Me on BarackObama.com after the election

Vijay Pai=ME!

Hi guys! My name is Vijay and I should first mention that this is a little late because i embarrassingly couldn't figure out how to post blogs to the LIS 202 site, and instead i created my own blog page...ANYWAYS....if you care to know a little bit about me: I am from racine, WI....and i am freshmen here with an undecided major. College thus far has been a ridiculously fun experience and i cannot speak enough on how much i love it! I was thinking about doing prebusiness, but I have since ditched that plan, and now am just taking classes that sound interesting to me, and that is the reason i am in LIS. I enjoy the outdoors and the beauties of nature, listening to music, and spending time with friends, blah blah blah...you probably know the deal.


Anyways, also posted is a picture of me taken on a trail in the grand canyon...

Third Space

This blog acts as a 3rd place because it is a place where people can form a community to exchange ideas(conversation is the main activity!!). Most people feel comfortable blogging too, because it takes the person-to-person encounter out of the equation so people with social hang-ups and shy people can really let their ideas flow and share and open up to a community. The blogging website is very easy to access to most people in this class too, because Madison has areas on campus that have Wi-Fi, and publicly assessable computers...therefore people can log on to blogger.com and blog when they feel like it, and they don't have to have a set schedule to blog. In addition to all of this, the internet blogging service serves as a neutral ground where no 1 person has to serve as a host, and people can blog 100 times, or 0 times. It is open, it is accommodating, it is playful.....it is a true 3rd place.

Third Place/Social Capital

Third place/Social Capital

In my opinion, this blog fulfills the concepts of third place in many ways. It is convenient to express themselves for the people who have access to use internet because it does not have limit of space or time and our main activities are focused on trading opinion, which can be a conversation if we think about it as a "actual world". However, I somewhat disagree that blog makes everyone feel comfortable. It is not fully open place as a bar, coffee shop, or library since we are involved in here as a member of class. This is limited to specific group of people who has already had connections of some degree of knowledge and some specific terms. 

I think it is a great place to get social capital because there are members who have various background and there are connections among us. It is not just place for social capital, but also place for human capital since we are posting different opinions about same ideas.

My very first Badger game! (I'm the one on the left :) )

Me in small town near Oaxaca, Mexico last summer 

my picture!

this is my little cousin, sarah, and me

picture post

Picture!

Third Space?

I agree and disagree that this blog functions as a third space. It is a neutral ground and leveler for our class in many ways; an open forum where we can discuss what is going on in class and our reactions to what we've learned. Since this is a private blog, it has a relatively low profile and as we get to know each other through it, we can maintain our individual low profiles as well. Additonally, conversation is definitely the main activity, so long as you agree that our posts and responses are conversation. I would argue that they are, especially considering our digital age. I guess that makes us all regulars :)

The aspects of a third place I don't necessarily feel exist on our blog are a "home away from home," "playful mood," and "accessibility and accomodation." It isn't an actual gathering space, and I would guess many of us don't spend all of our free time on this blog which ties into the playful mood characteristic. It is still part of a class, requiring a somewhat academic decorum in postings and the topics seem to be generally course-related. The fact that most of us are probably writing our posts from our own computers somewhere on or near campus makes this a somewhat inaccessable blog; we are lucky to be able to attend this school and while this is an open blog for all of those in our discussion, the events which have lead us all to be in this course, understanding the content and how to use a blog, removes us and our actions in this blog from a point of general accessibility.

Emily Kesner

Hi everyone! I know this is a little late, but I switched up my schedule this week and am now in this discussion.

My name is Emily Kesner and I'm a freshman from Wauwatosa, WI (right outside of Milwaukee...). At home, I was involved in a volunteer peer education program through the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin where I went into schools in Milwaukee and surrounding areas every month and taught on different subjects, like bullying or good communication skills. It really opened my eyes to the divisions in society and the socioeconomic discrepancies which are revealed even with just a five minute drive.

Here, my major changes every week, but I'm currently planning on applying to the school of journalism.I'm in a sorority, Greek InterVarsity and I'm also a Tour Guide for Visitor and Information Programs. I just started this semester and am really excited about it! Eventually, I plan on going to law school and have wanted to do so for as long as I can remember. I think it will be an amazing way to be helpful to others; I want to help people navigate the legal system who may not otherwise have the ability or knowledge to stand up for themselves in the most effective ways, such as through the courts.



