After delving into the depths of the Internet late at night to learn further about the University of Michigan’s Literature, Science and the Arts College, I found myself enraptured with the prospect of attending unversity there.
Scanning the lit screen with college information brought me back to early childhood when I obsessed over novels with mystical creatures and wizards’ wands, and how I ached to recreate universes as enchanting as those. As a nine year old in the height of elementary school, my teacher urged me to choose a novel book that was not Harry Potter, because my automatic tendency was to circulate through the series continuously. While other students ran around and played during snack time and breaks, I let my #2 pencil roam the
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When examining other residential colleges, none had the same amount of consideration of minority groups and marginalized people. Coming from a small rural area, throughout high school, I had dealt with the pressure of representing a club of queer people - Gay Straight Alliance - and being the face of a group that was widely detested and misunderstood. Along with a schedule crammed with advanced classes and the challenge of leadership, having my identity castigated by my peers was arduous, distracting and debilitating. Subsequently, the prospect of attending a college that commits itself to preserving equity on its campus and classrooms conjures a vision of a safe haven. Moreover, through my admission to LSA, I can foster my commitment to activism and equality and continue my journey as a queer advocate. In spite of discouragement to my pride as a member of the LGBT community and because of encouragement for my writing from the people around me, I cultivated my career as a high school student; however, applying to college, I am apt to begin my college life in Michigan’s Literature, Science and the Arts College. I know that through my past experiences and in my goals for the future LSA can empower me to become the finist version of
During the 19th century the Canadian government established residential schools under the claim that Aboriginal culture is hindering them from becoming functional members of society. It was stated that the children will have a better chance of success once they have been Christianised and assimilated into the mainstream Canadian culture. (CBC, 2014) In the film Education as We See It, some Aboriginals were interviewed about their own experiences in residential schools. When examining the general topic of the film, conflict theory is the best paradigm that will assist in understanding the social implications of residential schools. The film can also be illustrated by many sociological concepts such as agents of socialization, class inequality, and language as a cultural realm.
Two weekends ago, I found myself accidentally proving the old theory that Harry Potter is a gateway drug to the wider world of serious literature. Standing in the very back of a gigantic horde at my local bookstore at midnight, wedged into a knot of adolescents reading People magazine through oversize black plastic glasses, I picked up and nearly finished a great American superclassic that I’d somehow managed to avoid for my entire life: Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Under normal circumstances I would have been perfectly happy to go on ignoring it—the paperback had an unmistakable high-school-syllabus stench about it—but I was bored to death and the aisles were clogged with potbellied wizards and it was the only readable book within arm’s reach. A few pages in, I found myself hooked. By the time I got to the register, I was three-quarters of the way through (just after—spoiler alert!—Lennie the man-child mangles the bully Curley’s hand) and all I really wanted to do was finish it. But the employees were all clapping because I was the last customer, so I closed Steinbeck right on the brink of what felt like an impending tragic climax, took my Potter, and left. Ironically, this meant that Of Mice and Men was now suspended at roughly the same point in its dramatic arc as Rowling had suspended the Potter series before Deathly Hallows. So I went home and conducted a curious experiment in parallel reading: a two-day blitz of 860 pages, with a pair of nested climaxes—one hot off the presses, one 70 years old.
Aboriginal people in Canada are the native peoples in North America within the boundaries of present-day Canada. In the 1880’s there was a start of residential schools which took Aboriginal kids from their family to schools to learn the Roman Catholics way of culture and not their own. In residential schools Aboriginal languages were forbidden in most operations of the school, Aboriginal ways were abolished and the Euro-Canadian manner was held out as superior. Aboriginal’s residential schools are careless, there were mental and physical abuse, Aboriginals losing their culture and the after effects of residential schools.
