End of Project Report

In assessing the outcome of our group service learning project, I would say we overall did a fantastic job. I feel we were very successful and that we exceeded our goals we had set for ourselves. I was very excited about the amount of money we raised in only three days. I was also shocked at the amount of supplies brought in by my fellow classmates that Saturday. I can't really say we had any major failures after seeing all of the success we had. If anything some suggestions that might have helped the project even more would have been to expand the blanket and pet supply drive as well as taking money donations for a few more days. But it was amazing to see just how much we did get in the short amount of time that we had.


On our service day this past Saturday I worked with the children helping them with crafts and playing with them. It was a very rewarding experience to interact with the kids, the were just too precious. The parents were also very appreciative of our help and were very excited to take their child or children's artwork with them. The rooms came out looking wonderful and felt more home like and warmer. While I was working with the children most of the day i felt the room redecorating upstairs was very organized and neat.


I feel like the class service project has given me more insight to the issues that are right here in my city. Being at the shelter and knowing that the women there were once the victims of domestic violence made me register that the problem of domestic violence is not just something that happens else where. After completing this project I feel that steps right on our own home front can really make a difference and bring awareness to others about domestic violence. After completing this project I feel like there are alot of people who are not really aware about domestic violence and how often it occurs. I can can say that I was like that too before the start of this project. I mean I knew domestic violence occurred but not as often as I found it out to occur.


The overall value of local action in these global problems is that you can see how a small effort in your own community can make a big difference, and that you are able to help for the cause. It makes the global problems not seem so distant and imposable to help solve. You are able to see that if more people did small thing just in their community then we could fix alot of problems and be able to help more and more people, which would then spread all over the world. As I had wrote in assignment one there are alot of these global issues that are really just as much of a problem right here as they are all over the world. If we are to tackle these problems around the globe I feel the best place to start is in peoples very own city's and towns.

I feel having taken part in the service learning project has really made me realize just how lucky and thankful I am for the good life I have. I have also realized just how generous other people are, and how there are alot of people who really do care and want to help. The project has also made me more aware of helping others. Before the project I never use to pay much attention to the organizations who had tables set up and were raising money for different causes. I thought my quarter of few pennies would not make a difference, but I was wrong. Now every time at school when I see someone collecting donations I go and give what I can because I know in the end that it will make a huge difference.

The Industrial World

The Industrial Revolution in Europe changed everything from family and social structure to human labor and consumption of goods. The Industrial Revolution was lead by the changes from a mostly agricultural and rural economy to a capitalist urban economy. Once family based economies were changed to industry based economies which led to new ways of thinking about the family structure. After reading the Chadwick's Report on Sanitary Conditions I was able to see a lot of these social and family structure problems that were addressed later on in the document.

I was really shocked when reading the two documents about just how filthy the living conditions were for the working class citizens. I had heard in previous history classes about how along with industrialization in Europe had come some overcrowdedness and unsanitary conditions, but I never imagined it to be this bad! The second document "Industrial Manchester" really went into the detail of the filth the inhabitants lived in. My views of industrial Europe i would say have changed after reading these articles and doing a little more research on the living conditions at the time. In history class I just learned about the industrialization aspect and it's contributions to capitalism. After these two readings I get a sense that the factory workers working in these grotesque conditions were and how they were in a way discriminated against or cast off because they were poor working class. They were discriminated and cast off by the higher classes and what must have been the officials of the town for they were left to deal on their own with their unsanitary living conditions. You would think the government or officials of the towns would have stepped in to take control or at least help attempt to improve the conditions.

In my opinion I believe these excerpts because they were written by secertary of a commission investigating sanitary conditions and a means to improve them(Chadwick's Report) and by the son of a manufacturer. They both seam to have extensive first hand knowledge of the situation going on at the time which leads me to believe that these selections are trustworthy sources of information on early industrial life and the urban poor. Especially the Industrial Manchester excerpt with all of the authors knowledge of the town he shares with us.

