Final self-reflection, by: Melissa Moise @02644455

My viewpoint of freshman seminar was a class focusing mainly on study skills and how to survive college. I thought the class would give us advice on study habits that would be useful for the rest of college. I didn’t think that we were going to have different guest speakers every week or even go to a field trip all the way in New York.
After the second class I thought to myself why must we also have to take an African studies class, because I felt like freshman seminar was an African studies class. Most of our discussions were about our ancestors and how everything traces back to Africa. At first it was frustrating because it felt like that’s all we ever talked about, Africa. I soon realized I was learning a lot, and if I never had this class I probably would not have gone to the African Burial Ground. One of my favorite presentations was The Eloquence of the Scribes because I learned so much about Howard University’s history like how Inabel Burns Lindsay was the first female academic dean in Washington, D.C. Even though I should have researched Howard’s history on my own it made me proud to know that I attend a school that had so many ambitious leaders and it motivates me to do the same. One of the most valuable things I learned was I was put on earth to answer someone else’s prayer and that I do have a purpose.
Overall freshman seminar has been a great experience because I learned to work with others and research on my own and I also learned to meet deadlines for my blogs. If I could change one thing it would be to have the research and methodology presentation in the beginning because it completely explained what freshman seminar was and the goals for the course; it also explained what was needed for the project and it cleared a lot of confusion that I had.

Peer Presentation 2 on Dreamers and Believers, by: Melissa Moise @02644455

Dreamers and believers presentation was on HIV/AIDS and how is awareness being promoted today. Even though a few other groups discussed the topic of HIV including my group I think it is important that society is educated about it. They began their presentation with saying “HIV has no face” most people are uneducated about HIV and say it can’t happen to them or only gay men get it, but this is not the case anymore. In fact HIV cases are higher in heterosexual couples most likely because they believe it only happens to gay couples; so they do not protect themselves. Dreamers and believers first discussed the history of HIV before discussing ways awareness is being promoted. The first outbreak of HIV in New York was July 1981 and a year later scientist discovered that HIV caused AIDS. Most people believe that AIDS causes death but this is not true. When the HIV virus invades your body it commands your system to stop making cd4 cells which fight off viruses and infections, so you really die from things your immune system can’t fight off like the flu. In 1984 the first treatment was experimented on chimpanzees.
There are many ways that HIV awareness is being promoted; first there has been an increase in free HIV testing. It is offered in many places like school health centers, public clinics, and even in buses that come to you. Another way of promotion that has been popular for some years is giving out condoms whether it is at school or the clinic. A new way that HIV awareness is being promoted is through the fashion industry. The industry has came up with a few tactics like making clothing specifically to bring awareness, and even having models educate younger ones about safe sex.
I think Dreamers and believers did a great job explaining the different ways to bring awareness to HIV, and they all spoke about the topic passionately and even gave some places to get tested. I think that if the free testing continues and education about HIV increases in schools then there will be a decrease in the number of HIV victims.

Final Self-reflection By: Melat Gebre @02640216

My first perceptions about what freshman seminar would consist were not accurate. I thought the class would just be an overview of how Howard University functions. I did not expect to have guest lecturers nor did I expect a group project. My favorite part of the class was the guest lecturers and my least favorite would have to be the blog entries. Although I do not like the blog entries, I do understand that they are necessary in order for the instructors to confirm that we are learning from these lectures. The group project taught me how to work with others in a more effective way. It also served as a way to practice my public speaking skills, because we had to present in front of an audience of students and faculty. I do not enjoy public speaking so this class forced me to get out of my comfort zone. My favorite lecture of freshman seminar would have to be Dr. Gbadegesin’s lecture. I thoroughly enjoyed his story about the importance of character. I was also able to relate with him, because I am also Africa and was born in Africa. In conclusion, I do feel that freshman seminar is an important class that needs to be kept. I learned a lot from the lectures and I also learned a lot about the history of Howard that I did not know about. One suggestion I do have is that I felt like there was an organizational problem with this class. Many times things would not start on time and many people were confused on where they are supposed to be and what they are supposed to be doing. Overall, I did enjoy freshman seminar and I did learn a lot of new things.

