I get to take classes at UVU tuition-free as a full-time employee. I finished a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology with a minor in History on May 1st, 2025. I decided to start a new Bachelor's Degree program in Information Technology with a minor in Religious Studies, the very next semester. Most of the class assignments I post are papers/essays having to do with my previous major/minor and my current major/minor.
I started UVU in 1994 when I immigrated to America. I halted that education when I got married and had kids. I finally decided to resume what I had started those many years ago in January of 2021. Below is a breakdown of each semester, with a link to the assignments pertaining to those classes:
Spring 2021:
This semester, I took an introductory art class (ART 1010), and it was a very informative class. The class listed that the objective is to develop an appreciation of the visual arts by investigating the elements and principles of art, art criticism, art production, and the history of art. The class included written critiques and basic art projects, requiring students to identify works of art and describe their significance in writing. Here are my three writing assignments for that class:Napoleonic Imagery & Visual Culture (not published yet)
Frank Lloyd Wright
Comparative Critique Art Paper
Summer 2021:
I took a Physical Geography class (GEOG 1000) and was pleasantly surprised when I was tasked to write a short essay for this class. This was a fun assignment, and you can find it here:
I also took Personal Health & Wellness (HLTH 1000). This was a General Education requirement course, but it was actually quite fun to take. I had to write a book report for this class, and the link is below:
Fall 2021:
This semester, I took a great history class for my minor (HIST 151G), an introduction to modern world civilization as it has evolved from the sixteenth century to the present day. This course attempted to integrate cultural, political, and social history in a survey of the emergence of the contemporary world system. I enjoyed this class as the topics were diverse and the assignments were fun. Here are my three main assignments for that class:
Yasir Arafat - Terrorist or Freedom Fighter?
In What Ways Did Married Life Change for Russian Women Between 1820 and 1920
Half of a Yellow Sun Book Report
Spring 2022:
This semester, I took a general Humanities class (HUM 1010). The class studied the media and compositional elements of the various art forms (literature, music, visual arts, theater, film, dance, and architecture) for greater understanding and enjoyment. We went over how to interpret artistic meaning by analyzing artworks formally as well as in their historical contexts. While this class was required as part of the General Education Program, I really enjoyed it and was able to write a few short essays that I have linked below:Frank Gehry (Not published yet)
Buster Keaton
I took another Geography class this semester (GEOG 130G), Survey of World Regions. The class exploresdthe world in which we live and studies major countries of the world with a special emphasis on location, environment, culture, resources, and current events. I watched many different documentaries and wrote short essays on them. The essays are all listed below:
Cultural Identity Essay (Not published yet)
Amazon Rainforest Risks: The Tipping Point (Not published yet)
TED Talk with the Prime Minister of Bhutan (Not Published Yet)
The Himbas are Shooting (Not published yet)
Hagia Sophia: Istanbul's Ancient Mystery (Not published yet)
Kumbh Mehla (Not published yet)
Bali: They Paved Paradise (Not published yet)
Master of Tea (Not published yet)
Greece is the Answer (Not published yet)
Lenin's Children (Not published yet)
Canada: Haida Gwaii: Island of the People - World Medicine (Not published yet)
Amazonia Eterna (Eternal Amazon) (Not published yet)
Outback: Deserts and Life (Not published yet)
Globalization Photo Essay (Not published yet)
I also took another Political Science class, as I really enjoyed the first one I took. I decided to take Introduction to Comparative Politics (POLS 2200), and this class studies comparative politics and looks at attitudes and causes of political problems. It examines methods and means employed by selected countries to solve political problems, and studies successes and failures of different approaches. It examines the means that different nations employ to deal with political problems. It explores the politics, institutions, and governments of seven selected nations. I wrote one essay for this class, which can be found below:
Can the United States Learn from these Two Systems (or They from Us)? (Not published yet)
This Summer, I took a University Student Success class (SLSS 1100). The course develops students' exploration and establishment of personal, academic, and career goals, and develops students' awareness of campus resources for student success. Included were lectures, group interactions, online interactions with faculty and students, in-class learning activities and exercises, and projects that apply learning to real-life situations. It was a very informative class, and I was able to write an essay for it as a final project.
What Does It Mean to Be Educated (Not published yet)
Fall 2022:
This semester, I took American Civilization (HIST 1700). The themes of the class included race, equality, freedom, democracy, capitalism, gender, the environment, protest, immigration, the role of government in our lives, and the role of the United States in the world. We created one large research paper throughout the course of the class, and it is linked below:
Elizabeth Packard - The Woman They Could Not Silence
I also took Human Development (PSY 1100), where we explored human development from conception and birth to old age. We examined growth and development patterns and described the characteristics of various developmental stages. We also covered major physical, cognitive, and psychosocial themes of human development. I wrote a final paper at the end after watching a documentary.
