Self Reflection by: Ashley Alele

           When I heard that Freshman seminar was a required class my first thought was what would I be doing in this class. I initially thought it was a class dedicated to familiarizing us with the campus, the city of Washington, and Howard's history. I was mostly wrong. I did learn a lot of beneficial things though about Howard through the lectures.

          Over the course of the semester we heard 6 lectures from various professors about different topics that were centered around African people throughtout the Diaspora by exploring legacies. The 6 topics were:

-Learning, Wisdom, and the African World Experience

-Abandonment, Dismemberment, and Reawakening: The History and Legacy of Howard University

-"The Eloquence of the Scribes": Initiation, Expectations, and Mastery--Continuing the Legacy of Howjard University

-Practices of Freedom and Justice: Representative Thinkers

-"Omoluabi": Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility

-Research and Methodology: Inscription as Liberating Practice

All these lecture were very informative and the professors were great speakers. The second half of the class was a group presentation. I enjoyed it because it brought together freshman that may not have known each other. I made three new friends because they were my group members.

          My favorite part about the class was the trip to New York. I had never heard of the African Burial Grounds before and I learned a lot about our history. I got to shop too. :-) Overall tkhis class was a good experience and I'm happy to have taken it although I'm not in COAS.