I first heard about Soc 119 through a World In Conversation meeting my freshman year and didn’t really know what to expect when I signed up to take it this semester. I thought the class was going to solely by about skin color and the interactions that go on between the different races. Not only were my expectations for this class highly exceeded, I learned a lot more than what I was expecting. Not only did we talk about race relations, but also we talked about a lot of issues going on in our society today. I think I liked the needy penis lecture and what it had to say about our man-centered world the most. I have to give Sam and his wife a lot of credit for discussing such an intimate topic in front of 700 students. I also really enjoyed learning about where the different skin colors come from and why certain races look the way they do. I liked discussing the ‘free will’ topic too because It really made my think about where free will and determinism fit into in my own life. Not only does free will or determinism relate to just about everything we do, but also it relates to everyone in a different way. I found the lectures about immigration and the Israel conflict really intriguing because I didn’t know much about these topics before. As sad as the lectures were, I thought the lectures about suicides was really important too because people don’t realize how big of an issue it is in our world. Lastly, I really liked learning about the different stages of racial acceptance. It was really cool to learn about where I fit into the scheme of accepting other races. Even though each and every lecture was really cool, I think the best part about this class was that I learned how to think differently about our society. I’ve definitely noticed that I have had a more open mind about everything since the beginning of the semester and I think that’s mostly from this class. I really enjoyed how Sam challenged us to think in different ways and forced us to leave our comfort zone. Not only did Sam always leave us thinking, but also he taught us while we didn’t realize we were even being taught. I think that’s the biggest think I’m taking away from Soc 119. Every day when I walked into 100 Thomas, I didn’t think of it as ‘going to class.’ I looked at it more as an opportunity to listen. Sam opened my mind without me even realizing it, and I feel like I understand more of what is going on in the world than I have before. Thanks for the great semester, Sam!

In class on Thursday, we Sam and his wife Laurie taught the “needy penis” lecture. I have been looking forward to this lecture all semester and I have to admit that I was not disappointed. I cannot agree with the idea of a man’s centered world more. I believe that sex is aimed at being more pleasing for the male than the female. I understand that this is not always the case but I believe that this is true for most couples. I’ve always heard of girls faking it and not being able to orgasm, but I didn’t realize how many women were actually left unsatisfied after a hookup. Sex used to be strictly for reproduction but it has really grown to be a large part of our culture today. Sex has never been an issue with my boyfriend before, but I have always been nervous to bring up the fact that it is not as pleasing to me as it is for him. Sex still feels good but I don’t think it is all what some people make it up to be. He never gets upset with me when I tell him I’m not in the mood but I know it does bum him out every one in a while. Thursday night after the lecture, I called my boyfriend to talk about everything that was discussed in class. Hearing Sam and his wife talk about it made me realize that maybe I wasn’t alone when feeling like sex alone just doesn’t get the job done. After hearing everything they had to say, my feelings towards sex makes a lot more sense. I honestly believe that it isn’t as pleasing for me because sex has become so centered on the male world. I told my boyfriend that I thought sex was more centered on making him feel good instead of me. He was completely understanding and actually agreed with me. We both agreed that we would work on turning sex into a more balanced activity. I’m not saying that sex should be turned into how Sam and Laurie described it in a “female’s world;” however, I do believe that it should involve more than just penetration. I also believe that sex shouldn’t end right after the man climaxes. Sex is between two people and therefor gives them both the right to be able to climax before it’s over. I think Cosmo magazine and the media puts a lot of pressure on women to give in to the idea of sex being male centered. Like I said earlier, sex isn’t always just pleasing for the male. Regardless, sex is very pleasing and I know a lot of other women who believe sex is just as pleasing for them as it is for men. However, I do believe that it isn’t as pleasing for most women and sex as become too male-centered. I'm glad hearing this lecture empowered me enough to be able to talk to my boyfriend about it, and I'm really lucky he was so understanding.

