Basic Math II

Continuing with my course series I am going to talk to you about my math course. Math has been really hard for me for a very long time. For my first semester I took Basic Math II. I was familiar with a lot of the topics covered in this course but the problem was that it was so faced paced. This is my first year of college so I didn't know what it was going to be like. I had trouble keeping up with the readings and homework so I didn't do that great on the tests. One thing I should have done was buy the textbook instead of just using the eBook. I do much better with a book in front of me not on the computer! The photo shown is the access code so you can use the MyMathLab site you could choose to by the access code which is cheaper or the textbook and access code which cost more. The good news is that I passed the course! If you are in college and have a math final coming up make sure to go to a review class or study group before the final exam! That is what helped me pass the final.

New Agenda-Vera Bradley

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In the beginning of the semester I was using a turquoise colored agenda from Walmart. It was a nice agenda but it was too small for me. I started using my calendar on my laptop but it was inconvenient when I need to schedule an appointment because I would have to turn my laptop on and bring my laptop everywhere just in case. So I enjoy the old fashioned way with an agenda. I went to my schools bookstore and saw these Vera Bradley agendas which are sure cute but not only that they are a two year agenda! I fell in love and the price didn't hurt to bad either.

When you open the agenda it had a very useful pocket (I like to put "To Do" lists here!) along with some cute stickers.

The agenda is a two year agenda so it starts at May and ends in December and continues through 2014. It also includes 2013-2015 year at a glance pages, a holiday list page, and a semester schedule  section which make me really love this agenda; it's perfect for those in college! Then in the back the agenda also includes a Important Numbers, Weights and Measures, and Metric Conversion Table page. 

Year at a glance.

 Here is my favorite part of the agenda. I put my schedule in to know what classes I have. Since this is a two year agenda they have 4 semester pages!

Semester Schedules 

Here is the month overview, I use this to write down important things like test, appointments, events, ect. 

Month Overview.

I use the weekly view to write down homework.

Weekly View.

If you haven't read my post on the agenda I had before please check it out!
Other Agenda

Semester 1-United States History II

My United States History II course is about the 1800s to modern day. I was not always a fan of history but now that I'm older I find a lot of it interesting. My professor for this course makes this course fun. Though she does give lectures she also gives us group work. The only down side of group work is that I'm the one the usually leads the group and does what needs to be done. The course is made up of reading the textbook and assigned articles. We also have wiki assignments that are easy to do.
This requires only one book which is:

One the back of the book is says..."America's brief, readable analysis makes it an invaluable resource for instructors seeking to expand and enliven their students' understanding of our nation's social, political, and economic history. America provides a balanced, multidimensional narrative that helps students see what's important, and the discussion provoking primary sources, informative maps and figures, and lively art keep them engaged".

The textbook is easy to read and does have engaging maps, figures, and art.

You can purchase this book at Barnes and Noble.

Semester 1 - Philosophy of Human Nature

  Here is the first of my course series! I would first like to mention that I buy my books because I enjoy annotating and highlighting. Also, I enjoy books so they will be nice to have for future reference or interest. I'm starting with my Philosophy of Human Nature course because it has the most books. This is the course I was most excited about taking. In high school I read a book call Sophie's World which got me really interested in philosophy. Sophie's World is one of my top favorite books. The course explores the concept of human nature from the interdisciplinary perspective philosophy, religion, and behavioral science and also shows the connection between human nature and ethics. As of now we have covered over all Early Greek Philosophy, Thales (only a bit), Plato, Hinduism, and Aristotle. I enjoy this class overall but the downside is that I have a Professor who has a extremely monotone voice that makes you want to sleep the whole class!

We are required to have five books for this course which are:

1. Twelve Theories of Human Nature by Leslie Stevenson, David L. Haberman, and Peter Wright in the 6th edition.
2. The Study of Human Nature by Leslie Stevenson in the 2nd edition. 
3. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.
4. Contemporary Ethical Issues: A Personal Perspective by Walter Jeffko (my professor) in the third edition. 
5. Man for Himself: An Inquiry into Psychology of Ethics by Eric Fromm. 

Over five previous editions, Ten Theories of Human Nature has been a remarkably popular introduction to some of the most influential developments in Western and Eastern thought. Now titled Twelve Theories of Human Nature, the sixth edition adds chapters on Islam (by Peter Wright) and Freud to those on Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Plato, Aristotle, the Bible, Kant, Marx, Sartre, and Darwinism. The authors juxtapose the ideas of these and other thinkers and traditions in a way that helps students understand how humanity has struggled to comprehend its nature.To encourage students to think critically for themselves and to underscore the similarities and differences between the many theories, the book examines each one on four points--the nature of the universe, the nature of humanity, the diagnosis of the ills of humanity, and the proposed cure for these problems. (Source)

Now in a new edition, this exceptional anthology provides an introduction to a wide variety of views on human nature. Drawing from diverse cultures over three millennia, Leslie Stevenson has chosen selections ranging from ancient religious texts to contemporary theories based on evolutionary science. The Study of Human Nature, 2/e offers substantial selections illustrating the ten perspectives discussed in Ten Theories of Human Nature, 4/e--The Bible, Hinduism, Confucianism, Plato, Kant, Marx, Freud, Sartre, B.F. Skinner's behaviorism, and Konrad Lorenz's ethological diagnosis of human aggression. The Islamic tradition is represented by a selection from the 20th-century Iranian philosopher Ayatullah Murtaza Mutahhari. The 17th- and 18th-century philosophers Descartes, Hobbes, Hume, Rousseau, and Kant are also represented. Selections from Rousseau, J.S. Mill, and Nancy Holmstrom discuss alleged differences between women and men, and a paper by Henry Bracken deals with racial issues. Examples from E.O. Wilson's sociobiology and his critics are also included, together with material from Chomsky and from recent evolutionary psychology. (Source)

