communicationmyway

[communicationmyway]

Final Thoughts

The end.

Never thought I would see it. Never thought I would go to college. Never thought I would graduate.

I never thought I would be able to overcome any of my anxiety.

But here we are.

Do I still have anxiety?

BUTTLOADS.

But it's easier.

And it will continue to get easier.

Until one day I can say

It's all okay.

[communicationmyway]

Interpersonal Conflict Resolution

My last class I will be discussing if one of my final classes at Columbus State University, Interpersonal Conflict Resolution. This class has been strictly discussion posts, and it is a very deep class. It makes you go over your own ways of solving conflict while trying to think about how others are reacting as well. The nerve wrecking part of this class is that the questions typically had very deep, personal answers. You really had to think and dissect everything about how you and others handle situations.

This class helped me to overcome some of my anxiety because not only were there weekly discussion posts, but we were also to respond to two peers per week. This forced interaction, which was terrifying but good, was needed for the class. It was a communicative class about communication. Need to communicatee in order to communicate.

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Question -

How many times have you heard "I'm sorry" and knew they did not mean it.  Or for that matter said it and not meant it.  I am sure you did not appreciate hearing an insincere apology, but that does not stop us from giving them.  Apologies need to be heart felt and honest if they are not we might as well not give them.  Only when an honest apology is given can we begin to move on.  Additionally, remember reconciliation may not happen.  But it is difficult to move on without some closure. 

How have you been impacted by by a false apology?  Have you regretted giving one?  How would things be different if you had the new skills you have learned through this course?  

Answer - 

As someone who is insanely paranoid in life in all aspects, this includes worrying if someone actually means it when they apologize to me. I'm never good at telling if someone is truly being sincere or not, and it causes me unnecessary anxiety. 

My paranoia also includes excessive apologizing. This means apologizing even when I don't mean it, I will say it just to appease the other person. And majority of the time they can tell. Things would've been different if I had used the new skills I've learned throughout this course because I am slightly more confident in my communicating abilities.  I feel as if I can provide more within a situation instead of shying away like I originally prefer to do.

[communicationmyway]

Social Media for the Professional

One of the final classes I'm taking at Columbus state University is Social Media for the Professional. At first, I took it because it was the only course that fit into the requirements for my pathway. I had no idea it would push me to the limits that it did. I had to personally reach out for this courses main assignment to someone who owns a business in my community: this means talking, as a person with anxiety, to a stranger. I almost dropped the course as soon as I read the syllabus! But I was like you know what, it's the last semester, you'll be fine.

The good news is that I managed to make it into something fun, something that fascinated me. The business I wound up working with was a crystal shop, and I'm a girl who is all about her crystals! We conversed, she said she would love for me to create my project about her, and from then on it has been a few conversations here and there about the assignment.

Below is a snippet from the PDF file I created the business I am working with. It is a calendar of when and what I think they should be posting weekly. We prioritized TikTok and Instagram for their shop, and I gave them some helpful pointers of what they should be doing on what days.

The reason this class helped me to overcome my anxiety was because never in a million years would have thought I could send a message to a random stranger and ask to do a report on them.

[communicationmyway]

Writing in The Workplace

One of the classes I took at Columbus State University was Writing in the Workplace. It consisted of learning how to professionally write and create things for the professional setting. This class aided me in the ability of writing things such as planning, organizing, using rewriting, research, and creating a final manuscript, while also creating letters, reports, templates, memos, and emails. 

It was a very thought provoking class in regards to writing and learning how to be professional in more ways than you could have thought of. The main takeaway from this class for me was learning how to write an email professionally. I use the skills I learned in this class in both my college career and my actual work career. It helps me in keeping a professional face with coworkers, peers, and higher ups.

By having a class help layout the proper order for writings in the workplace, it helped ease my anxiety going into a workplace that did have consistent conversations in one way or another. I was able to really learn about what to expect of others and what's expected of me.

[communicationmyway]

Social Stratification and Inequalities

One of the classes I took at Columbus State University was Social Stratification and Inequality. This was one of my most interesting classes I have taken over the course of my college career as it dealt with a bunch of unique, difficult matters. In this class we basically read a few books and wrote discussion posts on what we gathered and thought about what we read that week. 

This course went over very difficult matters, with the main topic of course being the fact that others may have access to more resources than others, making the way of living a bit unfair. The reason I enjoyed this class was because it was very thought provoking. Not often in life do you get the chance to sit down and focus on the inequalities that people face in their life and it is just soul shattering when you realize just the differences.

