Ashlyn Stephens
University of Cincinnati Class of 2022
University Honors Program: Learning Portfolio
Honors Experiences
Fall | 2019
HIST 3096: A Global History of World War II: Ideology, Culture, Politics
Honors Seminar & Study Tour
HNRS 3044: Mad Gods and Marvelous Worlds-Celtic and Scandinavian Myth and Legend (Myths, Legends & Belief Systems) | Honors Seminar
Spring | 2019
Assignment Links:
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days Film Analysis
Photo Gallery:
Post-Study Tour Reflection Paragraphs
Summary:
Over the course of the Fall 2019 semester, I learned about the origins, motivations, contributors and global effects of World War II.
The content of the course was challenging academically and emotionally. Thus far, I can say that this course has been the course of highest academic quality since I enrolled at UC. To examine and analyze WWII to the depth and extent explored in this course allowed for an understanding of parties involved, international relations, daily civilian life, warfare and atrocities committed that I had never experienced before. Everyone in the class gained a common understanding of each other and the world through learning of the violence, pitiless crimes and courage exhibited during the war. By confronting these subjects within the class, I was able to understand things about myself, history and the world that I had never considered before.
The study tour portion of the course was extremely impactful as we were able to see, experience and learn about people and areas especially impacted by the war. Seeing the HMS Belfast, Imperial War Museum, Churchill War Rooms and bomb-marred walls of a church in London and visiting Pointe du hoc, German gun emplacements, Omaha Beach, Sword Beach and the American Cemetery at Colleville sur Mer on the Normandy Coast were unforgettable experiences. Images from the study tour can be seen below.
Below, I have attached an assignment that was significant to the course:
1) Post-Study Tour Reflection Paragraphs
The Paragraphs included reflect upon the course’s Study tour to London, Paris and Normandy. I chose to feature this document because it offers a reflection of my thoughts and feelings following the study tour to Europe.
2) Sophie Scholl—The Final Days Film Analysis
One of the main assignments of the course consisted of a WWII film analysis. I chose to watch and analyze a German film, Sophie Scholl—The Final Days, based on the interrogations and executions of Sophie Scholl, her brother and friend. The Scholl’s and their friend were members of the German anti-war civilian group “The White Rose”. I chose to feature this document because, as often emphasized in the course, it highlights a group of people—specifically Sophie Scholl, her brother and friend—that is not widely considered or taught about when learning about war history. The White Rose was a German civilian anti-war group; their presence stresses the fact that not everyone supported Hitler in Nazi German.
Fall | 2018
BIOL 3060: Dying Well-When Breath Becomes Air | Honors Seminar
Summary:
BIOL 3060 has been the most transformative and eye-opening course
that I have taken throughout my school career as it addressed the
topic of death andits various dimensions (ranging from biological
processes and preparations tothe emotional impact of dying on both
the individual and the individual’s family). Death is often avoided in
western culture and I found it to be extraordinarily interesting and
enriching to be able to hold discussions, debates and reason with
others on the topics introduced in class; examples of these topics
were: biological processes of dying, moral conflicts, preparation,
acceptance of one’s impending death, palliative care, the role of
religion/spirituality on their outlook of life/death, and cultural/societal
views of death and the dying. I have always been a thinker and have thought about how death would affect my life with regards to my family, memory et cetera. I was motivated to take this course after the death of such a family member-my beloved dog Sandy (11/20/2005-3/5/2018)-and my following despair. This class introduced me to valuable, new, information and perspectives that I will consider well into the future. Some key points/perspectives that I gained from this class were:
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Death is not always seen negatively by people: Death in some cultures is celebrated as well as mourned as the person is “returned” and honored.
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Death is often portrayed as being treatable/a formidable enemy to man. It is only in “western” societies that death is viewed as a treatable ailment that must be treated at all costs and, if one should die, a battle has been unjustly lost. Focus on the patient is lost in disparity to avoid an inevitable fate
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There is a large disconnect between how people want to die and how most people truly die; most people
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in our medically-driven society die in hospitals despite wanting to be at home/their favorite environment.
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This list is extremely short as it only contains a few of the concepts/perspectives I learned about in this
course. I will greatly value the information and development gained from this course.
Below, I have attached three assignments that I believe to be significant to the course:
1. Cultural Comparison: Mexico and the U.S.
A cultural comparison paper addressing the differences between how death is perceived by people in Mexico and the United States (and the “western ideology”).
2. Bucket List + Eulogy
Our final assignment in the course was to construct a bucket list of dreams/desires to complete before our death (highlight and explain our top 5) and to write our Eulogy-what one might say at our funeral or when asked to speak about our death.
3. Mercurial Erethism: Death by Mercury Poisoning
One assignment in the course was to research and create a presentation about a specific death/cause of death; I chose to focus on mercury poisoning. My motivation for selecting mercury poisoning was its role in the “Mad Hatter’s” madness.
Assignment Links:
International Student Interview Presentation:
Sabrina Shrestha
Mythological Art Depictions: Fairies
Assignment Links:
Summary:
Throughout the Spring 2019 semester, I learned about, and gained an understanding of, significant details, themes, influences and origins of myths and legends as well as what myths and legends can convey about a specific time period, individuals and societal conditions and values. Such an understanding was gained particularly through the assigned readings, lectures, and class discussions in which unfamiliar material and origins were explored in a modern context and connections were formed between myths, time periods, and overarching themes and values that remain present in today’s world. The utilization of multiple resources and modes of education served an important purpose and taught me how to analyze stories, and research, in order to identify commonalities and determine the overall goal of the myth, value or being. The aforementioned purpose of learning about the specific themes, topics and myths focused on in this seminar was to gain an understanding of how myths and legends are both ingrained in and created by societies and belief systems in accordance to valued perceptions, behaviors and power. With this developed understanding we were able to recognize and identify common themes and figures in the myths, legends and societal values of other countries and cultures; examples of such common themes included: gender roles, perceptions of evil, deities/gods associated with natural forces and water, witchcraft/magic and character roles (the trickster, the savior, et cetera). Additionally, the longevity and resiliency of stories, myths and legends was explored and their ability to reappear in society, either through current societal values that have been influenced by past myths, new stories that utilize the themes of past myths, or a resurgence in the popularity of myths and legends.
I found the content of this course to be extremely meaningful to the myths and mystical beings we studied as well as understanding and interpreting society and history as many historical movements, social conflicts as well and religions are connected to mythology and the supernatural.
The images of the seal and polar bear relate to two myths/mythological beings we learned about this semester:
The Selkie
I included the image of the seal in reference to the selkies: mythological shape-shifting seal people. In Scottish and Irish mythology, Selkies are seals that can shed their skin to become beautiful, dark-haired, humans; their skin becomes a fur coat that the selkie needs in order to transform back into its seal-shape. If a Selkie’s fur coat/skin is stolen, they are forced to remain on land until they regain it; upon which instance they immediately return to the water.
The Polar Bear
I included the image of the polar bear in reference to the Norwegian fairy tale “East of the Sun and West of the Moon”.
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Below, I have attached two assignments that are significant to the course:
1) International Student Interview Presentation: Sabrina Shrestha
A presentation of the information, myths, legends and unique religious cultural traditions learned from someone whose country of origin lies outside of the United States. I chose to interview my friend Sabrina Shrestha: a UC international student from Nepal.
2) Mythological Art Depictions Presentation: Fairies
A presentation of Art trends and depiction of fairies throughout time.
Bucket List + Eulogy
Cultural Comparison:
Mexico and the U.S.
