EAP Visit

Studying abroad? EAP is the place to be! The UC's Education Abroad Program has so much to offer. At their office one can find information/advice for people in a particular major. One can also sort by country and decide after reviewing countries of interest. Regardless whether you are sure you wanna study abroad or have a slight thought about it, you should visit the EAP office to learn more about making it happen.
Personally, I would like to study abroad in either Germany or Japan. My only obstacle is learning the language, but I am sure that I could do it if I keep at it. I am also thinking about maybe even going this upcoming summer if I have enough units to be considered a sophomore. I will definitely be stopping by the EAP office in the near future to start getting advice from people who have participated in the program. That is another great thing about EAP, the people there went abroad so they can speak from experience.
I hope you are also interested in going abroad and I want to encourage you to give it a try, even if you do not think you will like it, try it one summer.

MacBetty

(About to head over to Shakespeare's Scottish Play)

Wow, Shakespeare's Scottish play, as performed by Naked Shakes, was interesting. It is easy to imagine that this is what it would have been like in Shakespeare's day; the audience seated high up in the Globe theatre relying on the actor's words because they can't see the stage or actions very well. One thing I found spectacular was the Naked Shakes vision that, "There is no rule that says only actors of the right gender, ethnic background, race, height and height are allowed to play a certain character." I thought all female cast in male roles did splendid. One major detail that made the play rather interesting was the commitment to character. A great player was Madelyn Robinson, playing the role of Lady MacBetty. In addition to the level of commitment, the ability of some players changing into other characters was astonishing; for example, a couple players were horses for scene and I was very impressed with their character choices made. Last but certainly not least, were the incorporation of great visuals during the performance. A main visual I liked was when people swayed their hands back and forth in sync in the background while MacBetty recited his "dagger" monologue. My favorite visual was the use of red gloves after Duncan's murder; it was a simple way to show the deed was done and caught everyone's eye because the players wore all black with the exception of Lady MacBetty wearing a read blouse (discretely revealing her character).

Lubach and Library

 (A small collage about myself)

Dr. Don Lubach's presentation really got me thinking... I mean, it WAS about thinking so why not give it a go? Some key points about thinking I absorbed from Dr. Lubach's presentation were evaluating info, evaluate thought, and looking at sources. These three things are exactly what a good thinker does. As Dr. Lubach explained, thinking can be something painful because accepting something one does not believe in can hurt. This is especially true for thoughts held close to our hearts, like religious beliefs. Dr. Lubach mentioned a book by Reza Aslan; "The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth". Lubach reported of Aslan's critics and opposition to his book. Unfortunately for Aslan, not many listened to his argument, and that is one thing I believe Dr. Lubach forgot to note, a good thinker has an open mind and that is why I have added Aslan's book to my reading list.
I could keep writing about Lubach's presentation for days, but I do not want to keep you too long so I will quickly note an observation I made. As Lubach went over Bloom's Taxonomy, which I had seen before, I promptly linked it to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Then I remembered how the bottom was basic survival which includes food, and the top was self-actualization (being the best you can be). After that I thought about drives, how they push a person to achieve goals, and how hunger is a drive that makes one eat food. Now, without food there is no way of reaching self-actualization so applying that to Bloom's Taxonomy, you gotta be hungry for knowledge! Only then will you stack building blocks to reach evaluation.

Now on to the Library presentation... All I can really say is that it was full of wonderful resources. As a matter of fact, I think it may have been too much for one sitting but that is only my opinion. Luckily, I know that I can ask a librarian for help if I ever need anything. Oh and just a heads up, the lady at the information desk (I did not catch her name) is kinda mean so if I were you I would ask someone else in the library and that is from personal experience (happened on the day of the presentation, looking for the room).

Hope you all are enjoying FSSP and are preparing for finals. Best of Luck!

Plagiarism

After reading the first article on plagiarism, all I can say is "Yikes!" Plagiarism is a serious act. I did not know that paraphrasing without a footnote was considered plagiarism. As the author of the first article mentioned, it is getting easier and easier to plagiarize... but it is also getting easier for professors to spot/confirm plagiarism. The reasoning behind the statement is that the internet makes everything much easier to search/find and being already on the computer makes it easier to copy and paste. As for professors, typing in key words to google will give an idea whether the student copied or not. The author also points out that just because you did not plagiarize, that means you are getting an "A"; you have to add or build upon what was written in the text.