The reason this has helped me with my anxieties in communicating is that it actually allowed me to open my eyes to all kinds of life that people live in todays society. By seeing how people live, by discussing it openly with others, it helped me to feel more free in placing thoughts and emotions in regards to others.

[communicationmyway]

Introduction to Linguistics

In my college career, I took several classes along the TESOL Certificate path. This includes courses such as introduction to Linguistics, Sociolinguistic, and Language Acquisition. These were some of the hardest but most fascinating classes I've ever done. I was totally in awe the whole time in learning how to teach other people how to speak according to the phonemic chart.

I learned so much from this class and will carry these thoughts and teachings with me, especially as I speak to those who do not speak my language and to my kids when they grow old enough to learn to talk. It reduces my anxiety because it allows me to see more into depth of how to teach someone to speak, like we learned in Language Acquisition.

[communicationmyway]

Human Sexuality and Society

This class was an interesting one, and it gave me a lot of information that everyone could use in life. As a very open person, I had no troubles taking this class unlike some of my peers. Seeing how sexuality shapes society allowed me to gather a few new ways to communicate with either sex in public or private.

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Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Sexual Health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, explains upon accessing Sexual Health information on the website to not refer to sexual health as merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity, but as a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relations without coercion, discrimination or violence (Sexual Health, 2019). The introduction invites the visitors of the website to freely obtain sexual health information without the judgment of others to guarantee an equal and safe experience. The overview of the website appears very welcoming as it displays sexually transmitted disease, reproductive health, pregnancy health, LGBT health, HIV/AIDS prevention and sexual violence prevention information in hyperlinks to allows researchers to further examine sexual health where questions have appeared. It even displays different publications and reports about sexual health involving college students, LGBTs, adolescence etc. in different backgrounds, cultures, and groups around the United States to further educate people on what is going on in the world. The literature provides a more in depth and personal experience by displaying the accurate and current events of studies that some are interested in as far as sexual health and education. 

The CDC website displays a ‘Parent and Guardian Resources’ section under the Reproductive Health: Teen Pregnancy hyperlink that states how parents need to help teenagers make healthy decisions about sexual health. It encourages parents to talk with teenagers about sexual development and prevention to better assist with the oncoming of emotions, feelings, puberty, and peer pressure of wanting to participate in sexual activity (Sexual Health, 2019). The website, also, includes educational outside sources in which parents can receive assistance in understanding how to properly speak with their teenagers about relationships, sexual health, sexual prevention, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases, etc. It provides online videos and connection services such as Planned Parenthood clinic around the area to assist the parents. The website clearly and accurately displays many options for parents to communicate sexual health to minors. 

The designs on the website are very clear, and it makes the website easy to navigate. There are several hyperlinks to direct anyone to any information wanting to know. It provides up to date information on the data and statistics of sexual health while displaying the last time the page was reviewed. It also displays informational articles and publications to pique the interest of visitors to read more about the topics of sexual health. When searching the sexual health portion of the website, it displays all references from different organizations and gathers the information into one source to better show up to date information making the content reputable. The main purpose of the CDC is to conduct critical science and provide health information that protect the nation against dangerous health threats and respond when these arise (Mission, 2019). Funded by the Federal Government and sponsored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, does not affiliate with political views and is consistent with the values displayed within the mission statement. 

I would recommend the website to students as it includes up-to-date information and a wide variety of different topics to help students grasp a better understanding of sexual health. The sexual health displayed in most places is very biased and does not include LGBT health, but CDC does. It displays information because it is something that the public needs to know and does it without bias. The CDC website is better equipped to educate students properly, accurately, and currently on sexual health than parents, teachers, or friends. It is an unbiased and no judgement zone for students. Therefore, this website is great. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, May 13). Mission, role and pledge. Retrieve 13 October 2020, from 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, June 25). Sexual health. Retrieved 13 October 2020, from 

[communicationmyway]

Spanish Recipe

Spanish was truly my demise over the latter years of my college life. I did surprisingly very well in Spanish 1, practically failed Spanish 2, and had to rush to change degrees so I didn't have to take Spanish 3. Even though I did not complete the Spanish classes required, it still helped me because I was able to overcome some anxieties I was having. For example, I now know I can learn a language, as long as I have the motivation for it. I also learned that languages are not scary, and just because someone else doesn't speak the same language as you does not mean you need to panic.

