The most unexpected thing about this course was what we read. I could not predict the geographic and temporal diversity we would be exposed to. This made software like Neatline suddenly very accessible and useful. Hayy Ibn Yaqzan was a highlight for me. The first ten pages were so disorienting. I have never felt so hopeless in trying to understand a novel when reading that. Then, I passed over the mountain and eased into the story. I thought it was such a cool idea created by the author. I grew more interested as the man worked his way through logic to reach a greater understanding of the world. When he visited society, I was so surprised at how disappointed he was as well as how far ahead he was in thought.
In my own life, I often question whether being in a group or in isolation is the best way to learn a new skill. When learning individually, it seems one can be more creative and innovative because they are not restricted in any way by a group. Yet, being part of a group seems to accelerate learning and knowledge because members have more opportunities to receive feedback. I think about this a lot with skateboarding. I chose to skateboard mostly individually and I have learned it in a way that no one else really has before. Of course, this has its drawbacks as well because I missed out on high volumes of feedback that people who skate in groups or teams can more easily receive. So, I felt like I was able to relate parts of my life closely with Hayy Ibn Yaqzan.
I was also surprised by how easily I could get through the reading. Many of the books were very long, and we were assigned to read large chunks in short amounts of time (this was partially due to being on a Tuesday and Thursday schedule). Still, I did not often find myself struggling to get through the reading. I think this goes to show the quality of the writing we read. While at times it could be daunting, most of the time, it flowed quite easily.
The biggest change I noticed in myself was my ability to do research. Before this course, I had never done scholarly research through a database before. Now, I feel so comfortable finding scholarly, reliable sources. I think this will be extremely beneficial to the rest of my years in college.
Hayy Ibn Yaqzan may have been my personal favorite in this class as well. I am intrigued by the autodidact story and especially the spiritual and scientific aspects of it in the book. I like your comparison to skateboarding, that's cool that you are a skating autodidact! You definitely have a unique style.
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