Paideia So Far

I have thoroughly enjoyed my Paideia experience thus far. I was a little worried about the cohort and Dr. G, because I only knew two people prior to the program. Fortunately, our group is incredibly talkative and easy to get to know. I think that a big part of why I’ve enjoyed myself so much is because of the passion of those in the cohort, as well as the conflicting ideas everyone has on EVERYTHING. I love debating, and it’s nice to be in an environment where people are not shy, but rather jump at the chance to discuss and expand on ideas. I think that the only way a person can truly grow academically is through debate and being exposed to different ideas and different ways to view the same idea. Our group has been awesome with that. I also feel that, for the most part, people are respectful in debates, although I know that I at least have gotten a little too animated on occasion. I think that as long as we are all able to remain respectful, the next three years will be so beneficial for everyone.

             I’ve really enjoyed our discussions on the Fifty Facts book; I feel that a lot of the issues we’ve talked about are important ones that tend to fly under the radar. Many of them were issues that really could not be brought to light by the media on a large scale, or we (Americans) would really have to start questioning our government and it’s priorities (which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it isn’t gonna happen), like Katie’s discussion on torture. I was also really surprised by the opinions people had on certain issues that contradicted the perceptions of them that I had established- which is awesome.

            I’m really excited about our civic engagement at the Boys and Girls Club next semester; I think it will be a great growing experience for all of us. I hope that everyone is on board with it, and will bring enthusiasm to the event. I also hope that this volunteer experience will help change some peoples perceptions of what it means to volunteer and the potential benefits. I’m also glad that we picked an organization that has a good deal of flexibility time-wise.

            The only things I would change would probably be that it would be cool to talk more about how the issues we discuss pertain to psychology and Understanding Human Behavior, and also, I have really enjoyed our outside events, and would like to have more… laser tag maybe?

            Overall, I have had an extremely positive experience; I have grown academically and personally from this group in a short amount of time. Also, Dr. G is an amazing professor, and always gives a great deal of really interesting perspective on all the issues we talk about in class. I’m excited to see where we go with this cohort, and if we can all help each other grow a little or a lot (corny…sorry).    

On-Campus Event

For my on-campus event, I attended the Writer’s Voice, with Azar Nafisi. It was incredibly interesting and inspirational. During her speech, she did not talk too explicitly about her book, Reading Lolita in Tehran, but she did make various references to the literature featured in it, such as Lolita and some works of Jane Austen. For the most part though, she lectured on culture, both here and in Iran. I found this to be exceptionally captivating and, surprisingly, very pertinent to many of my interests. I enjoy literature, but as a Sociology minor and a Political Science major, I really like to learn about culture, the role it plays in government, and how problems are created and then solved. Her analysis of the cultural polarization between the United States and Iran was incredibly insightful. The part of her speech that I found most interesting was when she was talking about how often Americans only associate the Middle East with headscarves, or Islamic fundamentalism, or crazy rulers like Ahmadinejad. She compared it to a scenario in which Iranians would only associate America with McDonalds or George Bush. It was a startling way to look at the cultural divide; I never realized how much of Middle Eastern culture is marginalized, and how overemphasized the (perceived) negative aspects, such as headscarves, of Middle Eastern culture are in the media and in our own opinions and stereotypes. Even the stereotypes that are overemphasized are often misconstrued. Nafisi discussed the issue of headscarves, and how in some places they are mandatory, like in Iran during a brief period, but how often they are simply the choice of a woman, who chooses to follow that aspect of Islam.        

She put a great deal of emphasis in her speech on choice, in how in relates to culture. Nafisi said that often people misconstrue Western culture, and judge her for choosing to live in America, but she tells them that she loves American culture and that is her choice. Even so, she still tries to retain aspects of her Iranian culture. This hybrid of cultures that she has adopted is incredibly interesting- I think it shows that though Western and Middle Eastern cultures are incredibly different, they are not incompatible. We read an article by Samuel Huntington in several of my political science classes, called the Clash of Civilizations. In this article, Huntington discusses culture as a catalyst for conflict, specifically within the Middle East as it pertains to the West. I think that Azar Nafisi is absolutely indicative of the possible confluence of multiple cultures, and perhaps even the benefits of a multicultural world, both in the political world, and within individuals. The more integrated cultures are with one another, the less likely there will be conflict; by understanding the culture of others, it is easier to empathize, and easier to see them as equals, humans. I feel that cultural awareness and difference will not push us towards the brink of a clash of civilizations, but instead further integrate societies into one another in a positive way.