“Students will expand their understanding of the impact and value of individuals and their choices on society, both intellectually and socially, through group projects and collaboration in learning communities.”

    The third goal of University Studies stresses how ones choices have an impact on society.  By forming groups and working together, individuals will come to see how individual values impact us academically and in a social context. 

                        Malcolm Little & Cassius Clay  +  Group Reflection & Contract

My understanding of the impact and values of individuals in a group setting was stressed during this project.  I am not a fan of working in groups because I am a very individual person, but group collaborations have a great impact, both intellectually and socially, on the overall completion of an assignment like that which was completed.  Putting the minds of four people together to come to one conclusive end proved helpful not only in what slide should go where, but also what to put on the slide and how to present the information.  Everyone stuck to the contract we created prior to beginning our PowerPoint and presentation.  The responsibilities were divided equally between the four group members and this proved to be a key to our success in unity on the project.  My ability to communicate with the group members was another thing that I did particularly well.  Anytime a problem was addressed or assistance was needed, for example preparing what was to be said during the presentation, I effectively addressed the problem and was able to give helpful advice as to what someone could say.  The group worked very well off each others input.

I learned a lot about Cassius Clay, more widely known as Muhammad Ali, throughout the course of this assignment.  He is an icon around the world and one of the most elite boxer to ever step foot in a boxing ring, but I did not know how he got their and where his religious affiliation to Islam came from.  After completing this assignment, I would feel comfortable talking about Cassius Clay, his boxing career, and his association to Islam.  By the end of the project, our group came up with an excellent thesis to tie in the lives of both Malcolm Little, or Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali.  The lives they lived and the impact they have left on society are and will be in continuum for generations and generations.

        If there were one thing that could have been improved it would have been the group presentation portion of this assignment.  Although it probably was not evident during our presentation, we did not spend as much time as I would have liked practicing our presentation.  We did an excellent job of organizing where people would talk and what they would say, but doing practice trials was not a focus point prior to the final presentation.  If we had gone through some trial runs, any issues we had with information could have been eliminated and our presentation would have flowed more.  Overall, this project was made solid by the groups effort and communication.