I believe the Chadwick's Report does have some bias and is a bit sensationalized at times. I feel like this report while being a report on sanitation includes a lot of moral aspect and issues of the people. He states in the document how the unsanitary conditions and lower life expectancy because of these unsanitary adverse conditions was leading people to live recklessly with "habitual avidity to sexual gratiffication." At the very end of the document he talks about how the cleaning up of the city and regaining personal cleanliness "are necessary to the improvement of the moral condition of the population." I believe Chadwick was using his report in addition to a sanitation report as an expression of the moral decline of the town due to the industrialization taking place. I think the claimed moral decline was due to more then the unsanitary conditions but to the whole changing of the society and family structure due to the industrialization. With all these changes going on it must have been hard on the people to understand all the change that was taking place.

I feel there are certain condition of modern industrialization that were shared by the urban poor and industrial workers a century earlier. I think this is due to the fact that when people are poor and living in very bad conditions that some of the simplest things to manage like sanitation are overlooked because of the idea that there are more important pressing issues to be dealt with at that particular time when in reality some of the simplest measures need to be made sure accounted for before they become problematic like the sanitation issue.

Individual Service Project Outline

Kibbles, Bits, and Blankets Against Violence

Intent of project: To hold a drive during the second week in November for dog food, pet supplies, and gently used/new blankets for the victims of domestic violence. We will have a table set up November 10(9am-2pm), 11(10am-1pm), and 12(9am-2pm) to collect these donations as well as monetary donations. We will as so be having a day of service on November 14 to fix up the rooms and help clean/fix up the dog kennels. We will be starting at 8am that day with the goal of finishing by 3:30pm.

The Collective Efforts of my Committee: I am on the on campus public relations committee where we have collectively come up with a name for our service project Kibbles, Bits, and Blankets Against Violence. We are also in change of getting/reserving the tables for the drive days at the specified locations(which will be out near the sombrila and possibly another one either in the paseo or the breeze way area between the UC and HSS. The table for this extra spot will only be on November 10th and 12th during class time from 9:30am-10:45 am). Our committee is also in charge of making posters to hang up in the HSS or UC announcing our drive and posters for the drive tables November 10, 11, and 12. The PR committee is also going to start a facebook group and have e-mails sent to the honors students.

My Individual Responsibilities: I (along with Savahnah) will be designing flyers to be passed out advertising the Kibbles, Bits, and Blankets Against Violence drive. These flyers will be passed out a few days before the actual drive. I will also be reserving the graphics room for our class on November 3rd which is our organize and supply day from 9:30-11:30(there is a 2 hour limit so those who can stay till 11:30 may). We will also have to have the posters that are hung in the buildings approved at the student activities office. On our actual drive days(Nov. 10-11) I will of course be working our booth during class time and will be working another shift on Tuesday and Thursday at 12:15pm to 1:15pm or 2pm if possible. I will be helping at the shelter on November 14th and I would like to in the kennel work shift(which is from 10am-12pm) as well as the children's craft booth for the rest of the day. I enjoy working with children and am excited to be able to help them make some craft projects. I am not sure if anyone has come up with craft project ideas but I would love to help think of some. I was thinking since it will be near Thanksgiving time maybe we can have a craft where they make a turkey and other related crafts. Maybe even some coloring sheets. Since we will be having a craft booth we might also want to make sure we have all the supplies we need for the crafts.

The Muslim Faith

There are approximately 1.2 billion follower of the Islam religion from every race and from every country according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The word Islam comes from the Arabic root word meaning peace and submission. Islam teaches that one can only find peace in life by submitting to the almighty God Allah. Islam was founded by Muhammad in the seventh century and in 1622 he founded the first Islamic state. There are two different branches of the Islamic religion that he founded(this will be talked about more later on).

The Muslim faith consists of 5 basic tenets, 5 pillars, and 5 social doctrines. The basic tenets include one that "there is only one god", Allah(The God). He created the whole world, and sends infidels to eternal hell or sends/rewards the faithful with eternal heaven. Two "Muhammad" was the last of the great prophets and three "The Koran" is the sacred holy book. Four is "life on earth" where life is a test and is preparation for eternal life that is to come(when you die). The fifth tenet is "the final judgment" where the faithful will be sent to eternal heaven and infidels to eternal hell. The "faithful" are the ones who praise Allah ans his prophet Muhammad, obey the Koran, and full fill the 5 pillars of Islam. In the Muslim faith alcohol, pork, and games of chance, are outlawed, and pride is a cardinal sin.



