What We Talk About When We Talk About Guns
Project Reflection
Coming into this project I felt very open minded to other people's opinions and thoughts on the issue we were researching. My initial viewpoint was that yes the U.S has a gun issue just based off of all of the tragic events that have taken place thus far in 2018. I personally like to shoot guns and my dad is a hunter. He taught me gun safety at a very young age and he continues to teach me to this day. I think that if guns are used properly and safely we would not have this issue that seems to continuously be growing. With that being said, I feel like there needs to be more laws placed on guns to the point where a random person can't just walk into a store and purchase one. There should be more background checks for mental illnesses for people who would like to have one for either hunting or for sport. I do also think that fully automatic guns are completely unnecessary for a person to have. No hunter or sportsman needs a weapon with those kinds of capabilities. I also believe that one of the reasons as to how these school shootings keep occurring is the accessibility to the weapons being used. Most of the people who have walked into a school with a gun typically get the weapon from their own home. I do believe that it is the parents responsibility to keep their guns locked in a safe at home so that a sixteen year old can't easily access it.
My viewpoint was never really challenged during this project because I felt like I had a pretty neutral standpoint going into it. This didn't mean that I was trying to be close minded to anyone's opinions and if anything I wanted to hear what the two sides had to say about the issue. Through the project I heard a lot of different comments about the topic but my personal viewpoint never changed. Being a person who doesn't want to see guns completely banned from the country as well as wanting something to be done about the issue, my focus was looking for more resolutions and compromises as opposed to finding ways to tell people that I'm right and they are wrong. Being somewhat neutral was really beneficial for me because it was easier to converse with people from both sides without causing any disputes. During the class discussions I never really voiced my opinion which I now regret because I feel like I could have brought some neutrality to the conversation and made the discussions more about how we could fix the issue opposed to proving points. My viewpoint wasn’t changed during the research process or the exhibition. These two processes were more eye opening for me rather than changing for me. After walking through the exhibition and doing research, I felt more of a need to find a peaceful resolution rather than changing sides.
Throughout the process of this project I faced very little adversity and when I did, it was easy to handle. The only time was during the the beginning of the making of the exhibition in the commons. I found it difficult to believe that we could turn such a large space into a meaningful exhibition of work in just a little over a week. Having this doubt never got in my way of completing the work that needed to be done because I realized that my help could make a big difference. The way that I dealt with this issue was perseverance. I knew that if I helped out as much as I could the process would be much faster and less stressful to the other students I was working with. I also didn’t face any adversity with other classmates regarding the topic. I found it more interesting to hear what the sides had to say rather than getting in a dispute with them. During the exhibition I walked into the commons and was blown away by what we were able to accomplish in the time we had to build it. While we were building the exhibition, I only worked in the space where the timeline was going so I never got to see what the other groups were working on. As I walked through each one of the rooms I felt like we had accomplished our goal of making a really impactful and informational exhibition.
I feel like during the process of this project I contributed to my group quite a bit. I found it easier to work just with my group than I did with the entire class because everyone was doing their own research and projects. I think that the only time during this project that I could contribute to the entire class was during the class discussions which as I said earlier, I wish I voiced my opinion more to bring more neutrality to the conversation. In my group work, I did contribute to most of the tasks that we completed such as researching each country’s gun laws, researching school shootings from 1995 to 2018, painting the timeline, and finding the best way to display it. Whenever my group seemed stressed or too busy, I'd ask what I could do to help out or if there were any other task that needed to be done. I also thought that it would be a good idea to be a part of the planning committee so I could help out with finding ways to make our exhibition achieve our goal. After I saw that most of the work was being done by a few other class members, I decided not to be a part of the planning committee because everything was already planned. I was still very proud of the work that I did with my timeline group and thought that our timeline was the one thing I could point to in the exhibition and say, "I made that". I thought that our timeline in particular was one of the most impactful parts of the exhibition, along with the trigger room. After I looked at the timeline during the exhibition I was truly saddened by how many shootings have happened just in the last few years. It was also very interesting compare the U.S to other countries and see how bad our gun issue is. While I support the second amendment, the United States clearly has a problem and stricter gun laws need to be enacted.
