Honors 201 by Irene Poulton https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0 Anderson University en-us 2017-08-18 20:00:58 UTC 2023-02-18 07:20:45 UTC hello@padlet.com Week 1 - Anti Trump Bias poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/184425770 The Present Age discusses the influence of the media and how the media shapes the "people". This cartoon shows the effects the media had on the elections, just like stated in the article we read the media picks a person of prominence. Once they get this person they attack them until they have been stripped of their pride and no longer have a valid voice. The only difference was that since Donald Trump won the election the battle has not ended, the media will do anything to discredit him. They have come into the light as diminishing the truth for the cost of a story, just like NBC with the Trayvon Martin case they care more about making money than about identifying and delivering the truth. The media is finally fighting in the light and fully seen as manipulative and levellers who need checks and balances.]]> 2017-09-03 19:16:45 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/184425770 Week 2 - What's the Difference? poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/188078436 It is undeniable, based on merely the definition of the word that humans are animals. As a result of the way we were created and our biological factors, the social structures and behaviors of "lower animals" reflect that of man. The only absolute advantage humans have is our long distance running. Our senses are no where near as strong as other species. We are most advanced in intellectual development but that does not diminish the value of animals and their witt. Our ability to communicate is what makes us truly superior because it takes the emotional and social processes to a more intimate level of interaction that aims to not only survive but to thrive in comfort. Our reproductive strategy, K, shows that the survival of the fittest mentality is  naturally diminished because of our life expectancy.

https://visual.ly/community/infographic/science/difference-between-humans-and-animals
]]> 2017-09-15 19:15:00 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/188078436 Week 3 - Why we cannot coexist. poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/190497332 This is extremely relevant to the questions discussed in class this week. Part of the issue with coexistence is the ability to see beyond your own perspective and tolerate or validate the viewpoint of others. Many like to say this is possible because they believe it is happening in the world, but is it really happening? This picture explains the problems with the phrase and the popular car decal. The two symbols discussed in the last sentence are Atheism and Humanism, which are both heavily discussed in the honors college. The reason people were incorrectly discrediting Freud this week is due to their inability to see how he was looking at religions across the board and had an atheistic perspective. The basis for his argument was his atheism so saying he was incorrect because he did not agree with the bible completely ignores the insight he gives into what theism, monotheism, and more specifically, Christianity look like from an outsiders perspective. Of course, expecting him to get all of the details of Christianity correct from an outsiders perspective would be foolish because that would require him to have faith, from his lack of faith many of the beliefs that he held to be true about monotheism were valid. Valid does not make them true, he had errors in his thinking but religion is merely an illusion until it is proven, which cannot be done on this earth. This explanation gives interesting insight into why it is difficult for us, as a christian honors class, to discuss other religions objectively because by nature our beliefs counteract those of other religions and belief systems.]]> 2017-09-24 02:53:20 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/190497332 Week 4 - Prosperity Gospel poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/192610835 This week we discussed the effects of Christianity on the furthering of Capitalism and there were mixed opinions acrossed the room. Although no one meant to bring up points in support of the prosperity gospel there was a revelation that some people are called to a life that ends up placing them in a position of wealth. It can be very had to reconcile God with money because of how selfish money makes people. Although the intention of your wealth could be to give generously and be a charitable individual, that is normally easier said than done. Josh brought up a wonderful point that it is extremely hard to figure out how one will use the money if it ends up being acquired. I thought this graphic applied nicely to our discussion because the point of following what you may deem your calling may be to follow God's plan for your life, but it can end up leading you into a place of great wealth that leads you astray. This becomes a problem because your walk with God should not be a walk towards fortune.

