i started writing my last post about a week ago when i was emotionally grasping for my own understanding of our final lecture, and to find my truth in the material.
wow.
it took me three days to be able to post it because i needed so much soak-time to put it out there into cyberspace for the whole world to read. it was a hard lesson to work through - so many of my pre-conceived notions had to be unwound, and a freedom opened up at the end for me that helped me to really realize what these issues are all about - each of us individually. feminism, in particular, means nothing to me when it's not personal. when i have not delved into it deeply and taken from it what i can assimilate into my own life while still remaining consistent with who i am. i'm sure that's a life-lesson that i will struggle with for many years, but it was so valuable to be able to take nuggets of truth and realize that i can make them part of who i am!
this evening, i'm sitting in the peace of hood river, oregon with my husband on the first day of our vacation. i'm relaxed, feeling sentimental and peaceful, and i'm back to emotionally connecting with the material that we covered in Comm 365.
this has been one of the most influential courses of my life...i didn't think that it would be possible to completely break down my ideas about everything (!), and then start to re-form them into something that is becoming uniquely Karen Walker.
my thought at the beginning of the course was that this blog was something that i needed to complete for credit. it quickly became an opportunity to reflect in ways that i have not experienced in learning environments before. i've never been much of a journaller (although i really wish i was!), but this structured opportunity to evaluate what i am experiencing in my media interactions has been illuminating and valuable!
so, i am going to keep writing in it! i might not be very consistent. but i'm going to bookmark this one, and when i have something valuable to put out there about what i am learning and observing about the world of media and culture, i'll add it!
it's hard to be the same oblivious person that i was 10 weeks ago. i watch tv shows differently, read news media coverage differently, and think differently about issues such as the psychology of media and culture, liberal and conservative ideologies, and the effects of media on life.
i have a co-worker who makes technical changes to systems that impact me, and sometimes those changes are really, really great! when they are, i tell him that he changed my life. he thinks it's funny because it's a bit of an exaggeration (sometimes, although sometimes it's completely true!). at the risk of sounding like a broken record in all contexts of my life, i offer...
"this assignment has completely changed my life!"
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