I look forward to meeting everyone next week!

Blog as a Third Place

Our blog could be considered a third place as it fulfills most of the requirements. It does not restrict who can post on it as long as the person is in the class. It allows for a neutral atmosphere that is focused on conversation. This could also be considered a home away from home as it allows people to share their feelings, insights, and other information they might not ordinarily share.

Third Place / Social Capital

I think our blog can definitely be seen as a third place. It fits most of the criteria given by Professor Whitmire in lecture -- it has no specific restrictions on who can post to it (as long as that person is in the class), it's accessible, focused on conversation, and neutral. I also think that it contributes to the social capital, because if people are posting and commenting on each other's posts regularly, it will create a sense of community outside of discussion, which might possibly carry over into the discussion itself.

Our Blog

As a third place, I feel like this blog is inclusive in some respects, but exclusive in others. This blog makes it easier for shy people in our class to get their ideas known to the other students and also lets more outgoing students get more of their ideas out there if they didn't get to participate in discussion enough. But this blog also excludes anyone who is not in our discussion, so it is not a third place to everyone in this university, in this city and in the country. It can only be used by a certain amount of people so it is exclusive to others. Its accessibility is also limited. Not everyone can blog at every moment of the day because people are not on computers 24/7. If they are in class or hanging with a friend, they are not blogging. This is why physical areas are great for third places. A cafe is useful because anyone can go there and discuss their ideas no matter what class, race, or gender they are. A blog is not that accessible.

This can be a good place to gain social capital because you can get other people's ideas and then discuss them in a free, private setting.

Third Place Online

Blogs as a third place are much more convenient and accessible for people with internet than traditional physical third places where people physically meet. Communication is almost instant for people who can access blogs. Despite this convenience there are many downsides that would turn some people away including me. First of all, I am a pretty terrible at typing and it takes me much longer to interact with anyone on a blog wall than in person. Also, blogging web sites don't have the home-like warm feeling that a library or cafe would have.

Also, blogs have little more to offer than conversation. Although conversation is the primary activity in a third place, traditional third places, like bowling alleys and libraries have much more activites or resources that groups can utilize while at the third place. While blogging might be a very fast and efficient way to converse as a group (at least through text), the experience of group interaction and building of social bonds is a completely different experience in person.

Blogspot as a Thirdplace

Personally, I don't know when I would have ever started blogging on my own time. Despite this, I think it's a really effective and interesting aspect of this course, ultimately serving the purpose of a third place in a variety of ways. Looking at the accessibility of blogging as a third place on this campus it is very convenient, easy, and definitely accessible. Whether your on state street or by Camp Randall, you can most likely find a Wi-Fi spot within 3-5 minutes. Because this is a college campus, the majority of students have the technological devices that allow them to blog wherever, whenever. Even without these devices, several libraries are scattered across campus. Students can easily stop into a library and use one of the computers. Blogging may build various different types of social capital ranging from purely academic to long lasting friendships. Depending on personal points of views on blogging will be the ultimate factor in how much or little a student uses this as a tool for networking and building social capital.

Third Place Blogging

Blogging is a third place you do not have to be part of a certain ethnic group in order to participate.  It is also a third place because people can post their ideas, and they will get feedback. Blogging is also not a third place because not even has accessibility to the internet.  There are also others who do not now how to blog.  Another reason why blogging is not a third place is the conversation is not life like.  In real life, you can use gestures to support your ideas, but blogging your are forced to all use words.  Blogging is also not a home away from home because you can do it from your house.  It is also not a very playful activity.

Third Places

Our class is a Third Place in many respects. Because its a computerized interaction, it is a neutral ground where people won't feel as intimidated where as they might during a discussion section. Obviously, with any class we are open to all people and so in that way it acts as a leveler. The main activity is conversation because that is the purpose of the blog, to communicate and throw ideas at one another. Depending upon what kinds of resources people have the blogs can also be more accommodating than physically going to a class. Because this is through a class, all of the participants are regulars and the website is kept low profile because the only people who contribute are those that are part of this class. The only two exceptions to this Third Place idea might be the playful mood and the home away from home. Depending upon how people's ideas and conversations vary, we are still in an academic environment that isn't necessarily for fun and leisure, rather for school and education because we have to be here. It is in these last two features in which the Blog really diverges from being a Third Place.

