Citizen 110, or “Inquiry into Citizenship,” is one of the courses that an Honors student must complete during their first year at Longwood University. Throughout the course, various aspects of film were discussed, such as form and the definitions of different genres, such as science fiction. The class had an incredible amount of emphasis on how a film is created with different aspects, such as light, sound, and music, among others. As all significant projects were presented verbally with no visual aids, nor were they recorded, my highlight of this course is my notes from an oral presentation done at the end of the semester. I was discussing the topic of “Hiding but Shining,” or the tendency of characters to want to hide their true colors, but at the same time, be a hero. This artifact shows to prove my mastery of film review and presentation of its key points – the basis of the class, in short.

I have always been a quiet person, and this class brought me out of my shell. I usually do not speak up when questions are asked in class. However, this class was presentation-based. To do well in the class, I had to overcome my quietness. This class also improved my public speaking skills in a way I did not think was possible. Since I took this course, I plan to engage in more social events now that I know how to speak effectively. Additionally, this course provides a great benefit to my future career in social work, as speaking skills are incredibly important to any social worker’s career.