Go through the outline. We didn't cover everything I had planned, however:
- what TOPIC do you wish we had discussed more in depth (or, if we didn't get to it, you wish we had discussed?) WHY?
- what TOPIC we discussed that you thought was a waste of time? WHY?
- what TOPIC would you have introduced that is not in the outline? WHY?
IN A SEPARATE PARAGRAPH:
still relating to the lecture's outline, is there a question you would like to ask?
As usual, REPLY to a comment: choose a comment that was written AFTER yours.
I wish that we had spent more time learning more about physiognomy. It’s really interesting how people can generalize a group without meeting the individuals. I was pleased to see that we have a reading assignment about it for this upcoming class. I found the disturbing pictures of lynching to be a waste of time. We discussed regular lynch cases enough, and I don’t think the disturbing images helped. I would have loved to introduce the topic some other lynching cases. Possibly some cases of how Chinese people were lynched?
ReplyDeleteI would love to ask the class a question about the Apple iPhone discussion. Would your opinion change about Apple being forced to unlock the phones if there was certainly important information on the phone? Is the “important” information and safety more wanted than privacy?
I would also have been interested in seeing some cases of other lynching.
DeleteIn class I said that if you are a normal person, there would be no reason for the FBI to suspect you of anything. Someone having, without a doubt, ‘important’ information helps drive my statement. You are a suspicious person for a reason. Plus, I’d say people being safe/not dead is an acceptable cost.
ReplyDeleteI wish we had discussed the controversy surrounding Beyonce's superbowl performance a little more. I have an issue with the term “reclaimed” . The appreciation of black features in my opinion is not something to reclaim. For many it was never unclaimed . I don't think that any of the topics covered were useless. The scene from “ Birth of a nation “ was pretty gross. But I appreciate having seen it. I think that the deterioration of the relationship between African Americans and Italian Americans would be interesting to learn about. So far in the course they are pretty much on the same level..even considered friends. It seems as though today they hate one another. How did that happen?
I would like to know how the white thieves and murderers were interpreted during a time when only people of color were believed to be predisposed to a life of crime.
I personally really like the "debates" that go on in class like last week when we discussed the whole situation with the iphones. I wish we would have gone more into that or discussed other topics related to the same issues especially since everyone basically had the same argument. It would be cool to hear opposing opinions or maybe a twist in the original topic to create more room for disagreements and discussion. I really don't think anything that we've talked about in class so far has been a waste of time, it's always good to hear new information even if it seems pointless. It seems like this class sometimes turns to racial issues that aren't strictly "Italian related" so maybe that would have been something introduced in the outline, a broader discussion of various racial issues.
ReplyDeleteMy question is related to the iphone topic. This is probably a dumb question but isn't it already a thing that hackers are able to get into your phone? I was watching something on t.v once which showed you what hackers are able to get a hold of from your phone. They were actually even able to listen to conversations that the phone owner was having as well as had access to the camera on their phone. If this is true, then anyone could really get into your personal information anyway..right?
Are you more concerned with your personal information being stolen or an invasion of privacy? To me, what the government wants is an invasion of privacy that makes it easier for personal information to be stolen.
DeleteTo me, both of those are a concern. Obviously having your information stolen would be a more serious issue but having your privacy invaded isn't fun either. I don't have an iphone though anyway so..haha
DeleteThe topic of physiognomy could have been further discussed because it's something that I was completely unaware of. I believe that we touch so many topics in a class time that it easy for us to fall off track, but the discussions that do seem non Italian related are what keep the class alive. Often, we touch a lot of racial issues but I guess that it to show us that we all(as individuals, races, cultures etc.) probably have received some sort of racism or injustice at some point in life. Therefore, I don't believe any topic was a complete waste of time.
ReplyDeleteRelating to the outline; Are we going to focus on Italians in film or more about the racial issues Italians were faced with?
I would have loved to touch base on the topic of Beyoncé and the controversy that surrounded her Super Bowl performance a little more. I did not watch the super bowl or the half time performance this year, so I feel as if it would have been more interesting to gain insight on the opinions of those who opposed her performance, and why they thought it might have contributed even more to the racial tensions that exist in society today.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that there was any aspect of class that was a waste of time however I think the origin of the word 'picnic' was a bit disturbing and out of place in that moment in time of the class.
