1. Having come so far, it is hard for me to even remember what expectations I had for our Race and Ethnic Relations Class. One thing I do know, though, is that I didn't know nearly as much as I thought I did. Race is an issue that most of us are only able to experience from our individual point of view. But it a topic that cannot be understood that way. I took this class to gain new perspectives and insights into a topic that was previously one sided to me. I anticipated discussions with classmates who would provide me with new ideas and they definitely delivered. I enjoyed being able to read a variety of takes on the same information; students often brought things to my attention I might have otherwise missed. The only aspect that failed to meet my expectations was the text book that accompanied it. I found it to be very one-sided and that made me question its accuracy. I will say that it was easy to read, and had some particularly interesting chapters. I liked that it had several different authors in each chapter, to tell a variety of stories. I would recommend a fellow student to take this class and expect to gain new insight into a top that is more prevalent in their life then they might expect. 2. I enjoyed that we were able to learn from videos and readings outside of our text book. Some modern and older articles gave me a better idea of how race and ethnic relations are constantly changing in our world. I liked hearing Takaki's speech, as it put a character to the voice of the textbook we were reading. He is an animated speaker and he tells a great story; making you want to listen to what he wants to teach you. I learned that some common stereotypes could be busted in our book; that increased immigration leads to increased crime, or that black fathers don't concern themselves with their families and children. An issue that seems to stick with me every occasion it is brought up is that of our high infant mortality rates. In such