ice rink. We walked around a bit, went to a few small stores, and shopped at the street fairs.

We had to be at the Palace Theatre at 1:3o for a 2:00 show. We were seated at the very top. I've only seen part of the movie, so seeing the play was awesome! I really enjoyed it. After the show we got a few more hours to walk around. My parents and my friend that goes to college in the city met my friends after. We walked around times square and went out to dinner. We went to the M&M store, the hershey store, and the MTV store. My friends from Albright had to be back to the bus by 7:30. I stayed in the city with my parents for a few more hours until they had to go home. I stayed at my friend's dorm and took a bus back the next day.

All in all, it was a great day. i really enjoyed this experience event and i will definitely be attending one if they have it next semester.

How To Choose Your Concentration

Yesterday i attended the workshop called 'how to choose your concentration.' I am an alpha major so i felt that this workshop really helped.

There were only four other people there so i thought that this workshop was very helpful. We were able to talk directly to the instructor about the majors we were considering and what our fears were. i personally have been very nervous about being undecided. I have been considering music business but i had no idea what i could possibly do as a profession after graduation. the instructor emailed me already with a contact person who graduated from Albright, interned at Atlantic records, and now works there. i emailed him today and he has already given me hints, tips, and suggestions. I feel more comfortable about my future already!

I also was able to make a personal appointment with one of the people in the career development center for friday to talk more specifically about the music business program. We were given sheets that talked about our interests to help us narrow down our fields of interest.

I knew that the career development center existed, however, i never thought to use it. This workshop really helped me and i feel more confident about my future already. I would recommend this workshop to everyone if it is offered again. If it isn't, people should really contact the career development center for directional help.

Catching Your Z's and Stress: Making it Work for You

Last night I attended the skills development workshop based on the importance of sleep and  methods of dealing with text anxiety.  A doctor from the Gable Health Center opened the workshop with a discussion about why sleep is so important.  Some of the things that sleep affects includes your memory, behavior, nervous & immune system, growth, and your mood.  Obviously, these things are essential to function throughout the day, which is why it is sleep is a significant factor in one's daily routine. As college students, we should be getting 7-9 hours of sleep daily in order to feel fully rejuvenated for the following day.  This will help with test performances and anxiety issues as well.  

Speaking of tests, one major thing I learned from the workshop involved the harm in pulling all-nighters.  They are not recommended because they work against you.  If you have a big test and decide to stay up all night studying, you are going to do worse than if you sleep for a few hours.  This is because your memory shuts down when it is deprived of sleep.  In fact, sleep is where we form our memories, so it is clear as to why pulling an all-nighter would actually hurt you.  Also, if you consume any caffeine while studying, it is recommended to consume caffeine when you take your test the next morning.  The reason being involves the way our brain stores and accesses memories.  It is easiest to access certain memories when we are under the same conditions as we were when they were made.    

 

Finally, another doctor from the counseling center steered the topic towards dealing with stress and anxiety.  Like the first doctor, this doctor also suggested that sleep is an important part of keeping yourself healthy mentally.  He also stressed that exercising is one of, or if not the best way to relieve stress.  But the most important thing to do is to start becoming aware of stress in our lives.  Something as simple as a stomach ache can be an effect of stress, which is why it gets so overlooked.  Identifying stress is ultimately the only way we can begin to heal it.  

 

In conclusion, I thought this workshop was beneficial, especially with final exams coming up in the near future.  I learned insightful information about sleep and anxiety, and will definitely be applying it in my own life, especially the tips about sleep.  Out of all the workshops I attended, this one, to me, was the most interesting and helpful in taking what I have learned and applying it to my own life.  

Academic Workshop: Catching your Z's and Stress

Today, I attended an Academic workshop called catching your Z's and stress. I learned about the importance of sleep and how it coordinates all body functions. There are a bunch of reasons why we sleep. It helps with our memory and learning, social behaviors, growth development, immune system and mood enhancements.

We form our memories when we are sleeping. I learned that if you drink coffee while studying for a test the night before, chances are if you drink coffee again during the test you will do better. This was scientifically proven through a case study with college students. When we sleep there are certain stages that allow our memories to be processed. There are 4 stages of sleep. These include, Stage 1 where you begin to get drowsy, Stage 2 which is a light sleep, Stage 3 & 4 is when you are in a deep sleep, and REM Sleep is our deep sleep where we form our dreams. They say that you should sleep right before you study and also right after you are done studying this way your brain processes the information. Most teenagers and college students should have 7-9 hours of sleep each night.

