The eighth week of classes was one that many LAS 101 interns were concerned about. This two month mark was the lesson in which they were to talk about diversity- a very sensitive issue. Many of the interns in Arya's LAS 399 class would talk about how they felt that certain students might not be particularly receptive to the weeks' lesson. However, this was not the case for Arya and her class.
As many of them were STEM majors or similar, many of Arya's students were incredibly logical. When presented with the scenarios that Arya had written out for them, each instantly began to search for the facts of each case and didn't hesitate to ask Arya for clarification. Her only concern was that they all saw the world in such a black and white manner that they failed to see the intricacies of each case, regardless of how much she prompted them.
"How many of you have parents who went to college here?" Arya asked, looking hopefully over the heads of her twenty five students. No one raised their hands. Arya took a deep breath.
"Okay, how many of you think that our school mascot is offensive?" A majority of the class raised their hands.
"Can any of you think of any reasons why someone might be in favor of keeping it?" Nothing.
Finally, a student piped up.
"We shouldn't have it. It's demonstrated right here in this example! It's racist, and if we're not a part of that ethnic group we have no say in the issue."
That was when Arya realized that there was no way to bring nuance into the days' discussions. This was not exactly the students' fault, but indicative of their development. As a freshman, Arya didn't have much of an eye for nuance either and saw everything as either black or white. As a senior, obviously, this had changed, but the change was a consequence of time.
The experience in her LAS 101 class was drastically different from what Arya saw in her LAS 399 class. In the latter, in a room filled with upperclassmen, there was actually some show of debate, albeit limited. Having been exposed to diversity on many levels and having been exposed to a plethora of viewpoints, they were more able than the young'uns to flesh out and articulate their ideas.
Regardless, Arya felt as if she had come away from the lesson having learned at least a few things. As a freshman she had taken a class on international negotiations and diplomacy, and much of it had focused on being a mediator between two parties. In LAS 399, much of the prep that went into week 8 revolved around conflict. The difference was that the conflict here was purported to be an emotionally-based one, which must be approached in a radically different manner. Hence, Arya felt as if she was now more emotionally sensitive, something she had been trying to work on. Additionally, a political science major, a common tactic employed by Arya's professors to encourage students to think was "devil's advocate". Having finally been given the opportunity to do the same, Arya tried it out and greatly enjoyed it. Admittedly, she was kinda disappointed that it didn't take and she couldn't keep at it.
As many of them were STEM majors or similar, many of Arya's students were incredibly logical. When presented with the scenarios that Arya had written out for them, each instantly began to search for the facts of each case and didn't hesitate to ask Arya for clarification. Her only concern was that they all saw the world in such a black and white manner that they failed to see the intricacies of each case, regardless of how much she prompted them.
"How many of you have parents who went to college here?" Arya asked, looking hopefully over the heads of her twenty five students. No one raised their hands. Arya took a deep breath.
"Okay, how many of you think that our school mascot is offensive?" A majority of the class raised their hands.
"Can any of you think of any reasons why someone might be in favor of keeping it?" Nothing.
Finally, a student piped up.
"We shouldn't have it. It's demonstrated right here in this example! It's racist, and if we're not a part of that ethnic group we have no say in the issue."
That was when Arya realized that there was no way to bring nuance into the days' discussions. This was not exactly the students' fault, but indicative of their development. As a freshman, Arya didn't have much of an eye for nuance either and saw everything as either black or white. As a senior, obviously, this had changed, but the change was a consequence of time.
The experience in her LAS 101 class was drastically different from what Arya saw in her LAS 399 class. In the latter, in a room filled with upperclassmen, there was actually some show of debate, albeit limited. Having been exposed to diversity on many levels and having been exposed to a plethora of viewpoints, they were more able than the young'uns to flesh out and articulate their ideas.
Regardless, Arya felt as if she had come away from the lesson having learned at least a few things. As a freshman she had taken a class on international negotiations and diplomacy, and much of it had focused on being a mediator between two parties. In LAS 399, much of the prep that went into week 8 revolved around conflict. The difference was that the conflict here was purported to be an emotionally-based one, which must be approached in a radically different manner. Hence, Arya felt as if she was now more emotionally sensitive, something she had been trying to work on. Additionally, a political science major, a common tactic employed by Arya's professors to encourage students to think was "devil's advocate". Having finally been given the opportunity to do the same, Arya tried it out and greatly enjoyed it. Admittedly, she was kinda disappointed that it didn't take and she couldn't keep at it.
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