[communicationmyway]

Selected Topics In Political Science - The Coming Anarchy Final Paper

In this class, I had to do a lot of research papers, so that meant a lot of time with my thoughts and time by myself. It was tough, but I managed to do it, and I think I did a pretty good job on my papers. It was hard when you second guess everything you hear, then second guess everything you think, then second guess everything you write and so on. Since I completed the course though, I am proud and think it contributes to the lessened anxiety that I have now!

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The Coming Anarchy and How it Shapes Us Today

How do we, as civilians living on planet Earth, stop the world from degrading into a mass of rioting and nothingness if we do not listen to what is being told, listen to what is being advised to do or what not to do. Even in the 1920’s after World War 1, William Butler Yeats wrote of “The Second Coming”, an apocalyptic view on the world and what was to come to those who live in it. “The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity” (Yeats, lines 6-8). These lines still ring true today, with innocence being destroyed daily, those who can make a change don’t while those who seemingly have less power make the choices with the passion they have. Then we have Robert D. Kaplan who wrote in 1994 of how the world will be in turmoil, especially within the next 50 years. Kaplan wrote of how in order to understand the events that will take place in the next 50 years, then one would need to understand, “environmental scarcity, cultural and racial clash, geographic destiny, and the transformation of war” (Kaplan, page 54). These are but a few things that have continued to go undiscussed in many parts of the world, along with a few other concerns of his, such as, “the withering away of central governments, the rise of tribal and regional domains, the unchecked spread of disease, and the growing pervasiveness of war” (Kaplan, page 48). These are all very real, very terrifying things that we as people have not found an even ground on how to solve, even in 2022. In this essay, quite a few things will be discussed, ranging from economic power shifts, population growth, scarce resources, climate change, terrorism, an understanding of Samuel P. Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations” and how it relates to a post-pandemic world, and some of the issues a post-Pax Americana face, such as growing powers, growing global ecological crisis, and growing American domestic instability. 

In the Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World, it discusses how some countries will continue to grow bigger, such as China, India, and Russia (Global Trends 2025, vi/vii), while other countries will struggle to grow and fall behind economically, such as Sub-Saharan Africa and some of Latin America (Global Trends 2025, vii). Some countries, such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America, will account for the most population growth in the world while, “less than 3 percent of the growth will occur in the West” (Global Trends 2025, vii). Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World goes deeper in depth of this situation and others that will arise in paragraph 3: 

Some developed and emerging economies, including in Europe and East Asia, will grow older faster and face contracting populations, weighing on economic growth. In contrast, some developing countries in Latin America, South Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa benefit from larger working-age populations, offering opportunities for a demographic dividend if coupled with improvements in infrastructure and skills.

This goes to explain the economic power shift and population growth which are some of the problems that the world will face.

Two other problems the world will face are scarce resources and climate change. A few of the resources that are in danger are energy, food, and water. In my Midterm essay, I wrote about how

The demand for food will continue to grow up to 50 percent by 2030 because “of growing world population, rising affluence, and the shift to Western preferences by a larger middle class” (Global Trends 2025, viii). The world will continue to struggle to find access to clean, sustainable water due to the world population and rapid urbanization worldwide (Global Trends 2025, viii). These are important problems that the world needs to find solutions for quickly, as humans and animals need energy, food, and water to survive. Another detrimental factor to diminishing resources is climate change.

Climate change will continue to happen at fast rates if the world does not act quickly. It is presumed that “more extreme storms, droughts, and floods; melting glaciers and ice caps; and rising sea levels will accompany rising temperatures” (Global Trends 2040, paragraph 4) all around the world. 

Another thing that will be seen worldwide is a grow in terrorism. As people gain more access to each other through sources like the internet, so does terrorists. This also stands true for access to nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction and the easy access to it. The terrorists could be groups from outside of the country or from citizens within, such as white supremacists in America. The reason this is so terrible is because the terrorists have passion to destroy, to cause conflict, to cause change, and will generally stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Huntington believes that what will tear the world apart with conflict is cultural aspects. “Nation states will remain the most powerful actors in world affairs, but the principal conflicts of global politics will occur between nations and groups of different civilizations” (Huntington, page 22). This is true even today, as different cultures fight all over the world about what they think is right and wrong. This could relate to the views that many have on how people in countries like Iran are treated, or even in countries like America, with fighting between one another. A situation that has arisen due to circumstance like the latter are people being for masks and against masks, for vaccines and against vaccines. It caused such a divide between people in America when there should have been one law for the whole country and every state should have been forced to follow it. This pertains to what Huntington is saying because if citizens cannot agree despite cultural differences, then the world will fall apart because then there is no control. 