I would like to have known about the relations between African Americans and the Italians during this time being that the white Americans felt that they both shared similar attributes.
I watched the halftime show and totally missed what caused all the controversy. It surprises me that one word can cause so much news, but that's how the media works. I would have also liked to discuss it a bit more and hear what everyone thinks.
DeleteI wished we could’ve had a more in-depth discussion about semiotics. To me it is very interesting how people communicate in non-verbal ways. During the lecture Professor Girelli-Carasi did mention that a lynching was a warning to other members of the community but I would’ve liked to talk about how lynching was viewed by different people. For example, in the South, were whites that didn’t condone lynching appalled? Also, what kind of effect did the lynching of African-Americans have on Irish and Italian immigrants? I’m sure the targeted races weren’t the only people that took some sort of message from lynching. Another point that came up that could’ve been linked to semiotics was about how people reclaim prejudicial terms and stereotypical views as sources of pride. I would’ve liked to hear a class discussion about the messengers, messages and their intended audience. I think our class would’ve had a wide variety of opinions, questions and experiences to share.
ReplyDeleteAs a whole, the class seemed to enjoy the debate about privacy versus security in regards to the Justice Department demanding Apple to unlock iPhones to assist in criminal investigations. However, I think we spent a lot of time going over slightly different versions of the same point. It was great to have a large amount of class participation but, short of vastly exploring the other side of the argument, I do feel the time could’ve been better spent on other topics.
A topic that could’ve been included in the lecture on 2/18 is the book we’re reading, Pascal D’Angelo’s Son of Italy. I would’ve loved to hear what people like and dislike about the book. I think we could’ve had a very good discussion about the style of writing, the main themes or even how the book made us feel. I think a discussion like this would’ve given the class the opportunity to see things in the book that we didn’t see but others did. I think it is very beneficial to share our experiences in class after we read something outside of class.
With that being said, the only question I would like to ask is why haven’t we discussed Son of Italy in class yet?
I agree, I'd really like to be able to discuss Son of Italy in class. I feel like there's so much to talk about and the book has a very important message.
DeleteI too agree that we should have discussed the book a little more being that we had reading due that day. The Son of Italy contains many themes and topics that we could have went over and spoken more in depth about. We all have different interpretations of things that we read so, it would have been interesting to hear everyone's thoughts about the book.
DeleteYes, I agree with you on further discussions of the book. The book is very detailed and I feel like the author gave a very vivid account of his life and experiences;which evokes strong emotions of the reader. I also feel like his story is relatable even though most us have not gone through his kind of hardship. An example is when he thought he had hurt his friend and decided to run away. I just put myself in his shoes and was wondering what i would have done.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much to discuss in the book . I felt a sad but heroic change in the main character when his friend are killed in the " accident in the coal dump" . A harsh and lonely reality hits him and things go downhill for a very long time . He grows a lot following this tragic event .
DeleteI wish that we had spent more time dissecting the films that we watched in the previous classes alongside “Birth of a Nation”. Who were the actual intended audiences? Were the films actually offensive, and meant to offend people? Were the films meant to raise awareness to a delicate subject?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the discussion on privacy was sort of a waste of time. Parts of it were relevant and made sense to me, but most sided with ‘having privacy’ and had mostly personal/selfish reasons. “I don’t want people to know what I’m doing...”—yet I’m sure most use Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and whatever else social media we have.
I would have liked to add a topic on the book “Son of Italy” and how its different themes and motifs relate to Pascal. Interpretation of his poems, his fascination with nature, and his overall portrayal of his dreams, would create a better understanding of his feelings and thoughts of the time.
My question: How often do films affect you emotionally in general, and which genres do so more than others?
The parts of the book, by D'Angelo that I liked and found intriguing was his childhood. He was extremely poor but happy and contented with his life. His memories were vivid and remarkable. D'Angelo memories of every detail was incredible it made me feel, as if I was there with him. Another part that I remembered was went he came to America. He was surprised but not amaze. it made me think that the things I take for granted other people wish they had.
ReplyDelete