Comment in two separate paragraphs.
1) PARAGRAPH 1: READ your classmates' comments and write about something nobody has mentioned yet (i.e. choose an original detail.
Thinking back about the first meeting, choose a SMALL DETAIL that made a particular impression on you, something that your remember and still makes you think.
Why?
What does it say about you that you remember that particular?
(It can be about anything: the cartoons, the course requirements, stereotyping, 5-minute university, etc. etc.)
2) PARAGRAPH 2: Explain the students who were not in class what in your opinion was the most important thing you took away from the meeting (in other words: what did they miss.)
Thinking back to our initial meeting, the detail that has stuck with me the most has been the meaning of the term “tribe,” as discussed in class. I was amazed at how one word could hold so many unique meanings for so many separate groups, as I was under the impression before the meeting that “tribe” referred to solely Native Americans. In addition, I learned that tribes are composed of any concentration of people who share a common bond and connection, which opens the doors for a multitude of groups under this concept (such as Brooklyn, American, and Italian American tribes, just to name a few). Considering the fact that I am still contemplating and mulling over this idea days after it was introduced in the lecture, I feel it speaks volumes about my curiosity regarding the diverse cultures and backgrounds of others, and how I am always looking to learn more about how those different from myself perceive and view things. The concept of tribes in class did just that for me, and that is why I enjoyed it so much.
ReplyDeleteIf you were not present for the opening lecture, then you must understand, first and foremost, that the class is based upon the experiences of Italian American immigrants in America, and NOT about Italians living in Italy. This ties directly into the concept of tribe that I mentioned above, as this particular group, like so many others over the course of history and today as well, managed to build up from and cherish their cultural connection to succeed and ultimately persevere in new land/territory, which is the notion that this class will explore and be based upon. Finally, you must understand that lateness is not tolerated and that all assignments must be completed in full at all times, not only to receive a solid grade but also as a means of keeping the class moving at a steady pace and, to a further extent, taking something important away from it.
1) Whole class was interesting for me, but cartoons that we saw about todays presidents made me think. mostly pictures of Obama. I was shocked how people say or create those types of materials and put the to whole world. For me as an immigrant that came to this country not that long ago all of these not comfortable, I thing people should respect person that is on top of whole country. I still remember those picture, I retell them to my family.
ReplyDelete2) I thing students that missed first class did not get familiar with class, it’s requirement and especially with professor. Because before the first class I had really different more negative thought about him, but after seeing him in real I thought that I really was wrong. I opened up more new information for myself.
1. Our first class was definitely not what I expected. I figured that we were going to discuss points about Italian immigration and start working on Sons of Italy. Many of the things that we discussed were issues that in today’s society are still tough concepts to grasp. Although many of the things we did were interesting, something that stuck to me was writing down how people perceive certain “tribes” and the stereotypes behind them. In most environments, it is very hard to talk about race and ethnicity in an open-minded matter. This exercise gave us an opportunity to face the stereotypes that are said about different groups of people including our own. When I was a teenager growing up starting from middle school, I was ashamed of the group that I am associated with and was afraid to tell people that I was of that group. It was not because I was unhappy with it. It was due to my peers’ reactions and negativity towards this specific group. This is why this topic was important to me. I have learned to accept my ethnicity and the group that I am in because I do love everything about my cultural background.
ReplyDelete2. To the students who missed the first class, I felt as if this meeting was a way of acknowledging diversity and how people in the class come from places all around the world. Acceptance of oneself and where they come from is essential in order to be open-minded about others.
Thinking back to our first class meeting, a small detail that stuck out in my mind was the political cartoons that Professor Fabio Girelli-Carasi showed us. The cartoons that stuck out the most to me were the one's that depicted the italian american immigrants as rats and criminals. Growing up in Brooklyn, NY I have witnessed and experienced all different types of racism. The racism against italians was sometime I wasn’t too educated on, and have not witnessed first hand. The cartoons showed me how ironic it is that at one point italian immigrants were treated terribly, and today I myself know many italian families that support Donald Trumps harsh rhetoric when discussing Mexican and Muslim immigrants.
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing that I took away from our meeting was how people can stereotype different groups of people so easily when it is not directly to their face. This is similar to when people slander others over the internet, it is easy to write down some harmful words but it is harder to say it to a real live humans face. The exercise Professor Fabio Girelli-Carasi made us do showed me how easy it is to stereotype a tribe of people, simply based on what others have told me. I learned a little bit about each of the places that the students in class are from, and this was a very eye opening thing for me. In today's world, everything that the United States is going through, our first class meeting just showed me once more that we are all people of the same species and we need to treat each other the way we would like to be treated.
1) What still comes to my mind when I think of this class is the word "tribe". I find that as I continue to progress in the classwork the identification of our tribe is becoming more and more evident. I like that Prof.Fabio Girelli-Carasi is teaching us about this.
