For me Soc 119 provided an experience completely different for me than any of my other classes at Penn State. I have never had the opportunity to take a class with such a diverse group of people, or if I have I was completely oblivious. For me the best thing about this class is that it opened me up to new perspectives and ideas. Sam might not have convinced me on some of his opinions, but at the very least he made me think. There have been many days throughout this semester that I have left class deep in thought. It has been especially fun to take the ideas that we are discussing in class and talk with others outside Soc 119 about them. I have found this to be such a unique experience to not only ponder the questions about society and some of the problems we have, but also to bring a different voice into the discussion. On another note I think this was good for my own self-awareness about how comfortable I am with race. I went to a very diverse high school and had friends of different races, but like Sam mentioned with his Chinese friend, I never really made that connection. I think this class was important for me to start thinking about the differences and learning about my own biases and those of my family and friends.
In addition this class paired really well with the modern American history class that I am taking this semester. My history class spent a good deal of time on the issues of race and gender in American society. We looked at the struggle of African Americans for equal rights, but also the way in which politicians and people in general reacted to these situations. I have a much broader perspective on how race fits into so many subtle aspects of life and that the direction our country has taken is in many ways due to race. I recently learned that the passage of the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s basically lost the Democratic party all of its support from the white working class. It is a unbelievable realization to see that giving a group of people basic rights can create such alienation.
The most difficult part about taking this class is that it makes you aware of the many issues in our society. This class has taught me quite a lot about empathy and awareness. For myself I hope that some of these ideas stick with me. I think it is important especially as a white person to be able to have some sense of life as a minority in this country. In fact I think that people should have to take a class such a Soc 119 in college. It is important that these issues are thought about and discussed because it at least builds a foundation for more positive relations between racial groups

I completely agree with the statistics that suggest that women and men are more likely to have orgasms the longer they are in a relationship. I think the biggest reason for this is because in a relationship you have the opportunity to learn what the other person likes. It is much easier to talk about sex in a relationship and more opportunity to find out what works and what doesn’t for both people. In addition most women cannot have an orgasm with just intercourse. It takes an effort on the guy’s part to control his own desires enough or to continue caring enough after he has had an orgasm to make sure that the women has one. In a relationship it is more likely that the guy will take the time to make sure the woman is satisfied. If there is an emotional connection with a person, there is equal interest in both having a good experience. Relationships slowly break down the male dominated sex scene that we typically see in the media. Any good relationship will aim to please both people and have a give and take aspect to it. Sex is an important part of this relationship and as a result will take into account the woman as well as the man. In my experience men get better at understanding how important foreplay is to a woman and that they need to slow down sometimes. A one-night stand is exactly that a one night encounter. It is likely that you will never see that person again and in most cases happens as the result of alcohol or drugs. One-night stands seem like a better deal for a guy than a girl. The male dominated sex experience is in play more often in these situations. Based on the media, television, and movies it is basically expected that the guy will have an orgasm in these situations and at that point sex is over. A guy has no real incentive to make sure the female has an orgasm. With the way sex is expected to go in a one night stand scenario, the male feels no obligation to ask the female whether or not she is finished. In a sense though I find it funny that guys are not more concerned that females rarely have orgasms. It seems like guys take pride in thinking that they are good at sex and are frequently worry whether or not they measure up to others. However, it doesn’t seem to occur to them that the best way for girls to think that you are good at sex is to make sure that they also have an orgasm. With that being said women need to stop faking orgasms so that guys actually learn what to do instead of thinking they are already doing it.

I have always had an interest in traveling and desperately wanted to study abroad as an undergrad at Penn State. However my major and time constraints did not allow me the opportunity to go abroad. As a result I do not have a huge amount of exposure to other cultures throughout the world. I have traveled to Mexico and a large number of the Caribbean islands. I have never spent time on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. This summer I will be spending two weeks in Europe, traveling to five different countries. I believe that this experience will provide some insight into whether or not I would actually want to work abroad. It is a large commitment to take a job in another country if you are not entirely sure what you are getting yourself into.
Next year I will be starting medical school. With this new beginning comes a large amount of opportunity for me to immerse myself into other cultures. A career in medicine gives me a unique opportunity to work for short periods of time in other countries. My goal is to do research on hospitals throughout Europe after my first year of medical school. I have always found it puzzling that while America is often celebrated for the quality of healthcare, we rank very low in comparison to other countries. I would like to study hospital procedures in other countries, especially those with universal health care. For all that has been made of Obama care, I have heard little discussion of how it relates to the programs set up in other countries. Many other countries in the world provide health care for residents while still maintaining better patient outcomes and lower infant mortality. I would be curious to investigate whether this is the result of people having greater access to care including preventative treatment or if other countries have some other aspect to their systems that are better.
Besides this research project, I have always aspired to spend time in countries that do not have adequate healthcare systems. I would like to participate in a Doctors Without Borders program. These programs travel to some of the poorest and most underserved areas in the world to provide healthcare for the people in these regions. I think especially for medicine it is critical to use those skills to help as many people as possible. It can be as simple as providing vaccinations for people that do not typically have access or just helping in a local clinic. The initial question about United States citizens not having passports at as high of a rate as other countries I think has a lot to do with the location of our country. In Europe the countries are much smaller and closer together. As a result it takes less effort for Europeans to travel to other countries, which I think in part explains why more of them have passports.

