I have to be honest. This class went by very quickly! When I
decided to take this class I was doing so on the basis of fulfilling elective
credits that I needed to graduate. I have one class after this one and I will
have my bachelor’s degree. I have to admit that the class surprised me. I was
under the impression that it was a diversity class when my advisor recommended
it. She stated that she had taken it and that it was an interesting and
fulfilling class. After 12 weeks I have to agree. I was not aware of numerous items
that we covered and there were a few that stuck out to me.
·
I was very impressed with the ideas and also
scared of the notion of overpopulation as laid out by Malthus in chapter 2. I
had never taken the time to consider the possibility of the world’s people
outgrowing the ability to provide for themselves, and to be honest it is quite
scary! I also have to be amazed at Thomas Malthus’s ability to calculate this
type of data at a time when there was limited scope to the possibilities that
technology and the industrial revolution would bring to people. It was a very
limited time in the world’s existence. Oh how our scope has broadened.
·
I was also amazed by the size of the English language
and the number of people that actually speak it worldwide. I was also under the
impression that it was not as widely diverse and contained so many different
dialects. I think that this gives a really good view of the attempts of Europe
to expand and the influence that they had throughout Europe, the Middle East
and Africa during the early centuries of our world (1200’s – 1500’s).
·
I was also amazed at the differences between folk
and popular culture. This was also a topic that I had never really considered
or spent time thinking about. The things that my family and I did growing up
had never really stuck out to me as “folk” culture until I realized the
differences between the two. I too and scared of the onset of popular culture and
the way that it can snuff out the important cultural things that define us in
our individual regions. When I stop and think about the ways that things have
changed in my lifetime (for example the way that cooking has become trendy and
the “style” of cooking and preparing meals today as compared to the down home,
roll up your sleeves and throw it together method on the kitchen table, that
seems so normal then and old fashioned now) and the ways that they will into
the future it makes you realize how ways of life can wither and disappear.
The things that stuck out to me
the most were in the beginning of the 12 week class. As we rolled on the class
became more heavily layered with reading and assignments. It was harder to keep
up with it and I wish I would have had more time to devote to certain areas of
my homework. But that is the reality of working full time and having a 4 year
old little girl! I wouldn’t have it any other way though. I was amazed and my
eyes were definitely opened to the ideas and concepts of expansion and
diffusion of religions and customs worldwide. Overall I enjoyed interacting
with everyone in this class and it helped me see a different viewpoint from
other people that you don’t always get the benefit or realizing. This is one
thing that I have enjoyed about online classes and discussion boards. I wish
everyone the best and good luck with their educations and futures!
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