My viewpoint was never really challenged during this project because I felt like I had a pretty neutral standpoint going into it. This didn't mean that I was trying to be close minded to anyone's opinions and if anything I wanted to hear what the two sides had to say about the issue. Through the project I heard a lot of different comments about the topic but my personal viewpoint never changed. Being a person who doesn't want to see guns completely banned from the country as well as wanting something to be done about the issue, my focus was looking for more resolutions and compromises as opposed to finding ways to tell people that I'm right and they are wrong. Being somewhat neutral was really beneficial for me because it was easier to converse with people from both sides without causing any disputes. During the class discussions I never really voiced my opinion which I now regret because I feel like I could have brought some neutrality to the conversation and made the discussions more about how we could fix the issue opposed to proving points. My viewpoint wasn’t changed during the research process or the exhibition. These two processes were more eye opening for me rather than changing for me. After walking through the exhibition and doing research, I felt more of a need to find a peaceful resolution rather than changing sides.
Throughout the process of this project I faced very little adversity and when I did, it was easy to handle. The only time was during the the beginning of the making of the exhibition in the commons. I found it difficult to believe that we could turn such a large space into a meaningful exhibition of work in just a little over a week. Having this doubt never got in my way of completing the work that needed to be done because I realized that my help could make a big difference. The way that I dealt with this issue was perseverance. I knew that if I helped out as much as I could the process would be much faster and less stressful to the other students I was working with. I also didn’t face any adversity with other classmates regarding the topic. I found it more interesting to hear what the sides had to say rather than getting in a dispute with them. During the exhibition I walked into the commons and was blown away by what we were able to accomplish in the time we had to build it. While we were building the exhibition, I only worked in the space where the timeline was going so I never got to see what the other groups were working on. As I walked through each one of the rooms I felt like we had accomplished our goal of making a really impactful and informational exhibition.
I feel like during the process of this project I contributed to my group quite a bit. I found it easier to work just with my group than I did with the entire class because everyone was doing their own research and projects. I think that the only time during this project that I could contribute to the entire class was during the class discussions which as I said earlier, I wish I voiced my opinion more to bring more neutrality to the conversation. In my group work, I did contribute to most of the tasks that we completed such as researching each country’s gun laws, researching school shootings from 1995 to 2018, painting the timeline, and finding the best way to display it. Whenever my group seemed stressed or too busy, I'd ask what I could do to help out or if there were any other task that needed to be done. I also thought that it would be a good idea to be a part of the planning committee so I could help out with finding ways to make our exhibition achieve our goal. After I saw that most of the work was being done by a few other class members, I decided not to be a part of the planning committee because everything was already planned. I was still very proud of the work that I did with my timeline group and thought that our timeline was the one thing I could point to in the exhibition and say, "I made that". I thought that our timeline in particular was one of the most impactful parts of the exhibition, along with the trigger room. After I looked at the timeline during the exhibition I was truly saddened by how many shootings have happened just in the last few years. It was also very interesting compare the U.S to other countries and see how bad our gun issue is. While I support the second amendment, the United States clearly has a problem and stricter gun laws need to be enacted.
With Justice For All?
Project Reflection
The purpose of this project was for us to understand what the difference between just and unjust law is, and to learn about different moral philosophies. We started this unit by learning about Martin Luther King's personal opinions on civil disobedience and what makes just laws. After that, we studies different moral philosophies such as Libertarianism and Utilitarianism. This allowed us to understand different perspectives that some people may have about what makes a just and unjust law. Next we researched different issues in Durango to base our project off of and be able to have an impact on our town. We decided that we should base our projects off of one of the biggest topics in Durango which was answering questions towards homeless people. We then were able to invite several guest speakers to talk with our class about what they thought of the topic and how their organizations affect them. Our class was able to hear from organizations such as Axis Health, Sheriff's Department, Food Not Bombs, and the Veteran Homestead Project Organization. We were also able to get a tour through the homeless camps located at the test tracks which gave us good insight to how they were living and what they’re homes looked like. After researching all of the information that revolves around homelessness, each student chose what they would like to create for our exhibition which could be through art pieces, films, or implicit bias tests. We also had a event planning community who organized the entire event and reached out to various people and organizations. The statement that we were presenting at the exhibition was to inform Durango citizens about issues that may stem from homelessness, what organizations are available for people to get help, and several other informational topics.
