Sandra's Blog

     This excerpt will follow a different pattern than the rest as I’ve decided to reflect on my learning throughout the first part of the semester as a whole instead of focusing on a specific class. This semester has been a breath of fresh air, and I have had so many new opportunities. To sum it up in one word, I’m feeling grateful. This first half of the semester has had highs and lows, as can be expected with any period of time, but looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. This semester has been unique for me because I am usually constantly slammed with work to do. As a pre-med major, my past three years have consisted of taking multiple biology and chemistry courses simultaneously on top of my normal life. Balancing all of my commitments with my assignments was an art, and usually, the part of my life that suffered most was my sleep schedule. However, this semester, after already applying to medical school and taking the MCAT, I’m only taking one science class. The re...

     Learning about the Millerite movement revealed the heartbreaking consequences of putting all of your trust in someone and being let down. The followers of this movement truly believed William Miller when he told them that Christ’s second coming would take place on October 22, 1844. When Christ did not come on this date, many people were left homeless and disappointed. I can’t imagine the pain and betrayal that these people felt when they realized that they had been fooled.      William Miller was able to gain immense support by using the Bible and lengthy calculations to convince others that the date he selected was correct. I think that people believed him because the way he explained his process used methods that people were familiar with. A lot of his evidence came from the Bible. During this time period, people were extremely religious, meaning that if the origin of this date could be traced to the Bible, they were likely to trust it. Unfortunately...

  I found these articles to be intriguing because although the werewolf is presented in many different films and stories, I had never questioned its origins. It is shocking that the legend of the werewolf is over 4,000 years old. Similar to the Salem Witch Trials and the witch trials that took place across Europe, I think the terror surrounding werewolves was so easily accepted because there were people who claimed it happened to them. For example, Burgot and Verdun claimed that they turned into wolves and committed atrocious acts. Their confessions, paired with the age of the folklore, could have come together to make the stories believable at the time. The werewolf has become such a familiar figure that it is interesting to consider how legends like this can seem true when there is enough “proof.”      After reading these articles, I was most surprised to learn that over 30,000 people were executed in werewolf trials. This number baffled me, and I’m confused as t...

     Out of all the films that we’ve watched so far, The Wave has been my favorite because it opened my eyes to a possibility that I had never considered before. Sophie and Styrling started the class by asking the question, “Do you think something like Hitler’s regime could happen again today?” I didn’t raise my hand because, before watching this film, it wasn’t a possibility in my mind. However, after seeing the film, I now see that not only is it possible, but it can happen surprisingly easily. The key is that the movement gets slowly built up over time, so most of the people involved don’t realize how far it has gone. The film begins with a class on anarchy and one on autocracy. In the autocracy class, the teacher immediately begins to build uniformity among his students; he tells them to dress the same and mixes up friend groups, so that everyone feels equal in the class. While watching, I found myself wondering why some students were trying to go against the norm. ...