We also learned about Insomnia and how there are different levels. One popular level of Insomnia is the one where people having trouble falling asleep. They say if this happens you should get out of bed and read a book, or even take a walk. Stress is another main concern for college students. There are different symptoms in different categories such as Physical, Emotional, Cognitive, and Behavioral. Test anxiety is another big factor and they say that some people are born with it.

After attending this workshop, I now have a better understanding about the importance of sleep and how we can overcome stress and anxiety. This workshop was very useful and self explanatory. I feel like most college students, especially if they are overwhelmed, should attend this workshop because it is a great way to have a better understanding about the importance of sleep and how to overcome stress.

Experience Event; The Fall Pops Concert

On October 10, 2009 I attended the Pops Concert in the Chapel. In high school I used to be in chorus so it was fun being able to see the concert from a different perspective. The songs that were chosen were very fun and upbeat. I enjoyed watched the chorus members dance while singing the different songs. I liked that there was a variety of different groups. My favorite song was the Bohemian Rhapsody. Many of the songs that were chosen I sang in my previous years in chorus so I was able to sing along in the back, and I enjoyed that a lot.

Experience Event; Fish Out of Water

On Thursday October 1, 2009 I saw the play fish out of water. This was a writing play by Jeffrey Lentz and Cocol Bernal. This play was very creative and I enjoyed every second of it. The actors and actresses played their roles very well. They all had an understanding of who their characters were and were able to portray them to the audience. The play was also extremely funny I was always laughing at the jokes being made.

Revising Workshop

I recently attended the writing workshop held by the writing center. It was interesting and gave a lot of good information. Several handouts were given out to understand the topic a little further. For a workshop there were a few bit people that attended. I had quite a bit of feedback and understood the point they were giving. I think the workshop could have ran a little longer, because the actually revising part did not get to be displayed. I would attend more like because it was a great interest to me.

Revising Papers Workshop

Last night I attended the Revising Papers Workshop sponsored by the writing center.  I was actually optimistic about going because I thought it might benefit me in writing papers.  But what I found was that for the most part, it reinforced the things I already know (which is not necessarily a bad thing, but can be boring).  To begin, the opening discussion involved the difference between revising and editing... two actions that people commonly confuse.  Revising is the process of reading, examining, and thinking about the approach, technique, and organization of a paper, rather than editing which involves the correction of grammar and mechanics.  One thing the workshop stressed was that in writing papers, revising is equal to or more important than editing.  Of course it is important to be aware of both, but you want to have a clear approach and focus more than anything else so that your paper is not all over the place.  One way to do this is to ask yourself a few questions such as:

1.  What is the Purpose of the paper?

2.  Is there an effective introductory paragraph?

3.  Is the thesis clearly defined?

4.  Are the arguments presents supporting the thesis?

5.  Is the overall organization clear?

6.  Is the subject coherence?  

Though these are questions that usually happen automatically in the process or writing, it is good to be aware of them and to make sure you are able to answer them clearly.  They will give your papers a better direction.  

Overall the workshop was alright, but I felt it could have been more informative.  Maybe if examples were shown about how to correct actual essays or common errors that people make, I could have gotten more out of it.  One thing I did learn though was to take advantage of my professor's office hours when I am having trouble writing a paper.  I never thought of doing so before, but its something I will consider in the future, rather trying to figure it out on my own.  

Revising Papers

Tonight, I attended the skills development workshop for revising papers. This workshop was held by the Writing Center. Ms. Liberatore was the workshop leader, and she was accompanied by a student that works at the Writing Center, Sarah. The two of them were very interactive with all of the students at attended. They used a slide show to go through the process of revising papers and even had a handout of the entire slide show. The workshop took about an hour and they didn't even get to go touch upon everything that they wanted. They had other handouts to give us through out the workshop. I would say that the handouts and the workshop in general was helpful. The tips for revising papers. for me, were more helpful then the workshop in itself.

