Reflective Journal I

For me, this CDE course has been a rather new experience. Compared to previous electives, PPE and AASC, I think that this is very different in its own way. Firstly, the need to read all the articles provided by the teacher was a very new thing. In PPE, we were given stacks of readings which were dry and we did not really have to read all of them to do our work. In AASC, we just had to read the book and most of the time it is us generating our own ideas regarding it. Currently, CDE requires us to not only absorb the information provided by professionals, but also think about the issues ourselves and form our own point of view. This generates a lot of discussion during class time at a rather relaxed manner, making understanding the topics taught a simple task.

Secondly, I had mixed feelings of the syllabus ahead of us. At first look, it seemed as if a lot of complex ideas are involved and I was afraid that I would not be able to grasp it without adequate information. This was probably due to overload in previous elective courses such as PPE where the concepts introduced to us were very foreign and we simply dived straight in, making it very confusing and difficult. Looking at the syllabus again, I realized that it is not as tough as it first appeared to be. The tutorials are generally comparing certain trends in America and China, and with the class being all involved in BSP, we would have certain background knowledge in these topics. Furthermore, the teacher has provided us with numerous short articles portraying a certain point of view which talks about certain aspects of the topics. With this information, it is rather easy to have my own depiction of the trend and have a number of ideas regarding it. The first few lessons we had also helped to dispel my initial fears. The actual lessons were rather relaxed, and as long as I had read the readings, I was able to keep up with the ideas thrown by the class and was also able to provide some of my ideas and opinions at times.

Thirdly, I think that the mode of assessment is rather okay. It removes the boring format of tests and instead adopts a more holistic way of grading someone: through their class activity and the personal take-aways of the module. With the current assessment format, I would definitely find myself speaking up more in class as it accounts for 20% of the term grade. Once I had started participating in class discussion, I found out that it was not very hard and that I was also able to contribute some ideas. This would encourage me to participate more actively in other lessons as well, and overall I believe this is better than the standard tests used to measure a student’s understanding of the subject. Also, I believe that reflective journals are a great way of assessing the student’s performance. We are “forced” to reflect upon the lessons and think of what they have actually learned during the lessons, as well as how to improve their learning. This is a win-win method as the students are not only able to assess their own performance, but the teachers can also see the pros and cons of the methods of teaching they have used, and adjust it accordingly to the student’s feedback. I would undeniably prefer writing reflective journals than take boring 1-hour tests, and this is quite a refreshing thing.

Last but not least, I have a few comments about the course. I think that it is a rather helpful course as I not only get to acquire knowledge on America and China, the two largest powers in the world currently, but also practical skills which I can apply in the future, such as how to write research papers and such. This course could also spark my interest in reading news magazines and such as the information in such articles are sufficient for me to get a basic understanding of the topic, and they are not very dry. This would thus prove to be a rather good way of keeping up with current affairs. I also think that the school is on the right track on nurturing us into bi-cultural people. Through modules such as these, we get to learn about America and China in an interesting way and the breadth and depth of current issues are covered pretty well. I particularly like the lesson on cultural quotient as of now as I find it quite new and interesting and provides me with an alternative point of view to take when I come across events or activities that involve another culture. Overall, I am enjoying the module. The only fear I might have is that during the peak periods of homework and all, I may not be able to find time to read all the articles provided by the teachers. Other than that, it should be fine(: