We have made it quite far.
IDC3001H has been a roller coaster (insert dramatic tear drop). Like the immigrants that have made up this New York City melting pot, we all started out from different backgrounds, and the experiences we’ve had in this class united us all. It was great getting to know everyone in the class, and seeing the diverse personalities emerge. I received very helpful feedback from my friends in the class.
My favorite project, by far, was the immigration narrative. I felt like I got to know my grandmother a lot better, while going through a real, personal perspective of what NYC life was like in the 1960’s – 1970’s. (And I was really proud that my paper won first place in a contest).
I really liked the tenement tour as well. Seeing tenement life up close and personal really made me feel like I was immersed in the history. Life was definitely hard for women raising multiple children especially; what struck me the most is that destitute mothers were accidentally feeding their children toxic milk, which would eventually kill the babies. Also, seeing the many layers of wallpaper chipping through was like looking into the past.
The slides were consistently informative. They were helpful because they contained much more than bullet points – they had helpful links and videos, pictures, comparison charts, graphs, quotes, and interesting discussion questions. I believe that the slides, along with the professor’s comments and students’ input, allowed me to get a 360 degree view of the topic being discussed.
In my opinion, the lectures really focused on the history of immigration, with some mentions of how specifics groups are currently doing. I would have loved to learn more about what is going on today with immigrant groups, specifically how they are contributing to the economy, technology, schools, etc. A lot of what we learned encompassed a political and sociological perspective, like involvement with the government and how certain groups/immigrants are being treated. This is fine, however, because I feel like I have a thorough knowledge of this field.
I really like the layout of the site – it is crisp, clean, and highly organized. There are no unnecessary distractions, and everything has a place. I would not change anything about the site.
It was great getting to know all of you! Everyone in this class is so intelligent and unique–you all bring something different to the table. Like a thanksgiving feast. Everyone shares in the communal feast of knowledge. (Okay, this is getting a little too deep now. Clearly its that time of night. )
On that note, I wish everyone the best of luck next semester and in the next seminar! Who’s going to join me in that friday class? WOO!
