Another quarter is about to come to an end, and thus it is time for another quarter review. This quarter definitely seemed harder than the last quarter. This quarter there were a lot of focus on image analysis and film analysis, which I quickly noticed that I am very unfamiliar with and I am still struggling with how to approach it. It definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone and although I did not do as well as I hoped to, I did learn new ways to structure my essays. I definitely think I am taking essays more seriously, and actively trying to improve my skills. I believe I have improved a little bit in comparison to last quarter.
One of the things that made this quarter more interesting to me was Dr. Jensen's method of teaching, and his constant references to pop culture and "nerd culture". It definitely helped me connect topics that seemed distant and far away to contemporary things and helped me understand them better.
The topic that stuck out to me the most was about the interrogation tactics used in the government due to the war on terrorism. Specifically, the ticking bomb scenario: There is a bomb that's about to go off, and the terrorist who knows where the bomb is refuses to talk. Would torture be okay to use in this circumstance? Or is it still not tolerable? I personally like to think that I am firm in my beliefs. I keep an open mind to many ideas, but most of the time I firmly stand for my own truths. This course, however, has definitely challenged many of my beliefs and even changed my mind. For example before I thought torture was never alright to use in any circumstances. I thought it was in a way similar to playing God. To torture and punish those we deem evil, should be something only an entirely righteous person would have the right to do. But there isn't anyone on this Earth who is entirely righteous. However, in the ticking bomb scenario, if the torture of one person would save thousands of others, and if the person is a known terrorist, I just might think torture could be viable in this case. This discovery truly shocked myself.
If I could somehow travel back in time and give myself advice for the quarter, I would definitely tell myself to stop procrastinating, go to office hours before final drafts were due, and to make more friends in section so we can study together more often. Spend more time on your essays, and ask friends to proofread them before you sent them in.
