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 how influential 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 or video 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 of the 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 fast that 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

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 the diversity 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 where every 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.