In the world, there is growing powers, and some of them might not have the best interest for others at heart. Take Russia for example, a country that has grown to such great strengths and starting a war on Ukraine. If Putin can just decide one day to open a war with one country, what’s to stop him from attacking the world if possible? The world cannot face a war right now, not with everyone getting over the crisis of the pandemic and facing the aftermaths.

As for the growing global ecological crisis, the world really needs to step up on its game of agreeing on how to save the world. President Obama tried to take a step towards change in the right direction with his Clean Power Plan which would, “include limits on methane gas emissions. He was pursuing a major plan to move away from fossil fuels like coal and promote renewables like wind and solar" (PBS-Delay, 30:24-30:35). But President Trump, “attempted to roll back the Obama climate agenda. His administration delayed or repealed more than two dozen environmental rules and regulations, including those on methane emissions" (PBS-Delay, 39:18-39:28). So even if people take a step in the right direction, there’s always the chance the next person could come around and get rid of it completely. There needs to be a basic understanding of how people are destroying the world and the steps they can take on how to solve it and put it in motion without any stops. 

Lastly, there is a severe crisis going on in America with domestic instability. People are fighting one another in terms of view and how they think others should live, and it’s causing the wrong people to stand up for what they believe in and cause chaos for others. Two examples of this are white supremacists and the way people are so divided. White supremacists generally believe the only way to fix the world and its problems is to cause chaos, to destroy the corrupt society and burn it down to pieces. They do this in terms of violence and "deliberate political engagement that supports destructive and divisive societal elements" (ADL, paragraph 7). It doesn’t help that white supremacists are beginning to think it’s okay to be the way they are, and that they way they think is the ideal way. As for the divided country, people need to be more understanding of others and their views and come to agreements so that the world does not see how divided they are. This is dangerous because the less likely neighbors are to help each other out means it is more likely for countries that want to take over to attack since they know they will never agree with one another. Americans need to have courage and trust in one another so that they can be safe from harm. 

In conclusion, people need to stop fighting one another on things that are obvious. Global warming exists, our resources are getting scarce, neighboring countries are growing stronger while others continue to grow weaker when everyone could potentially be helping each other out. As a society, we need to either stop this anarchy from happening, or cause it to go in the right direction: tearing down the government and restarting all over again with views that benefit all human beings. There is no more time to just pretend things are better, the time for action is now and everyone plays a part in it. 

Works Cited

ADL. “White Supremacists Embrace ‘Accelerationism.’” ADL, ADL, 16 Apr. 2019, https://www.adl.org/blog/white-supremacists-embrace-accelerationism. 

Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World. National Intelligence Council Washington Dc, 2008.

“Global Trends 2040 : A More Contested World.” Office of the Director of National Intelligence - Global Trends, Mar. 2021, https://www.dni.gov/index.php/gt2040-home/summary.

Huntington, Samuel P. “Samuel P. Huntington (1993), 'The Clash of Civilizations?', Foreign Affairs, 72, Pp.22-49.” Foreign Policy, vol. 72, no. 3, 1993, pp. 22–49. 

Kaplan, Robert D. “‘The Coming Anarchy.’” The Atlantic Monthly, Feb. 1994, pp. 44–77.

PBSfrontline. “The Power of Big Oil, Part Three: Delay (Full Documentary) | Frontline.” YouTube, YouTube, 3 May 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8UOJqs5F9Q&ab_channel=FRONTLINEPBS%7COfficial.  

Wilson, Brittney. “Midterm Essay.” 10 Oct. 2002. POLS 3555: “The Coming Anarchy” Revisited, Columbus State University, student paper. 

Yeats, William Butler. “The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43290/the-second-coming. 

[communicationmyway]

Film Class Final Essay

Film class was a fun, rejuvenating class that I needed that allowed me to just write. I just needed an outlet that allowed me to write what I saw, get the juices flowing, and film class was great for it. By posting weekly discussion boards, I was able to overcome some of my anxiety by seeing my peers posting too: there was nothing to be embarrassed of! So, here is my final essay that I wrote and had quite a lot of fun doing!

