Week Two Blog Entry: Stanford Prison Experiment

I think that the prison experiment was interesting to say the least. In response to the question of whether or not the experiment was ethical-I would say that the experiment itself wasn't unethical. It was conducted to get a better understanding of the changes in attitude and behavior of individuals who role play. That was the main problem to be solved and that in it of itself is educational, if not harmless in the least. It was the shocking actions of the participants that resulted in some unethical behaviors. The role consumed the participants to where they acted irrationally, treating their colleagues like criminals, or tyrants. The experiment showed that when people are put in difficult or different situations they can develop completely different personalities. I think the experiment and results remind me of the book Lord of the Flies, or even the movie Castaway, where people are put in a position completely different from their previous lifestyle, upsetting their mindset. The uncharted waters, give the people a new way of life to live, where they find the have to reassess their day to day routines, and moral codes. In a way I can relate it even to settling into a new town after a move- one must adjust to the area, like a city for example, one must learn which streets are safe to walk on and which are not. You might develop a slightly defensive exterior until you gain back a feeling of experience and comfort. That defensive exterior could parallel the hostile actions seen in the experiment.

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering."

―Yoda

Week One Blog Entry: Introductions

I am an art major at Virginia Commonwealth University. I just finished my first year in the arts program called Art Foundations. After the first year where you learn all the basics of art, and explore different options within the many different departments, you declare which department you want to major in. I declared my major in Interior Design with a minor in Sculpture and Extended Media. I am really excited to start learning in my actual department next year and can not wait to start classes. I am hoping to procure a job in my field of course, but am still not completely sure of what exactly I want to do. After I graduate I am toying with the idea of going to graduate school for sculpture, but at the same time being still just budding sophomore, my plans could always change.

I chose to take this class because I have always been interested in the different behaviors and interactions of people, and thought that taking a class studying specifically that would be right down my alley. I had wanted to take the class in high school but it never fit into my schedule and since it was listed in one of the options for one of my general education credits, I decided now was the perfect opportunity to take it.

As far as my favorite things go, all I can say is that I have always been far too indecisive to be able to pick a favorite anything. Today I have listened to Broken Bells, and currently Bob Dylan. The last movie I watched was Lucky Number Sleven. I have recently become a big hulu fan, and have been watching a lot of 30Rock, and 21 Jump Street. But, this summer I will be extricating most hobbies and dedicating all of my time to either finding a job, working in one that I find, or completing work for this class.