Society and its Monsters

Going into this class I had no idea what to expect.  I had signed up for a different class, but that professor went on paternal leave, so I and many others were placed into Society and its Monsters.  This course proved to be challenging, as we investigated how society perceives a “monster” through several short stories and novels such as Frankenstein and Annihilation.  This course made me think in ways that I had not thought of before, spawning creative thinking and a more open mind.  The biggest takeaway from this class was my presentations on Jordan Peele’s movies, Us and Get Out.  I explored topics of different forms of racism and the idea of the false fantasy of the “American Dream.”  Having the freedom to choose the topic and media of our argument was very exciting and also challenging.  We also had the opportunity to present panel discussions on these topics at research day in Fall 2019.  And on top of it all, I was able to make some great friends from our presentation group!  Overall, this class majorly helped my public speaking skills and my ability to think outside the box.

Below is my outline for my Get Out film presentation on race issues in America, specifically about the major effects that subtle racism has on African Americans.  This marked a major moment in the class where I finally mastered how to give a successful presentation.  This argument was also used in our panel discussion.