The Blog, as I have found in some of my other classes can greatly help social capital, especially when it comes to helping one another with class concepts, exams, etc. The Blog can act as a tool of reciprocity in offering advice and help for students to help clarify questions that come up about the class. It is in this way that the Social Capital is greatly increased in this community.

thirddd

this blog acts as a third space to most people because it is open to anyone and they can share as much or as little as possible. There is still a fear to some because having anything online could be wrong to some and they could find fear in putting themselves out there. information they dont want everyone to know or were afraid someone would see would turn people off blogging. for the most part though blogging is an opening for anyone. it is up to the person how far they go as to what they say or how they take blogging into their lives. this effect makes the blogging world a very rich field. people want their opinion heard and they can do it on their own time in the convenience of their own home and for the most part dont have to worry about negative things coming back. blogging is a very open and free place for people and it doesnt push or pull a person a certain way and this is great to the people that use/look/or think about using it. there are so many people that use blogs and such that the field is definetely on the upside.

response to social capital

Our blog is a third space specifically for this discussion class. Obviously, people outside of this section 302 are excluded. But within this class, in order for someone to access the third space they must know how to type, how to post a blog, and how to navigate the blog. Also, everyone must have internet access and a computer.
But a third space is also voluntary, so a student has to WANT to contribute to the blog for it to really fit the definition.
Some of the social capital that is exchanged amongst members of this blog are comments, the recognition of having your post read, the photographs that we will add to our introductions, and links. If someone decides to update their profile, that information would also be a form of social capital.

Blog as Third Place

If you look through the requirements of being a third place (from lecture) this blog satisfies many of those requirements. Conversation is the main activity (not much else you can do on a blog), it has regulars, and the mood is very playful. It's not a third place in the fact that it isn't very accessible and accommodating (you need the internet to get it and it wouldn't be very easy to find if you weren't looking for it) and I wouldn't call this my home away from home.

This blog builds our social capital by building communication networks and connections which can enhance our understanding of topic and enrich our discussion sections.

3rd Space

This blog can be seen as a 3rd space because it is readily available to most people. It does have exclusions though to people who may not have computers, who have no access to a public space that offers free internet uses, or people whose libraries may not have the funds for computers. It can come down to economic means of an individual, but I have used computers next to homeless people at the library that were able to get to a computer. The one type of person who cannot access this 3rd space is the illiterate. But that could be going off on a who different tangent.

This 3rd space really builds social capital because these social type of networks have value and actually mean something to the individuals accessing them. We get knowledge of different viewpoints and ideas from the other members of the blog

this blog

this blog acts as a third space for people in this sect ion. I would say it excludes people who are not in this lecture because i would predict that a lot of the future blogs are going to be referencing articles and lectures that are specific to this class. while someone outside the class could read the blogs(i think. maybe) they wouldn't be privileged with the same knowledge, experience and specific lens that is being acquired with each reading, section and lecture.

as for social capitol. this blog facilitates expansion of interaction and sharing between members of this section. it allows the classroom to be deepened into the blog room chat or whatever it is called. having said that I also think it is not without its disadvantages of losing meaning when not being face to face. 90 of communication is non-verbal so text is at best sending 10 percent of my message...

what makes this blog my third place?

This blog acts like a third place that only includes our discussion section, provided that we all have access to a computer. It excludes people from other discussion sections, from other classes, and from other communities as a whole. I think this blog will create a comfortable atmosphere for the small number of us to clarify readings, discussions, lectures, etc. referring to this course... along with a comfortable way for us to raise our participation grade... that comfort makes this blog "a home away from home" in a small community setting, if that's what you wish to call it.

Our Blog as a Third Space

Our blog provides an open forum for people from the class to discuss many, many issues related to the multicultural society. However, because it's part of a class and everything said and done is evaluated in some manner, whether by Prof. Whitmire, Nate, or other classmates, students might hold back and screen some of their ideas and thoughts. The blog has many of the characteristics of a Third Space, but doesn't fit all the requirements discussed in lecture today.