I thought the lecture about the different racial stages was very interesting. Even though I am white and none of these stages really applied to me, I thought that it was very fascinating to learn about what other people from difference races experience. I am not personally a friend with someone from other races so I never was able to learn and fully understand how their relations develop. With that being said, after listening to the lecture I think the fourth and fifth stages are the most important. Even though those two are the most important in my opinion, I still believe that all of the stages are extremely important as well. In order for someone’s racial understanding to develop, they must go through all of the stages. After class, I was trying to think back to people of different races that I have met and decide what stage they were in. As a little kid, it makes sense for them to be in stage one or two. They are just learning that there are different races but they are still oblivious to it. They realize that there is a difference but they don't put much thought into it. Then, once they get older and start to mature, they enter stage three. I think stage three is especially important so people learn to love their race and their background. Before they can move on to accept their differences, they need to be loyal to their race and learn to accept who they are. After that, they enter stages four and five, which I believe to be most important. In stages four and five, a person starts to really acknowledge and accept their differences between the different races. I think this step / phase is the most important because it marks the beginning of the realization of the differences between the races. I do not believe that any race is superior or that the race of someone determines their character, but I do believe that it is important for someone (especially if they are a part of a minority race) to understand that there are differences present. If they do not acknowledge their differences, I believe that they could be in for a difficult time interacting with others from different races. Once they have reached stages four and five, they can move into the sixth and final stage. In this stage, they become fully aware of the differences between the races. I truly believe that every stage in this process is important for someone to develop their understanding of race relations. Each stage needs to occur for them to move on to the next. I think the fourth and fifth stages are the most important so that they can fully understand the differences between us.

I think our class on Tuesday about the LGBT topic was absolutely fascinating. Not only was it a good change in discussion, but also I am extremely interested in this topic. I personally am a straight girl but I am very supportive and non-judgmental about homosexuals. I believe that being gay or lesbian is completely, one hundred percent, something someone is born with. I do not think that somebody can choose whom they are attracted to or how they feel towards other people. I think people can choose whether or not or how they act on their feelings, but I do not believe that anyone has control over whom or what they find attractive. I have confidence that there are certain actions that people can have control over but certain people are born to be a certain way. To be honest, I get very upset with the belief that being gay is a choice. Although, I can understand why a lot of people believe that being homosexual is a choice. I believe that most people use their religion as a crutch in this argument. I am totally aware that the bible does state that homosexuality is a sin but I think people take comfort in using that as a reason to believe that homosexuality is a choice. Because being gay is not typical for most relationships, I believe that it is hard for most people to come to terms with the fact that some men like other men (and women like other women) and they think they’re choosing that ‘route’ on purpose. Because this this is so different, it is comforting for some people to use their faith as a reason to explain homosexuality (for the record, I am Christian and I believe that God loves all of his children). I also think people say homosexuality is a choice because they are simply not comfortable around it and want to deny the fact that they or someone else could be born that way. When I am really uncomfortable around something, I will blame everything on something else in order to feel like I am not responsible for that happening. If someone is a homophobe, I could understand if they would feel comforted by using the excuse that homosexuality is a choice. By stating that it is a choice, they are completely out of the picture and there is no chance that they themselves could be gay. I really have no idea whether or not being gay can be a choice or not. In class, Sam said he asked many gay individuals and they all said they believe that they were born that way. I would love to ask a gay person what they think, however, I personally do not know any. I really have a hard time believing that someone could have control over whether they are attracted to someone or not.

On Thursday, Sam brought up the topic of having empathy towards women or young girls that have been raped or have an unwanted pregnancy. I am very passive about most issues, but this is one that particularly angers me. I do not believe that any man or politician should have ANY DECISION on whether or not a woman can have a child. If they do believe that they should be forced to have a child no matter the circumstance, than they do need to have empathy. If they had a daughter that was thirteen and was raped (unlikely, yes, but it could happen), they would not want her to have a child. If his wife or mother was raped and became pregnant, they wouldn't want either of them having a child neither. This topic has been gaining a lot of attention, and the fact that men are voicing their opinions truly upsets me. I do not personally believe in having an abortion, but I do believe that under some circumstances the option should be available to some women. Even if someone was not raped and just had an unwanted pregnancy and didn’t think they could provide well for the child then I believe they should have the choice to do whatever they believe would be best. No man or woman should voice and force his or her opinion on another woman about whether or not she can have a child. I understand that there are many ethical or religious beliefs that are against abortions, but just because one person believes it does not make it true for someone else. The idea of someone trying to push his or her beliefs on someone else may be my biggest pet peeve. Like I said earlier, just because someone believes something (which they are totally entitled to have their own beliefs) does not give them the right to tell someone else that their choices and beliefs are wrong. I know that if I were to become pregnant, I would not be able to complete college. I’m not saying that I would get an abortion, but I would definitely like to have the multiple options about my child. Hypothetically, if a man was in a woman’s shoes and had an unwanted pregnancy, he would expect to have sympathy and the choice of whether or not he could have the child; therefor no man should be able to tell a woman whether or not she can have the ability to birth her child or not. I know if it was my daughter, or mother, it would be devastating to see them have to have a child after being raped. No woman, no matter the circumstance, should be forced to go through a pregnancy they don’t want.

