Thursday, July 7, 2011

A Fairly Mild Day

Today, being the first day after the mid-term, was fairly mild in my opinion. Professor Kramnick started us off with a lecture about the equality of women, citing authors such as Olympe De Gouges, Mary Wollstonecraft, and John Stuart Mill. He made some interesting points about how women are not NATURALLY inferior, as was the common belief during their time, but were only perceived that way because society had raised men, as well as women, to believe that as true.

In our discussion groups, we got our first drafts of our Plato papers back, and our TA told me exactly what I needed to change about my paper to make it better. However, I didn't agree with his suggestions really, because as far as I could tell, he was advising me to cut out the evidence for my argument...which seemed a little absurd. On the other hand, he is the one grading my paper, so I'll have to talk to him again soon and figure out exactly what it is that he wants. We each also got feedback from a few of our peers, so I can definitely use their criticism to make my paper stronger right away.

The guest speaker today was VERY interesting. He was a lawyer by the name of Nelson Roth, and he was responsible for discovering the corruption in an old murder case, where the police had actually fabricated evidence, stating that they had picked up an innocent man's fingerprints at the scene of the crime. He showed us at one point how a fingerprint can be taken, and then presented a BBC Movie to us that he was a part of! You know how whenever you watch something on the History Channel, they always have a bunch of experts giving their two-cents on the matter? That was him in this movie! It was a movie about how fingerprints and bullets are not always concrete evidence in a court of law, and for the entire scene that he showed us, they talked specifically about his case and frequently cut to him as he explained situations and gave his opinions on them. It seemed pretty amazing to be staring at this guy on the screen and then s seeing the same guy sitting two rows behind you. That seemed pretty awesome to me.

Later in the day, I had my individual meeting with Ms. Neal, (not because I was in trouble, just a little check-up) and we spoke about how my class was going and all that. A big point was that I need to post more pictures on my blog, so I will try my best to be better about that (sorry readers).

Tomorrow I will take you on a virtual tour of my daily routine. Promise! Pictures will be abundant. See you tomorrow! Good night!

3 comments:

  1. Hi Joe,
    Love reading all of the blogs! What a great appreciative group you all are!
    I also love your usual fun approach to life and academics.
    Really admire that you do not automatically acquiesce when you do not agree with someone - further questions are appropriate. Perhaps he did not like your "argument" so the evidence was a problem for him.
    Love, CAG

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  2. Hello!
    How fabulous that you're enjoying all the lectures and speakers so much! Hang in there with your paper...criticism can truly be a gift! Can't wait for the photos/virtual tour manana!
    Love you!
    Mom

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  3. Hey Joe!

    Having a lecture that wasn't too intense after the midterm provides a good change of pace. It sounds like both the Prof and the guest speaker made interesting pts. Hang in there with what your teaching assistant is telling you about your paper. I'll be praying for solid communication between the two of you. Making sure you both understand one another can be tough but all part of the learing process. Can't wait to see tomorrow's pics!

    Con Mucho Amor,

    Tu Pops

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