Before the lecture on immigration, I never really thought about it. I would always hear from other people how the immigrants from Mexico and other places were taking jobs and sort of ruining the American country. I learned from this lecture that immigrants went through many obstacles to get where they are. When immigrants come to America, they are actually helping the country in a way. The picture with the woman who did not have anyone to pick her crops proved this. Everyone says that the immigrants are taking our jobs, but if any American was unemployed they would be the least likely to take the job of landscaping and picking crops. People think of immigration as being negative but it can be positive. I was surprised to find out about how people categorize Mexican immigrants as lazy people. I don’t think that Mexicans are lazy. They work extremely hard to get to America and make money for their families. People fail to realize the true story of how immigrants live their lives. The video of the immigrants on the boat was surprising. It is hard to be on a boat with thousands of people for over a month. I don’t know if I could do that or if any American today could. American people forget that the American country was actually built on immigrants and this country was the land of opportunities. Why should we be selfish to other people who want to make a better life for themselves? Not many people would work for cheap labor. I think the immigrants from other countries are strong enough to be patient and work to make as much money they need to have a better life. I don’t understand how Americans can call immigrants lazy when American people have more opportunities handed to them. It was interesting to hear the immigration story of the T.A., Eric. I have never heard a story like that before. It was brave for him and his family to travel across the border. His dad is also brave for coming back for his family and traveling back to America illegally with them even though he was already a citizen. People fail to realize that a lot of these immigrants are brave and risk their lives. People should know the real story about immigration before judging. They don’t know the things people go through in their country and leaving could help them in so many ways. I learned that America looses more money trying to get rid of immigrants than it does letting them stay in the country. Immigrants are useful to the American country and they work hard. I can say now that I learned a lot more about immigration from this lecture.

I think the lecture about Native Americans really opened my eyes. Living in America, nobody really talks about the history of Native Americans. Before this lecture I knew a little about the troubles the Native people faced. Nobody has ever explained their history in great detail. It is sad to know that after so many years, some Native Americans are still struggling to take care of their families. It was sad to see that after so many years of being oppressed by white people, white people were the most people to be violent against them. Native Americans suffer the most from poverty. They also have the highest high school dropout rate, highest unemployment rate, highest domestic violence rate, and highest sexual assault rate. The pictures we saw of the bruised women were disturbing. Some of the Native Americans also suffer from alcoholism. When we watched the video about American Indians in South Dakota I was taken aback by the conditions they lived in. One woman described how she only had cold water. Another described how she wanted to commit suicide because of her life situation. It was upsetting to see the family having to pawn their television in order to have something to eat for the day. I feel that as Americans we should have some sympathy for these Native Americans. To take their land and leave them helpless is devastating and probably why Americans do not talk about this subject. I think that Americans should help some of these Native Americans who are in need. They have lost everything just like other countries. Why is it that we constantly talk about slavery and other horrible events of the world, but never talk about the history of Native Americans? Sam always finds a way to tell the class the truth about the history of Americans. I may have never learned the truth about the Native Americans if it was not for the lecture on Tuesday. I hope that in the future, people will realize what they have done to a group of people. I hope that people will try to help the Native Americans. I feel that in the future, people will feel sympathy. The domestic violence and sexual assault has to be stopped. It is sad to know that they have the highest teenage suicide rate. We are all Americans and we should want to help out our fellow people. People from other countries see how Americans treat their own people. They must think that the American people are selfish and don’t care about anybody. People of other countries must wonder how a whole country could let a group of people live without hot water or food to eat for the day.