The Chosen One's Presentation on Representations of Black Women in the Media by Tashiana Hudson @02652609

I watched The Chosen One’s presentation on representations of lack women in the media. First, the group discussed, the “mammy” stereotype, typically very maternal and not very intelligent, devoting her life to the care of white children. They gave an example of a “mammy” type in a character in the classic movie “Gone with the Wind”, contrasting it with the modern day show “Hawthorne”, in which a black woman is caring, yet intelligent and powerful. They also discussed the sexualized stereotype of the black woman and its modern representation, the video vixen.
One group member discussed the representations of black women in health in the modern day. She mentioned the National Black Nurses Association, which was founded in 1971 and Nurse’s Day, an annual event when nurses storm Capitol Hill to draw attention to health issues. Another group member discussed representations of black women in literature, citing Maya Angelou’s work and Queen Latifah’s UNITY project.
Next, a group member discussed an interview she conducted with a Psychology professor, who stated that media has a profound effect on people’s perceptions of black women. The professor also asserted that advertisements make black women feel inferior, and the only way to contrast this is to insert good representations of black women into everyday media, such as sitcoms and commercials.
They also interviewed friends, who asserted that the media only shows black women in two extremes: the damsel in distress or the overly independent role. When asked about physical representations of black women in the media, they explained that the women were usually of medium tone or lighter skin with long hair and hourglass figures. They thought that the media makes girls feel that if they do not fit this stereotype, they are not beautiful, and that the media should display more positive messages.
Another group member discussed representations of black people in fashion and society, discussing the fact that black people are usually depicted as criminals, athletes, or sidekicks. She also explained that Essence magazine just hired their fist white editor, and there was some backlash, because many felt that a white person could not understand African-American beauty issues.
Lastly, a group member interviewed Karen Roberts, who explained that black women in the media are usually displayed in extremes; they are either overly emotional or stoic and sluts or saints. Also, they usually have light skin and long hair and display promiscuous behavior. She said that there id definitely a need for a real representation of black women in the media.
I enjoyed The Chosen One’s presentation. I thought it was well thought out, thorough, easy to follow, and assimilated all of their concentrations well.

Interview with Dr. Barpha S. Mitra by Tashiana Hudson @02652609

I arrived in class the day of our interview confused as to which room I was supposed to be in and where our advisors were. When my confusion was finally cleared up and our advisors arrived, we were given the date of our presentation and handed in our revised research question before going to interview professors. Melat Gebre and Melissa Moise went to find a Biology professor to interview, while Sarah Tosi and I went in search of a Sociology professor. Naturally, we started in Locke, going to the writing center to be redirected. The staff in the writing center had no idea who the Sociology professors were or where we could find them. They told us they would e-mail us more information, but they never did.

Meanwhile, Melat and Melissa interviewed Dr. Barpha S. Mitra and shared their interview with us later. When asked about the high AIDS rate in D.C. Dr. Mitra reportedly stated that AIDS, like any other STD spreads very quickly through metropolitan areas. Dr. Mitra also discussed the idea that finding reasons why AIDS is so prevalent in D.C. is difficult because there are always so many uncontrolled variables, and the high AIDS rate may have something to do with genetics, but this has yet to be proven. Dr. Mitra pointed to the fact that this generation of D.C. residents has a lot of people who are closely linked to Africa, where the AIDS problem is greatest. Also, Dr. Mitra reminded Melat and Melissa that an individual’s lifestyle can increase their chance of contracting AIDS.

Peer Presentation 1, By: Melissa Moise @02644455

I chose to do a peer reflection on The Chosen Ones who chose to do their research problem on How does the media influence societies perception of African American Women? As an African American woman I think it’s important that young girls know they are beautiful and important no matter the shade of their skin color or their size. Most of the time black women on t.v. or in magazines are the light skin girls with the curvy bodies and “good hair” This is a problem for black girls because they think if they don’t have light skin or good hair their not pretty.
The chosen ones discussed the different stereotypes black women on t.v. faced like mammy, video vixen, and the stay at home nurse like in “Gone with the wind”. Even though there are shows like Hawthorne that represents a black woman with a respectable profession she is still light skin with a thin body. Dr. Harrell believes many young people think they have to use skin lightning creams and all these hair products to make them feel attractive and give them self-esteem. Karen Roberts who has worked on t.v. for fifteen years says, the media perceives African American women as either overly independent or sluts. The media also portrays blacks as only entertainers, athletes, and criminals, like were not good for anything else. Although there is all this negativity authors and musicians like Maya Angelou and Queen Latifah have tried to represent black women in a positive way.
Overall the chosen Ones did a great job, because their research question was relevant and they related the question to all their majors. They also gave many examples like t.v. shows, authors, and musicians. Most importantly it was an interesting topic.