The 5 pillars include profession of faith, which is the statement "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet." Second is faith which include prayer 5 times a day in the direction of Mecca, third is to give alms which is where every middle and upper class Muslim must give 2 and a half of what they posses. The forth is fasting during the month of Ramadan and the fifth is a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in ones life.



There are divisions within the Muslim faith including the Sunnis and Shi'ites. Both groups share the core fundamental Islamic beliefs and articles of faith. The division occurred because of a question of leadership after the death of the prophet Muhammad in regards to who would take over leadership of the Muslim nation.

The Sunnis believe that the new leader should be elected from among those who are capable of taking on the job. This was what was done when the prophet Muhammad died, his advisor and close friend Abu Bakr took over. In Arabic the word Sunni means "one who follows the traditions of the prophet."

While Sunnis make up eighty five percent of Muslims all over the world there are the Shi'ites who believe that the leadership should have stayed within the prophet Muhammad's own family among those he specifically appointed, or among those appointed by God himself. Shia Muslims believe leadership should have been passed to Muhammad's cousin/son in law Ali. Through history Shi'ite Muslims have not recognized authority of elected Muslim leaders and instead have followed a line of Imams they believe have been appointed by Muhammad or God himself. The word Shia in Arabic means "a group or supportive party of people." This is a shortened term from the historical "Shia-t-Ali" meaning the party of Ali.

While both groups practice the same core beliefs there are a few differences. Sunnis believe their is no basis in Islam for a hereditary privileged class of spiritual leaders. Say leadership in the community is not a birthright but a trust earned which can be given or taken away by the people. The Shia Muslims believe that the leaders(Imam) come directly from God and therefore they treat the Imam as saints and make pilgrimages to their tombs and shrines in the hopes of receiving some kind of devine gift.
And it should be noted that most Muslims do not identify themselves by one or the other group but simply as Muslims.

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab(1703-1792)
He was a theologian who founded the Wahhabi movement which attempted to return to the "true principals of Islam." He began to teach in Islam against what he thought to be extreme ideas of Sufi doctrines. He wrote the Kitab at-tawhid(Book of Unity) which is the main text for his Wahhabi doctrines. al-Wahhab's teachings were very traditional representing the early era of the Islamic religion. He was against all innovations in the Islamic religion because he thought they were reprehensible. He felt the "original grandeur" of the faith could be regained if all Muslims would return to the principals put in place by the prophet Muhammad.

The Art of the Baroque

Born in Italy the Baroque art form spanned from the 1600 to 1750. The style used deep shadowing and strong light contrasts to emphasize certain figures and add depth in the artwork. Movement, energy, tension, emotion, and drama were some of the conveyed senses expressed in Baroque art. Exaggerated decorations, enormous sculptures, and in architecture grandeur and animation were components of the style. Conjuring emotional states through the senses under lied the manifestation of Baroque art. This art form reflected the growth of absolutist monarchies and manifest power. It was associated with religious tensions and was a Counter-Reformation by the Catholic church in response to the Protestant Reformation. The Baroque style was meant to be visually and emotionally appealing to grab the attention of as many people as possible.

Background information from

http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/c17th-mid19th/baroque.htm and http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/glo/baroque/

The painting on the top is by Rembrandt, the one below is by Peter Paul Rubens titled The Fall of Phaeton.


Baroque art was reflective of the Maritime Revolution in many ways. Iberian kingdoms of Portugal and Spain sponsored sea voyages that really began the Maritime Revolution. They had great interest in overseas expansion due to their motives in economics, religion, politics, increasing their dominance, and to expand their contacts. Thus art reflected these ideals of gaining wealth and glory. This spring of sea voyages led to many new discoveries. Those out on ships saw and heard many new things they had never encountered before. Like we discussed in class the "unicorns" and "mermaids". Both of these things had rational explanations, narwhals and the sound whales make, but that is to us because we have grown up knowing what whales are. To them they were mythical creatures and things of the unknown, which is why they depicted them in art work.

