Blog 10

• Before starting this course at ODU, I had taken the course previously at my local community college. However, the credit didn’t transfer. I took the course as a refresher course. The information remained the same which I liked, but the way the class is set up is completely different from what I am used to. I feel as though I have achieved some of the course objectives, whereas others I struggled. The way this course has been taught does not help me learn. I feel as though it is a fairly easy class, but I do not feel motivated or that there is something to be gained. I like being tested on my knowledge often and I like feeling as though I am in classroom. This is the only course I feel this way in, which does bother me to some degree. If I had the chance to have a do over, I do not think I would take this course. I learned after starting my new job that the way it is taught does not benefit me in anyway, I do not like it. This class did teach me a skill that I will take with me and that is that stress is normal and taking time off is okay. I am looking at everything in a different light now and I feel as though this course did have something to do with it.

Blog 8

• Men upset women, and women upset men. When in relationships it can seem that the two get angered and irritated by the same things. Men can upset women by failing to communicate, jealousy, cat calling, lack of attention, and keeping secrets. Women can upset men by failing to be honest, nagging, jealousy, and lack of attention. However, it can be much deeper than what is on the surface. There are more factors that come into play when upsetting someone of the opposite gender; these factors include personality traits and relationship status. Lines can get blurred and communication can become lost. When it comes to which gets angered/upset more, I believe it to women. Men definitely know what buttons to push and can push them all simultaneously.

Blog 7

• Emotions are controlled by us. There is a link what we think and what we feel. Emotions are important and they affect our thinking. Emotional Intelligence is used to educate us about how to control/choose how to react. Self regulation is the de-escalation of intense emotions to react calmly. We tend to operate on our knee jerk reactions. Counting and breathing are techniques taught by professionals. This allows us to more open and relax our bodies. Body scans are another method to prevent ourselves from getting worked up. This removes any tensions or blocks from our bodies and does the same as the counting and breathing, but adds more space and oxygen to the body. This is all used to allow us to make more conscious decisions. We need to pay attention to judgments and emotions.

Blog 5

• In Killing Us Softly 3, I found the information to nothing further from the truth. Advertising has a way of making all women feeling dehumanized and inadequate. Women are taught that they are just things. Sex does sell in our society, but the image attached does not match how the average looks. Advertisements alter how women look by photo shopping or “subtracting more thus adding more”. Women are taught to be unnaturally and unimaginably thin. The self-esteem of young girls diminishes before it even has a chance to reach its full potential. Self-love and untouched ads are factors to be taught to fight this ongoing issue in developed society. Jean Kilbourne touched on this aspect of media that does have detrimental effects on our attitudes.
• Before this video, I have seen such distorted ads of women and have even experienced the effects. I cannot remember a time prior to this past year where an untouched women was advertised and sexualized for naturalness. Tyra Banks and Ashely Graham are the first supermodels that I associate naturalness with because they are working towards society accepting this.

Blog 4

• Initially, I was not too pleased with the results of Test 1. However, I know that I did try my best. I do not think I was 100% ready though. I despise testing, I think I do better in writing. The test itself was not as difficult as I expected it to be. I was more prepared for textbook definitions rather than applying the information to scenarios. I do think I underestimated the complexity of the test. I did not spend too much time studying only because it really does not help me. I can study for something a week in advance and do worse than if I only studied for 2-3 days. That’s just the way I learn and test. The study guide was extremely helpful though. I do not retain much from reading text over and over, so the study guide helped me to refocus on the important information in the text. I was able to understand the information a lot better now. My only mistake with the study guide was that I did not space it out, rather I did it all at once and put it away for a little bit before trying to study. This was a learning experience, for me the first test is never the best. Professors have different teaching styles and that also includes how they test. I now know what to expect and I believe that I’ll perform better.

Blog 2

• I believe that I am an average student. I do my part of the work to ensure that I am getting the best out of my education. I like to take things I learn and use them to shape me into a better person. With that being said, being able to choose my classes in college is very important to me. I really despise classes that are requirements because they tend to be lacking and do not help me to develop as a person. I do believe that one gets what they put in, meaning if you put in the effort, you will achieve your goal and vice versa. However, I am aware that “special” circumstances do exist where the individual essentially has it handed to them. Being a student, I take this all in and try to be the best student I can. Life does happen and gets in the way at times, but I do not let that stop me. It does affect my confidence as a student though. I will sometimes that little mistakes eat at me until I do something about it or if I under estimate the time it will take for an assignment, I feel if pick up the pace then it will be an assignment not worth turning in. I am human, I know I cannot be 100% perfect as a student and I do learn from these experiences. Below, I attached my results for the self-efficacy quiz. I think for myself it is pretty accurate.

Blog 1

• The course objectives that the syllabus outlines are straight forward. I feel they would be beneficial in every day life. For instance, the bullet that discusses prejudice and discrimination is something every human should have to learn and understand. Both are very prominent in our society and play a role in our country’s history. The effects they have are negative and are sometimes ignored. Another point that will help in the future is knowing the factors that influence my liking of another person and how they form close relationships. I believe that will give insight into the friends I have chose to stay close with after all this time. To ensure that I am successful in the course, I plan on taking notes from both the PowerPoints and the textbook. My notes will not a word for word copy of the information but rather a paraphrased version. My notes consist of summaries, important terms and important facts. I also have a personal planner that has not steered me wrong since I started college in 2015, so I am organized and I plan out my assignments.