Ashley Schweizer's e-Portfolio

Women’s and Gender studies was an unexpected class on my Fall 2021 course load, but a course I am so glad I took. This course focused on the study of women and their autonomy. Some of the topics researched within the class was the history of abortion, abortion methods, absue of women in slavery, and the history of birth control. Additionally, each week’s topic fell within the frameworks of reproductive justice which are; the right not to have a child, the right to have a child, and the right to parent children in safe and healthy environments. Although these are topics I was not initially interested in, Dr. Dudley-Shotwell’s enthusiastic teaching methods made the class interesting. 

Each week we were assigned a reading we were required to annotate, but we were also assigned a piece of media to watch. This included documentaries, podcasts, Youtube videos, and interviews. These pieces were always the most exciting to watch or listen to as they were more engaging. They allowed us to really understand the idea behind reproductive justice and see the emotion attached with the cause. In order to fulfill the Honors requirement, Honors students were responsible for promoting the ideals of reproductive justice in a unique way. I did this by creating an Instagram (@fightingforreproductivejustice). I worked with another student who helped create informationals about reproductive justice that I posted on the account. We promoted the account on campus and gained followers by keeping our account active. This experience was super unique as students were given total freedom on how to promote this cause. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the class and learned so much from it!

Below I have attached one of my blog posts from the course that discussed the ideals of reproductive justice with supportive text features. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1apKCNZ0DvVFPhZrzWXs-fYuaQlogHN9PKPpou6GEUgs/edit?usp=sharing

As a member of the class of 2022, we were some of the first students to enroll in citizen classes. We were placed on the civitae curriculum, unlike our predecessors. Our college career began with CITZN 110 and ended with CTZN 410. My CITZN 410 class focused on flourishing together for the common good. I believe this was a great representation of many of my classmates’ time at Longwood because several of us showed great growth as individuals. Longwood promoted the ideals of a citizen leader and truly gave us the tools to become one. This CTZN class highlighted those ideals and allowed us to discuss them with our peers.

Each week we were assigned a reading that opened discussion between the class. Some of the topics debated were technology, how to define leisure, good qualities of humans and friendships, and writings of famous philosophers. Simultaneously, we were researching how to create a nature play path in Farmville. Our class was split into several groups each focused on a specific topic. I was placed in the early childhood group where we research the best types of play for children and developmental milestones. At the conclusion of our class, we presented our research and explained how to make the nature play path a possibility in the community. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the class and thought it challenged me in a beneficial way.

Below I have attached a link to my virtue habitation reflection. Throughout the course of the class, each individual was required to select a virtue in life they hoped to improve and reflect it at the completion of the class.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dMKVapGnFLVroBtlDlacGX-24xSJIGDlEPxhmK2PQfY/edit?usp=sharing

Attached is my updated resume!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xeuxBMuD7i0O075gaXDYxqG-xaZvXtM25T1qwKpJbwk/edit?usp=sharing

MUSC 325 was a class I never expected to take but after hearing numerous amazing things about the course, I decided to register myself. This class reviewed years 1955-1975 and we explored the culture throughout this time period. We learned about the famous trends of the era, the songs that hit the Billboard Hot #100s, popular movies, and the affects of the Vietnam War on the United States. The class was lecture-based with the inclusion of music videos and clips from a documentary on the Vietnam War. I loved how Dr. Kinzer incorporated these video clips into the class because it was so much easier to understand the content once we could visualize the information. This class was writing-intensive so we did many assignments that required us to look in depth at certain songs and research the history and sound behind the songs. This was a new experience for me and really pushed me as an individual and student. As someone with a lack of music experience, this class taught me many great skills and helped me understand the deeper meaning behind music.

Below I have attached our final paper for the course. This paper required us to select five songs from the time period we researched and fully discuss them in detail. Some of the songs had to fit in certain categories such as; protest songs, topical songs, and anti-war songs. I decided to include this paper as my artifact because it really demonstrates my understanding of the content from this class!

