7/30/2019 Extra Credit Opportunity 4

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Cesar Avila Mr. Holliday

Class Section Time: 12 P.M.

Extra Credit Opportunity Four

1) For the most part, I felt that all of the lectures were interesting because of the

relevance of the subject matter to our daily lives as individuals. While I can certainly

recognize my own behavioral tendencies, it was truly remarkable to see just howinfluential gender roles and social norms are in determining my personality. That

being said, the lectures that struck me as most fascinating were those that I could

relate to most (specifically, the lessons on social and media influences,

communication, and health and fitness). Because these topics were so pertinent to

my life (and the lives of many other students) I felt that every piece of information

was vital in instructing me to becoming a better, more well rounded person. On the

other hand, I felt that the lessons covering relationship styles and dating throughout

our lives were disinteresting because the topics seemed much more dry. Also,

because these topics are so widely publicized, they were to a certain extent,

redundant.

2) Although there is only so much that can be covered during a semester, I really

believe that the course would benefit from delving into the role of gender in the

sports world. Gender influence in sport was the main focus of my groups research

assignment and it was shocking to see just how intertwined the two subjects really

are. This could be a useful lecture in demonstrating further the varying effects of

social norms and influences on an individuals gender identity.

3) I think by incorporating multimedia into the lectures, you add a great degree of

tangibility to the subject that we cover in lectures. Often topics can be ambiguous or

even confusing at first and explanations from the slides or instructors might not

fully clarify any uncertainty a student may have. When you introduce movies orvideo clips (specifically comedic ones) you allow us a refreshing take on the subject

that encourages us to view the topic in a different perspective. Also, it adds a break

from the monotony of lectures that can sometimes cause a student to lose interest in

the topics covered in class.

4) Overall, I enjoyed the lectures and thought that they included a healthy balance of

information from the slides and anecdotal evidence given from both the professor

or fellow classmates. I do think, however, that the lectures would be better if you

allowed for more time in between slides or made a conscious effort to allow

students to write down all ofthe information. There werent many times were I felt

that I couldnt keep up but in lectures with more content, I often had to write so fastthat my handwriting was indiscernible. While a lot of students use computers, a

good deal of students also feel that by physically writing down information, they can

more easily remember important details and have a more wholesome

understanding of the information covered throughout the lesson.

5) While they were helpful in reviewing critical information from the weeks

lectures and explaining details for each of the research paper assignments, I felt that

7/30/2019 Extra Credit Opportunity 4

2/2

Cesar Avila Mr. Holliday

Class Section Time: 12 P.M.

at times the discussion sections were banal and redundant. This could be from the

fact that they take place after a long week of classes, but I think the class would

benefit from an abridged format in which the students express course topics that

they feel are most troublesome. Since most students tended to agree on what they

felt was easily accessible information or what was more challenging, by allowing the

class to direct the class you increase the appeal that the session has to offer. In short,it should stick more to its namesake of a discussion rather than just a more intimate

lecture.

6) I believe that the research assignments were explained with great detail and in a

manner that addressed almost all of the questions that one might have come up with

while working on a paper. Also, it was great to be able to refer back to the

PowerPoint presentations on D2L to review information that might have been more

ambiguous. I do think thought that there could have been more of an effort by the

instructors to provide samples of what would be considered an appropriate paper.

For the one assignment where an example was provided, I felt that I had a much

better handle on what was to be expected from our group. Also, because of thediversity of backgrounds and disciplines, it would have benefited the class to take an

in-depth analysis of APA formatting.

7) Ive never been a fan of group work because I feel that it tends to lead to

disorganization and unequal distribution of work among partners. That being said, I

felt that the group work that we did in constructing our research papers was a

largely positive experience because each of my group mates seemed to have as

much of an interest in the topic as I did. In addition, by reconvening in our

discussion sections every Friday, not only were we able to review the assignment

that we had submitted earlier in the week but also we were able to establish clear

goals for future work. Finally, I felt that Mr. Holliday created an environment whereevery group member felt a strong obligation to the group and felt as if they had to

contribute in any way possible. By doing this, there was very little inequity within

our group in regards to time or effort put in to assignments.

8) The only other feedback that I would give in regards to the class as a whole would

be the addition of a review session the day or class meeting before a scheduled

exam. While I understand how it would be hard to fit such days in with such little

time in the semester, I feel that by going over key points or major topics, you would

eliminate time studying insignificant or unnecessary information and allow us to

better master the critical facts. By doing that, I think studying habits would benefit

and in turn you would see higher test grades among the class.