In any case, social capital can still be built through the sharing of different ideas and perspectives. This builds relationships between people and helps everyone by increasing the community's knowledge.

third place blog

This blog acts as a third place because its a place where students in LIS 202 can discuss different topics about the course. For those who aren't taking this class, the blog wouldn't be a third place because they wouldn't know about some of the articles or topics we would be discussing. This blog is helping the students of LIS 202 stay connected as well as allowing them to get other perspectives about the topics that are discussed. Its also a way for us to get to know each other a little better.

This Blog, a Third Place?

This blog can be and can not be a third place. It can be in the fact that it would be easier for us to get together and discuss our ideas outside of class. Plus, in this campus it is extremely easy to get a hold of a computer. Also certain people may not feel as comfortable sharing their ideas in person but do online.
But, on the other hand, for some people it may not be as easy to see this as a third place. For example, perhaps they just hate blogging and prefer to simply just contribute to the class during the discussion sessions. In addition, there may be people who do not own a computer and who live away from campus. For them blogging frequently will be difficult.

blog as a third place

I think that this blog can be a third place in some respects, and not in others. It allows our class to express our opinions freely without confrontation. It's an exclusive blog however, because it does only apply to our class. So as far as a wider range of opinions from other people, it does not include that. I wouldn't necessarily call this a 'home away from home' atmosphere because I definitely will not be blogging that much in my free time as though it 'makes me feel at home' but it's a comfortable place to talk about things you maybe wouldn't say to someones face (even though they'll just read it later).

Our Blog as a Third Space

I'd say this blog, and all online blogs, are a form of "third space." It is a space that allows users to feel comfortable communicating in an online sphere, where they can come together to discuss their ideas. It's a different way to look at what is commonly perceived as a third space, yet it holds many of the same fundamental characteristics: people are communicating comfortably, there is activity, etc. In terms of exclusion, this third space is ideal for those who are foremost students, as the information is relevant, and to those who have a computer and are not affected by the digital divide. This third space would not be comfortable to older users, as they are not as technologically savvy or those who are not seeking an education.
In regards to social capital, this third space allows people to come together, like they would in a cafe, bowling alley, or library, and coexist.

3rd Space

obviously this blog allows us as a class to meet in a "third space" because all of us have access to it and we use it in relation to this class. It is not a third space for all though especially for those who do not have the possibility of internet or computers. What I do like about the blog is that is it a anytime, anywhere idea where all of us from this discussion can add ideas and thoughts whenever they hit us, instead of strictly during discussion hours. Although it will most likely be accessed by those in this discussion, it is a good resource for us as a third space where our creativity and ideas can be concentrated.

nathan heres a video,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMyHuCVaRaE

Third Place

Our blog is a third place only for the students that are currently enrolled in this class. However, if students do not own a computer, it makes this blog less accessible for them to get to on a regular basis. They would probably have to go to the library and post a blog, which could also require them waiting for a computer to open up. As long as students remain mindful of the other students when they post their blogs, I think this blog could stay a neutral third place. Depending on where the student is when blogging, they can probably feel at home (while sitting in a lounge chair) but it probably won't be a home away from home.
The benefits of this blog for students in this class is that it gives them an opportunity to express themselves using a different type of communication. However, if students hate technology or blogging, this third place could become more of a chore for them. I think that this blog will also benefit students by giving them a less informal way to talk and learn about their peers without the pressures of the classroom.

Blog as a Third Space?

I think that our Blog acts as a third place because it can be accessed pretty much anywhere by anyone here in our blog. If you have access to the internet you have access to the Blog. However, some people don't really enjoy blogging, so why would they blog if they didn't have to? Also, it is available to everyone in our discussion, but it isn't available to people outside of the discussion. A person needs an invite to get access to this blog so it really isn't a third space for everyone everywhere. If you are stuck out in the rural areas, with no means of internet access, then the blog isn't available to you and thus isn't a third space. Really I don't find a blog to be a good third space at all. It's available, yes, and you can access it pretty much anywhere, yes, but it does have its limitations.

