A500.3.4.RB – Explore the Hunt Library

Exploring the Hunt Library

     Earlier in my college career I used to fear using the college library. I took the courses that teach you how to search and how to refine your searches; still, it was intimidating. I would google something about my topic and when I found something I wanted to use I would search for that title in the Hunt Library to make sure it was a "scholarly" source. But this was early in my college career and I have since learned how to make the Hunt Library my go to source for information for every paper I write.
     Finding a "scholarly" article is really what threw me in the beginning, but the Hunt Library makes everything so easy for you. When you are searching for something, you are able to click on the type of information you need; for example, journal article, transcript, or book. You can select if the information you are searching for needs to be scholarly or peer-reviewed, or both. It really takes the guessing game out of the equation and gives you peace of mind that you are using good references.
     Deciding if an article was scholarly or not, has always a very gray area for me. We are told that scholarly articles were written by scholars or professionals who are experts in their fields. But using that idea on an article that was found on a website is not so clear cut. There are certain other aspects that you have to look for; for example, was the information based on original research, does it include footnotes or a bibliography, was it published by an academic press, or was it written by a specialist in that field?
     The Hunt Library even has specific databases that you can search that will give you even more detailed articles to choose from. You can narrow your search to a specific discipline or year. In my time using the Hunt Library, I have found that I can find just about everything I need without ever having to Google anything. Plus, there is the added bonus of having the citation done for you. When you select an article, you can choose the citation tab and that article is already cited in APA format. It's a win, win.

     Using the Hunt library is like finding cheat codes for a video game. It practically does all the work for you, you just have to know what you are looking for. I hear people complain all the time about having to write a paper that needs scholarly reviewed sources and they are intimidated by this idea. I do my best to help them understand their schools’ library. I tell them how much easier life is once you get used to going to the library for their sources.
     I imagine that as long as I am in school, I will continue to use the Hunt Library for all of my paper-writing endeavors. Google will be there to give me ideas, but I will always rely on the Hunt Library when it comes to my writing.

A500.2.3.RB - Tell Your Story

Respect

      It is said that respect is something that is earned, not given; however, this is not true. We are born with human rights and ones of those rights to be respected has another human being. Of course, there are levels of respect that can be earned; for example, the lawyer who wins a particular case that was deemed unwinnable now has a much higher amount of respect from his colleagues. Likewise, people have to earn the right to be disrespected, like that same lawyer who was later found out to have won because he paid the jury off. 

     In other words, just like our democracy believes the innocent is innocent until proven guilty: a person should be respected until they have given a reason to not be respected. This is how I see it, but unfortunately, not everyone in the world views things this way. In fact, it seems as respect is something that a lot of people do not seem to have - even for themselves.  

     I grew up in a very traditional, Southern family. We believed in the "good-ole-boy" system and in giving the shirt off our backs to those who needed it more. My parents taught me that the color of someones skin did not matter, but it was who they were as a person that I needed to pay attention too. They believed that family came first, but that family also included friends. While women had their duties to the house, the men had their duties outside, but it did not mean that one job was more important than the other because each job was just as tough and they were equal. My family respected one another for who they were as people and I was taught to do the same thing. This line of thinking is where I have acquired my standard of thinking about respect. 

     For example, I do not hold any more respect for a person I see wearing a business suit, than I do the person who is homeless on the bench. They are both humans going through completely different human experiences, this does not warrant a judgement from me, nor does it warrant the man in the businesses suit more respect. 

     Unfortunately, over the years I have learned that my views and opinions on this topic are not shared by many. Most people would judge and give more respect to the man in the suit. It is just the way society seems to be. Money and fame seem to be the things that are respected most. I know that there are other people who share my opinion about respect, but not society has a whole. 

    I believe that much like everything else, learning to have respect for yourself and for other people starts at home, taught to you by your family. Since the family unit in general seems to be in danger and is some cases non-existent in today's society, so is having respect for yourself and for others.

A500.1.5.RB WilliamsErica

Intellectual Perseverance

     Intellectual perseverance will not only be vital in my pursuit of a higher degree, but will also be something that is needed to help me build a stronger, more sharpened character. As each course in the Leadership degree program becomes more challenging, it will be the value I have placed on pursuing truth and knowledge that will get me through each class. It will be my need to struggle through any confusions to get to the answers of unsettled questions that may extend over a period of time that will allow me to achieve a deeper understanding and insight; otherwise known as, Intellectual Perseverance.

     Striving to be a better, wiser, stronger version of myself is what keeps me on my educational path and working towards earning a master’s degree. There have been many obstacles, challenges, and times where quitting was a more palatable option, but holding on to truths and rational principles despite irrational oppositions are why I am still pushing forward today. The human central processing unit (the brain) is a powerful mind-machine that is capable of far more than most people use it for. I notice a difference in how I think, feel, and respond to people after each class I have taken. With every research paper, every discussion post, and every assignment, my knowledge base grows.

     A good leader is always in pursuit of knowledge. A mom is a leader to her children, a student who is leader on a project, and employee who is a leader on a job assignment, or a politician who is trying to lead the country to a better place, all need to have intellectual perseverance to push through the challenges that each will face. Albert Einstein once stated that, “he was not smarter, it was just that he stayed with problems longer”. It’s about not giving up. It’s about having the perseverance to not give in to easily and to stay with it when it gets tough. Helen Keller was deaf and blind, but she had such a strong mind-machine that she continued to push herself on a daily basis to learn. This is what it means to have intellectual perseverance. It means that a person does not stop on their pursuit for higher learning just because the road got tough or because they came across a problem they could not grasp.
     On this journey of obtaining my Master’s degree in Leadership I will have to have intellectual perseverance in order to succeed, especially since not succeeding is not an option. There will be obstacles like juggling family life, a job, and homework assignments, but I have a goal. I have the tenacity that is needed to keep going. I have the desire that is needed to succeed. But most importantly, I have the need to continue to learn and grow. It is important to the future of my children that they learn from me what it means to have intellectual perseverance, so that one day they might change the world.