Neil Hughes (Not published yet)
Spring 2023:
This semester, I took Modern Social Problems (SOC 1020). This class studied social problems and analyzed modern social problems such as crime, delinquency, family dysfunction, inequality, and the exploitation of people in contemporary society. I was able to write numerous short opinion papers, which are linked below:
Summer 2023:
How Did the Demands and/or Experience of Everyday People Create Today's America?
The Human Rights Campaign and the Trevor Project Comparison Paper
War & Terrorism Short Opinion Paper
Social Problems, Research, and Analysis Paper on Gun Violence
Poverty & Education Short Opinion Paper
Environmental Issues Short Opinion Paper
Drugs, Criminal Justice, and Racial/Ethnic Inequality Short Opinion Paper
Ageism/Healthcare Short Opinion Paper
Summer 2023:
This summer, I took History of Utah (HIST 3260), which surveys the history of Utah and its peoples from prehistoric times to the present. The class introduced major themes in Great Basin pre-history and Indian history, Mormon history, territorial and state history, and Utah's role in the development of the West and the nation. We examined writings and did research in the areas of art, anthropology, demography, ethnography, folklore, gender, literature, cinematography, photography, popular culture, and religion. Here are two assignments for that class:
I also took History of South Africa (HIST 3540). This class explored South Africa's political, social, and cultural history. A country that experienced colonization in the 17th century, had frontier societies, suffered civil war, industrialization, and the struggle for civil rights. We read Cry, The Beloved Country, and I was able to write a longer research paper. Both are linked below:
I took Geography of Utah (GEOG 3200) as well. Studying the place in which you live can open doors to so many fruitful and engaging learning opportunities. Through this class, we explored Utah's physical and human geographies, both historic and contemporary, and learned how to communicate those geographies to our university and wider communities. I wrote several short essays, which are linked below:
Geological History of Landmarks in Utah (Not published yet)
Geological Regions Road Trip (Not published yet)
The Wasatch Fault (Not published yet)
Indigenous Groups of Utah (Not published yet)
Utah's Population Projections and Changes (Not published yet)
Film Industry in Utah (Not published yet)
Spotlight on Utah's Cherry and Sheep Industries (Not published yet)
Fall 2023:
I took Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1010) this semester. This class went over basic sociological concepts, theories, and research methods, as well as examining some social phenomena from sociological perspectives. The topics we discussed in the class included culture, socialization, social interaction, social groups, social structure, deviance, crimes, social control, social stratification, social inequality, and social institutions. I was able to write one longer essay, which is linked below:
The Transformation of Religion in America
I also took Sociology of Race and Minority (SOC 263G). In this class, I learned about ethnic minority groups and their relations with the majority group from a sociological perspective. The class helped me to understand some history and life experiences beyond my own ethnic group, broadened my perspectives, and facilitated my communication with people from other ethnic groups. The topics of this class included types of majority-minority relations, prejudice, discrimination, immigration, ethnicity and religion, and the history and life experiences of Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Muslim and Arab Americans, Asian Americans, and Jewish Americans. I was able to write one larger research paper that I have linked below:
Immigrants From Mexico and India. Embracing Diversity and Opportunity
Spring 2024:
This semester, I took Sociology of Religion (SOC 3400), which was a great class. My final paper involved creating a survey to gather data, researching other studies done on a topic of my choice, and analyzing the results from my findings. Here is the final result:
I also took Sociology of Internet and Society (SOC 3690). I was unsure what this class was going to be about, but I was pleasantly surprised by the content of the class, and the amount of information I learned. I have three shorter essays from this class linked below:
Examining Deconversion: The Positive and Negative Effects of Leaving Mormonism
I also took Sociology of Internet and Society (SOC 3690). I was unsure what this class was going to be about, but I was pleasantly surprised by the content of the class, and the amount of information I learned. I have three shorter essays from this class linked below:
Summer 2024:
I took PHIL 490R, an independent study class for my religious studies minor with one of my favorite professors. There is one other student in the class with me, and so we are meeting with our professor in his office weekly and get to direct the course of our studies. The focus has been Mormon Studies, which I find fascinating, and my professor has made that topic his focus of study for many years himself, so he is extremely well-versed and knows what assignments to give us to read each week. At the end of the summer, the assignment was a larger research paper, which I love, and this is the result:
My other class this summer was another religion class titled Mormon Media and Culture (COMM 3780). For the final paper in this class, I needed to take 3 other papers we had read, analyze them, and come up with my final conclusion. We read many great papers during this class and so it was very hard to narrow down a topic that I wanted to focus on. Authority has always been something that has interested me when it comes to religion and so I chose to do my final research on that. Here is the result:
Fall 2024:
I took PHIL 490R, an independent study class for my religious studies minor with one of my favorite professors. There is one other student in the class with me, and so we are meeting with our professor in his office weekly and get to direct the course of our studies. The focus has been Mormon Studies, which I find fascinating, and my professor has made that topic his focus of study for many years himself, so he is extremely well-versed and knows what assignments to give us to read each week. At the end of the summer, the assignment was a larger research paper, which I love, and this is the result:
Latter-Day Saint Authority: Theologians and Critical Thinkers Need Not Apply
My other class this summer was another religion class titled Mormon Media and Culture (COMM 3780). For the final paper in this class, I needed to take 3 other papers we had read, analyze them, and come up with my final conclusion. We read many great papers during this class and so it was very hard to narrow down a topic that I wanted to focus on. Authority has always been something that has interested me when it comes to religion and so I chose to do my final research on that. Here is the result:
Authority in the LDS Church and the Impact on Personal Religiosity
Fall 2024:
This semester, I took a full load of classes with one of them being SOC 4000, which is Classical Theory. The final project for that class was to create a presentation based on something I am passionate about, religion. During the semester, we studied different theories by Durkheim, Marx, and Weber, just to name a few. Here is my final presentation that was accompanied by a PowerPoint slide, as I had to present it in front of the class.
To finish up my History minor, I took an amazing class titled Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust (HIST 4130). My professor was extremely knowledgeable and made every lecture impactful and informative. We had a few smaller essays throughout the semester, with a larger research paper at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed writing and doing the research for this class.
I was able to take Environmental Sociology (SOC 3520) from one my favorite professors this semester as well. Many of the essays for this class were shorter, as the final project was a PowerPoint presentation that I created as part of a group. Here are the smaller essays for the class:
I also took SOC 375G, Sociology of Aging, from a new professor this semester. I thoroughly enjoyed this class, as there were only about 7 of us there each class period.
Spring 2025:
This semester, I enrolled in Sociology 4100, titled Contemporary Social Theory. In this course, we looked at important sociological theories that help us understand and study society. It explains how sociological theories are created and how they connect to research methods in real-world studies. Each week, we are given readings to complete, followed by a reading response assignment. The task is straightforward: we summarize the readings in the first part and then choose a notable aspect to elaborate on for the remainder of the response.
Sociology Class Reading Response
Sociology Class Reading Response Two
Sociology Class Reading Response Three
Sociology Class Reading Response Four
Sociology Class Reading Response Five
The Continued Growth of Grassroots Movements for Social Change
I also enrolled in a Research Methods class for my Sociology Degree (SOC 3030). During this class, I learned about questionnaires, literature research reports, writing a proposal, and much more. Here is the final product I turned in at the end of the semester after working on smaller portions of the project.
Housing and Food Insecurity on College Campuses
Summer 2025:
I finished my degree in Sociology with a minor in History, and since I work at a University that will let me receive more education for free, I have decided to pursue a new degree in Information Technology. I took an entry-level tech class (TECH 1010) where I am exploring different types of technology and how it interacts with various fields, environments, and workplaces. This course was surprisingly heavy when it came to shorter papers (2-5 pages).
The Nintendo Switch
Open Data and Its Practical Applications: Using a Dataset Responsibly and Ethically
VR Headset Comparison Short Paper
Geothermal Energy Short Paper
Nanotechnology Short Paper
Virtual PCR Lab Short Paper
Experimental Med/Tech: CRISPR-Based Gene Therapy Short Paper
Location Tracking and Privacy Short Paper
Fall 2025:
I'm finishing a minor in Religious Studies - just two classes to go! One of those classes is Religion, Violence and Peacebuilding (PHIL 366R), a fascinating exploration of how religious thought intersects with conflict and reconciliation. Each week, we study different scholars and reflect on their ideas through short writing assignments. This blog is where I share those reflections, weaving together academic insight and personal perspective. To read all of the blog posts from this class, you can see them here in order:
I'm also enrolled in a photography class (ART 1050) which I am thoroughly enjoying. I have to upload images to a FLICK account each week, and have also done some other assignments.
FLICK Account Link
Examining the Masters
aB . All Right Reserved . 2025
