Exploring Columbus Sparks Flashback to Population Ethics: Dinner and Dialogue

Today, my roommates and I completed the "Explore Columbus" assignment. While doing so, we venture to The Short North and walked passed a window advertising an extermination company. Though this advertisement was completely irrelevant to the task at hand, it reminded me of the deep, intellectual discussion from the dinner and dialogue on Population Ethics in October.

For some odd reason the business of extermination triggered a recollection of the focal point of the dialogue of the Dinner and Dialogue.

At the Population Ethics: Dinner and Dialogue with Don Hubin, the hot topic of abortion was discussed in depth. Professor Hubin explained that abortion affects more than just the fetus at stake and the mother. It can also affect the father, for obvious reasons, the siblings, or the grandparents of the unborn child.

While ethics is not an easy subject to grasp and/or accept, I found it very intriguing! Attending this Humanities sponsered event was a effective use of my free time.

A Blast from the Past

At this time, I would like to take a blast into the past. By a "blast into the past," I mean discuss the scavenger hunt that occurred in late September, which feels like centuries away at this point. Due to my competitive nature, and that of my roommate Jen, the Scavenger Hunt was not a fun and laid-back endeavor for my group, and most notably myself. Yes, I made my group run to every location, scouring the premises to find the number that indicated our successful discovery. I even yelled "Wait for you at the finish line!" to fellow Humanities Scholars as we passed them at various points on campus. Yes, I was already trash talking people whom I had just met a week before. Anyhow, the event proved to be quite a fun adventure, as I had initially expected. I do not know how things would have turned out had we not placed in the top three, but...

Aside from placing, the Scavenger Hunt provided us some time to talk to our wonderful mentors, who answered many of my pressing questions, all suggesting I was a confused freshman. Thus, I am glad that I met some seasoned Humanities Scholars who could give me some insights into the dorm life and Humanities opportunities, as well as a perspective on the overall Ohio State University experience. In addition, this trek helped me to more efficiently learn my way around campus, as well as the locations of many crucial and relevant campus buildings. I hope to meet up with my mentors again, as they were a helpful and insightful bunch.

The Help Discussion

I just went to The Help discussion and it went well! We discussed several different topics, such as the evilness of Hilly and Elizabeth, Skeeter's on-and-off relationship with Stuart, and the controversy that surrounded the book when it was published two years ago. I read the book over the summer and personally really liked it. I liked that it was told from three different perspectives (Skeeter's, Abilene's, and Minny's) because it allowed the author to tell more of a complete story. I also liked how the characters were developed and the tense conflict between Skeeter and the rest of the wealthy girls throughout the book. During the discussion we talked about whether or not people would have reacted to the book differently if the author had been black instead of white. I don't really think people would have for the most part, but maybe some people would have preferred a black author. It doesn't matter to me. I was surprised to learn that the author based the book loosely on her own upbringing by black maids, but that definitely explains how she wrote the book in such an authentic and descriptive way. I would recommend this book to anyone, even people who don't like to read, because once you start reading it, you don't want to put it down! Such a good read!

Market at The Wexner Center

In Mid- October, I ventured, with Andrew, to The Wexner Center Farmers' Market, in search of locally grown fruits and vegetables. To my surprise, there was little there to see. There was one booth of organic vegetables, one of homemade, organic breads, and one marketing the student advocacy group, Oxfam. While I didn't spend much time there, I did stop to talk to the student group and the baker. I also bought some vanilla bean flavored bread and a chocolate croissant. Yum :)

Warren St. John's Talk

Warren St. John came to talk about his book Outcasts United towards the beginning of the quarter, and a lot of what he had to say was really interesting. He talked a little about the book and then left the rest of the session open for questions. He talked about how he had come to know several of the boys, and that he became close to one family in particular. He also talked about how he came to write the book. It was really cool to hear Mr. St. John talk because he is a successful author and journalist, and those are careers I want to go into. I also think diversity and immigration are controversial issues that need to be dealt with and talked about, so I like that he chose to write about how a small southern town was affected by the sudden diversity its population experienced. I feel bad for the refugee boys in Clarkston because they are caught between two worlds, but I think Coach Luma is an admirable and inventive person for using soccer to bring the boys together and give them something to focus on. After reading the book, I believe that the boys who went through Luma's program truly benefited from it because she taught them to follow rules, communicate with others who are different, learn to study English, and stay out of trouble.

