students EVALUATIONS

Course: Social Foundations I 
Title: "Envisioning Human Existence"
Professor: Francesca Ferrando
Fall 2014, NYU

"This course overall helped me evolve as a person"
M.J. 

In this section, you can read the student evaluations of the Course "Social Foundations I," taught by Prof. Ferrando, Program of Liberal Studies, NYU, Fall 2014.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE

"These past few days and weeks, I have learnt that it is our job to make a change in this world"

"This class truly opened my eyes. Before coming to NYU I thought I was open-minded, but I was completely wrong. This class provided a safe space for discussions, knowledge, and friendships I thought I would never make. This course overall helped me evolve as a person"

"This class was, for me, a truly enriching class. It enabled me to explore different types of philosophical texts from different civilizations, religions, and cultures, which really broadened my perspective of the world around me. Reading and examining various bodies of thought challenged me to question everything I know and everything I was brought up to believe. It pushed me to reexamine myself – why I am the way I am, why I believe the things I believe – and to try to define myself according to who I want to be. Through this class I realized that I don’t want to be a mold of other people’s beliefs and expectations about who I should be. I want to carve myself and to be my own person"

"I came to realize from this class that there are so many different perspectives. This class reminded me to keep an open mind, and remember that there can be more than one right answer"

THEORETICAL WORK

"From the experience of our workshop, I was reminded how important it is to voice our deepest concerns and beliefs out loud, to each other. We as a class are a testament to the ideal social vision our generation has in common. In twenty years we reach the age of being in charge of things. In a moment of pause, we will think of our maxims we compiled with Professor Ferrando and realize that many of our hopes became a reality"

"Our past defined our present, and our present will define our future. Envisioning our intentions, becomes the first step in realizing our dreams. The secret lays in our power of intention"

MATERIAL DISCUSSED IN CLASS

"Through our time together in this class, we have encountered multiple cultures through readings and the engaging presentations by our classmates. While the teachings from different texts might contradict or support one another in certain ways, one thing that we should all take away from this class is our ability and willingness to explore these messages on our own and to form our own teachings that would benefit the society. So never stop the eagerness to learn and always be ready to be enlightened because there is so much that the world has to offer"

"During our discussion of the Dhammapada, i noticed that people really shared with the class the different parts of the texts that spoke out to them, more than any other discussion we had. It was a very revealing moment, like a testament to the diversity in thinking and recognition. I am grateful that this class was able to provide texts that allow for us individual to be expressive and interpretive"

"The class was really interesting. Personally, I think I learned a lot from this class about different cultures and religions around the world. These books opened my scope about the world and added a lot of new perspectives to me. These knowledge would not only help in the short term but also in the long term"

TEACHING METHODS

"I really enjoyed the class as it helped me understand the purpose of looking back at history and philosophical texts and how much we can learn from such great thinkers of the past. I also really enjoyed the class not only because of the content, but also the people here. Also, your cheerful character made class very fun and enjoyable and I will always keep your positive outlook on life with me when I leave this class"

"First of all, I would like to say a big thank you for creating such a pleasant learning environment where everyone's opinion is valued. I really enjoyed learning about the roles of different gods and goddesses in different cultures. It really taught me how diverse the world is and showed me the massive shift from matriarchy to patriarchy that I most probably would have never learned about without this class. Thank You!"

"During this class i learned how to relate different cultures, backgrounds, religions and lifestyles. I never realized how similar some religions could be and this broadened my perspective. I have always been fascinated with religion and cultures and this class really opened my eyes to show me how to view them and how to accept different interpretations of them. Also, I really enjoyed how everyone connected with each others opinions and nobody was scared to express their own opinion because without this there would be no flow of information"

TIME FRAME 
Please, note that this class was held between 8 am and 9.15 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"I have never regretted coming to class because I've always left feeling better than I did upon arrival. Hopefully my 8 am next semester treats me as well as this one has"

"A Social Foundations Haiku:
It may have been eight,
but this class was always great.
We are enlightened"

Prof. Ferrando would like to thank all of her students 
for their vibrant energies and insightful perspectives!