1/13/16 Studying abroad in Denmark put me so close to the Syrian refugee crisis. In Denmark, it was hard to miss. Denmark is a highly homogenous country; it’s incomparable to the United States. People in Denmark easily notice an influx of people who look different than they do. I find the Danish relationship to “others” to be incredibly fascinating. Denmark’s… Read more »
1/22/16 For years, my mom has tried to make meditation a habit in my life. I’ve tried it a number of times, and each time I’m just as frustrated as the time before. People say you learn how to meditate and it takes practice, so it’s possible that I just haven’t practiced enough. I think I’ve found that the attempt… Read more »
Going to class, doing all these readings has really put a burden on me. By burden, I mean sorrow and a sense of depression. I have learned so much about our connections with earth and how we have really messed the earth up. I find my self deeply rethinking my daily routines to evaluate my connection with the earth and… Read more »
Damir Zukanovic 1/19/2016 POL S 301 A First Journal Submission 1/6/2016 Title: Contemplative Practices “Learning how to meditate” Today is the second day of class and we had continued our contemplative practices. While closing my eyes and slowly inhaling, I felt instant relaxation. I was not registered for the course till a day before the second class period so I… Read more »
A Reflection on Our First Contemplative Practice 1/7/2016 Something that has been resonating with me from the first day of Anthropocene Politics was the quiet meditation exercise, during which we just focused on being aware. Aware of our breathing, the way we held ourselves, how our bodies fit into our chairs, what we were doing with our feet, and the… Read more »
Growing up, my mother always said “Everything you do has a consequence. Every decision you make and everything you say will change your future. Live carefully.” I resent this statement. 1. Because it is a frightening thing to tell a young child. Although it may encourage responsibility and could be empowering, it also tells the child that their individual behavior will… Read more »
I mean, their bananas are great (finally, something a college student can afford!). And their commercials influence me to visualize a tropical paradise complete with a hammock every time I peel one of their bananas with a Monsanto sticker clumsily attached to the side. What more is there to love from a company that produces healthy, affordable food that tastes like… Read more »
One of the most striking images I’ve taken from class is the graph that indicates the ways that humanity is most heavily impacting the global ecosphere. Our destruction of biodiversity is striking. What does it mean to be less biodiverse? Have their been periods of time where the world was more or less biodiverse? What does a larger or smaller… Read more »
Monday January 11th, 2016 This is my first personal journal entry in years! I used to keep a diary intermittently throughout elementary school; it was mostly about what boys I found cute and how many extra cookies I snuck without my parents knowing. Other than that, I have always tried to keep a journal when I travel. I always put… Read more »
Welcome to POL S 301! The goal of this post is to help you get started blogging for this course. So I will provide you with some general instructions on how to get started. Please feel free to comment if you have any questions or if you run into any problems. Go to http://depts.washington.edu/ps301/ Scroll to the bottom. At the bottom… Read more »