Luma Mufleh

I'll admit, I had a hard time getting the motivation to actually go to hear Luma speak. But once I was there, I was so glad I went. There were a ton of people there and the energy was great. Though she said she got nervous doing public speaking, she did a great job. I could tell she was very passionate about doing everything she can for the Fugees. I could also tell she felt frustrated with the lack of help and support they've had, which I can totally understand. But despite her frustration, she still has a great attitude and sense of humor. Listening to her and her story was really inspirational. I enjoyed hearing the whole story in her words, not Warren St. John's. It was overall a great experience.

Potluck&Movie

I had a great time going to the Potluck with everyone. It was nice to get some free food and see what everyone brought. I had already seen Shutter Island, but thought it was a very good movie and wanted to see it again. It did not dissapoint the second time, either. I understood the movie a lot better the second time. The Potluck was a nice opportunity to relax and hang out with others in the Humanites program.

Luma Mufleh: A Stand Up Chick

The other week, I got the privilege of hearing Luma Mufleh speak about her life and her experience with the Fugees soccer team. I was more impressed with Luma as a person, in comparison to a speaker, but none the less, I still enjoyed hearing her speak. Personally, I got the most out of her appearance when she answered questions from the audience. Although I had no questions of my own, I had no problem sitting back and watching her interact the with students asking questions. In conversation, Luma was hilarious, personable, and genuinely nice, which honestly impressed me. Seeing her in person, and watching her interact with others really made the story make even more sense to me. I was able to see first hand the qualities Luma possess that made it possible for her to essentially guide refugee families through American life. I could understand fully how her players had so much respect for her, and I am so glad I got to hear such an incredibly driven woman speak.

Potluck Move Night - Shutter Island

Shutter Island literally blew my mind last week at the potluck!!! It was my first time seeing the entire movie, so I didn't really know what to expect going into it. I think I'm still trying to decide whether Leo DiCaprio's character, Andrew/Teddy, was crazy or not, though I'm pretty he was crazy based on the last few minutes of the film. I thought it was interesting how the film started out from Andrew's perspective, but at the end of the film, we got to see the reality of Andrew's insanity from the perspective of the outside world. The way the film moved from his perspective to that of the outside world is really cool because it kept the story suspenseful until the very end. Also, I loved how Andrew faked his relaspe at the end in order to receive a lobotomy. Great movie!!

Chicago: A College Freedom

After scrolling down through the blogs, and even commenting on a Chicago- related blog post, I noticed that people touched heavily upon the second city comedy show, Gino's, and the Navy Pier. Obviously, I enjoyed said events very much, but I would like to focus this post more on the time in which we had to ourselves, or the free time in our busy daily schedule. I found this time to be extremely valuable, as I was able to freely walk the streets of Chicago, getting a feel for the city as a whole, and exercising my independence as a college student. Previous to college, my family and I took may trips to Chicago, though I did not possess the independence of maturity level to navigate such a big city on my own. Thus, I believe that venturing through the streets of Chicago amongst our peers, and not necessarily our elders, really showed us our true independence and growth in maturity as college students. I feel that Ohio State really prepared us for the trip, and the trip helped us to better understand the city feel that Ohio State evokes, as we are able to freely explore various destinations in both locations.

Potluck Movie Night

Had a great time watching Shutter Island with everybody. I had already seen it a few times before, but every time I've watched it I always pick up on something different, because it's just that kind of movie. The plot really messes with your head, especially when you are trying to figure out what's real and what's not, and who's lying and who's telling the truth. I really liked Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as the main character too, becuase the first time I watched it i was completely surprised by the twist ending, and Leo did a great job of playing a convincingly insane, yet very intelligent character.