Joshua Havelka

Hi I'm Josh.  I am a sophomore.  I graduated from Kettle Moraine High School in Wales, WI.  After graduating I went to UW Waukesha.  I transferred from UW Waukesha after the last semester, so this is my first semester at UW Madison.  I am majoring in Actuarial Science, and I am taking this class to fulfill the ethnic studies and humanities requirements.  I have been from Waukesha since I was only a year and a half old.  There is very little diversity in Waukesha.  My high school was over 90% white, so I am interested in learning about other groups and what their life styles are like.

Hey Everybody

My name is Kyle English and I'm from Appleton, WI. I am a sophomore double majoring in Computer Engineering and Computer Science. Appleton wasn't a very diverse city but since I have traveled to 45 states I have a good knowledge of the differences in diversity around the country. I am a huge sports fanatic and I'm looking forward to the game tonight against Purdue (hopefully we can finally come through with a big win). I look forward to seeing you all in class.

Hey there =]

Hello, my name is Linda Gomez and I am from Madison. I am a freshman at the UW and my intended major is currently Genetics. But with that being said, I am open-minded to the posibility that it will change later on in the future.
I am a first generation, Mexican student and I feel that I have experienced some of the barriers of the digital divide in first person. For instance, I used to belong to a community where no one had access to any type of computers. The first time that I had ever seen a computer in person was in 5th grade in the year 2000.

I hope that my background will be able to help out not only myself, but also my fellow classmates. =]

First Blog: About Me

Hi, I'm Lisa. I'm a freshman at UW-Madison, majoring in biology. No I'm not pre-med, I don't do blood or needles. Most likely, I'll be going into research... something in the environmental field. I'm taking LIS202 in order to fulfill the ethnics requirement for graduation. I grew up in Whitefish Bay, WI which was a predominately white community. Our bus program allowed inner-city kids from Milwaukee to join our school district, however, so I have been exposed to somewhat of a divided community. So far, this class seems pretty interesting and I'm excited to contribute to lecture, discussion, and the blog with both questions and comments. Some of my major interests include music, choir, friends, and travel. I've been to China with my choir, France on a family stay, and Norway to visit one of my best friends in the past three years and I'm really hoping to travel abroad sometime during my college career. I love finding new bands and music to listen to, going to concerts and shows, and making music myself. I've run out of things to say.

Intro

Whats up everyone. My name is Drew and I'm from Montclair, NJ. I am a freshman this year and am hoping to be majoring in International Business, if I can get into the business school. I plan on learning Mandarin next semester and would love to study abroad in East Asia. I currently live in Ogg Hall. I'm an Aquarius. I like long walks on the beach. I am a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity on campus. I am originally from Oak Park, Illinois a suburb of Chicago, So I am a really big Bears, Cubs, Bulls, and Blackhawks fan. The towns I have lived in are extremely diverse, my high school was 60% black, 45% white so I have seen differences in multicultural society first hand, but am hoping to learn even more through this class.

Jesse

My name is Jesse Susa and I am a freshman in my second semester here. I am planning on majoring in microbiology or something similar. I grew up in a Eleva, WI which is a very small town close to Eau Claire. I graduated high school at Eleva-Strum Central High in a class 46. My high school was very small and I have met very few people who go to school here who are from such a small community.

Personally, I enjoy playing guitar, snowboarding, music, and taking it easy on the weekends. I like to play football, basketball, racquetball or anything really. I love being outside in good weather though I can't pass up an offer to go skiing no matter how cold.

Introduction

My name is Will Mayberry. I am from Hayward, WI. Hayward is located about a five hour drive north of Madison. It is home to the American Birkebeiner and it is where the world record musky was caught. Having grown up in the northland, I like to fish, hunt, explore the outdoors, and play sports.

Myeonghui Hong

Hi!
My name is Myeonghui Hong (pronounciation for my name is "Me-young-he")
I am from South Korea and just transferred to UW. I studied social work when I was in Korea,
but I would like to change my major to something else. I am thinking to study business because I tought it might be very helpful to get a job abroad if I have business degree. After I finish study at UW I may go back to Qingdao China, where my family is living. Even though I have been living in here for a year already because I took a ESL (English as a Second Language) at UW, it is still hard to get used to this harsh weather... Hopefully I can graduate as soon as possible and get a job at somewhere very warm place.. :)
Thank you for reading this!