Peer Presentation 2: By Melat Gebre @02640216

The group that presented was the “Dreamers and Believers”. Their topic was about HIV/AIDS. The “Dreamers and Believers” began their presentation by giving a brief summary of the history HIV/AIDS. They said that the first cases were seen in N.Y. HIV/AIDS was first called “gay cancer”. In 1985, the first test for HIV was made. “Dreamers and Believers” also said that no one dies from AIDS directly. They went on to talk about HIV/AIDS from the perspective of administrative justice and from a fashion perspective. From an administrative justice “Dreamers and Believers” said that there should be more HIV testing in penitentiary. There should also be more HIV awareness in penitentiaries. If the inmates were more aware of HIV, then the HIV rate would be lower. From a fashion perspective, models, designers are getting more proactive in the fight against AIDS. FAA is an organization that stands for fashion against AIDS, DAA stands for designers against AIDS, and MAA stands for models against AIDS. All of these organizations have a common goal of HIV prevention and awareness. “Dreamers and Believers” also mentioned that television has had a great impact on HIV awareness. More and more celebrities are doing commercials that advocate HIV awareness. These commercials are usually clever and very impactful. These commercials appeal to the younger audience, which happens to be that age group that is most affected by HIV/AIDS. Overall, I thought that “Dreamers and Believers” had a very straightforward and clear presentation. Their presentation taught me about some HIV/AIDS awareness groups.

Peer Presentation 1: By Melat Gebre @02640216

The group that presented is “The Chosen Ones”. Their topic was the influence of media on the perception of black women. They also talked about the stereotypes of black women. “The Chosen Ones” presented their topic from four main perspectives. These perspectives include nursing, English, psychology, and fashion merchandising. From a nursing perspective they mentioned Jada Pinkett Smith who plays an African American RN (registered nurse) on a popular television show. They said that this progress from when black women were shown on television as always staying in the house and wearing an apron. Smith demonstrates that working influential women are more accepted in today’s society. The second perspective was English. They mentioned Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Women”. They also mentioned Queen Latifah’s song “Unity”. “The Chosen Ones”, explained that these women are examples of people in the media who not only set a positive example for black women, but also change the perspective in which black women are displayed in the media. From a psychological perspective “The Chosen Ones” explained how the media advertises skin lightening creams and hair treatment; this causes black women to have low self-esteem. What the media displays as “beautiful” causes black women to become unhappy with their appearance, which then causes them to purchase these products. From a fashion merchandise perspective “The Chosen Ones” said that people learn from television. Many of these television shows reinforce the typical African American stereotypes. Television also depicts that “beautiful” African American women have lighter skin and long hair. Television also shows all African Americans to be the same. Overall, I enjoyed “The Chosen Ones” presentation. I felt they were very thorough and clear.

Faculty Interview By: Melat Gebre @02640216

We first meet with our faculty advisors. Our faculty advisors arrived late and then they took another 15 minutes to get everything together. I was a little bit frustrated with the lack of organization and structure. After waiting for a while, I decided to ask Dr. Kai to give my group a quick overview of the rubric used for the presentations. After explaining, Dr. Kai allowed my group to leave and begin our faculty interviews. Our group split up, Sarah and Tashi went to interview a sociology professor, while Melissa and I went to the biology building. Melissa and I interviewed Dr. Barpha S. Mitra, who is a biochemist at Howard University. Dr. Mitra said D.C. has a high HIV/AIDS rate because it follows socioeconomic patterns and the normal path of a STD. He also said that HIV/AIDS, just like many STDS, are very common in cosmopolitans; Dr. Mitra is saying HIV/AIDS is a cosmopolitan problem, not just a D.C. problem. Dr. Mitra said that although there has not been any scientific evidence yet found, some people may be more genetically susceptible to contracting HIV/AIDS than others. It is hard to pinpoint why D.C. has a higher rate of HIV/AIDs, because you cannot control the environment; so the environment is always going to be a variable within a test. Dr. Mitra also mentioned how an individual’s lifestyle can affect their chances of contracting the HIV/AIDS. One hypothesis that Dr. Mitra mentioned that I did not even think of is that D.C. may have a higher HIV/AIDS because D.C. has a higher percentage of people that have a direct link with Africa. I strongly believe that the fact that the generation in D.C. is closer to Africa, is a contributor to the high HIV/AIDS rate.