Sam and Jasiri X both pushed students, specifically white students, to think about the issues that discrimination against other groups has caused. Sam focused on Native Americans and white settlers driving them from their land. Fifty million Native Americans were killed and the rest were forced to live on reservations basically in poverty. Jasiri X focused on a wide variety of issues from the Occupy movement to the Trayvon Martin murder. Jasiri’s message focused mostly on discrimination against people of color. The biggest difference between the lectures is the way in which students were asked to consider the message. Sam reminded students that it is natural to have some reaction to the doings of our ancestors. He asked the class to recognize and empathize with the Native Americans. Sam never pushed students to have negative feelings towards any group. In addition he used a mixture of statistics, history, and videos about current Native American life to show the impact that past discrimination is still continuing to have on people. I thought this made for a strong and thoughtful message that students could truly contemplate.
Jasiri X on the other hand presented his material in a different manner. Jasiri used his music videos as a large part of his lecture. I respect him for using his talents to get a message across. However, it seemed like he was using class time to promote his rap career. By showing his videos before discussing the subject matter, it was very clear his perspective on each issue. I thought this really limited discussion and made people feel uncomfortable to speak up against him. Also his lecture was not based on facts. It seemed like he was throwing out his feelings as a minority in America, which is great. However, he often seemed to take a negative approach toward white people and their role in discrimination. I felt like he was making racism an entirely white issue. I personally feel that when a person of color does this it alienates white people from feeling comfortable to talk. The minute that happens you lost the people in the conversation that you are trying to educate about issues that minorities go through. Like many others mentioned in class, I understand that white Americans have done some terrible things to people of color. However I am not sure what point it serves to get in people’s faces and to make them feel guilty for it. While I’m sure many people felt that Jasiri X was getting out an important message, the consistent you people rhetoric felt like an attack. I think it is great that Jasiri X is using his music to get out a message, but if he wants to get the “white team” on his side, he needs to take a more balanced approach to presenting race related issues.

Over the last few classes my views on affirmative action have shifted quite a lot. The question posed in the video addresses my initial concerns with affirmative action, which is that an under-qualified person ends up with a job based on race or gender. As Sam mentioned similar circumstances often occur when a person is provided a job through their personal connections. I believe that many people have quality concerns when it comes to affirmative action. When people are provided jobs based on factors other than qualifications, it raises questions from those that may have been passed over for that job. I see no problem with affirmative action as long as a truly qualified employee is hired. While many corporations do not have quotas, for the ones that do this can be quite a concern. In addition I think it puts people of color and females in a bad situation. If someone that is not qualified is hired for a job based on fulfilling a quota and it becomes apparent while trying to perform their job duties, it perpetuates negative stereotypes. It can make a particular group of people look weak or inadequate at their positions.
In addition in white culture rumors about the number of points provided to groups on SAT scores, college acceptances, and the like tend to further concern with affirmative action. Most of the time it is difficult to see that as white people we benefit more than almost anyone else from these policies. It was pointed out in class that it is difficult for people to deal with these policies on an individual level. For many white people it is easier to blame the system of affirmative action for why they did not get into the school they wanted rather than consider they may have been less qualified. Although I agree with providing opportunities, on an individual level it is hard to see someone else receive the opportunity that you want for yourself. For example when I was applying to college at a school I would have qualified for a full scholarship had I been a minority, but the same scholarship for a white person required much higher statistics.
For me personally the last few classes have been the best of this class because they have opened my eyes to the true purpose and procedures of affirmative action. The majority of jobs are given to a qualified applicant, but additional consideration is given to minority groups. These policies are necessary to attempt to put groups on equal footing. However I think they should find a better way to provide opportunities for minority groups. In addition I wish there was a good way to account for socioeconomic status. Obviously there are well off members of every group and it would be best to try to help people the economically most need it.