Hey, my name is Emily Crain and i am from Mankato, Minnesota, which is located in Southern Minnesota at the bend of the Minnesota River. I am a freshman here at the University of Wisconsin- Madison and I plan on majoring in Journalism/Mass Communications. Eventually, I would love to travel because i have never been anywhere outside of the Continental U.S., let alone west of Omaha, Nebraska. I plan on studying abroad in Italy my Spring semester of my Junior year which i am really excited for. I don't really have any other interesting facts about myself, except that my Aunt and Uncle won two million dollars last week in a lottery in the state of New Jersey, but that doesn't really benefit me. I guess that's kind of it for now.
Ciao.

max lohnhardt aka ME

ok so this max, im from racine, wisconsin.. my mayor was caught for child porn recently.. im a sophomore and im thinking of going into a comm arts major... i think i can bring creativity and uniqueness to this class.. i like to go against the grain so i can contribute maybe a different side to a subject or topic that otherwise may not be shown. i like to keep upbeat and i like to think im a little funny, so i hope i can be a little entertaining. :) random fact: my man hobby is movies, collecting and watching them. they are like my life and i would challenge anyone to movie trivia!

Leila Walker

Hey. My name is Leila Walker (pronounced like the Eric Clapton song "Layla"). I am from Berkeley, California. I am a History major with a certificate in Classics. I want to continue my education and get my masters and PhD in History so I can become a professor. I love the library and decided to take this class to learn more about information and how libraries effect the neighborhoods and people around them. Coming from Berkeley, I bring a very liberal view of the world to discussion, but I love to discuss politics and get other peoples views of the world. I used the public library a lot during high school and also volunteered in my high school's library. I also love sports and rowed throughout high school and my freshman year here. I am a huge Yankees fan and love watching all sports all the time, even though life is slightly more depressing when baseball season ends.

Introduction.

Hi! I'm Sara Newhouse, I'm a freshman, and I'm probably going to major in Journalism. I'd like to write about music -- reviews, interviews, whatever needs to be done. During the summer, I go to every performance I can.... it doesn't matter if it's an extremely well-known band, a friend's solo show, or a symphony. If I can, I'll be there.

LIS 201 was really interesting, so I'm looking forward to learning more about the digital divide in this class.

introduction to myself

Kristen is my first name. Alexandra is my middle name. Carpenter is my last name. There,ladies and gentle man, is my full name. I do not really ever blog so I do not have much to say right now. I guess I could continue this beautifully constructed blog by saying that I have three younger brother and a dad, mom and stepmom. I really like brownies and I love dark chocolate. I do not think that white chocolate should count as a chocolate because white "chocolate" does not contain any cocoa and most do not even contain cocoa butter. Another opinion of mine would be, obnoxious should offically be spelled abnoxious.

Jori Bell

Hi everyone, my name is Jori Bell and I am a sophomore from Northbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. My town is kind of a bubble, lacking major diversity so the most I've been exposed to as far as diversity has been in my experiences at Wisconsin. I'm excited to take this class as I think it will help improve my exposure and knowledge in this area. I'm hoping to major in Journalism and I'm interested in going into Advertising or Marketing when I graduate. I love music, dance, and writing. I work in the Advertising department at The Badger Herald here on campus and if I didn't have horrible travel anxiety I would travel more than I do, which I wish I could. And, because it's related to this class, when I was younger, I wanted to be a librarian when I grew up who got to read to kids at elementary schools. My goals have changed a bit, but I still love books!

Intro

Hello my name is Zach Fowler and I am a sophmore. A little about me is that I am currently applying to the kinesiology program and am aspiring to be a doctor of rehabilitation medicine and physical therapy. I come from a suburb of milwaukee called oconomowoc. At first I am sometimes reserved and a quiet person but as I become more and more comfortable with my surroundings I am usually a very outgoing individual. Personally I have always had a passion for sports and usually the only channel that is on in my apartment throughout the day is ESPN although I love watching intellectually worthless shows like rock of love bus, tool academy and so on...

introduction

Hey everyone,
My name is Ally and I'm from De Pere, Wisconsin. I'm a freshman this year majoring in Nutritional Science and Spanish. I took this course because I wanted to learn more about ethnic and racial minorities. De Pere is about five minutes south of Green Bay but is not a diverse city, so I haven't really been exposed to racial and ethnic minorities. I hope this class will enlighten me!