The graphic I am referring to is the illustration by Tim Bower.]]> 2017-09-29 20:26:12 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/192610835 Week 5 - Communism Rises Again? poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/196959242 After reading the Communist Manifesto, my view point of communism changed from a symbol of hatred and violence to a economic and social system that in a perfect society could work. The only issue is that for this solution to work everyone has to be on board and contribute to the bettering of society. In this article they talk about how Communism is potentially rising in popularity again, due to the awareness that society has to it's inequality in class structure and the vast difference between those who have fortunes and those who do not. The social rise of the acknowledgement of the lower classes and prejudices of society are giving way to a class and economic struggle in America, but will that turn to Communism? There is definitely a longing for equality among the struggling lower class but what that looks like is unclear. The most interesting point made in this article is that in 2015 The Communist Manifesto was a best seller in England. Is that attributed to the desire to learn about history or the desire to change the present for a better future?]]> 2017-10-13 19:43:38 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/196959242 Week 6 - Circular Reasoning or Postmodernism? poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/196961090 In class this week we discussed the paradoxical nature of postmodernism as both a flaw and a justification based on differing perspectives. The problem that I see with this perception of truth as relative lies in intention and ownership of ones actions. Is the truth not the intent of the person committing an action or a third party's interpretation of an event? There has recently been this move in literature where readers extrapolate intended meanings from the diction and syntax used by an author, regardless of the intentional meaning that the author intended for the reader to find in a passage. It is because of this that John Green failed a buzzfeed quiz on his own book because the way he wrote his books and the way they have been interpreted by society differ in opinions. Does this make one of them more right than the other? According to postmodernism both views are valid and correct, yet I would argue that John Green's intentions within the text are the true reasoning behind the words used because he wrote them.]]> 2017-10-13 19:49:38 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/196961090 Week 7 - The Postmodern Truth poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/199826177 This is the problem with trying to learn new material after a discussion on postmodernism. You have to acknowledge the meaning of words themselves and how the words in a definition are used. This often comes up in honors discussion, starting in the first semester because until a word is denotared we use our connotations of a word to influence how we use it. Once the class has settled on a denotation discussions become easier to navigate because we are all arguing on an even, defined playing field.]]> 2017-10-24 01:34:36 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/199826177 Week 8 - Newspeak poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/199829865 As a government conspiracy theorist and dystopic novel fanatic, 1984 is one of my favorite books. The use of language to portray a political agenda throughout this book is eloquent and brilliant. It shows the truth strength of language when used for power rather than just for persuasion. These slogans of Big Brother were used to influence the people into changing the way they interpreted information. Newspeak redefined the meaning of words as to support a political agenda and made it so that what was true is what was acceptable, to think outside of the accepted means was to cease to have reason and to be in need of political correction.]]> 2017-10-24 01:57:52 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/199829865 Week 9 - Education poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/203575674 This is a visual representation of the issue with education, we no longer take a reading and apply its lessons to our lives instead we take passages and extrapolate unintended meanings from shallow word choices to describe the author's purpose or the characters at play. This cartoon portraya the issue with the way in which we interpret information, we take correlations and give them meaning and causality that they do not have in order to give a shallow comment depth. ]]> 2017-11-04 22:22:03 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/203575674 Week 10 - The Christian Tao poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/205119257 Oh CS Lewis, how you disappointed me. So, for those of you who may read this without true context of the Tao. The Tao is the basis of Taoism, which is known for the YinYang symbol. CS Lewis used the Tao as the symbol upon which he based all morality and common human law, yet this is the symbol of an eastern religion. This cartoon is one of many depitcing Christ as the embodiment of the Tao, there are even books written about this. In class we discussed the basis of arguments and how he claims that to exist outside of the Tao is to be unable to argue against the Tao because the Tao is the basis of the conversation. I completely disagreed because the Tao is a lens through which to view a conversation based on a different common ground. Another issue I had with our discussion in class is that the basis of a debate or intellectual conversation is not a common goal it is a common characteristic. To say that language or a concept is the basis of a discussion is too general of a topic. The true link for any conversation is the fact that you are human and that is not to say that the Tao, which supposedly governs all common human law, is in control and the basis of an argument. Instead, the claim is that being human is your common ground across language barriers and different stages of life. We can relate based on that, now for more intellectual conversations we do advance in the complexicity of the basis of correlation to language first then context and topic but the basis of all arguments is that realization that all humans are humans making them flawed imperfect beings with a different perspective that may or may not be justified but either way exists.]]> 2017-11-09 02:51:46 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/205119257 Week 11 - Atheism as a Crisis of Faith poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/208853948 There is a common misconception among Christians in the bible belt that people are only atheists because they had some crisis of Faith and it turned them away. Hick's argues that "Postmodernism is a symptom of the far Left's crisis of faith." The problem with this claim is that it assumes that at some point everyone believes in something, the church often likes to say that it takes more faith to be an atheist than it does to believe in God. I think it's very easy for Christians to lack a sense of understanding for atheism and blanket it with a disconnect from God. Some people are just raised unaware of God that does not mean they have experienced a faith crisis it just means they do not have the faith that characterizes Christianity. A lack of faith is not the same as a loss of faith.]]> 2017-11-20 18:59:29 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/208853948 Week 12 - Call it Postmodernism (based on the comic) poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/208856193 This is my problem with the current direction in which English education is going. We are trying to find meaning for everything and if an author does something we do not understand it is because they are thinking more complexly than we are. This was my issue with our CS Lewis discussion, people are unwilling to admit when an author makes a mistake, especially if they are well-known and well-liked by the general public. Sometimes the messages in a text do not make sense this does not mean that they are to be more glorified for their heightened level of approach to literature. No one is above reproach so stop treating imperfect people like they are perfect and defending errors because you look up to someone. Everyone makes mistakes, some of them are just more public than others.]]> 2017-11-20 19:04:14 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/208856193 Week 13 - Define "Christian" poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/211443905 What does it mean to be a Christian? Does that word imply following Christ, recognizing his authority, believing in his place in human history? What are the requirements for the faith? Is our personal apologetic and theological views the ones through which we dictate and define a "Christian" saying that if someone else believes something contrary to our beliefs or sins differently than we do that "they do not believe in my God". According to Wikipedia, "A christian is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ." This is one of the most objective definitions of Christian free from bias towards or against a certain doctrine. How much of what we believe and hold to be true is based in the teachings of prominent preachers and biblical scholars? This definition most likely will appear to broad for many because they believe that some of the denominations outlined on The Christian Family Tree below are heresy. Well what defines heresy? If heresy is something that contradicts religious doctrine than how can we define any denomination as being true? If doctrine is by definition dependent on the beliefs of an individual church or group, is it not relative? All this to say only God knows who is saved because even those who claim to follow him, go to church every Sunday, and serve him daily can still have false beliefs. Is a false belief or interpretation of scripture worthy of damnation or grace?]]> 2017-11-29 15:26:06 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/211443905 Padlet Reflection poullution https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/212680856 When I think back on the semester it is easy to get lost in the moments, the laughter and the pain. I had many options upon which to write this padlet and although I could totally follow the rubric, my grade can afford for me to sway slightly. I want to tell you a story, of what it is like to be a college girl with too much on her plate just trying to live to see another day. I'm an RA and to some that just means I complete room checks and do busy work for my RD. But in reality it means that I am a representative of the university, and one of the hardest parts of this job is how emotionally straining it can be. There have been days where I skipped class to emotionally process the toll of being an objective mediator in situations where people were choosing to cause each other pain. I have failed tests because the night before I watched a woman fall and break her hip and was one of the only witnesses and as an RA I was trained to step in and help delegate and control the situation. I have spent nights crying because although I was on duty in Clamp lobby and needed to do rounds I had so much work to do and we are not allowed to put on headphones but there were movie marathons going on around me. I have to hold myself to a higher standard because despite the many hats I wear the role of RA is the one most exclusively associated with Anderson University. 

