“The more I know, the less I know” (unknown).
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“Imagination is more important that knowledge” (Einstein).
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What is important is learning, not teaching.
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Learning is a process. We are never finished.
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What you put into learning is important in relation to what
you take away from it, for this or any other course.
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It is important that we establish a comfort-zone for discussing
issues, some of which might be controversial. Embrace the opportunity
to become engaged in the issues shaping our reality.
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Respect and consideration for diverse vantage-points is critical.
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Critical reflection requires time, analysis, experience, and advanced
thinking. Be open to theory and oppositional view-points.
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Reading is an important medium for absorbing ideas. The
written word requires the internalization of concepts at one's own rhythm,
forcing and nourishing the reader to simultaneously digest and reflect on words,
meaning and thoughts.
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Multimedia, such as video, DVD, radio, television, film and the Internet,
etc., provide texture and form to materials that may otherwise be inaccessible,
and also provide voice and images. Understanding how the media works, what issues
are presented and how, and how to consider information and data are integral
components to political literacy.
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The Instructor does not have all of the right answers. Learning is about
challenging, listening, articulating, and being engaged. Don't accept everything
the Instructor, or anyone else, says as being indisputable fact.
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There is marked difference between cynicism and being critical. We need to
avoid placing people in silos because they have a certain opinion. One is not
anti-patriotic for criticizing the war in Iraq, nor is one racist for disputing
the merits of affirmative action. Issues and arguments are necessarily more complex
and multi-layered than simplistic notions “us and them”.
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Learning in a group requires different skills, but is compatible with individual
learning. However, work is required in order for it to be constructive learning.
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Don't be discouraged if things do not make sense immediately.
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Be humble when thinking about issues/approaches/models/theories/ideologies that
are not generally accepted. Why do people think the way they do? How does society work?
Are we fair, honest, democratic, free, etc., just because we say that we are or because
it is in the Constitution?
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Let your mind travel while critically interrogating who we, and others, are. Are
we really who we think we are, and what does one's identity, either socially constructed
or real, mean to one's life's experience?
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Life is complex. Enjoy the learning-process. It may not be an opportunity for eternal
mediation, but it should stimulate the neurons to alter some of the troubles and monotony we face
in daily life.