Final Reflections – April House

As a psychology major, I generally approach matters of identity in terms of the self and personal, individual mechanisms. I am especially pleased that this course encouraged in depth analysis of historical contexts and how these macro/aggregate influences drive individual behavior and practice. Further, this class sparked an interest in fictional and biographical history that I never knew I possessed. I suspected that historical research encompassed tenets of solving a difficult puzzle or discovering a new revelation – but I had underestimated how intensely personal it is to investigate the details of someone’s life and learn how they actually might have lived. At times, I felt as if I was getting acquainted with individuals who desperately wanted their stories conveyed and understood. Further, this course challenged my own traditional notions of identity (gender and race) and the innumerable forces that shape it – including religion, sexual orientation, social class, geographic region or even place and time of birth.

Our blog assignments allowed me to 'channel' -- if you will -- assess and examine these lives in a manner that was personally meaningful and relevant. Initially, I didn't expect to enjoy the project, but during the course of our readings I found myself deeply immersed and curious about the figures we encountered. I really wondered who they were and how they lived. The selected narratives, stories and accounts deeply resonated with me and I often contemplated how many stories had been lost and how many countless others yearned to be told.

I still remain curious and interested in the myriad intersectionalities that complicate and confuse matters of identity construction and construal. The human spectrum is so full and robust that it is short-sided to evaluate an individual or a people solely in terms of a singular, isolated dimension.

My favorite blog submissions were the two regarding Helga's Father/Helga and Sally Hemings/Annette Reed-Gordon. These particular assignments invoked intensely compelling sentiments that I attempted to express in another’s voice. In generally completing the blog assignments, my primary concern was that my estimation of our subjects’ feelings and perspectives were fairly accurate and justified. Sometimes it was difficult to shrug the essentialism of my 21st century worldview – but I really tried to fashion someone else’s world through their own eyes.

Thanks for a fabulous class and inspiring a new personal interest worthy of insightful exploration.