First Assignment

"In our first two weeks, you have read two articles, seen several videos and been engaged in several discussions related to the concept of academic leadership. At this point, and in your own words, what does the concept mean to you? What subjects or interests do you have a sophisticated, intellectual understanding of that you may want to turn into a major academic project in this class? How do people sometimes abuse academic knowledge to manipulate others? How would you feel if someone used your work to manipulate others (as Jared Diamond claims Mitt Romney has)? How can creating academically sophisticated, intellectual leaders help prevent such people from taking advantage of others the way they do? How can this create a stronger democratic society?" 

    After the couple of classes we had of the new course named Academic Leadership, I have finally achieved into understanding the purpose of the course. I believe this new class intends to help the students into their academic development and to solve the new challenges they are yet to find as now high school students. I still have some doubts on what we are actually doing, but after reviewing Mr. Tolley´s article on Student Advisory I have come to one thought: "training" (in quotes). Academic Leadership, for me, is "training" for not only academic subjects, but also the challenges and responsibilities that we, students, will have to face as we mature. I really would like to study and maybe do a biography on the life of Martin Luther King J. into a major Academic Project, since I have a lot of respect for this man who changed the word with only words. Another reason to do a project on his life would be the fact that he is one of the wisest men from modern times, I really enjoy his speech of "I Have a Dream."

 

    One important topic that Mr. Tolley brought with another article was that people use academic knowledge to manipulate others. First, I have to agree that Mitt Romney has some kind of mental illness and, second, is that people do manipulate others with other´s knowledge, like Mitt Romney. What he did was taken a tiny bit of the work of a wise and intelligent man, Jared Diamond, and changes it to fit his own needs. If someone did that to me I would be shocked and try to fix the mess this person caused, so I do not get criticized. One way to stop this would be creating smart enough leaders to in order think before act because some of the current ones like Mitt Romney, cannot accomplish such easy task. As in result of having intellectual leaders, they will know what is best to their people and try to create a better democratic society.