Dr. Dudley-Shotwell assigned many in-depth reading and video analyses of the history and culture of modern times. Unlike many of my previous history classes, the course focused more so on minority groups and the tactics they used to gain more rights. The reading assignments were also interesting as they showed how vastly different interpretations of the same time period or event can be made. I chose my final project for the class as my artifact as it is a great example of the different aspects of the 20th century that we covered throughout the semester. The final project was a great way to connect many of the different decades and events that I had learned about with one underlying topic of economics.

Human Behavior and Social Institutions

PHIL 200: Introduction to Philosophy, Fall 2018

Throughout the course, we explored and examined popular philosophical theories and philosophers. Using the Socratic method, the class raised questions about the arguments made in various theories to increase our understanding of the theory. The artifact attached is an analysis of an argument that I completed for my final exam. This class worked to examine what makes an argument valid or not. It proved to me that almost no argument is truly valid.

Final Exam Phil 200 – Amber Thomas

Global Citizenship

SPAN 111: Intensive Beginning Language and Culture, Spring 2019

Spanish 111 with Profesora Sanchez was a great review of the Spanish classes I completed in high school. It was also great to learn more about Spanish culture from a Spanish native. The attached artifact is an example of the homework I would receive each week to practice my Spanish skills while also furthering my knowledge of Spanish speaking countries. The Gauchos of Argentina I found to be especially interesting. Working with Profesora Sanchez is something I will never forget. I even tried my first dehydrated cricket in her class!

Lab el 22 de Abril – Amber Thomas

Aesthetic Expressions

ENGL 210: Forms and Genres – Neo-Slave Narratives, Fall 2018

This was my first Black Studies course with Dr. Jesse and it opened up my eyes to a lot of injustices that African Americans experienced and are still facing to this day. Without this course, I would not be as aware of some of the racist legislation we had and still have. It was a great lesson in how writing has worked to increase political awareness across the country during times like the Abolition Era and how these works are still being written today in the form of neo-slave narratives. The artifact attached is a great reflection of the level and type of analyses I wrote for the course. One of the biggest lessons I learned from Dr. Jesse is that laws do not equal moral because the narrative is always written by the victor ie the oppressor. Thus, we are having to rewrite the narrative.

Analysis of “The Underground Railroad” – Amber Thomas

Scientific Reasoning

PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology, Spring 2019

Psychology 101 with Dr. Bjornsen gave a wide view of the various aspects of Psychology and Psychiatry. The course explained how the placebo effect can be the greatest medicine of all, the ethical lessons found through Psychological experiments, and how US policies are enabling big Pharma to advertise directly to consumers leading to diagnoses increasing with the awareness of disorders. The artifact I chose for this course is an analysis of a study suggesting that hardiness in college students can help them better manage their stress. My analysis connects the research article back to the scientific method to show that the researchers used logos to validate their study’s argument.

Psych Writing Assignment One – Amber Thomas

Quantitative Reasoning

MATH 171: Statistical Decision Making, Fall 2019

Although I am an English major, I thoroughly enjoyed this math class with Dr. Emmeroson-Stonnel. This statistics class was unlike any math class I have taken before; it was mostly focused on interpreting and analyzing the data. Meaning, there was a lot of writing. I love this kind of writing because I was able to flex my technical writing skills by describing data and what it means in the context of real life. Attached is an example of my writing I did with Taylor Yeager.

Qualitative Group Project Part II

FINA 250: Personal Finance, Fall 2018

Dr. Sturgill improved my knowledge of taxes, loans, and credit in Finance 250. I will be able to take the skills and tools I learned throughout the course and apply them to many different aspects of my finances. The project attached below allowed me to practice looking for a home and calculating my monthly mortgage. It made me realize the importance of saving and investing early in order to be able to afford the things I want.

Mortgage Project – Amber Thomas

Honors Courses