- Humanities Core Reflection -
The End?
The End?
FYI, this is not a required assignment! Just me wanting to write about some final thoughts I have regarding the Spring Research Project and my overall HumCore experience.
just so we're clear, the program still exist, but my humcore journey is over lol
HUMCORE
IS
OVER?!?!?!!!!
The course might be over but I'M NOT DONE YET!! I have a couple more things to say :3
➜ current mood
How about a song to set the mood?
I'm feeling silly :]
Let me begin by glazing HumCore for a second
One of the best things about Human Core is the variety in terms of content and professors. I think it's genuinely so awesome that we get to learn about so many different aspects of the humanities—from literature to art, to history, and even video games—as well as experience different professors' lecturing styles.
Every time a new media literacy discourse™️pop up on my Twitter timeline I am all the more grateful for humcore. I love nuances in media!! I love taking a humanistic approach to analyzing media, and accepting that there can be multiple interpretations of the same text!!
The most memorable lecture for me was Professor Cooks' unit on African American Art.
Sure, I've had my fair share of analyzing Art in art class and AP Euro, but this was my first time going this in-depth looking at art and art history.
Looking back, I learned SO MUCH during this unit. I think my essay on Titus Kaphar's The Jerome Project combined with the Soy Cuba essay in the next unit really homed in my visual analysis skill.
The most chill lecture for me was Professor Ruberg's unit on Video Games.
Compared to other units, this one was more lighthearted and less intense. Since this was the second to last lecture smack-dabbed in the middle of Spring Quarter, it was truly a welcome change of pace haha.
I think it's cool af that we get to learn about queer studies in an academic setting and with a queer professor too! This matters to me, yeah, especially considering the current political landscape.
And here are all of my notes cuz why not. Fall / Winter / Spring.
I can only speak for myself here - and personally, HumCore was such a rewarding experience for me. For one, I really enjoyed the topic of worldbuilding; I probably wouldn't have loved it as much if it weren't for this topic. Also, I think a lot of it comes down to "what you put in is what you get out." Sure, you can probably bullsh*t your essays and skip lectures, but should you? Nah. I've had two seminar instructors over the quarters and they were both like the nicest people I've ever met (+ I've not heard of anything bad about any of the seminar instructors). All the professors and seminar instructors are clearly passionate about teaching as well as their respective fields. All in all, I think it's cool to hear brilliant people talk about cool topics :]
Am I yelling into the void? Maybe.
A thing I do when I write on here is that I write as if I'm directly communicating to someone, and that someone is me reading my own website. Errr ok that explanation sucked. Lemme try again.
As I'm writing, I'm imagining that, hey I'm a random person who came across this website, and I'm enjoying whatever the author has to say!
It also feels like I'm writing my thoughts down onto a note, putting it into a bottle [this website], and casting it into the ocean [the interweb]. I like to think that someday, someone in the future will randomly stumble on my page and find it enjoyable :}
YESSSS I LOVE MY WEBSITE
I put effort into this man. I care.
Love and passion went into the making of this website <3
Really wanna rewrite the first two entries they SUCK lol.
It's quite satisfying seeing how my website's aesthetics and my writing have progressed over the course of the school year.
Compared to my half-abandoned, old Digital Portfolio Google site from high school, it brings me immense joy that this website is actually completed.
Have I found my Writer's Voice yet?
Hmm. I dunno.
But I think I'm getting closer...
You can put in as much or as little effort as you want into your digital archive. I put a lot of effort into mine because I genuinely enjoy the process of web-building! And I get to talk about stuff I care about too :D I think it makes the whole process all the more fulfilling when you approach Digital Archive as an opportunity to yap about the stuff you care about <3
My magnum opus frfr
It's kind of insane that the project went pretty well for me. No major roadblocks as far as I can recall.
Didn't think my high school capstone projects would actually prepare me for stuff like this (hi Mrs. Murray).
I would like to give a dishonorable mention to this (unfortunately very real) image because my essay is essentially an antithesis to this. I think Transformers should be more woke™️ actually👍👍👍
earthspark oppy they can never make me hate you🫶
Some tidbits about my research process!
For context, I have a Discord server where I put random stuff. Think of it as online journaling. I made a thread to casually record my ideas about the project. Here are some fun screenshots of it! (The first two are from when I first watched EarthSpark).
EarthSpark live reaction.
As you can see, it wasn't that long ago, I'm pretty new to Transformers in general lol.
Tarantulas shows up only once💔
Don't ask me why I was awake at 1:43 am bro I don't even know💀💀💀
This one's from the beginning of Spring Quarter, when I was still considering which primary source to choose. I wanted to read up on some general articles about EarthSpark. The show's pretty niche hence the sarcasm. EarthSpark mentioned but at what cost🚬
I forgot what inspired me to say this lol.
I did end up talking about this in my essay! I had initially considered bringing in the concept of "desire paths" from Queer phenomenology by Sara Ahmed, which was discussed during Prof. Ruberg's lecture.
Me at 5/15/2025 11:34 pm knowing full well I need to get WRITING or else
I do not remember the context to this I don't know what I was fearing😭😭😭Procrastination and its consequences, probably :P
I'm gonna sound like a broken record at this point but I LOVE TRANSFORMERS and getting to write about it for my research project is just ahsdhkasld AAFSHJSAAAAA IT'S GREAT. The highlight of the whole process for me was towards the end when I had my final draft and seeing my ✨vision✨ become reality. Me: Holy shit I can't believe everything worked out and my project is finally coming together. Polishing the final draft was a pain in the ass but the final result makes it soooo worth it <333
P.S. - Want some helpful tips? Check out Research Log 4: Conclusion.
Hmm... what shall the last thing I say on this website be...
# Do Art & Have Fun
# Watch Transformers One (because we're not getting a sequel rip)
# I am all that is vast and unknowable. I am the sky, and the sea beneath it. I am rain and butter, and the coolness of night. I am blue.