ReplyDelete2) For those who missed the class they missed a real eye opener to what the class will be about. The professor went over some key points about the class, it's not simply going to be about Italian-Americans, but much more. As such the students who missed the class can have a different impression of the professor or what the class will entail.
In thinking about our first class meeting, what I am stuck thinking about is how the Professor got us to open up about our ideas based on different "tribes." Making us write down stereotypes associated with the Italian American tribe, as well as the stereotypes associated with the tribes that we personally associate ourselves with was a really unique way to break the ice within the class. This speaks volumes of what this course is going to be like, allowing us to really think, to dig deep, and to reflect on the way that we treat others, how we want to be treated, and how we want to treat those around us.
ReplyDeleteIf you missed class, something that you should really take into account is how important the Professor's requirements are. Your assignments need to be organized exactly how he dictates them, and your email subject also needs to be exactly how he wants them to be, otherwise your assignment will not be accepted. It's pretty easy to follow his instructions, so I suggest looking at them carefully and allowing yourself time to make sure that they are followed.
1. For our first meeting, what stood out to me the most were the political cartoons. They stood out to me because they were similar or identical to political cartoons today. The specific cartoon that I remember is the one where the Italians are shown as rats coming across the ocean and onto Uncle Sam's ship. I remember this one in particular because Professor Carasi showed us a more recent cartoon of Mexicans also shown as rats flooding the Rio Grande. This really shows how history repeats itself and that hatred will always be around but the people who are hated change. This brings a sense of unity to a lot of different people because most of us have experienced some kind of hate in our lives.
ReplyDelete2. To the students who missed class, I believe the most important thing to take from the first meeting are the class requirements. They will not be accepted if they do not follow the requirements. And the requirements are clearly stated so that there is no confusion. Furthermore in the first meeting I think most of us came to realize that this class is about much more than Italian Film and Literature which makes it all the more interesting. It focuses on Italian culture but the professor also organizes the course to tie in culture on a global level which makes the material easier to understand and relate to.
The most interesting part of our first class was learning that our professor protests/demonstrates against things that our government is doing that are not appropriate. I appreciate that because it shows us, as students, that there is always some battle to be fought and we can have our voice heard. In the context of the class it is important because the Italian-Americans faced discrimination when they came to the country in droves in the early 20th century. Now other ethnic groups that are coming to the country are facing the same type of discrimination and history is repeating itself. What speaks to me about it is that we are all players in this world and we can make a difference. The last thing we want is for our children to be reading a textbook about the discrimination that was present in our country in 2017.
ReplyDeleteFor students who weren’t at the first class the key takeaway is that this is not a class where the professor wants you to regurgitate information. This class gets to sensitive topics such as discrimination and racism and because of that before you write, you must get down to the gut level and your feelings.
What I remember in particular, detail by detail was the part in the lecture where Professor Carasi pulled up Google Earth, and started asking the class to mention a country, or rather the "tribe" you would like him to tune into. He would then mention the stereotypes that particularly based on that tribe. It was interesting to see the different stereotypes that were attached to the tribes, how much he knew, and how much I didn't know before then. I remembered this particular part because aside from it being hard to forget, I was surprised to know how little there was to say about my tribe.
ReplyDeleteThe first meet was vital to understanding where this classes is rooted from. It involved sharing out thoughts, making us think about what certain things meant to us just by hearing the word, for example: paint a clear picture of what image pops into your head when you hear the word "tribe". Getting into this thinking mode allowed us to open up, and really take in the lecture on tribes, and stereotypes these tribes were labeled with. I think the most important think I walked away with from the lecture was my view on other tribes, including my very own. The history attached to tribes, stereotypes in general, and microscopically.
The thing that I remember most about the first meeting, was the 5 minute university. The Father was stating that he wanted to crest a 5 minute university because we spend about 5 years in college, and a year after receiving the degree, we only remember about 5 minutes of information. This left an impression on me, because I am a year away from graduating and I honestly do not remember much information that I learn in the previous 3 years.
ReplyDeleteFor those who were not in the first meeting, one thing that you missed was that Professor Carasi, is extremely specific with the ways we send him emails and assignments. If it does not follow the format, he will not grade your assignments. Just stick to his guidelines and you will do well in the class.
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ReplyDeleteI remember the 5-minute university the most because it really is the truth sometimes when it comes to school. Some of us are really memorizing information just to get a good grade and pass, but are we REALLY storing all this information way after that class is over? The best example from this video was about “Spanish class” I took Spanish in middle school all the way up to high school and I can only speak basic Spanish. Now if I wanted to be serious about Spanish I believe I could learn on my own without school. Just the structure of school alone shaped me into thinking the way that Guido in the video was expressing.
ReplyDeleteI could say the most important thing taken away from not attended a face to face meeting for an online course is putting a face to the screen names we see on the blogs. To formally introduce ourselves to the class and professor and seeing who we will be replying and writing to on the blog.