This is definitely a class I look forward to. It’s fun and very engaging . I have already learned so much from the course, the professor, and my classmates. It would be great if open lab was a little easier to navigate, since I have to click on about three different tabs to get to the discussion board.
One song I would add to the class playlist is Prayer of The Refugee by Rise Against. The reason I think this song would be appropriate is because it’s about an immigrant parent and family who come to America for a better life only to face discrimination, the family suffering just like in their homeland where they were also being exploited. This song came into my head a lot while reading the materials. In the video we see examples of how capitalism and colonialism exploit poorer countries, where big companies drop huge factories that pay locals next to nothing and drain the country of resources, leaving them dependent on the American economy. Another concept that came to mind while analyzing the song and video was that by conducting business through this method, major American companies and politicians rely on destabilizing local governments; America never stopped colonizing other countries.
That is great to hear, Gary. I understand what you mean by this open lab concept and the clicking on different tabs to get to the discussion boards. It is harder, but at least we are getting used to open lab. I have never heard of Rise Against. They sound like a very strong group that reflects on their experiences. I would love to hear this on our class playlist.
Thank you for sharing the song, after listening to your analysis of the song I find it very interesting and I think I will listen to it now.
I agree with your feelings toward OpenLab, there was definitely a learning curve around the DBs at first. It’s somewhat circular/non-intuitive and I’m not so sure why? I’ve gotten the hang of it now and definitely agree that I’ve learned a lot from the course thus far!
I haven’t heard of that song before, but whoa, what a message! The relationship between capitalism/colonialism and its affect on poor POC countries is so very important as we look back on history and how we still see this unfolding today (Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, Vietnam, etc.)
Your statement about America’s involvement in destabilizing other nation’s governments is also really poignant, especially with your mention of its continued effect of colonization (though its more discreet in this form). I’ve taken an African History class before where my professor spoke about the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the independent Democratic of the Congo, as sponsored by the U.S. and the Belgium governments. In that class, we also learned about the history of Europe and its involvement in sabotaging African local governments, pitting them against each other and providing weaponry to stimulate tensions. It’s a very astute observation to connect modern day capitalism to a new form of colonization, I couldn’t agree more.
Thanks, Garey, for your feedback. I’m sorry that Open Lab has given you trouble– I’m going to look into shortcuts that might cut back on the number of clicks.
Meanwhile, thanks for your song suggestion- I have not heard of it or the band! I added the song to on our class playlist.