Baroque art was also influenced by the thoughts of what the people in the new world would be like. By discovering the Americas the Europeans had to rethink their entire world view. There were not just three continents anymore(Asia, Africa, and Europe) as they once believed from the Bible's story of Noah and his three son's. This was very frightening and made them question everything they had once known. This fear can be seen in the art work. I think all the dark shading and extreme contrasts of light and dark show a sense of uneasiness and fear. There is also depictions of monster like or quasi humans in much of the artwork showing the thoughts of what the Europeans thought the people in the new world would be like.

Reviewing The Joys of Motherhood

I really enjoyed reading The Joys of Motherhood. I really got a sense of what it must have been like to live in Ibuza and Lagos back then. Most striking about the book to me was how their society lived. When I first started reading the book I was shocked how all the men had several wives, and the term senior wife for the first wife the man had ever taken. I knew there were societies that had such practices but I had never read in depth about it. Reading this story really let me put myself in their society/tribe and put myself in their shoes.


Being a female I found myself through out my reading of the book having many objections, thoughts, and feelings in regards to how all the women were being treated. The women were so looked down upon and education for girls was seen as a waste. When a baby girl was born it was always such a "disappointment" to the fathers. Like the girls were worthless and only sons were the ones they should take pride in. One thing the fathers did like about the girls was when they married they received a handsome bride price. But the women were not even allowed to choose their own husband. The women were controlled almost totally by their husbands and or fathers.


The concept of strongly tied families was an important one to the characters tribes in this book. Families had a lot of expectations of their children, like the expectation and assumption that their male children were to take care take care of them. To me it almost seemed in the book that they only had children to eventually profit from them. An example is when towards the end of the story(pg.200-202) when Oshia is going to go to school in America, his father Nnaife becomes enraged by this and asks him when was going to take on his family responsibilities(which mean taking care of the rest of his siblings in the household). Oshia had no idea of these responsibilities and was puzzled by his fathers question, and he was even going to ask his father for monetary help. Nnaife disowned him and said he never wanted to see him again. Oshia's mother Nnu Ego felt the opposite it seems because she wanted to help her children as much as she could and wanted them to become as educated as they could.



If Ona and Nnu Ego had an opportunity for micro-finance I believe their stories could have had a different ending. For Ona if she could have started her own business it would have let her be self sufficient, which would have been good because she was always having to do as her father wished. A small business would have suited her well because she was very independent and strong willed in her ways of thinking.

As far as micro-financing with Nnu Ego it could have really changed her life for the better. She was already very ambitious as far as that she sold a few things in the market already. She worked very hard to sell what she could like collecting sticks to sell as firewood or selling cigarettes. But the trading she did do was never going to make her rich. With micro-financing she could have started a somewhat bigger business and could have had a more steady income coming in. She might have even been able to hire other women to work for her. Nnu Ego could have been able to make money to take care of her children with out having to worry about how much her husband would be bringing home and if it would be enough to cover everything. I think she would have been a much happier woman with her own successful small business.
And another note in the New York Times article it talked about how those in poverty spent too much money on candy and alcohol, then we see in the book how Nnaife spent lots of money on Palm wine. Money that could have gone towards food for the children or their schools fees. This New York Times article ties in very well with the Joys of Motherhood.


For both these women micro-financing would have given them more Independence and would have not let the men have as much control over them. While their tribe and society values were very set in their own ways if changes happened slowly they would have been eventually accepted. Especially because these programs would help bring more money into the hands of women which means more money would be spent on nutritious food, health care, and on children. It would also increase the standard of living overall.

Thinking about the Women's Crusade article

This article was very insightful and in some ways inspiring to me, which I will explain later. After reading the article it made me realize just how unpublicized these women's issues are. As it said in the article how a lot of the women issues are considered "soft" issues, which they should not be, these issues are very serious and cause a lot of damage to both the women and their societies they live in. In my opinion I feel that front page news has gotten in the rut of always putting international issues about war, politics, and economy on the front line. There should be a change to what is considered front page worthy, or there should be other humanitarian issues included at least.

I felt very inspired after reading about Tererai and how she set her goals and buried them in the tin can and how she has now reached every single one of the goals she set. The were huge goals but she overcame what must have been very difficult obstacles and achieved what she wanted. I thought to myself if this is possible then what is not possible?