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of others he treated later in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory-known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")-holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful. (Source) 

This book explores a series of contemporary moral problems from a personalistic perspective influenced by the Scottish philosopher John Macmurray (1892-1976). In many books, articles, and pamphlets spanning fifty years, most notably his Gifford Lectures, "The Form of the Personal", MacMurray developed a robust personalism that emphasizes the primacy of persons as rational agents whose self-realization is achieved in community. Walter G. Jeffko utilizes key elements of MacMurray's thought in developing his own viewpoint, and he relates MacMurray's ideas to those of a wide variety of important philosophers, ethicists, and behavioral scientists. In the opening chapter, Jeffko develops a personalistic anthropological and ethical theory within a framework that views the person as a relational and rational agent, reason as the standard of value, and the principle of community as the supreme moral standard. In successive chapters, this theory is applied to such issues as suicide, abortion, euthanasia (including assisted suicide), the death penalty, privacy (including private property and capitalism), the moral treatment of animals, and affirmative action. Jeffko brings logical precision to the study of ethics, blending powerful scholarship with readability. (Source)

In Man for Himself, Erich Fromm examines the confusion of modern women and men who, because they lack faith in any principle by which life ought to be guided, become the helpless prey forces both within and without. From the broad, interdisciplinary perspective that marks Fromm’s distinguished oeuvre, he shows that psychology cannot divorce itself from the problems of philosophy and ethics, and that human nature cannot be understood without understanding the values and moral conflicts that confront us all. He shows that an ethical system can be based on human nature rather than on revelations or traditions. (Source)

All the book required are for reference only. I found the most use from The Study of Human Nature, Twelve Theories of Human Nature, and Contemporary Ethical Issues: A Personalist Perspective. I can't wait to read the other two but for now I get the most use out of those three I mentioned. 

I purchased all the books from my school book store. I found all these books that I mentioned on Barnes and Noble. I am sure you can find them at other book stores as well.

Freshman Year-Semester 1

 

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   I've decided that I want to share what I am taking for classes. I enjoy knowing what other students have for classes because to me it's interesting. Everyone has different majors and minors or maybe they could be the same but school's may offer different courses. I'm going to share what classes I am taking this semester and what textbooks that were required. I am a Psychology major and will minor in Literature but I haven't got there yet. I also just declared my major so this semester I took a lot of pre-recs.

Here is the list of 5 classes I am taking:

1. Basic Math II
2. Writing I: The Young Adult Experience
3. Health and Fitness
4. Philosophy of Human Nature
5. United States History II

   Throughout different posts I will talk about and share my feelings towards each course. Along with that I will feature the required books that go along with the course. 

Please feel free to leave request and don't forget to follow!

Productivity!

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Unfortunately it's that time...midterms. Now that I'm in college I've noticed how much my studying and learning skills effect my grades. I've known for a long time that I am a really slow worker. I'm like a sponge...I like to soak up every little detail. But thats a problem...college is to fast paced to be able to soak up every little detail. So a few days ago I downloaded this app called 30/30. You can get it in the app store and its FREE! So basically it's a timer where you make a list of things to do and you have 30 minutes to do a task. What I do is when I am working on homework I make a list of each  class I need to work on. So i'll work on philosophy for 30 minutes then when the times up I switch to the next subject and I keep cycling through. I found that this really gets things done. Many people would work on one subject and would have no time to work on the next subject. So I highly suggest trying this out! You can use it for school, work, fitness, and chores. Anything that suits you. I don't know about you but I LOVE being productive!

Here are some screen shots I got from the app store:

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated or sponsored by the app maker and all opinions are my own. 

Fall/Halloween Indoor Decor

Oh it is my favorite time of year! The leaves are beautiful colors, the air has that crisp fire place smell, tea is a hundred times better. The warmth and comfort of sweaters and scarfs just add to the enjoyment. But one of the things I REALLY enjoy doing during the fall is decorating! The decorations for fall are so cute it's hard not to buy everything in store! With that said I'm going to show you how I decorated my room for this time of year.


My mom really enjoys this time of year as well so she likes to pick things up. This leave decoration was from Family Dollar. I looped it in and around my mirror. The mirror already has some leave and flower detailing but I love how this decoration made the mirror look.

As you can see in my mirror in the other photo the bookcase on the other side of the room has spiderweb. I got a bag at CVS which was 2/$5. One bag goes a longgg way. I placed the spiderweb in a way so that it didn't block the things I used on a daily bases. Such as my fish, Howard, who is in the top left corner. Can tell I really enjoy reading?

I also went to The Dollar Tree and pick this little knickknack. I though it was perfect! I was only $1 so I couldn't resist. It surprisingly great quality. It well crafted and pretty heavy. 

Along with the grave knickknack I also picked up this adorable snow globe. It has a cat! I can't turn down anything with a cat. The detail on the bottom is very nice. It has spiders and little graves around it. Again this is superb quality for The Dollar Tree!

You can't go wrong with the beloved pumpkin. This has been around since I was really young. I have been putting this in my room for the last couple of year because my mom has her favorite knickknacks. Since this has been around for a long time I'm not sure where it from. 

Last but not least I have these two little pumpkins on a book shelf near my desk. These also have been around for awhile so I don't know where they are from. You can find many decorations around this time of year and I wouldn't be surprised if you found similar things. I find the The Dollar Tree is not only inexpensive but some decorations are great quality. 

Please leave requests for me to do. 

Don't forget to follow!

Disclaimer: All items purchased by me or my mother.