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The Exorcist vs The Ring Two

The Exorcist was made in 1973 and directed by William Friedkin. The opening scene is very dramatic, with chanting in Arabic and sunlight gleaming down on the sands. When finding something in the dessert, there is brief eerie music before a quick jump cut to a later time of the day, shown by the placement of the sun in the sky. There appears to be a very diverse cast of supporting roles. In the beginning, not much is said, but there is plenty of noises going on in every scene. All the jump cuts are very sudden, it's sort of off putting. The architecture everywhere is very well put together, setting the scene and placement of where the opening guy is. 

Everything about this movie in the opening is very sudden, as if to create a sort of scare. From the cuts of what's on screen, to sudden noises happening, it all goes into increasing anxiety for the viewer, as if they are too panicking. There's this sort of buzzing music noise they have in several parts as well that just adds to the eeriness. 

The color jump cut from the bright Arabian deserts to Georgetown is drastic, with Georgetown being bleak and urbanized. The sound effects turn slightly comical, as they do not sound realistic in this new setting. The diversity is gone, as it appears to be an all-white main cast now. The slow zoom in is an overrated film choice as well, to show the importance of a character. 

The music in the scene of the main female walking home is a nice touch, reminds you that you're watching a horror film. It's slow, creepy, picks up and the high-pitched noises increase some feelings in the person viewing. The home is nicely decorated, very homey with plants and a lot of antiques placed all over. The acting is okay, not the best. They overplay the relationship between the mother and daughter to show how close they are, but the fake laughter and everything is a bit much. 

One of the best lighting scenes I've seen so far is when a homeless man asks the Father for some change and a train passes by, casting quick shadows over his face, but you can still see his beady blue eyes as clear as day. The Father, dressed in all black, hasn't cracked a single smile yet, only a grim look on his face, as you continue to wonder his importance in the whole film. It appears to be a very diverse film in ways, having Arabic, English, and Greek dialogue. This is always a bright side, as it gives the viewer a chance to experience a nice difference.

The first real jumpscare is in the attic, when the mother is searching for the cause of these obscenely fake crashing noises. The candlelight flares and dies out as it's paired with a loud noise. Very classic jumpscare, sudden movements and loud noises. Besides that, it's all just been eeriness up to this point. The scenes have also gotten silent, which adds to the spookiness just as much as music does. It shows the Father boxing to release stress for no reason, with sudden jump cuts still. 

The sudden change in the daughter for no reason is a bit laughable, especially when she starts peeing. There was nothing leading up to her being sick, despite her mother saying that she was. They could've shown the daughter getting sick instead of the Father boxing. The mother then proceeds to jump on a shaking bed to hold her daughter instead of getting the daughter off it, make it make sense. 

The stylistic choice of having the Father speak directly to the camera was also a bit off putting, in that it breaks the connection that it has built up and creates a sense of awkwardness. The spasms that Reagan has is funny, even the cut to her eyes rolling back and her hitting the doctor. It's all comical, not even the least bit scary. 

They mention thematic elements of psychology. from the mother of the Father being put in a mad house to Reagan’s temporal lobe being out of whack, it attacks many things in regard to mental illnesses. They also do hypnosis and bring up the topic of possession and exorcism. They also swear a lot and use very vulgar words, such as 'cunting'. 

The most eerie part is having to stare directly into Reagan’s eyes while she's under hypnosis, she did a good job of making it seem soulless. And when the daughter's head turns around, it's great. It takes an hour and sixteen minutes for the Father to finally meet the mother. For such a fast-paced movie, it sure does go slow at some parts. The make-up and sound effects of the voice during possession were great, as well as the acting of Reagan. Overall, it was a very nicely put together movie. Very scary for its time, with the make-up and sound effects. The camera cuts could've been done better, but it added to the movie’s creepiness.

The Ring Two was made in 2005 and directed by Hideo Nakata. From the get-go you can tell it's newer by the high-quality shots they have of many bodies of water. The music is dramatic. It opens with the general storyline of The Ring, where you have to show someone else the VHS tape to pass off the evil spirit, so that they kill them in 7 days instead of you. The music is intense right off the bat, as the boy is in a panic and the girl reaches the tv. The classic haunting video shows, dramatic clips and eerie, high pitched noises. The effects are grand, showing a well and static, static encasing the surroundings of the boy as he is basically doomed to his death. 

