Research and Methodology - by Dr. Dana Williams

The last session of Freshmen Seminar saw the close of lectures, with the last one being presented by Dr. Dana Williams. Looking back, I have to say that I have really enjoyed the lectures that were presented each week. Every presentation was different, and unique. With each lecture, we were taught new ways of thinking, new ways to view the world, and what the “black experience” really meant. We were taught to become stronger. Now that all the lectures have been presented, I realize just how important this class truly is. I am going to try to retain the information that I have learned from our guest speakers and use them in my everyday life.

Dr. Williams’s presentation was very engaging. She explained the importance of research and how to utilize it in our lives. Through research, knowledge is gained, and knowledge is power. From the research that we will be doing in our projects we will not only gain more information for our brains but also for ourselves. Through research we will better ourselves. Dr. Williams also presented many tools that will also aide us in our research.

This week was also the week that my Freshmen Seminar class took the trip to New York to view the African burial ground. This is the site where many Africans who were brought to New York as slaves would bury their dead when they were allowed to. The site was forgotten about for hundreds of years and in the early 1990’s when the construction of a new building was to take place, the burial ground was found. The site was very moving, profound, and touching. It is a very small area, with a large number of Africans buried there. Inside the museum we watched a video that was a reenactment of a slave family’s possible situation in which the mother and daughter had to now burry the father. There were many photographs and historical information posted all over the walls. What stood out the most to me was the screen was that was able to tell you how some of the people were killed from the cracks and bruises in their bones. After the museum we were taken into a memorial outside that had beautifully printed symbols on its walls that everyone could relate to. I found the trip to be very informative and profound.

Overall I truly enjoyed my time in Freshmen Seminar, and I feel as if I really learned a lot in this class. The lectures taught me a lot about myself, my past, and my future.

Safisha Seifullah