Mercurial Erethism:
Death by Mercury Poisoning
Sandy and I
Spring | 2020
HIST 3111: History of the World in 100 Objects
Honors Seminar & Study Tour
The Following Honors Experiences Have Been Completed and Outlined Below:
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Fall 2020: UHP (Digital) Welcome Retreat Leader
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Spring 2020: HIST3111: History of the World in 100 Objects | Seminar & Study Tour
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Fall 2019: HIST3096: A Global History of World War II: Ideology, Culture, Politics | Seminar & Study Tour
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Spring 2019: HNRS3044: Mad Gods and Marvelous Worlds: Celtic and Scandinavian Myth and Legend (Myths, Legends & Belief Systems) | Seminar
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Fall 2018: BIOL3060: Dying Well-When Breath Becomes Air | Seminar
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Spring 2018: ARTE3005: Dance in the City | Seminar
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Summary:
HIST 3111 was a course that adapted and evolved with the changes that occurred to learning and travel as a result of the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic and shutdowns. A key goal of this course was to understand the influence and importance of presentation within museums, historical features, et cetera to visitors’ understanding of objects and their contexts by exploring “The History of the World in 100 Objects” (100 objects featured in The British Museum) and examining ways history is remembered, recorded and presented through various platforms and media. Understanding was fostered by the creation of various object dossiers created throughout the semester. I included one of my object dossiers below on an object I viewed at The British Museum in December 2019: Hoa Hakananai'a (an Easter Island Moai).
Pre-COVID-19, we were to travel to London over spring break to view the 100 objects we discussed and explored through Neil MacGregor's A History of the World in 100 Objects and analyze The British Museum as an object and historical artifact as well as its methods regarding object presentation.
Towards the beginning of the semester, we chose one of the one hundred objects featured in MacGregor’s book to focus on and research. This object was to be the focus of two essays:
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Midterm: Research paper on a chosen object. I chose to research Hokusai’s “Great Wave” woodblock print. Now identifiable in pop culture and on everyday objects, I was interested in learning about its origins and potential interpretations. This essay is included below.
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Final: Upon visiting The British Museum, I was to research “The Great Wave” woodblock print within its display, exhibit, and gallery. Analyzing not only the object’s presentation but its orientation in the location it was displayed, I was to write a final essay regarding the presentation of my chosen object. However, our final project was changed to become a virtual museum.
Because the trip to London and The British Museum was cancelled as a result of COVID-19, the course adapted to a virtual format. Instead of visiting The British Museum, our class would create a virtual museum with group galleries that would curate objects related to the overarching theme. I was a part of the “Hall of Ideology” group curating objects for the exhibit on “Foreign Relations”. In this there were four concept exhibits on Foreign Relations, Religion, Philosophy and Nationalism. Within our group, each group member was responsible for curating objects related to their specific concept as well as tying their concept, objects, and rationales to ideology. The link to this final project is included below. I included the final project as a way to show that despite not being able to travel historically analyze The British Museum, we were able to understand and demonstrate the significance of objects and the history that can be drawn from them as well as the mindset of historians/curators as we selected and connected objects from different geographic locations and time periods by their common origins and purposes.
Spring | 2018
ARTE 3005: Dance in the City | Honors Seminar
Photo Gallery:
I found this quote in one of the class' assigned readings and really felt a personal connection to it. Tharp believes that creativity and dance are for everyone; this is an idea that I also strongly support. Dance is not only an art, it is an outlet of emotion and expression and a medium between people-regardless of nationality or background, people can understand the feelings conveyed by dance. The reflective and analytical skills learned through dance can also be applied to different fields.
In this class we were tasked with writing a dance reflection in which we used an accumulation of the interpretative and reflection skills emphasized throughout its duration to observe, interpret and reflect upon a dance performance of our choice. On Saturday April 7, 2018 I attended a performance of several Middle East/Egyptian dances by the Natya Hasta School of Dance at the Contemporary Arts Center. This unique performance has inspired me to explore other countries through dance.
For our final assessment in this class, we had to choreograph a group dance, with music and meaning, to perform for the professors and fellow classmates. Our dance was focused on a progression of topics and experiences from the class and incorporated pieces, ideas and themes of the dances we covered throughout the semester: ranging from tango to ballet and interpretive/modern dance.