All the colors are kind of dulled with a tone of blue and grey being the common theme. The movie doesn't make much sense off the get go if you have not seen the first one and know what has happened previously to Rachel and her son, but it's not hard to catch on. There has already been several jumpscares, and it's only 15 minutes in, with creepy images and loud music to bring the creepiness to life. 

They have quick jump cuts paired with intense music which pairs pretty nicely together and makes it slightly less disturbing. There was a cool fast panning scene of the street that made it look haunting as the tv flashed on to where you could hear water gurgling. This movie has made me terrified of static on my TV, in fear that Samara would come crawling out of it. 

Despite everything this young boy has been through, he still goes to the tv, too close for comfort and is trapped by Samara as she crawls out of the well. The water effects, tv, and music are plain creepy, especially as the boy is sucked into the tv. 

The acting of the boy is off-putting, not that well but he's supposed to appear a bit odd, so I guess it's fitting. He delivers his lines monotone and calls his mother by her name every other line. The music is to die for, perfectly fitting to the movie, as well as the sound effects which don't sound silly. There is never a perfectly sunny day, always cloudy or dreary. It adds to the color scheme very nicely.

The crescendo in music really aids to the panic as Rachel looks for Aidan, and the scenes with silence surrounding him adds to the creepiness of what you fear to happen next because there's so many cues that something is about to happen. There is a cheap jumpscare after a quick zoom into his camera, with a blinding white light, a clean Samara, and high-pitched scream. The CGI on the deer’s is too unrealistic, making it funny especially as Aidan starts to freak out. Could've been handled better in the animating. The glimpse of Aidan in the deer’s eye is also funny, as his face looks distorted, presumably meant to appear creepy. 

The glimpses of Samara are way too creepy and paired very nicely with sound effects and music. The acting could've been better at times, but it may just be the story and how the actors were told to handle themselves. The music, sound effects, and visual aspects all pair together very nicely to create an experience of fear for the viewer.

In all, the two movies are similar yet drastically different at the same time. The Exorcist relies heavily on makeup and sound- voices- to create an atmosphere causing uneasiness. A masterpiece for its time that dealt with many thematic elements. The Ring Two relies on makeup, CGI, music and jumpscares to create fear in the viewer. There is no doubt in my mind that if The Exorcist was made in later years, it would’ve been better, a more terrifying experience. But from the time it was made to now, it just appears to be comical, especially with the acting and events that happen within. The jump cuts were too much, too abrupt, and the movie was too slow paced and lacking important information. The Ring Two had a color scheme and stuck to it, from the get-go was creating fear in the viewer with jumpscares and creepy noises paired with scenes. The music was better, less out of place in some scenes, and the sound effects did not sound fake, like the crashing in The Exorcist. Over time, obviously, horror movies have become much better, much more willing to put fear into the viewer by creating atmospheres they can’t help but think about in the late of night when they are all alone in their dark room. 

Works Referenced

Friedkin, William, director. The Exorcist. HBO Max, Warner Bros. Pictures, 1973, https://play.hbomax.com/player/urn:hbo:feature:GXdu2RAwNtJuAuwEAADZy. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

Nakata, Hideo, director. The Ring Two. HBO Max, Dreamworks Pictures, 2005, https://play.hbomax.com/player/urn:hbo:feature:GXOQxMAjHY4DCwgEAAAAY. Accessed 28 Nov. 2022.

[communicationmyway]

My Way, My Degree, My Life

Growing up, I've always faced intense anxiety. I just couldn't talk to people in any way. I always had anxiety when I knew that another person could also control the tides.

So when I come to Columbus State University, my second college, third year in, I'm falling behind. I've been pushed too far past my comfort zone, but had nothing to show for it. Wasn't near my degree, still had about a good three more years to go. I was just depressed, sad. So, I wanted to try to do something outrageous : Liberal Arts!

What a mistake that was. I love language, but I cannot learn language. So after 2 years of that being my degree, my last semester of college, right before I graduate, I decided to change it my degree. I had to if I wanted to graduate, I was failing Spanish!

What I did not realize though, was the fact that Interdisciplinary Studies was a thing that I could do. It was the only thing that fit in with my classes I've had, and with the fact that I'm an online only student as the college is in Georgia and I am in North Carolina. So, with the help of the main advisors at CSU, I was able to fit all of my courses into the pathways for ITDS and graduate!

The main purpose of this though, is to make someone aware of how focusing on communication throughout college has helped me overcome my anxiety even the tiniest little bit.