Freshmen Seminar Session 6 Opinion

One of the goals of this course is to encourage every student “to pursue a lifetime of independent discovery, including the appreciation of the importance of research.”

The preceding quotation is one that summarizes completely the essential role that Freshmen Seminar plays in the success of students at Howard University. Research and further exploration of topics has been encouraged throughout the duration of this course by the variety of lecturers. The assignment of a group research project will be beneficial as it will promote focus on a particular subject unique to the university and it will encourage cooperative contributions to the research. Recognizing that there are six basic components of research will be beneficial to students with concerns for the quality of their work and how it will be graded. Coordinators for the Freshmen Seminar have set a precedent by basing this program on the fundamental components of research.  The program has been an overall success and has accomplished through the reiteration of ideas the impact of research.  The review and analysis of individual blog post was reassuring as it revealed that students are grasping the information given to them in unique fashions by our guest lecturers. The most impressive post summarized the metaphorical presentation by Dr. Elenor Traylor. The lecture was complex but applicable to our time and our people.  In conclusion Dr. Williams offered a lecture that summarized the role of Freshmen Seminar as a whole and its focus on research. The final weeks of the program will consist of research and interviews that will assist students in liberating their inner star academia.

Freshmen Seminar Session 5 Opinion

My favorite quotation by Mr. Thurman is the following:"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

This message is powerful in that it charges mankind to abandon a search for pleasing the masses without having a true passion for what they are doing. Mr. Thurman through his work was influential in this way. He came alive in the community that he served and he is still alive in the legacy hat he left at Howard University, Boston University, and Morehouse College.

Undoubtedly, Mr. Thurman is one the most important religious leaders of our time, as he is held by Time Magazine. Mr. Thurman passed away in 1981 in San Francisco, California after many years of service. In his honor his papers have been archived as well as having an building at Boston University bear his namesake.

Howard Thurman remains as one of the most transformative figures in the Howard Universities history. Mr. Thurman was a distinguished author, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader. Mr. Thurman served as Dean of Theology and of Rankin Chapel at Howard University from 1932-1944. Upon graduation for Morehouse College at the top of his class Mr. Thurman expanded his scope of influence and scholastic research to the global front. Influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and a friend of Martin Luther King Sr. (father of Martin Luther King Jr. his Morehouse Classmate) he was well respected during the civil rights era.

Freshmen Seminar Session 1 Opinion

Engaging In the African Experience

As a class we set out under the instruction of Dr. Carr to reflect on the African foundations for our intellectual work at Howard and in the human community, sketch an outline that traces the connection between learning and wisdom, and open our personal pathways for engagement and renewal. Does this simply mean acknowledging and understanding the contribution of Ancient Africa, specifically Egypt, on the modern world?  This indebt analysis of the impact of Africans in science, art, language, and the entire gamut of modern civilization is accurate and appropriate. It prepares reader and pupils for further exploration of the ideas and practices of Ancient Africa. From what we examine we recognize that historical Africans have valued education and given great respect to those bearing some level of intellectual ability.  The section of Dr. Carr’s presentation entitled “How Were You Trained to Forget? “ previews the failure of artist and the media to offer a factual representation of the African and African American experience.  There does seem to a solution to this problem. We can eradicate the disconnect between society today and the essence of Ancient Africa by paying reverence to works that we reflect them as they were, in greatness. “The Ancestors may be contacted in books, songs, prayers, proverbs, music, ritual and art….” expressed Ayi Kwei Armah, in The Eloquence of the Scribes.   This is very important to understand for anyone who wishes to understand their origins.  For those who doubt the relevance of the past to what we are aiming to achieve in this century it is essential for them to have relevant examples of the complexity of African writing, the strength of Ancient tribes, and the value Africans placed on education.  Reflecting on the African foundations for our intellectual work at Howard and in the human community, sketching an outline the traces the connection between learning and wisdom, and opening our personal pathways for engagement and renewal is what we set out to accomplish. A presentation of this quality successfully achieves those objectives.

Freshmen Seminar Session 2 Opinion

Human Genome

Dr. Dunston’s powerful assessment of the origins of human beings was candid and clear. Her exploration of reason for disease in the Black community is something that can be appreciated by the Howard University community and the D.C. community. She calls upon students to focus on the idea of abandonment, dismemberment, and reawakening in the black community. The idea is to concentrate on eradicating   blights in the black community using the wealth of disciplines provided in an Afro-Centric institution such as Howard.  The African American experience tells us that we have been the victims of healthcare initiatives that did not focus on the energy construct of African Americans.  Howard University students are responsible for solving the problems of the day, especially for African Americans.  Information that is limited can be rendered ignorant. Your thinking is a reality that is residing in you.  Genome is in every cell.  Examine the quality of your thoughts.  

QUALITY, AMOUNT, AND SPEED of information is what is important.

Freshmen Seminar Session 3 Opinion

The Chrystal Palace

Dr. Elanor Traylor’s presentation was valuable with respect to informing students of the contribution Howard University students have made to the arts and sciences. She created a crystal palace in her presentation to students aided with newspaper clippings, pictures of the Gullah People, and insight on upcoming events. Phylicia Rashd, Toni Morison, and Zora Neal Hurston were among the diversity of African American women discussed because of their achievements and their relationship to Howard University.  Dr. Ronald Walters was acknowledged as a pioneer of one of the most powerful forces in United States political culture: the Congressional Black Caucus. Phylicia Rashad is revered in the world of entertainment as a transformative figure. Rashad has proven herself in many portrayals to a an extremely talented women. Washington will welcome Rashad in November when she opens “Every Tongue Confess” in South West D.C.  The works of Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston which depict he black experience so well were inspired by the stories of slaves and blacks in a racially divided country. In the time that their art forms were coming to life blacks were subjected to horrific conditions. Hurston and Morris’s stories were fostered by the richness of their own experience.  Dr. Traylor spoke firmly and with compassion about the significant of all their individual contributions. A failure to find some meaning in this work leaves Howard students far removed from the legacy. It also leaves one very distant from the crystal palace. Howard is and entity that supports and provides the resources for achievement but it is up to each individual to make the appropriate steps to arrive at that place

Freshmen Seminar Session 4 Opinion

Brandon Dean

September 25, 2010

Freshmen Seminar

The Bible

Dr. Caine’s indept analysis of the biblical scriptures opened a new perspective on biblical texts for me. The fact that so much of what is read and seems to be ancient is real, and is still here with us. This revelation along with the discussion of God’s intentions of humans was much appreciated and quite relevant to our generation.

The African American Church

One of the most memorable aspects of the conversation that Dr. Caine had with the students in our last session was his critiques of the Black Church. The Black Church even in my time has stood as a symbol of free expression and set a standard for righteous living in African American culture. With the recent eruption of scandals in the life an acclaimed Black Mega church preacher, Eddie Long, the impact of those traditions may have become questionable.

The Negro Mother

This work by Langston Hughes exhibits the great respect that Hughes held for the struggle of Blacks especially Black women. Presented with a tone that suggest determination and strength, the poem is motivating.  Hughes uses the poem to recall the experience of blacks through slavery and Jim Crow.

Kwame Nkrumah

Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah was born in 1909. He was an influential 20th century advocate of Pan-Africanism. He was the first President of Ghana, the first Prime Minister of Ghana and a founding member of the Organization of African Unity. Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966, and was the winner of the Lenin Peace Prize in 1963. His political career was characterized by historic victories, triumphs, and tragedies.