My first blog!

Hi! My name is Megan Moore and I am currently a freshman here. To keep you all from the mundane facts about my life like my major and where I'm living, I'll just skip those. I'm from a suburb of Chicago that is predominantly white, conservative and sheltered. For all intensive purposes my background has shaped me into the person I am today. My upbringing has shown me exactly what I want to do with my life and it has nothing to do with making money or belonging to the local country club. I hope that by being in such a diverse place like Madison I can learn things to bring back home and teach people, like the importance of fair trade, going green and helping others. Although I plan on getting my business degree, I plan on studying abroad and focusing on the more humanitarian aspects of business, like building water systems and providing education for the less fortunate around the world. After college I want to join the Peace Corps., and live in a Spanish speaking country.
To switch gears, my whole life isn't about saving the world. I love frozen yogurt, the TV show "Weeds" and laying around. Most of my friends call me the goof, and I live up to it. I'm always laughing or telling a story that usually involves my hands wildly waving around. I am a master of making hemp bracelets and I am also a neat freak. My sister is probably my hero and I love her to death; she's only a freshman in high school. Sorry for the frazzled last sentences! Hope this helps! =]

Megan

an introduction to me

Well, for starters my name is Donald John Nogalski but I go by D.J. and its pretty much been that way since I can remember. A few things I'm into are working out, football/basketball, hanging with my buddies, music and buying shoes (I own a lot). I have an addictive personality when it comes to TV shows and food. I've seen every episode of LOST, the Sopranos, Dexter, and Entourage just to name a few and I realllllly enjoy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. I'm currently a sophomore intending to major in Journalism and Mass Communication and if that does pan out for me I don't have a back up plan, oh well. I'm looking forward to this class and getting to know all of you!

Oh ya, I'm from Franklin, WI a suburb just south of Milwaukee if anyone was wondering.

my introduction

I'm Carolyn, a senior, majoring in English. Next year I plan on beginning my masters in Library and Information Sciences... which is of course the reason I wanted to take this class. Plus, I really like learning about and using new technology, and it will be interesting to see how it affects everyone differently.
I've lived in Wisconsin most of my life, so consequently I like the winter, cross country skiing, and snow in general. I have too many cats. And like most people, I watch a lot of movies, listen to music, play xbox, etc etc...


...and this is me at the UW arboretum this fall!

Lauren Sorenson

Hi, my name is Lauren Sorenson. I'm a freshman from Plymouth, MN (the number one city to live in America, incase you forgot). Since this class is about Divides and Differences in a Multicultural Society, maybe you want to know my experience with other cultures? My city is very diverse, especially my high school. It's not a rich public school at all, and we actually have to bus kids in from Minneapolis just to get a little more money. So since there are a lot of kids bussed in from Minneapolis, there is a large African-American, Hmong, Latino, and Muslim population at my school, as well as many other ethnicities. I wouldn't really say that I have a lot of friends from different races other than caucasian because I don't... but I've had many interactions with other cultures and ethnicities, some good and some bad. I think during discussion in this class I'll be able to bring a very balanced point of view. Because I was surrounded by a multitude of cultures in an educational environment, I can explain my point of view on if there really is a barrier to access information for minorities... or perhaps an unwillingness to access it (just an observation in my community...).

Introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Claire, and I'm a senior this year. I'm taking this class to fulfill my ethnic studies requirement, but I'm really interested in learning more about the informational divides in our society. Since I'm an engineering student, I haven't had many opportunities to take classes that require approaching and analyzing social and sociological issues, so I'm excited to come away from the semester with new knowledge and a new perspective. I look forward to learning a lot!

Hi!!!

Hey! My name is Emily. I'm a freshman looking to major in journalism. I am from the city of Milwaukee, so I experienced diversity firsthand, and I have many opinions about this said topic. I hope I'll enjoy this class, though I'm not too excited about being here until 5:20. I had a fun first semester, but I'm looking to get more involved on campus this time around. I plan on volunteering for a number of really fun activities, so I hope to have an even better semester as I utilize everything Madison has to offer me! See you in class!