(I wasn’t able to add the actual document because of a storage error so I have copied the text and pasted below)

Influential Songs Through the Years

Beginning in 1955, the Vietnam War spanned over 20 years lasting until April 1975. The United States officially joined the war in 1961 when U.S troops began accompanying South Vietnamese troops on operations and remained in the war until the fall of Saigon in April 1975. The war had a lasting impact on the United States and even became a cultural divide for people in the states. Within those several years there were new leaders, conventions, protests, and songs all in an effort to get the governments attention. The United States involvement in the Vietnam War caused many debates between people and remains one of the U.S.’s deadliest wars. Because of the controversy surrounding the war and time period, many artists released songs and albums to convey their feelings. Songs such as “Walk Like a Man” and “This Fightin’ Side of Me” were meant to support the war while “Eve of Destruction” and “Give Me Love” were used as protest songs. Music was a creative way for artists to showcase their opinions throughout the war and give individuals an outlet for their emotions.

Released in January 1963, “Walk Like a Man” become one of the first songs to be interpreted as a song related to the Vietnam War. This high energy song is recorded by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. This band is originally from New Jersey and is composed of band members; Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi (Wikipedia contributors, “The Four Seasons”). The band found commercial success in the 1960s and 1970s with hit songs “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” “Walk Like Man” charted #1 on the Billboard Hot #100s chart on March 2^nd, 1963 and remained on the charts for three consecutive weeks marking the bands third #1 hit (Wikipedia contributors, “Walk Like a Man”). In the song, Frankie Valli has a few solo parts but the chorus of “Walk Like a Man” is sung in harmony with the band members. The song is played at a tempo of 118 BPM and the use of a keyboard, drums, and guitar can be heard throughout the duration of the song (RhinoEntertainment). The dominant beat can easily be heard in the background keeping the band on track. The sound, “WoooOooo” is continuously heard throughout the song showcasing its cheerful sound. Franke Valli’s vocal style is crooning and is supported by the bandmates throughout the duration of the song. “Walk Like a Man” is a very upbeat song with a catchy tune that supports the meaning behind the lyrics telling listeners to literally, walk like a man.

The lyrics of the song originally share the story of a man in a bad relationship being told to “Walk Like a Man” out of the relationship. This song later became interpreted as a pro-military and pro-war song as the older generation telling the younger generation to “Walk Like a Man” into war. This song became widely popular and was later used in several films such as, Hearts and Souls in 1993, Sleepers in 1996, and Mrs. Doubtfire in 1993 (Wikipedia contributors, “Walk Like a Man”). 

Two years later, the anti-war song, “Eve of Destruction,” was released by artist Barry Maguire on an album with the same title. This song was written by P.F Sloan in 1964 and recorded by several artists, but Barry Maguire reached high success with his recording. Barry Maguire was born in Oklahoma City in 1935 and moved to California when he was two years old. He released his first song in 1961 called “The Tree” but did not receive commercial success until the release of “Eve of Destruction,” (Wikipedia contributors, “Barry Maguire”).Within the song, listeners can hear an electric bass, drums, and a harmonica that help keep the beat of the song. The sound of the song can be described as loud, dark, and brassy. The song was intended as a “Dylanesque” song with references to the folk genre. “Eve of Destruction” is played at 116 BPM and Barry Maguire has a very angry and panicked vocal style when singing (alltimebestofmusic). Maguire’s raspy voice supports the meaning behind the song of all the destruction and turbulence that was occurring throughout the world.

The lyrics make references to the Vietnam War, the draft, Civil Rights, Cold War, the nuclear threat, and the Middle East making it a very topical song. The song was so controversial it was banned on some American radio stations and conservatives called it “an aid to the enemy.” The lyrics “Don’t you understand what I’m trying to say? Can’t you feel the fear that I’m feeling today? If the button is pushed, there’s no running away. There’ll be no one to save with the world in a grave,” demonstrates his belief that the world was truly approaching self-destruction. Many conservatives believed the song benefited the Communist in Vietnam and was not reflective of the United States. The song began at #103 on the Billboard charts and it eventually rose to #1 within two months (Wikipedia contributors, “Eve of Destruction”). This anti-war song became very influential during the time period and is known as one of the most popular songs referencing the Vietnam War.

Another very influential song was released a few years later in 1967 by Aretha Franklin, called “Respect.” Originally released by Otis Redding in 1965, the song told the story of the traditional family dynamic of the man working all day, coming home and demanding respect from his wife. Aretha Franklin took the song and put her own spin on it spelling out the word respect, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” and making it a Civil Rights Anthem. Aretha Franklin, also known as the Queen of Soul, was born in March 1942 and went on to become a singer, songwriter, actress, pianist, and Civil Rights Activist. She went on to record 112 charted singles on the Billboard Charts with 77 of them being Billboard Hot 100s entries (Wikipedia contributors, “Aretha Franklin”).

Franklin’s version of the song became a cultural sensation and Civil Rights/ Feminist Movement anthem. It reached number #1 on the Billboard charts in June 1967. The song is played at 114 BPM with a strong influence of a jazz band. The sound of the song can be described as strong and rich. There is a heavy presence of drums, saxophone, brass instruments, and background singers (TatanBrown). The background singers can be heard singing in harmony with the phrase of “just a little bit.” Aretha dominates the song with her strong vocal style and can be heard demanding respect throughout the song. The strong female lead throughout the song supports the meaning behind the lyrics demonstrating the desire and demand for respect from the world. The lyrics were interpreted as the story of women demanding respect from the world and that they deserve nothing short of it. Because of the impact this song had, I would easily define it as an agent of change. “Respect” was a cry for change and could be seen as a turning point in the Civil Rights and Feminist Movement (Wikipedia contributors, “Respect”). In 2014 President Obama said, “She had no idea [“Respect”] would become a rallying cry for African Americans and women and anyone else who felt marginalized because of what they looked like, who they loved,” (Obama, 2014, as cited in Rhodan, 2014) which demonstrates how this song was truly an agent of chart. “Respect” was a defining song of the century and can easily be identified as a Civil Rights anthem.

Released in 1970, “This Fightin’ Side of Me” was written and performed by Merle Haggard and The Strangers. The song was an instant hit reaching #1 on the Billboard charts in January 1970 where it remained for three weeks. Merle Haggard was born in April 1937 in California and rose to fame with his song contrary to the popular anti-war themes. Over his career he had over 38 number one hits on the Billboard charts and has had a very successful career (Wikipedia contributors, “Merle Haggard”). Within the song, listeners can hear the use of an electric guitar, drums, string guitar, and a tambourine. The sound of the song can be described as natural and traditional. At 1:07 there is an instrumental solo of the electric guitar which attempts to give the song a more modern style. The song has 99 BPM and Merle Haggard has a very informative, storytelling type vocal style (MerleHaggardVEVO). The sound of the song is very old- school and supports the lyrics by sounding extremely patriotic. The lyrics tell the story of a character who is very patriotic and loves America. The song supports the troops singing, “our fightin’ men have fought and died to keep.” The lyrics also allude to the fact only “wimps” would oppose the “wars we fight,” making a reference to the Vietnam War (Wikipedia contributors, “This Fightin’ Side of Me). Unlike majority of the songs during this time period, “This Fightin’ Side of Me,” supported the war and became an anthem for Conservatives.

Shortly before the end of the war, George Harrison released the song, “Give Me Love,” in 1973. Born in February 1943, George Harrison was an English musician who later became the lead guitarist of the international band, The Beatles. The song was released on his album, Living in the Material World, and became his second U.S. #1 hit (Wikipedia contributors, “George Harrison”). The simple guitar strumming dominates the beat in the song and George Harrison’s smooth and peaceful voice demonstrates his typical vocal style. The song is played at 81 BPM and asks for peace (Shane Woodbury). The sound of the song can be described as very simplistic and smooth. The lyrics in this song are very positive and spiritual which overlaps with Harrison’s love for Hindu culture (Wikipedia contributors, “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)”). The soft and simple tempo support the lyrics main theme of a desire for harmony. Many Americans referenced this song to the Vietnam War and used the song as a means to ask for peace from war.

Ranging from 1963-1973, the music industry was greatly influenced by the release of so many current and topical songs. These songs related to the events occurring around the world and were an outlet for people to express their opinions. Although I think all the songs discussed throughout this paper were extremely influential, I believe “Respect” by Aretha Franklin had the greatest impact during the time period and is still influential in modern times. “Respect” sparked and became an anthem for the Civil Rights and Feminist Movements demonstrating its ability to be an agent of change (Wikipedia contributors, “Respect”).