On Thursday, Sam brought up the topic of having empathy towards women or young girls that have been raped or have an unwanted pregnancy. I am very passive about most issues, but this is one that particularly angers me. I do not believe that any man or politician should have ANY DECISION on whether or not a woman can have a child. If they do believe that they should be forced to have a child no matter the circumstance, than they do need to have empathy. If they had a daughter that was thirteen and was raped (unlikely, yes, but it could happen), they would not want her to have a child. If his wife or mother was raped and became pregnant, they wouldn't want either of them having a child neither. This topic has been gaining a lot of attention, and the fact that men are voicing their opinions truly upsets me. I do not personally believe in having an abortion, but I do believe that under some circumstances the option should be available to some women. Even if someone was not raped and just had an unwanted pregnancy and didn’t think they could provide well for the child then I believe they should have the choice to do whatever they believe would be best. No man or woman should voice and force his or her opinion on another woman about whether or not she can have a child. I understand that there are many ethical or religious beliefs that are against abortions, but just because one person believes it does not make it true for someone else. The idea of someone trying to push his or her beliefs on someone else may be my biggest pet peeve. Like I said earlier, just because someone believes something (which they are totally entitled to have their own beliefs) does not give them the right to tell someone else that their choices and beliefs are wrong. I know that if I were to become pregnant, I would not be able to complete college. I’m not saying that I would get an abortion, but I would definitely like to have the multiple options about my child. Hypothetically, if a man was in a woman’s shoes and had an unwanted pregnancy, he would expect to have sympathy and the choice of whether or not he could have the child; therefor no man should be able to tell a woman whether or not she can have the ability to birth her child or not. I know if it was my daughter, or mother, it would be devastating to see them have to have a child after being raped. No woman, no matter the circumstance, should be forced to go through a pregnancy they don’t want.

In Thursday’s lecture, Sam had one of his TA’s sit in front of the class and he talked about how one’s appearance can alter how comfortable they are around them. The TA was black, had long hair and was wearing urban clothing. Based on the TA’s appearance, I wouldn’t be very comfortable around him upon meeting him and therefor do not think he would be very approachable. I grew up in a completely white neighborhood and wasn’t exposed to different races and cultures. I find myself using racial stereotypes quite often due to my lack of exposure to the different races and cultures. My first impression was that he was probably from the city and he did not come from a good area. He seemed liked he could be a rap or hip-hop artist. Because of this first impression, I would assume him to be from the ‘hood.’ Based on the stereotype that normally comes from an inner city black boy, I would not find that type of person as approachable. Also, since I had no previous interaction with anybody like that, I wouldn’t have any other reason to believe they were different than the stereotype. I thought that Sam made a good connection with this topic to an idea he previously talked about in class about how we look for similarities in people when we are unfamiliar with their culture or race. For example, the white girl was more attracted to the most western looking Asian boy. The black girl found the most western looking Asian most attractive because of their similar style. I find this concept very accurate because I also find myself looking for the traits that I have in common with different people. Because I am white and American, I typically associate myself with other white Americans. I am from a wealthier, rural community so I relate to other wealthy people from rural areas. If we are unfamiliar with a group of people, we will have the natural tendency to associate ourselves with the most similar person. If I had to choose the most approachable person from a lineup of people of different races, I would choose the person that seemed the most like me. That person may be the worst and least approachable of the group, but because we would have similarities, I would feel most comfortable towards that person. With this in mind while thinking back to our TA in class, I feel bad that I would think of him as inapproachable. After hearing him speak in class, he seemed like a very nice guy and I am sure he is extremely approachable. Based on first impressions alone, which would happen to be appearance, I would not feel comfortable around him while meeting him due to the lack of apparent similarities.

