Talking About Freedom: Experience and Knowledge Gained

DIS 1000: Talking About Freedom has been an extremely entertaining course, and we would like to talk to you all about it today.

Having a class at 8:30 in the morning after having high school classes starting an hour earlier wouldn't seem difficult; but it was. However, the class was always full of engagement and excitement, making participation fun and fulfilling. 

We as a class explored so many topics, and there was never a dull moment. We would now like to share what we appreciated about each event in class. 

Timelines 

The timelines we did in class were very insightful. While most of the information on there I had heard about in high school, we went far more in depth in this course. It was interesting to learn about the cause/effect relationships with events and seeing the different progressions in different time periods. 

My favorite timeline was probably the Civil Rights Era timeline because I feel it is most relevant to us. I also really liked how they were not straight lectures to sit through; I liked how Professor Smith asked us to participate and asked us our thoughts on the topics to keep it interesting. 

Each One Teach One (EOTO)

The Each One Teach Ones were great ways to learn about a situation from classmates. I think hearing them from peers who are in the same mindset and thought process as you make it easier to understand. Along with hearing from others, I too enjoyed making the EOTO. My topic was "40 Acres and a Mule", and I was able to do research, teach myself, and then bring it to life for my fellow classmates. I think it is a great way to encourage student participation!

Mock Trials

The mock trials were my favorite part of this class by far. While I do not plan to pursue a career in any form of law, I think the legal system is fascinating. Getting the opportunity to step into a role and make clear presented arguments was a highlight for me. I loved hearing my "colleagues" side and the "opposing counsels" takes as well.

 It was great to hear the hard work put in and see it progress as we moved through the course. The first one we had was our first college presentation; as we continued, we all grew more confident and sounder in our voices. I really enjoyed the mock trials, and I believe they were a phenomenal way to engage and practice public speaking and research.

Blog Posts

I think the blog posts were a vital part of this class. They were helpful in expanding our writing abilities and techniques. Clear instruction was always presented to us by our professor. I felt, after completing so many, that I would be ready to continue my writing journey throughout my years in college with the new skills I had developed. 

Movie Days

I always enjoyed movie days; it was a nice change of pace in class to watch some of the curriculum we were being taught. Most of the movies, while still having valuable lessons or being applicable to what we were talking about in class, were fun and intriguing! My favorite movie we watched was In the Heat of the Night. The movie had me on the edge of my seat- it was entertaining but also had lots of important themes and messages sprinkled throughout.

Overall Experience

Overall, this course has been wonderful. I believe we had a great professor who was keen on answering questions and helping us to success. My classmates have been lovely, and it has been a great first class to start my college career. I thank you all for being here today and will see you in a few weeks!