I’m happy this question was posted. I found the conclusion that women are not free because they will not openly discuss their period with 700 others to be off base. First and foremost, the question could not have been presented in a more awkward manner. How many women in here are bleeding? I’m going to be honest it took me an extra half second to figure out what he was asking. About seven people raised their hands and it was estimated that about 50 women in the class currently had their period. This number is probably fairly accurate based on the number of females in the class. I think the reason women did not raise their hands is because to some degree it is a private issue. I understand that menstruation is a natural process and obviously is necessary for women to be able to have children. However, humans do not discuss every natural process and bodily function. I rarely have an in depth discussion with my friends about my bowel movements. In fact I would say that I am more likely to have a discussion with my friends about my period than I am about the last time I pooped. For the most part, natural functions in humans are shrouded in some secrecy. We have bathrooms for a reason and with that said we have bathroom stalls. Many people find their natural functions to be a private matter and I do not necessarily have a problem with people choosing to feel that way.
In addition I think it was a common thought among females, that women are more willing to discuss such issues with other females. It a common feature that women share and men do not, which makes it easier for women to talk about amongst themselves because there is some level of understanding. While I get that many men have sisters or have lived with women that does not necessarily make them informed. Seeing a tampon in the garbage can is different from actually understanding what is going on. Knowledge in this area for many guys is that women are “more bitchy” around their period, which is not entirely the case. I’m not sure that the concern is whether or not guys find gross as much as a feeling that they will not understand. A better effort should be made to educate men and women on sexual health and normal processes. I think a large part of women not feeling comfortable discussing their period comes from a young age. Girls tend to mature faster than boys, and as a result get their period at an early age. At that point it is taboo in a sense because are we really expecting teenage boys or even younger to maturely handle that subject. I think the biggest thing to change the taboo of discussion is to teach it at a young age in a scientific and health context.

As a biology major that has taken entire courses on evolution, I have a little bit of insight on why many scientists choose to be creationists. First I think it is important to point out that many scientists are not creationists in the same degree as people without a science background. Scientists are more of the middle category that believes that evolution is true, but that God has a guiding influence in the process. A large piece of this is the environment that people grow up. Many people grow up in a household that has some form of religious belief and from a young age are taught to believe in a higher power. After years and years of believing and praying to this higher power, someone finally clues you in to all of the other things we know about how humans came about. It is important to realize most high schools see evolution as a taboo topic so it is not taught. Unless you have a college education and oftentimes that needs to specifically entail science related classes, you will not be given all of the necessary data to make your own choice. By the time someone truly becomes a researcher or scientist, they have been on a long road of wrestling with the beliefs from their childhood. It really is not all that easy to abandon the stories and beliefs that you were taught as a kid. In addition any scientist will tell you that science has been proven wrong before. Theories are theories and not laws for a reason. I think for many people there is a “what if” factor. If I go through my life believing in evolution and then I die, and I was wrong then what. If heaven and hell exist and I chose evolution over God, eternity is a long time. Maybe it is the Catholic guilt they refer to, but at least for me these questions are always in the back of my mind. Also science cannot explain everything or answer all questions yet. There are so many areas to explore and in a couple hundred years, there may be an entirely clear and different picture about how humans came to be.
Finally, sometimes seeing everything from a solely logical perspective is downright depressing. Why did a family member die in a car accident? I would imagine that you could assess the probability of any one person being in a car accident and then the probability based on their injuries and health conditions that they would die. However is it really fun to know that grandma might have a 1/200 chance of dying in a car accident? That doesn’t make anyone feel better about the fact that she is gone. People often say, “It is better to believe in something than nothing”. I guess for me until science can definitively answer all of the questions I will continue believing. It does not mean that I ignore the scientific data; I have just incorporated that into my other beliefs. At this point I may not be considered religious because my beliefs do not quite fit a religion, but I definitely have faith in a higher power.