I was very interested in the video we watched in class. Even though the clip was very interesting, I was not at all surprised. The video was a clip from the TV show “What Would You Do” when someone was trying to steal a bike. When the white kid was stealing the bike, he was just given weird looks but nobody gave him a hard time. A few people asked questions, but for the most part people let him be and carried on with their own business. When the black kid was stealing the bike, a crowd gathered quickly and the police were called. As much as I believe it truly depends on the person who walks by, it goes much deeper than that. I think this is a very good example the racial stereotyping we talked about in class at the beginning of the semester. Our society has learned to associate black people as “thieves” and “trouble makers.” I think this is based on the inner city areas that black people tend to live in where the crime rates are significantly higher. When the black kid was messing with the bike, people automatically assumed that he was stealing it and started to harass him. Multiple people called the police on the kid and one man even tried taking the bike from him to prevent the kid from stealing it. The TV host asked the people who had given the black kid a hard time whether or not they were racist and they said they weren’t. Immediately after watching the video, we took a class poll. The poll asked whether or not we are racist in those types of situations. Most people responded that they weren’t being racist and our racial stereotyping was due to another cause. But what would this other cause be? We don’t want to be called a racist, because we don’t want to be considered wrong, but when asked about it we don’t have any other explanation for it. I think people realize that racial stereotyping is a negative thing so they deny that they actually do it. There is no other cause behind this racial stereotyping other than racism and our society is just too scared to admit that. After the black kid tried stealing the bike in the video, they showed a white girl trying to steal it. Not only did the bystanders not say anything to her, they tried to help her! I would have been really intrigued to see how people would have reacted to a black female messing with a bike. I think people would have given her a harder time than the white female and male, but less than the black male.

I believe that getting accepted to college has to do with both free will and determinism. Everyone can work hard and get good grades, but not all families can afford to pay for their child to go to school wherever they want. I was very lucky when it came to applying for college. Not only did I work hard in high school but my parents were extremely supportive of my decision to come Penn State. I displayed a lot of free will by how hard I worked in order to get into Penn State. I joined different clubs, studied hard, and always took my work very seriously so I could increase my chances of getting into Penn State. Not only did I work hard, I sent my application in the first day I could to gain the advantage of early acceptance. Also, because my parents were so supportive, they let me choose where I wanted to come. The decision to come to Penn State was 100% my own choice. Like I said earlier getting accepted to college doesn’t completely depend on free will, it depends on determinism too. I could control a lot of my success in high school but there were definitely some factors that I had no control over. I was very blessed to have grown up in a wealthy area, which was known to have a good school district. I worked very hard, but I also had the advantage of going to a very prestigious high school. I know that having gone to a good school definitely benefited me in terms of my application to Penn State. My entire family went to Penn State as well, so because they went here, it made my application look stronger. I also had no say in whether Penn State accepted me or not. I could be the smartest student out there, but when it came down to it, the acceptance board did not have to accept me. I could appeal to them as much as possible, but they had their own reasons for accepting me. Not all students decide to work as hard as I had or have the resources like I did in order to get accepted. Applying and getting accepted to college has to be a combination of both free will and determinism, it can’t depend on only one or the other. A student can do as well as they can, or they can appeal to the college as highly as possible, but that won’t guarantee an acceptance. The administration has the ultimate decision of whether that student will get accepted or not. The student has the choice to apply to their colleges of choice and do the work to get into them, but the College has the control of accepting them.

Last week in class, Sam posted a slide that displayed the different average household incomes of different races. The Asian race had the highest average household income, followed by the Caucasian, Hispanic and then Black races. I was not surprised by these rankings. When Sam asked us to explain this ranking, I immediately thought of two things: resources and opportunities. It is not uncommon in the United States for races to gather and live in the same areas. These different areas have different resources available. Black people tend to live in more inner city areas that don’t have the best available resources and where money can be tight. For example, urban areas don’t always have the best schools or job opportunities. If the black kids are not going to the best schools, their chances of getting into college become slim and causing their chances of making money to become slim too. If there aren’t good job opportunities available, black people are unable to get paid high salaries too. This also applies to the Hispanic race. Some Hispanic people living in our country are illegal immigrants, so they are unable to posses high paying jobs. After my initial thoughts of resources and opportunities, I started to think a lot deeper into the subject. Not only can this income ranking be explained from the different resources available, but it can also be explained from the different cultures of these races. In the Asian culture, it is not uncommon for there to a larger number of people than usual living in a single residence. Even only having one more person than a typical White, Hispanic or Black household would boost the average income for that household. Along with having more people per residence, the Asians that live in the United States had to immigrate which does not come at a cheap price. For those that did immigrate, they most likely had a great deal of money before hand or came from a family that had a lot of money. The Asian culture really emphasizes the idea of education too, so those that immigrate are already educated and can get higher paying jobs. I believe that the combination of having higher paying jobs and living with more people mostly contributes to why the Asian race has the highest average household income. I think that the combination of lower quality resources and less opportunities is the reason why the Black race has the lowest average household income. Also, it is very hard to change your economic standings once they have been decided. I feel that it would be very difficult for these rankings to change because the races that are towards the bottom of rankings will never be able to catch the races towards the top.