I’ve had a good experience with peer reviewing in this class so far. I think that giving my peers comments has allowed me to become a more critical thinker. Reading through a paper looking for ways it can be improved and strengthened has helped me be a more thoughtful reader. It has also helped me get better insight into what I can fix in my own work. For example, something I know I need to work on in my papers…
One comment I made on a peer’s paper was that I thought they could make their arguments and thesis more clear. Having a clear thesis is definitely one of the most important parts of a paper, and without it, the paper is wishy-washy and a little confusing. This comment was under the “ideas” category because it had to do with the ideas the author brought up. Another comment I made on two papers was that I thought my peers could…
I thought that reading my classmates’ introductory paragraphs gave me a new prospective on my own essay. For the paragraph that I complimented, I liked that she started her work with a quote from Southan’s “Is Art a Waste of Time?” because I thought it was a good representation of Effective Altruism’s views on art. On the other hand, for the paragraph I critiqued, I thought that comparing art to English or math was interesting, but that my classmate could…
I chose to watch the Ted Talk by the conductor Benjamin Zander. As a musician, I agree with and appreciate many points he made during the talk. At the beginning of his talk, Zander imitated children of different ages playing the same piece of music. He then went on to play a famous piano piece by Chopin to introduce his point that it’s the musician’s fault that the audiences are “falling asleep” during classical music. He asked the audience to…
My second reading of Southan’s piece “Is Art a Waste of Time?” enhanced my understanding of the writing and the meaning behind it. While I wasn’t sure I agreed with some of the passage the first time I read it, I now strongly disagree with multiple claims Southan made about EA. I really picked up on how radically EA members believe that art is indeed a waste of time. On the first page, Southan wrote “The idea that someone’s book,…
One part of Rhys Southan’s “Is Art a Waste of Time?” that stuck with me was the concept of replaceability. On the third page, Southan wrote “Replaceability is a core concept in EA. The idea is that the only good that counts is what you accomplish over and above what the next person would have done in your place.” Replaceability was mentioned several times throughout the piece and I’m not sure I agree with it. In saying that someone’s actions…
My name is Emme and I’m a freshman at UNE! I’m from Juneau, Alaska and I am studying to become an occupational therapist. I’ve wanted to be an occupational therapist for 3 years now and I’m hoping to specialize in either gerontology or special education. I’m also on the UNE women’s rugby team! My interests include hiking, reading, and travel. I really enjoy exploring new places, which is part of the reason I chose to go to college so far…