When the class was told to put themselves in the shoes of Middle Easterners, I thought it would be interesting. Americans are really not aware of what the people in the Middle East go through. Putting ourselves in the shoes of the people helped us understand the actions that Middle Easterners take. Not many Americans know the reasons for their actions. This lecture was a good way to express how we would feel if we had the same things happening to our country. The media displays cruel things that people say about Middle Easterners and their religion. It is only normal for them to generalize and say all Americans feel a certain way about their country. The way we see Middle Easterners is the same way they see us Americans. The Middle East sees America as a bunch of radical Christian people. America sees all of the Middle East as extremist who are all about the Muslim religion. As people we group everyone who is similar together even though they may be totally different. When Sam bought up the students who practiced the Muslim religion, they explained that were just the same as American students. Most of them said that they did not know any extremists and they did not have the same feelings as them. The people of the Middle East also need to know that all of the American views are not the same as the radical Christians. We are not as mean and evil as the rogue soldiers that torture their people. The videos we watched in class were quite disturbing. To know that a country has so much hate towards the country you love is upsetting. Most Americans do not know that the current war is selfish and mostly over oil. They think that we are helping the Middle Eastern people and that is not the case. I think that this lecture has helped open the eyes of people who did not know what was really going on in this conflict. The news has not fully explained everything that is going on so we as Americans are ignorant as to why a country dislikes us so much. I would not blame the Middle East for hating us. The soldiers who represent our country are killing civilians and destroying their only means of survival. The video of the soldiers destroying the cab drivers car because he was stealing wood was horrible. The man was stealing wood because he needed it to make a fire and be warm. His car was used for him to work and make money. I did not like that the Christian religion was criticized. Not all Christians are radical and would not do harmful things to people.

As a woman, I like to dress up and wear heels to look nice. Most people think that girls wear uncomfortable clothes to be more desirable by men and some girls do. Some days I like to dress up and some days I don’t. If I don’t feel comfortable in my clothes, I won’t wear them. The media has portrayed this image of women. Women are seen as sex symbols. Girls who are looking at these images think that they need to dress a certain way in order to attract a man. Girls also dress to impress other girls. Women see other women dressing a certain way and they want to impress them or even dress better than them. How you dress is a certain competition between women in any country’s society. Everyone wants to look their best, especially women. When people first meet another person, they judge them by their appearance. They are always looking at how they dress and present themselves. For example a job interview, if a woman came to a job interview in sweatpants, she would not look presentable and probably wouldn’t get the job. If she came with a skirt and high heels, she would be more likely to earn the job. Dressing up makes me feel good, but I wouldn’t do it every day. I would not wear make-up everyday or heels. I realize that these things are uncomfortable so I don’t wear them every day. I only get dress-up to go out on the weekends. People consider me to be girly and would expect for me to get dressed up. I get dressed for myself because it makes me feel awake. Wearing sweatpants would make me feel gloomy and tired. I like to go out and shop for clothes that would make me look presentable. I think that women expect men to dress-up too. They don’t have to be uncomfortable in heels and short skirts, but they still have to be able to look good in a suit. Men our age who wear nice jeans and a shirt are more accepted. They don’t have to feel uncomfortable in order to impress a woman. I think that men dress for themselves and they don’t think about how their clothes will attract a woman. After the lecture on Thursday, I realized that women do dress up more than men. It did not change whether or not I get dressed up however. The picture of how a woman’s feet actually look in a heel made me feel pain though. Girls stand for hours with their feet in an uncomfortable position. Before I put on another pair of heels I will picture that image every time.

I think that more and more people are having interracial relationships. I don’t really see a problem with dating out of your race. Being an African American woman, I know that other black woman would look down on interracial relationships between white woman and black men. There are many statements made about how “white woman are taking all of the black men.” I think that people are becoming more and more accustomed to seeing other races in relationships. I remember watching the movie “Jungle Fever”. This movie is about a couple who get’s hassled about being in an interracial relationship. At a restaurant, the black waitress even confronts them about their relationship. I believe that a long time ago, people were not used to seeing people of different races in relationships. Today it is more prevalent. There are a lot of mixed raced children which means there are a lot more mixed couples. When I go to Tyson Corner mall in Virginia, I usually see many interracial couples. I was there one time with my dad and he pointed it out to me. I think the interracial couples from a while ago were scared to come out with their partners because of the ridicule they would face. People should be able to be with whoever they want to be with. Race should not be a factor in someone’s relationship. I have never been an interracial relationship, but I know that at one point in high school I was attracted to someone outside of my race. I admit that at first, seeing interracial couples, especially black men and white women, it was kind of weird, but for the most part I have gotten used to it. Parents may have a huge part in how people play out their feelings for a person of another race. Some people’s parents may say that they do not want their child to marry outside of their race. I know my dad sometimes jokes about whether or not he would show up to my wedding if I married outside of the African American race. I also don’t have any friends that have been in an interracial relationship. I cannot tell you how it feels to be in one or how people who are in those relationships feel. I hope that people in interracial relationships feel proud about what they are doing. They should not have to answer to other people and just be happy about being in love and together. Society is slowly getting used to interracial couples.

I believe that Penn State can be more diverse on the main campus. Although the amount of white people on the main campus is far greater than black people or any other race, I feel that Penn State tries to seem like it is diverse. The pamphlet that was shown in class tried to make it seem as if there were so many cultures on this campus, but still had more white people than any other race displayed. Of course Penn State has room to grow with its diversity. As Sam said in class, Pennsylvania is a very white state as a whole. I would assume that the colleges within the state would have more white people than any other race. I think that people define diversity as how many white people are at a school compared to the black people at the school. This school is fairly diverse if you compare all of the international students that travel here to take classes. Before coming to Penn State I had heard that the school was diverse. I really wanted that atmosphere because I attended a high school that wasnt very diverse. Being an African American, I also went to a mostly African American high school. Coming to college, I really wanted a change. Penn State was a drastic change for me because I went from a mostly black school to a mostly white school. For Penn State to become more diverse, more people of other cultures and races would have to apply. As the years go on, I see more and more people coming to the campus that I would have never thought would be here. As me and my friends sit around and we see a group of African Americans that we have never seen before, we always say to each other , where did all those black people come from! because we are not used to seeing that many people from another race. I think that by the time I graduate, Penn State will be more diverse. Penn State focuses on making the school minorities feel welcome with the many clubs and organizations. Penn State also focuses on making sure there is no racism occurring. These organizations are helping the non-minority people learn more about the other people on campus. I am in an organization that helps bring minorities to Penn State to help diversify the school. I think that more people of color come to this school because they feel that they cannot afford it. Before coming to Penn State, I only heard about rich white people attending this school. This perception might discourage people from coming to school.

I do not feel that affirmative action takes things too far. Affirmative action helps minorities become equal in a way and get the opportunities they deserve. Affirmative action can have negative and positive outcomes. In some instances, people may believe that affirmative action causes white people who are qualified for jobs to be put on the back burner. Affirmative action helps the qualified minorities get jobs and opportunities also. I feel that minorities and white people should have the same opportunities to obtain a job without use or need of affirmative action. If the person is qualified, it should not be based on the color of their skin whether they get a job or not. Being an African American woman, I will probably have to face affirmative action. It will help me become an option at a company despite the fact that I am black and a woman. Women have to face certain discriminations in the workforce. Even if they are qualified, they are still put aside and men are put before them. White women have to face this issue too. Affirmative action helps companies look more diverse and reduces the risk of being accused of racism. No big name company wants to be accused of being racist and not giving people equal opportunity to work. I do not think that white people suffer from affirmative action. They are the majority, so they can always have an opportunity to work if they are qualified for that job. In America, we should not need affirmative action to make sure everyone gets a job. Everyone should be treated equally enough that we dont have to worry about who can get a job. Affirmative action also takes place in state universities. Universities have to make sure they have a certain amount of minorities to make the school diverse. Diverse schools look better to people. There is still a lot of discrimination going on in the workforce against women and minorities. They have to be educated and highly qualified, maybe even more qualified, then the next white man who wants the job. There are not many women or minorities who have executive positions in an important company. Most executives are white and male. Affirmative action could change the whole perspective of the person who is supposed to be in charge. There could be women who are African American and the head of one the major companies in the world. I think that affirmative action can help this country become more equal and help everyone achieve their goals in life. With that being said, it is not possible for affirmative action to take things too far because it helps everyone in society.