When the time came for our class to show our work to the public, the event planning team organized everything that needed to be done in order to be impactful. We hosted our event at the Fairgrounds and set up the building into sections so that everything could be shown to our audience. At the event, we had spokespeople from different organizations to give information to people and to answer questions. We also had guest speakers start off the event with a short talk about their business and how they are related to homelessness. After, let our audience see students projects, and ask any questions about their art piece. Next, we hosted a community dinner for everyone to enjoy and allow everyone to socialize with each other and potentially meet new people. One of my biggest takeaways from the event was being able to talk to people about my groups project. I thought that it was really cool to hear other people's opinions and thoughts on the idea behind our art piece.
When we were creating our art piece, I felt a little nervous because I had only done a smaller stencil before and the one we were doing for this project was much larger. I was also concerned that our audience would have trouble understanding what our art piece was depicting. I do think that we got out of our comfort zones quite a bit with this project because there were a lot of things that could have gone wrong from the beginning. We were both really pleased with how our project turned out and we received a lot of good feedback on it at the exhibition. We also worked very well together when it came to distributing the work and meeting deadlines. Both Carter and I communicated with each other really well and there was never any confusion between the things that we needed to do or when they needed to be done. Overall the construction of our art piece was well organized and worked out really well for us.
By the end of this project I feel that I have learned a lot about homelessness, moral philosophies, and just laws. I think my biggest takeaway from this project was the insights that I learned through the homeless research we did. Before we had done any research on the issue, I had the same thoughts as anyone else would about homeless people. Most people wonder why they can’t get a job in order to buy a place to live and to afford food. Through our research I have learned more about how hard it may be for a homeless person to get a job because they don’t have an address or any identification. It was also really interesting to hear some of the stories that homeless people had. I learned that the biggest reasons for going homeless are making bad choices and a series of bad events. I definitely think that my perception of homeless people has changed tremendously through this project through interviews, guest speakers, films, and art pieces. I am really glad that I was able to learn all of this and be able to change my perception about the topic.
When the time came for our class to show our work to the public, the event planning team organized everything that needed to be done in order to be impactful. We hosted our event at the Fairgrounds and set up the building into sections so that everything could be shown to our audience. At the event, we had spokespeople from different organizations to give information to people and to answer questions. We also had guest speakers start off the event with a short talk about their business and how they are related to homelessness. After, let our audience see students projects, and ask any questions about their art piece. Next, we hosted a community dinner for everyone to enjoy and allow everyone to socialize with each other and potentially meet new people. One of my biggest takeaways from the event was being able to talk to people about my groups project. I thought that it was really cool to hear other people's opinions and thoughts on the idea behind our art piece.
When we were creating our art piece, I felt a little nervous because I had only done a smaller stencil before and the one we were doing for this project was much larger. I was also concerned that our audience would have trouble understanding what our art piece was depicting. I do think that we got out of our comfort zones quite a bit with this project because there were a lot of things that could have gone wrong from the beginning. We were both really pleased with how our project turned out and we received a lot of good feedback on it at the exhibition. We also worked very well together when it came to distributing the work and meeting deadlines. Both Carter and I communicated with each other really well and there was never any confusion between the things that we needed to do or when they needed to be done. Overall the construction of our art piece was well organized and worked out really well for us.
By the end of this project I feel that I have learned a lot about homelessness, moral philosophies, and just laws. I think my biggest takeaway from this project was the insights that I learned through the homeless research we did. Before we had done any research on the issue, I had the same thoughts as anyone else would about homeless people. Most people wonder why they can’t get a job in order to buy a place to live and to afford food. Through our research I have learned more about how hard it may be for a homeless person to get a job because they don’t have an address or any identification. It was also really interesting to hear some of the stories that homeless people had. I learned that the biggest reasons for going homeless are making bad choices and a series of bad events. I definitely think that my perception of homeless people has changed tremendously through this project through interviews, guest speakers, films, and art pieces. I am really glad that I was able to learn all of this and be able to change my perception about the topic.