This time period was extremely controversial and turbulent for citizens of the United States. The war had a lasting impact on society which was reflective through the music industry, the movie industry, and social movements. Although the times were turbulent, people were unafraid to speak out and used the arts to showcase their opinions. Because of this, many influential and topical songs were released; many of which we discussed throughout this paper. These songs made a lasting impression on the world and are still influencing society in modern times.

Works Cited

alltimebestofmusic. “Barry McGuire – Eve Of Destruction.” YouTube, YouTube, 10 Mar. 2013,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfZVu0alU0I.

“Aretha Franklin.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Mar. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin.

“Barry McGuire.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Mar. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_McGuire.

“Eve of Destruction (Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Feb. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eve_of_Destruction_(song).

 “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).” Wikipedia, 18 Mar. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_Me_Love_(Give_Me_Peace_on_Earth).

“Merle Haggard.” Wikipedia, 15 Mar. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_Haggard.

MerleHaggardVEVO. “Merle Haggard – The Fightin Side Of Me (Live).” YouTube, 20 Oct.

2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIxBmyRQlwQ.

“Respect (Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Mar. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect_(song).

RhinoEntertainment. “The Four Seasons – Walk Like A Man (Official Audio).” YouTube,

YouTube, 15 Feb. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzoIvwNqKpw.

Rhodan, Maya. “President Obama Misspells Respect During Women of Soul Event.” Time,

Time, 7 Mar. 2014, time.com/15556/barack-obama-aretha-franklin-respect/.

Shane Woodbury. “George Harrison-Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth).” YouTube, 29

Dec. 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-KAvPbO8JY.

TatanBrown. “Aretha Franklin – Respect [1967] (Aretha’s Original Version).” YouTube,

YouTube, 17 Oct. 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FOUqQt3Kg0.

“The Fightin’ Side of Me.” Wikipedia, 28 Feb. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fightin%27_Side_of_Me.

“The Four Seasons (Band).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Apr. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Seasons_(band).

“Walk Like a Man (The Four Seasons Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Jan. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_Like_a_Man_(The_Four_Seasons_song).

Wikipedia contributors. “George Harrison.” Wikipedia, 28 Mar. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison.

After experiencing online classes in Spring 2020, I knew I was able to keep up with the workload and follow the schedule easily so I decided to take SOCL 320 over Summer 2020. Each week we were given a PowerPoint to take notes on, a reading to complete, a media type assignment to listen or watch, and then a discussion where we would apply what we learned. I found this class structure to be extremely beneficial because it could be applied to any learning preference and actually required students to apply their knowledge. This class focused on the different types of education and the effects different surroundings or areas can have on students. For example, we listened to a podcast that was centered around a school located in downtown Chicago with a very high crime rate. In turn, many of the students at this school were struggling, not attending class, or participating in illegal activities. This affected their ability to learn and also affected their classmates as well. Some other topics we discussed in the class were charter schools, the achievement gap, and inequalities in the education system such as socioeconomic status and race/ ethnicity. As a future educator, I found this class to be extremely eye-opening and relevant to my future.

Towards the end of the class, we were required to complete an annotated bibliography where we were assigned to research an inequality in the education system. For my assignment, I decided to research gender equality in the classroom. This annotated bibliography was one of our biggest assignments within the course so I thought it would be a great artifact to include in this blog as a way to demonstrate my knowledge and understanding of this course.

(The paper exceeded the limit so I had to copy and past the text)

Winslow, S., & Davis, S. N. (2016). Gender inequality across the academic life course. Sociology Compass, 10(5), 404–416. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12372