Imagine discovering that you’re not an ordinary person, but a wizard with magnificent, magical powers. Imagine attending a school where you’ll study transfiguration and charms instead of trigonometry and chem. Imagine the thrill of flying across the sky on a broomstick. These adventures and many others are waiting to be experienced in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by novelist J. K. Rowling. This fanciful and entertaining tale has taken the youth of the nation by storm, and its sales have only been surpassed by the book’s sequels, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
My grandmother introduced me to reading before I’d even entered school. She babysat me while my parents were at work, and spent hours reading to me from picture books as my wide eyes drank in the colorful illustrations. As a result, I entered my first year of school with an early passion for reading. Throughout elementary and middle school, I was captivated by tales of fire-breathing dragons, mystical wizards, and spirited foreign gods. A book accompanied me nearly everywhere I went, smuggled into my backpack or tucked safely under my arm. I was often the child who sat alone at lunch, not because she didn’t have friends, but because she was more interested in a wizards’ duel than the petty dramas of middle school girls. I was the child who passed every history test because she was the only kid who didn’t mind reading the textbook in her spare time, and the child who the school librarian knew by name. Reading provided a
Eisner, D. (1999). Homophobia and the Demise of Multicultural Community: Strategies for Change in the Community College. Retrieved January 2014, from 1998 MLA convention in San Francisco, California: http://www.adfl.org/bulletin/V31N1/311054.htm
This essay will be arguing that colleges and universities should promote more efforts to diversify and create equal representation of all students. Attending higher education institution for minorities has been an uneasy struggle and one that few minorities accomplish. The dilemma of African American enrollment for example, in a college lecture hall at Texas A&M containing 250 seats, only a maximum 4 out of 250 seats will contain African American students. Unfortunately, many institutions are similar to Texas A&M University, they have an underrepresentation of minorities their on campus in relationship to white students. The lack of diversity keeps stigmas associated with racism relevant and disregards the demographic representation of minorities in America disabling students from identifying with different cultures. There’s evidence from scholars such as Elizabeth Smith and Emilia Plonska, students and instructors that validate in order to promote unity and knowledge of all cultures institutions must promote integration of minorities and increase attendance. Many minorities fail to complete their journeys in higher education which results in unequal representation, segregated environments and unprivileged minorities receiving the benefits of a quality post-secondary education offered at prestige Universities like Texas A&M and UCLA
... Being exposed to different resources at school and in Salt Lake inspired my wide eyes. The University’s welcoming recognition and reception sends the message that homosexuals are just people and should be treated with respect.
In his article, Binkley notes changes in colleges in recent years. He states that many colleges and universities, such as Harvard, Cornell, and MIT, adapted, or are in the process of adapting, their admissions and housing policies to accommodate trans and genderqueer students. He notes that colleges recognize that it is unfair to out or otherwise invalidate students they admit. He laments that not all are ahead of the curve, citing institutions like The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, which chose
Belcher, C. and Stephenson, B. H. (2011). Teaching Harry Potter: The Power of Imagination in
The students in Hall’s study, as he accounts, claim that they do not feel welcomed in the campus environment as the organizations seem to only be welcoming for white students (60-61). The students did share the benefits of being involved in organizations that are target solely for Hispanic students or black students, but said that beyond that there were not many options (60). These factors all play into the unfairness in a student’s ability to acquire a degree from a university. The road to graduation is difficult for all students, but these added roadblocks make that journey even more
Christine Gregoire argues that “One of the most powerful tools for empowering individuals and communities is making certain that any individual who wants to receive a quality education can do so.” This quote is important because it is related to the main purpose of this paper, which is the obstacles and equality in the education system in the United States . It shows that everyone need to have the chance of getting a dignified education. Also, giving people the opportunity to education, can be a very good start on turning communities into better places with more educated people.
Just as in matters of women’s rights, the plight of minorities in higher education is a matter which stems from lack of representation. On both high school and university campuses, minority teachers and proffers are scarce, and minority students make up a minute portion of colleges student bodies. This issue is perpetuated through state and federal laws, as well as the policies of universities, in a fashion highly reminiscent of De Jure segregation. For example, since California prohibited the consideration of race in the admissions process, the percent of minorities accepted into California colleges has dropped dramatically. This is an issue which impacts all, not just underrepresented individuals, as society becomes more globalized, diversity continues to grow in importance. Underrepresentation restricts all from being able to experience the true diversity of the world as creates an inaccurate portrait of society. Without adequate representation it is difficult for a groups issues to be addressed, which continues to leave behind groups that have already been disenfranchised for many years. Lack of representation leaves minority students isolated and i...
D’Augelli, A.R. (1992). Lesbian and gay male undergraduates’ experiences of harassment and fear on campus. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 7(3), 383-395.
Diversity in classrooms can open student’s minds to all the world has to offer. At times diversity and understanding of culture, deviant experiences and perspectives can be difficult to fulfill, but with appropriate strategies and resources, it can lead students gaining a high level of respect for those unlike them, preferably than a judgmental and prejudiced view.