Seminar Reflection

My journey through Seminar 102 has been interesting. I feel that the course has had a
huge impact on my personal life. The course has helped me to develop critical thinking skills,
and I believe that going forward, I will be able to analyze issues critically through analyzing the
available evidence. Going forward, I also feel that I will ensure that I listed to differing points of
view and solve problems effectively. I believe that the skills that I have gained will help in my
life past college. I believe that the course has helped establish curiosity. I aim to gain a better
understanding of the world and have learned to appreciate varying beliefs, cultures, and points of
view. I also believe that the course has helped enhance my creativity. In the modern workforce,
success is heavily built on creativity. Creativity helps one to question assumptions. I believe that
I am equipped to question societal assumptions and think without limitations.
One of the obstacles that I experienced was the switch to online classes. The global
COVID-19 pandemic has changed life as we know it. It has been difficult studying while at the
same time working to ensure that I stay safe. I have not taken online classes before and therefore
found it hard to adapt to changes. However, I feel that online classes are just as interesting as
offline classes. Online classes demand that one attains self-discipline to ensure that they
complete assignments on time. I feel that interacting with learners online has been one major

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success. I have learned a lot from participating in online discussions and accessing resources
online.
I am a different student from the student I was at the beginning of the journey. I have
grown my ability to compose both written and oral communication. I feel that I am an effective
communicator. I also have the ability to analyze arguments and analyze weaknesses and
strengths. When I began the journey, I did not have the ability to construct valid arguments.
Through the course, I have developed the ability to construct arguments that are supported by
textual evidence and facts. I can also write effective essays that can communicate to the intended
audience. Through exploring the required texts, I have had a unique opportunity to explore
various issues from multiple points of view. The texts are written by some of the greatest authors
in history, and this has helped me to understand the reasons behind their immense success.
Reading logs has also helped me to understand my classmates’ viewpoints. My classmates have
corrected me and deepened my understanding of various course topics. Discussions have helped
me to maintain my focus. The discussions have helped me think deeply and gather different
perspectives on course topics. Undertaking assignments and research have also helped me study
deeply and develop unique insights.
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is one important writing that I have studied this semester.
From analyzing Plato’s work, I realized that human beings must strive to ensure that they gain
knowledge past their senses. There is a need to acquire philosophical knowledge as opposed to
just forming opinions based on one’s senses “You have shown me a strong image, and they are
strange prisoners. Like ourselves, I replied, and they only see their own shadows” (Fogelin 45).
Failure to reason past one’s senses results in one being a prisoner of their thoughts. The
knowledge that one gains through their senses are just an opinion. Plato compares people who do

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not reason beyond their senses to prisoners chained in a cave. They cannot see real objects
because their eyesight mainly focuses on items in front of them. I feel that it is the duty of every
human being to embrace philosophical reasoning in order to solve the problems that exist today.
Antigone is also an interesting and deeply informative text. The theme of civil
disobedience is one of the major themes covered by Antigone. Creon has stated that Polyneices
cannot be buried by anyone. However, Antigone goes ahead and buries Polyneices. The Greek
law dictated that the dead had to be given certain burial rites. Creon is against the idea and
believes that Polyneices had forfeited his rights to be buried in accordance with the Greek law.
Antigone doesn’t share in those beliefs and instead feels that the actions of Polyneices should not
define how he is treated when he is dead. I believe that Antigone is an example of free thinkers n
society. A person who is willing to go against popular belief and stand by their own beliefs is an
example of a free thinker. One must also ensure that they continue learning. Learning is an
endless process “A man, though wise, should never be ashamed of learning more, and must
unbend his mind” (Sophocles 33).
The Odyssey tells a story of love. One thing that I learned is the power of love in human
life. The Odyssey states that love is a strong feeling that takes over man “There is the heat of
Love, the pulsing rush of Longing, the lover’s whisper, irresistible—magic to make the sanest
man go mad”. A critical analysis of society shows that everything revolves around the theme of
love. In addition, the text also states that there is a time for everything. I feel that it is important
for every individual to manage their time well “There is a time for many words, and there is also
a time for sleep” (Homer 33). Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics emphasizes the importance of
friends. The book states that without a friend’s life may not be worth living “Without friends, no
one would want to live, even if he had all other good” (Ameriks 77). I also learned that most

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things could only be learned through practicing “For the things we have to learn before we can do
them, we learn by doing them” (Ameriks 88).
Throughout the course, I have learnt the value of being assertive and how to respond to
criticism wisely and selectively. Specifically, I acquired this lesson from Martin Luther King Jr’s
Letter from Birmingham Jail. The letter presents invaluable lessons on how to be an effective
leader. One of them is standing up to critics and speaking out one’s mind in an open but
respectful manner. In the letter, King writes, “But since I feel that you are men of genuine and
goodwill and your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I would like to answer your statement in
what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms” (King 34). In the letter, King explains the
reasons for his imprisonment and the need for change. Although he is in prison, King bravely
points out areas that he feels need to be rectified for harmonious living in society. I was struck by
his exemplary leadership traits and learnt quite a lot through my analysis of the letter.

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Works Cited

Ameriks, Karl, and Desmond M. Clarke. Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics. Cambridge University
Press, 2000.
Fogelin, Robert J. “Three platonic analogies.” The Philosophical Review 80.3 (1971).
Homer, Homer. The odyssey. Xist Publishing, 2015.
King Jr, Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham city jail.” Civil disobedience in focus.
Routledge, 2002. 34-40.
Sophocles. Antigone. ReadHowYouWant. com, 2008.