In Gender Inequality Across the Academic Life Course, authors Sarah Winslow and Shannon N. David introduce and analyze the many inequalities women face in academics and propose several solutions. Much of their research is based on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1991 report on women’s status in sciences. The MIT report was eye-opening based on the fact it reported inequalities ranging from office space, salaries, teaching assignments, and even decision making. Winslow and David decided to advance this idea and apply it to modern academics. Upon further investigation, they discovered modern women are surpassing men in college graduation rates yet there is still segregation in the labor market. The authors contend that much of this is due to caretaking responsibilities for women.  Although women have higher graduation rates, often times it takes women longer than men to complete these degrees. Women are forced to face real- life issues such as pregnancy that may hinder their opportunities in education and the workforce. Because of the way gender is institutionalized in the United States, women are expected to prioritize their family and leave behind their career or education. Winslow and David contend this to be unfair and a large reason for the growing gender gap in academics for women. The authors propose women be provided with academic and work benefits to alleviate stress. Some of the benefits could be on-site lactation rooms for nursing mothers, access to low-cost child care, and longer maternity leave. The authors argue these benefits have been proven to be successful and should be put into practice throughout the country. Along with caretaking tasks, the authors argue women need successful mentors. Mentors will provide the women with model strategies for balancing the two life responsibilities. By providing women with mentors, they will learn how to navigate and balance both education and the workforce thus allowing them to do both.

Sarah Winslow and Shannon N. David, authors of Gender Inequality Across the Academic Life Course, both originate from educationally rich backgrounds and successful careers. Winslow received her Bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College in Psychology-sociology and Women’s Studies and went on to receive her Master’s and Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in Sociology. Winslow devotes her research to specifically gender and family and has been published several times. Currently, she is working at Clemson University serving as Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of National Scholars Program. Shannon N. Davis received her BA in Sociology from the University of North Carolina and went on to receive her MA and Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in Sociology. Furthermore, she went on to follow that with a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Davis devotes her research to understanding the reproduction of gender inequality in institutions in higher education and with families. Similar to Winslow, David has published many pieces including co-writing a textbook. Currently, she is working at George Mason University serving as Associate Professor of Sociology. Together, they were able to research many topics and inform many people of the gender oppressions occurring. Although they didn’t provide readers with much of their own research, they were able to prove their arguments using data from other projects with similar interest. The use of their data along with other respected professionals’ data created a very concrete article that was eye-opening.

Throughout the article, the authors heavily focused on the idea of providing women with work and academic benefits. Creating longer maternity leaves seems simple, but in reality, that could unwind a whole realm of problems. Some companies may use this as another way to discriminate against women, and could potentially even refrain from hiring women or allowing them to attend school under these pretenses. Unless mandated by the United States for every institution, longer maternity leave would be another way to isolate women and push them out of education/ the workforce. Although longer maternity leave can be seen as a weakness, the implementation of lactating rooms can be seen as a strength from the solution. The implementation of these rooms would help women feel more comfortable during these stressful times and allow them to work during it. Furthermore, on-site daycares or low-cost childcare centers would be a great asset and help motivate/ allow women to stay active in their education or career. Beyond caretaking solutions, the authors proposed the idea of mentors for struggling women. Although this seems beneficial, after further research the authors reported that mentoring systems were rare especially in higher education. Along with that, it was reported most successful mentors chosen were white male men because they are institutionalized as ideal workers. Pairing struggling women with male mentors could potentially lead to more gendered challenges and defeat the whole purpose of the idea. Creating a more structured mentoring system that used mainly women could lead to greater success and be more beneficial in the long run. Throughout the article, Sarah Winslow and Shannon N. David introduced many interesting ideas and proposed many solutions that I hope to see implemented in our country soon.

As mentioned earlier, I have never had an interest in science so when I saw the opportunity for biology online, I decided to sign up. Although this is an unconventional way to take a science class, I thoroughly enjoyed it. We got to create lessons for future students while taking notes from our professor. We learned about the animal kingdom and all the parts of cells. I got to do lab experiments at home which was super fun. My favorite lab from the course either the seed growing lab or the owl pellet examination. I loved this part because all the fun parts of biology are in the lab, so incorporating that hands-on approach with an online class was amazing. Each week we were given a module to complete and the course was lined out nicely. I was able to easily follow along with the course all while maintaining my job at home. I learned a lot from this course and hope to take some of the skills learned into my own classroom.

I have attached my report from the owl pellet lab and all my findings from it. I decided to include this lab because it was one of my favorites from the class. I learned how to dissect something and understand what comes out of it. I was able to discover what the owl was eating and how it affected the bird. This will be very useful to me in the future and will allow be to understand the world from a different perspective.

As you heard earlier, French is not one of my strong suits. I have always loved the idea of the French language, but was never good at it. After coming to Longwood, I learned how to really immense myself in the culture and learn from it. My FREN 211 course focused more on French culture and how to speak the language as if we were there. I found this course very usefully as I learned words I would attempt to use if I ever visited France. This class required us to speak a lot and practice the language which was usefully. Even though I wasn’t very good at pronunciation, I tried to answer every question I could to better my speaking ability. We did a lot of speaking projects and in class practice activities to work on our speaking. This really benefited me and allowed me to learn more from my peers. Dr. Amoss was very helpful and loved to see us to try. He allowed me to see the language in a different perspective and actually allowed me to enjoy the course. Overall, I learned some useful things in this class and hope I get to use these skills in France someday.

I have attached one of our papers that we wrote through the semester.  In this paper we talked about some problems we have noticed at Longwood and offered some solutions. I thought this was a great piece to include because it really demonstrates my ability to write in French. It shows I am capable of writing in French, but also problem-solving in French. This piece was really hard for me to write but I am so proud of the way it ended up!

My ENSC class was one I was very nervous about but ultimately ended up loving. I have never  really enjoyed science, but I heard great things about Dr. Straker and decided to sign up for his class. Dr. Straker was one of the best professors I have had thus fur and allowed to really enjoy the topics we were studying. This class was presentation based and really had me step out of my comfort zone. We studied the coastal environment and even were assigned a speech where we were talked about environmental issues in our own communities. Each class we were presented a PowerPoint but Dr. Straker always made them interesting by including videos or pictures. This helped keep all of us engaged and allow us to see a visual. Dr. Straker was great with the transition to online classes and helped keep all of us on track. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this class and learned a lot.

I have attached a coastal research article where we researched a coastal issue from a certain area that was current news. This relates to our class as I as required to research and write about issues we were studying in class. I hope from this knowledge gained I can be a more environmentally friendly  human on earth.

For my enhancement project I decided to partner with a fellow honors member, Bailey Nixon, and write an article about how to adapt classroom lessons. After discussing participles in our grammar course, we began to wonder how grammar lessons could be applied to students with autism. Both of us are passionate about learning and are studying to become teachers. After graduation, we plan on having inclusive classrooms where learning is not limited to just general education students. In order to do this and gain the best skills possible, we wanted to delve into research about students with autism and how to provide them with an effective education. Since grammar is such an important topic in every grade, we decided to research and enhance a grammar lesson that teachers could easily adapt and use with their students–whatever their learning abilities.

Our article specifically focused on a participial phrase lesson from Benjamin and Berger and focused on how to adapt it for a student with Autism. We worked closely with Dr. Smith, our ENGL 382 professor, and she helped guide us throughout the whole project. Together we came up with new lesson ideas, new goals for the students, and discovered how they could be implemented in the classroom. We also created some handouts that could be used in the classroom as well. Due to the circumstances, we had to present our project virtually but regardless it was still a great experience. This enhancement project taught me a lot about myself and I could not have done it without Bailey or Dr. Smith.

I have attached our article regarding our research that we submitted for publication.

Dr. Blincoe’s love, sex, friendship class was unlike any class I have ever taken. The course focused on relationships between humans and the interactions they have. He presented the information in unique ways and allowed the students to be more than just someone sitting in a desk. Each week we were given a different reading assignment related to the topic we were studying and we were expected to analysis it. We could ask as many questions as we wanted and then the rest of class would be discussion based.  I learned how to analysis literature and apply it to my life in this class. The class discussions were easily my favorite part of this course as it allowed us to not only vocalize our own opinions, but also hear from our peers. The discussions we had opened my eyes to ideas I had never thought of before and allowed me to think outside the norm. The way he presented class made sitting for fifty minutes enjoyable, and kept me thoroughly engaged. This random class selection ultimately became my favorite class of the semester.

I have attached our final research assignment where we were expected to write a paper about how to form, maintain, and conduct a friendship and include sources discussed in class. Beyond those sources, we were expected to find other reliable sources that could be applied to our paper. This research assignment was very enjoyable as it allowed us to put our own spin on the topic.