History of Haverfield

It's a rare opportunity when you get to listen to someone speak about history who was there when the history was happening, so hearing about the story of the USS Haverfield and the man it was named after from people who actually worked on the ship was pretty cool. The ship was used during World War II all the way through the beginning of the Vietnam War, where it was involved in running aground a chinese trawler which was taking massive amounts of weapons to the Vietcong forces. Ensign James Haverfield was a great national hero, who served his country proudly, and died on the USS Arizona in the attacks on Pearl Harbor.

Philosophy of Population Ethics

On October 26th, members of Humanities and I ventured to McPherson for a dinner & dialogue event that consisted of a discussion on population ethics. Population ethics is the philosophical study of the moral ramifications and decisions regarding reproduction and the overall well-being of a community. Professor Don Hubin, the philosophy department chair, led the discussion with both knowledge of and fervor for the subject. He had us consider total vs. average utilitarianism, or how happiness can be measured both by total happiness within a population and average happiness of each individual. By assigning "happiness units" to different people under given situations, he helped us weigh the pros and cons of bringing a child into the world and whose happiness such an act would affect. We discussed the moral considerations that go into decisions such as abortion and use of contraception, ultimately drawing the conclusion that sometimes it is better to not have a child if that child's life will be significantly difficult, resulting in a decrease in happiness for that individual. While this discussion seemed controversial on the surface, its main argument boils down to questions of moral obligation and life value, which are endlessly fascinating topics to me since I am a philosophy major. I thoroughly enjoyed this discussion, and I encourage others to consider ethical questions such as these in order to further examine the value of life and how decisions can be logically argued in order to favor the outcome that offers the most happiness.

Chicago!

I have been to the Windy City twice now, and I can openly admit the second time was significantly more enjoyable than the first. The weekend seemed to fly by because of all the activities we had to choose from, and even the mandatory events were fun. Second City on our first night was hilarious - I think there were a lot of important topics brought up that were performed in a way we could all enjoy, but there were also a lot of goofy sketches to keep things from getting too heavy. Dinner with Ben and Daniel before the performance was also pretty cool... Even if they did get let in on my Canadian accent haha. We all had a lot of free time to explore the city, but walking together as a group to places like The Field Museum or Northwestern was also a great bonding experience, if you will. The last thing I have to mention is Gino's.... Wow. Best. Pizza. I. Have. EVER. Had. Overall, Chicago with the Humanities was a great way to spend my Veteran's Day weekend.

hitRECord at the Movies with Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Yesterday, my roommate and I traveled south to the Union to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt perform. We were't exactly sure what the thing was about but we liked Joe so it was ok. HitRECord is a production company started by Joe that focuses on group collaboration and short films. Throughout the night, we recorded his performance and watched various short films from his company and some lucky audience members were brought onstage. Even though this event wasn't specifically for the Humanities Scholars, my roommate and I definitely found that it coincided with our ideals. Art and Culture being the most prominent but there was some philosophic messages as well. It was a great time and we were both glad we had gone despite the fact that we didn't quite know what to expect.

Humanities Retreat

I am a camp girl. I started summer camp when I was six years old and today I am a summer camp counselor. The retreat made me remember how much I love camp and I was filled with enthusiasm for the experience. Apart from the fun of the outdoors and being with my fellow Humanities Scholars, I developed team-building skills with a great group of people. From balancing beams to trust falls, the day was a really great trip. I am very glad to have had such a rewarding retreat with my friends!

Treat the Hungry

I absolutely loved participating in Treat the Hungry on Monday night. Not only did it give me an excuse to dress up for Halloween, it was a great service project and an opportunity to learn my way around Columbus outside of the OSU campus. I was so excited about how well-received we were in Hilliard; people loved talking to us and were very generous about their donations. I couldn't believe that we got 555lbs of food! Treat the Hungry was an amazing opportunity to help out a local food bank, get to know my fellow Humanities scholars and spread the OSU spirit throughout the community.