I have noticed that white people are more reluctant to admitting they have discrimination against any race. If a white person were to express their discrimination, people of another race would automatically think that the person is racist. Since slavery occurred, some black people in American society automatically look at a white person and think they are racist. If they were to express their opinions, they would be ridiculed. I believe that all people have some discrimination against other races. We also have discrimination against other types of people. Whether they are part of the LGBT group, short, tall, fat, or skinny; we as people still find things to discriminate against. Even after finding out about how we are all genetically the same, the fact that we do not all look the same makes people still want to discriminate. The discrimination simply comes from not knowing about that race. If you don’t know about a certain race, you should ask respectful questions. It is all a learning process and getting to know a person of another race. Most white people are afraid of being called a racist. It is offensive to them. I feel that white people try to steer clear of anything that has to deal with race. They do not want to offend anyone because of the racism associated with them in the past. There are still some people who don’t care about offending people. The video we watched in class displayed a man trying to kick a Muslim woman out of the store because of how she was dressed. He wanted to see how people reacted and how racism still thrives in America. There was a white man who condoned the man’s behavior and kept shouting that she wasn’t an American. Who is to say that just because people don’t have white skin that they are not American? If you were born in America you are American. White people have a long past of being violent and torturing other races. White people today would rather not be associated with such behavior. It is hard for people to forget the past and forgive people for the cruel things they have done. I hope that someday we can all live in a world where there is no discrimination. People have to be able to ask questions and learn about other people who are different from them. There should be no discrimination in job choice, test scores, home ownership, and income. Every race should be able to have the highest test scores, the best job positions, and the highest income. They should even be able to live in the best neighborhood and live in the best homes.

I believe that success comes from hard work and the connections you have with certain people. Most people who are educated and went to college are more likely to think that you have to know people to be successful. Going into school, everybody tells you that most of your jobs will come from people you know. We are told as students to get internships with companies that you want to work with later. Having an internship will get you many opportunities to have the job you want. Also if you are part of certain club in school, they could help you get the internships and jobs that you want. I think that hard work comes from people who did not have the opportunity to go to school and meet certain people. Most people who are successful from hard work had troubling times in their life and had to go through many obstacles to get where they are today. Think about the movie director Tyler Perry. He was once homeless but worked hard to be successful in the movie business today. People like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian did not have to work hard to be famous and successful in the public eye. The fact that their parents were successful people made them successful in life. Companies who employ people for jobs want experience and education. I feel that most people who come into college believe that they need to make good grades in order to get a good job despite being told that you also need to have connections. People need to know that everybody who is graduating college could be going for the same job you are going for. They could have the same grades as you or better. The fact that you know someone in that job field could help you on your way to your career. There is so much competition out in the work force and having connections could help. People who are uneducated believe that working hard has a result of success and happiness. That is true for that group of people. I know that while I am in college I have to work hard on school work and I have to work hard to make the connections with internships. My mother used to always tell me that she and my grandmother got where they are today by having connections and knowing many people. I hope that I can later say that I am successful from hard work. I would like to say that I worked hard to get where I want to be rather than relying on other people to help me. Hard working people inspire me to do for myself and not depend on others.

Free will and determinism have paved many things in my life. The reason I am at Penn State University is because me and my parents made certain choices to make sure I went to a good college. I had to start making good choices from the beginning. My parents expected for me to get good grades and to be involved in many activities. Even though both of my parents did not attend college, they wanted better for me. My parents made sure I made the grades I needed to later go to college and the help I needed to make those grades. My parents have always wanted the best for me and to take every opportunity available to me. My parents did not have many opportunities so they want that for me and my other sisters. People choose whether to do the things they need to do to be successful. I feel that drug addicted homeless people made the choice to spend that money on the drugs that left them homeless. Every action you do results in something whether it is good or bad. The fact that black people and Native Americans have the lowest income is a choice. Blacks and Native Americans need to go for the jobs that give more money. Every person should have equal opportunity to make as much money as a white person. While most white people are executives of companies and make more money, what about the Asians that have the highest income? Asians made the choice to work hard and get an education so they could make more money. The choice to do my work and study have helped me make the grades that I need in school. People who go out and party all the time are choosing not to study and make good grades. Some things that happen in peoples life are affected by determinism. A company cutting peoples jobs is not the persons choice, but the person did choose to work at that certain job. If you lose a job based on your work ethic that is a choice you made to not be a good worker. Most of the things that happen in a persons life are by choice. You choose to be ahead of everybody else or you choose to be behind everybody else. All of the people who are executives of big companies made the choice to do well in school and in the job they started out with. Although parents help you make certain choices, you have to make the choice to actually take their advice and use it to your advantage. I believe that my choices and actions have everything to do with where I am today.