They talked about the Writing Center and how they revise papers. Revising in different from editing. When you edit a paper, you check for grammatical errors and keep the same form of the paper. Revising an essay is trying to look at the essay in a different way. You pay attention to the focus and form of the paper. Grammar is important, but not the making or breaking point for an essay. Making sure that your thesis matches up with all of the points throughout your paper. Rereading your essay over and over again will help you to notice the mistakes that you have made. Reading your essay out loud to yourself, or even to a friend, was another good tip that they gave us. Overall, the workshop was helpful. They want to hold another one in the spring and i plan on attending that one as well.

The Family Show

Today I attended "The Family Show" by Jennifer and Kevin McCoy. This was an introduction to their art exhibit which is showing at the Freedman Gallery. Their art was a combination of sculptures and videos. I was very interesting, but it was very weird as well. My favorite part of the show was when they showed segments of their video "I'll Replace You" This was a video in which Jennifer and Kevin McCoy casted different actors to play versions of themselves in their daily lives. The one segments they showed us was when the actors played the McCoys as artist.
It was very funny because the actors acted brilliantly, but they had no idea what they were talking about. The actors were not given a script at all. It was pure stand up. I feel that the film being unscripted was what made it funny.

There were a few films though that bored me. The first film that they showed was segments of the show Starsky and Hutch, and how each segment was grouped together. For example, there were films of every close up, every car chase, every prostitute, etc. I felt that they had way too much time on their hand to go through that. I know I would go crazy if I did that.

Even tough there were some boring parts through out the show, it was still kind of cool to see some of their sculptures and pictures. I liked the idea that they were going for.

Nathalie Handal

Tonight, I attended the poetry reading by Nathalie Handal. I was a bit skeptical going into it because I was not sure if I was going to enjoy it or not. I was never exposed to a true poetry reading. I have only seen videos. I also find it hard to connect with poetry at times. By the end of it, I was mesmerized. Having a poet read their own poetry is so beautiful. I could connect with what she was saying, and even if I didn't completely understand the poem, she would explain it afterwords. There were times when she would be talking about her own life ans why she wrote a particular poem and I felt as though she was talking directly to me. Poetry is one thing on paper, but another when someone is speaking it to you.

Nathalie Handal is an amazing women. Her stories are fascinating and shes very open when it comes to her poetry. She speaks not really having a home, but finding comfort and solitude in poetry. She writes to remember. She spoke of how she has a bad memory and many times cant even realize that someone is quoting one of her own pieces of work. She needs to write things down to avoid forgetting them. She notices the beauties of the world but never forgets the burdens. I understand where she is coming from. when she was discussing this, I was able to connect with her so much more. She doesn't just talk to you, she speaks to you. Her poetry and what she would talk about made me reflect on my own life.

It was my first ever poetry reading and I left very pleased. I love walking away from something tat leaves you thinking and Nathalie Handal has that affect on you. I was honored to be able to listen to her, and for her to share her story. She is an inspirational writer and it was a wonderful experince.

A couple of weeks ago i attended the experience event called "Postville Raid." This experience event dealt with the treatment of immigrants. This past year in Postville Iowa, immigrants where sent back to their home or they had to work in factories under poor and dangerous conditions. Luis Argueta directed and filmed this short video clip, and after watching it I could not believe that the mistreatment of immigrants still exists today.

A majority of these immigrants where from Guatemala. They came to America to seek a better life and more opportunities. Back in their own countries it was pretty tough for them to support their families with the jobs they had. Once they got here they had a better chance of supporting their families even though they worked in these factories receiving very little pay. The conditions in these factories were awful and a lot of younger children had to do this strenuous work too. Some parents would have to go back to their own country and leave their children behind here in the United States in hopes of them suceeding in their life. That has got to be one of the hardest things for a parent to do. The treatment of these immigrants was just appalling.

Luis Argueta shows a bunch of different immigrants and how they were reacting to the way they were being treated. A lot of them were upset, and crying, while others broke out into pure outrage. According to the United States everyone is to be treated equally , but do immigrants have equal and human rights as Americans do? One thing I can agree with is that immigrants should come here legally, then it would be perfectly acceptable. But even if they do not they should not be abused and treated unfairly.

The United States is said to be a free nation and everyone is entiled to human rights. After attending this experience event it made me realize how not everyone is entitled to these rights. It is also kind of an embarrassment to the United States and how we treat people of other races and cultures when they come into the country. The treatment of these immigrants was shocking. The United States has to come up with some agreement to solve these immigrant issues.