Luckily, the articles provided some helpful tips on avoiding plagiarism. A great suggestion from the first article was to ask your professor for an extension, because chances are if you have time, you will not plagiarize. With spare time comes the ability to check your work, which is what the second article says writers should do. The second article says that double-checking makes your work more reliable. In addition to providing tips, both articles give examples of different types of plagiarism with reasons why they are considered plagiarism. All in all, one must be very careful when writing and making sure sources are given credit. Some great resources to check out here on campus if you are unsure about your paper are CLAS, a librarian, and your professor.

Librarian Lecture/Career Counseling

Last week's presentation was truly shocking. With no offense to Mrs. Jane Faulkner or any other librarian, I did know librarians could be so interesting. I thought it was very intriguing that Mrs. Faulkner's father wrote many books on the history of wine in America. Another part of her life I found extraordinary was the fact that she visited many libraries across The United States and Europe as a child. An interesting note Mrs. Faulkner highlighted during the presentation was the transfer of information. Mrs. Faulkner explained how information is reaching an audience starting with news, going to newspaper, magazine, academic articles, books, government report to the president, and finally encyclopedia. In addition to the info provided, Mrs. Faulkner's presentation has pointed out yet another resource UCSB has to offer. I plan on visiting the library more often and speaking to Jane.

In the career counseling presentation of another great resource here at UCSB. There I learned that any student can walk in and be referred to jobs/internships, receive help choosing a major, receive help planning for a major, or for information on Grad school. They also have a cool website with a job finder and a program that will help you find a career (focus 2).

Recently, I visited the SRB; that is the Student Resource Building. That name is perfectly suitable for that place. It is FULL of resources. Everywhere you look you can new information about where to find this or where to do that. Some academic resources at the SRB are CLAS drop-ins and ethnic resource/study centers. My personal favorite at the SRB is EOP. They can answer any question you may have and will refer you to the right people. Not only does the SRB provide students with academic resources, but they advertise activities to de-stress and relax your mind. One flyer that caught my attention was Alfred Hitchcock Movie Nights. I will be watching Strangers on a Train. All in all, if you need help with anything, the SRB is the place to go.

In the topic of meeting people, I have decided to implement some of the suggestions we discussed in class into this week. I went to the Physics Study Room and saw some familiar faces. In addition, I will introduce myself to people in San Nic, attend more activities, and join an organization in the future.

Today at the career fair, I visited the Education Abroad Program (EAP). At the EAP table I learned of the different programs and requirements for students. Some requirements include GPA and 0-5 quarters of the foreign language. Currently, I am thinking about going to Germany. Today I also talked to some Engineering students and received a General Engineering Academic Requirement (GEAR) Booklet. My plans are to transfer into the college of engineering. Lastly, I stopped by the EOP table and had a talk with Osvaldo. He explained to me that they are in San Nic Monday-Thursday and suggested I stop by. I plan on using these resources I learned about today, but in particular I plan on stopping by EOP sometime this week.

Greetings!

Hello! My name is Christian Rodriguez and I am from La Mirada, CA. For those of you who do not know where that is, allow me to enlighten you; it is in SoCal on the border of Los Angeles County and Orange County. Still can't place your finger on it?  It's about 11 miles, or 15 minutes, from Disneyland (Anaheim, CA). A little more about myself; my favorite color is red, my favorite dish is spaghetti, my favorite book is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, and my favorite band is Red Hot Chili Peppers. Some of my favorite movies include A Bronx Tale and Good Will Hunting. I am a lover of the performing arts (mostly theatre and music) and play tennis as a hobby. Currently my major is undeclared but I plan and hope on transferring over into The College of Engineering.

With that said, if you all have any questions go ahead and comment. I am excited for these next few years ahead of us at UCSB and for the good times, vibes, and people ahead. I look forward to meeting many of you. Thank you. Also, I am open for any book recommendations!