I found this quote in one of the class' assigned readings and really felt a personal connection to it. Tharp believes that creativity and dance are for everyone; this is an idea that I also strongly support. Dance is not only an art, it is an outlet of emotion and expression and a medium between people-regardless of nationality or background, people can understand the feelings conveyed by dance. The reflective and analytical skills learned through dance can also be applied to different fields.
Summary:
My favorite class this past semester was the honors seminar ‘Dance in the City’. While I have always been a fan of dance, I viewed dance through the lens of an observer and saw it primarily as a form of visual art for entertainment as I had only witnessed dance in movies, in Broadway shows and on tv shows such as Dancing with the Stars. Through assigned readings, active participation and performance viewings I not only learned about dance styles ranging from tango to ballet and contemporary dance, I also learned about the origins of specific dance types and how history has both influenced and been influenced by dance; for example, swing music was born out of the Great Depression as a free/inexpensive form of entertainment and freedom from the surrounding despair. One idea that was repeatedly emphasized throughout the course was dance’s role as a medium of conversation and expression as it can tell stories, exude emotion and evoke feelings within people despite their differences, nationality or the languages they speak. Understanding that dance can be a form of expression as strong as spoken/written words was extremely beneficial both in learning about dance and progressing as a global citizen scholar as it is important to realize and acknowledge various forms of communication. By the end of the course, I viewed dance through the lens of a dancer-not an observer-as we had to work with a group to perform a choreographed/meaningful dance. The dance we performed conveyed our classes growth and understanding of dance from the beginning of the semester to the end and we incorporated details from all of the dances we studied in our final choreographed dance.
I have attached my dance interpretation/reflection from the Natya Hasta Dance School performance
and final reflection of what was learned from the course below.
Assignment Links:
DITC Final Reflection
Chosen Dance Performance
Reflection:
Natya Hasta Dance School
To see more or discuss possible work send me a message>>
Assignment Links:
Midterm Essay: Hokusai's Great Wave
Object Dossier: Hoa Hakananai'a
Final Project: Virtual Museum Exhibit (Foreign Relations)
Fall | 2020
UHP (Digital) Welcome Retreat Leader
Leadership Experience
Summary:
Although the UHP Welcome Retreat has traditionally occurred in-person prior to the start of
the semester, COVID-19 restrictions and preventative measures brought us into the digital realm.
Leading up to the Fall 2020 Semester, as a (Digital) Welcome Retreat Leader, I worked with other
Retreat Leaders to deliberate and plan on how to best communicate with, assist and effectively
welcome incoming UHP students to the Honors Program and the University of Cincinnati.
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During my time as a Welcome Retreat Leader, I regularly communicated with my assigned group
of students via email, collected and coordinated students' availabilities, comments and concerns through
Google Forms, created resources and meeting recaps (such as those attached below) and established a
GroupMe for post-Welcome Retreat communication.
As a Digital Welcome Retreat leader, I hosted three meetings over the course of the first half of
the Fall 2020 Semester:
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Meeting 1: 8/16/20
Meeting #1 was the most crucial meeting. During meeting one, I introduced myself to the
attendees and they, in turn, introduced themselves to each other. Following introductions, I
presented a created PowerPoint outlining the purpose of the UHP Welcome Retreat, the goal
for this year's retreat, an extensive list of resources available to them at UC and next steps
leading up to Meeting #2.
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Meeting 2: 8/29/20
Meeting #2 took place a week into the semester. With some class experience, the main goal
of the second meeting was to check in with the attendees and address any concerns or
questions that they may have. Our introductory activity for this meeting was to find and share
a meme that reflected their mindset after their first week of classes.
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Meeting 3: 10/16/20
Meeting 3 was the final meeting and occurred approximately halfway through the Fall 2020
semester. During this meeting, attendees discussed their current questions,
difficulties and successes of the semester. Emphasis was placed on
communicating and reaching out if they have any future questions.
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Assignment Links:
Welcome Retreat Meeting #1 Recap
Welcome Retreat Meeting #1 PowerPoint