As a science major, I have learned in the past that people are not very different from each other. After all humans are all of the same species. However it is always interesting to realize that we are 99.9% genetically the same, yet can look so different. Not even in the sense of skin color, but in eye color, hair color, and body type. I am not sure if knowing this information makes me change my interactions with other races and cultures. The problem is that .1% of a difference in the way we look is so immediately identifiable. The fact that we are all similar in terms of genetics is not typically on a person’s mind when they see someone that appears different from them. I think it is important to start educating children of this at a younger age before they can form some of the racial biases that many people grow up with. However with that said, Soc 119 has changed my interactions with people of other races and cultures. This class has made me realize that we are similar in more aspects than I could have ever realized. Not how we look, but in our values and interests. I have learned to appreciate other cultures and different perspectives. Most importantly I have learned just how much I do not know about the world. It has made me curious and more willing to talk to others not like me. Every time I hear a language that I do not recognize or see someone who appears to be from a foreign country, I am tempted to go start a conversation with them. I am beginning to see that there are more similarities between people than differences.
I would love to see others begin to understand just how similar people are to each other regardless of race and culture. I hope that at some point society as a whole can begin to appreciate the slight differences in the population and to actually understand where it comes from. Even today when we were talking about religion versus science, I fall in the category of believing in evolution with God guiding it. I was interested to see the number of pure evolutionists and pure creationists. Those that understand evolution should be well aware of why we have different skin colors. These people should have little racial bias with their knowledge. Creationists and the teachings of God should teach people to accept others, which is why I am always astounded to see those preaching the word of God to be racist. If all people are children of God, it seems to me there should be little to no racism in the world. However, that is not the reality that we live in.

The slavery discussion definitely made me consider the fact that most of the items I use every day were made by slaves. I felt guilty about that as the discussion continued. With that being said I felt similar to the girl that Sam had up front. It is difficult to wrap your mind in today’s society around slavery. We don’t really see it here in the United States, and when we think of it is in the context of African Americans picking cotton in the pre-Civil war era. I have a hard time completely understanding that all of my stuff is a product of slavery. I understand that no one should be promoting slavery especially when our country fought a Civil War over this matter. However, we are the richest country in the world and are used to living as such. Maybe we don’t all need an iPhone and a closet full of clothes, but I’m not exactly sure how you change that. It is easy to look at it and want to change it, but entirely different to actively works towards that goal. For example if a group decides to protest against Nike so the company shuts down their factory in Vietnam or wherever it may be, how does that affect the country the factory is in? I would think it would destroy the little bit of money that the people can make. I understand that the goal would be to fight for better wages and working conditions for the people of these countries, but then the big company would just pick somewhere new to go. The bottom line is these large companies are running a business, and paying workers more hurts their profits and their competiveness in the market. This sounds harsh, but the unfortunate reality is that business revolves around money. I realize it is better to do something for these people than nothing, but I’m not sure how you win this fight. I am honestly not even sure where to begin to help these people. You would first have to make people understand that the goods we buy would be much more expensive, and convince big companies that they would not lose money. Unfortunately it is difficult to concern people with problems not affecting themselves. In the past we have allowed people such as Hitler to commit genocide because no one wanted to get involved. I hope people take an initiative to help change the culture that promotes slavery. This semester has already taught me so much about other issues in the world, and I have come to the conclusion that there are too many for one person to try to get involved in all of them. I personally would like to spend time in Haiti working in medical care. I think this would be a welcome contribution if I could spend time helping out in that way. With that being said I hope everyone finds something in the world that they can find a way to help with and make a difference.

I think this is an interesting question because it assumes one day we will find the “gay gene.” Assuming that I knew my child was gay before he or she did would pose a difficult situation as a parent. It would be hard to explain to your child at a young age that they will be different from most people. The problem with human beings is that they want to fit in with the perceived normal at all costs even though no one can fit all aspects. I think I would like my child to naturally figure out how they feel towards others. I would not want my child judged and treated a certain way immediately. We have the tendency to stereotype all gay men as being flamboyant and all lesbians as being butch. I have met gay men that were athletic and that people might be surprised to find out he is gay. A good friend of mine from high school came out recently and did not even slightly fit the lesbian stereotype. I would not want my son or daughter to be immediately assumed to fit into this mold because they were gay. I don’t think it would be fair if my son were handed a Barbie because someone thought he would like that more than a football. I really would just want my child to make decisions about their preferences on their own. I know in our society gender roles are very ingrained. However if at all possible I would like children to see the world from their own perspective. It doesn’t seem fair to dictate their life based on a genetic marker. I would rather that my child be allowed to grow and have the experiences that he/she wanted to and determine how to best live their own life. My goal would be to show that I was supportive of any of the decisions that he/she made in life. I would do my best to leave the lines of communication open. Also I would try to expose them to gay culture. It would be important for the child to understand that while they may not be the same as some other person, there are people just like them. Maybe by the time we have discovered a gay gene there would also be a way to connect my child with other gay children. I’m not suggesting that the child would not have straight friends, but I think a place where they felt accepted would be a great resource. If by the age of 15 or 16 they did not feel supported enough to have that conversation about their sexuality with me, I would try to initiate the conversation. I would not want my child to feel alone.