I am also a barista at Books & Beans on campus where I work 20 hours a week and as much as that job is about preparing drinks it is also about customer service. I was the first person this year to ever get a complaint against them for a situation I did not know how to respond to. I have been late to almost every single morning shift because in order for me to almost keep As & Bs in my class I have to stay up way too late just to wake up early and get to work around 7 am. My coworkers look up to me because at the beginning of the year I was one of 5 returners out of the 9-11 employees. I did not have the time to train people but I did it because that is what was required of me and the only way the shop could function at the beginning of the year. Despite how busy Books & Beans is it has always been a comforting place. I guess I am so used to living in chaos that I have learned to create order in the middle of the rush to the point where I can do an hour long rush with only one drink cued at all times. But it is still another place in which people have set expectations for me to meet as an example to the new people, for putting away orders and for implementing company policies. 

I am also an honors tutor and as scared as I was to have to academically guide and council the freshmen honors class it has proven to be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences of my life. Although in the beginning there was tension due to the intensity in which I prepared information and the students lack of confidence in their own academic abilities that all changed when they were assigned their paper. I had the unique opportunity to meet with these students one on one multiple times and literally pick their brains about what they found important in history and althought their paper was focused on Constantine, I also was able to catch a glimpse at the way in which they interpret the gospel mission and the secularization of the church. I had conversations with some of them until 4 in the morning for the sake of building community and the opportunity to grow as people. They are some of the most authentic and humble humans I have ever met. I cannot wait to see what they do with their talents and passions.

I am also a sister and a daughter in a very disfunctional and broken family. I am a twin and the second-youngest of five. Right before the semester began my older sister married a guy in a courtroom without telling my siblings and if that does not define the lack of communication in my family then nothing does. I wish this was the most controversial thing that happened but our family group chat has brought me to tears in frustrations as people fight over Christmas plans, calling each other for birthdays, and lack of scheduling. We have not all been in the same room in almost three years. But who am I, if not the product of my parents and my family? I am a 19 year old girl with a tattoo and no permit nor license. My only valid identification form is my passport and when people ask me where home is I have to calculate which answer will satisfy them the most. My parents moved to Connecticut the day after I graduated but I know the backroads of the town where I graduated better than I can trace the veins on my arms. Yet my dorm room is still just as foreign as the place my parents live, so when people ask me where I go home to I have to resist telling them that I am my home and the place where I rest my head does not always bring me comfort but it does bring me rest and isn't that the point of going home? To find comfort and familiarity and right now I only find it in myself, and even then sometimes my own skin is not inviting. I have been on my own since I was 17, just trying to survive to the next day and some days I have not known where my next meal will come from or where I will rest my head that night but God has still provided.

Yet despite the many hats I wear I am still a student and my professors have high expectations for me because I am in the honors college. Within the honors college my peers have expectations of me because I have very strong convictions and am rather vocal about them but that is in no way my goal I have just learned that although I do not have the grounding to stand for something important I can still stand up for myself. So no I do not know what I want to do with my life or where I will be in five years but I know what I believe. I know that God is real and I know that no matter how much is on my plate, the pressure from my parents to succeed will always carry the most weight. But I have a Father in heaven who cares more for me than they ever did. Some days I just wish I could just be a student. That I wasn't an RA, barista, tutor, daughter, or sister. Some days I wish I wasn't so alone, but that day has not arrived yet. So for now, I will stand for myself when I am all I have supporting me. I will wear these many hats even when I am growing weary and just want to lay my head down to rest.]]> 2017-12-04 00:58:37 UTC https://padlet.com/poullution/kx7r5qniw7e0/wish/212680856