Format and Criteria
For your assigned reflection, please read the articles/webpages and watch the videos that are linked to your reflection topic. The links associated with each topic are found below.
After engaging with the provided materials, please write a reflection in the following format:
- Begin your reflection with a brief paragraph highlighting/summarizing the main theme(s) or the thesis of the article(s) or presentation(s). This paragraph should also share what about the provided material grabbed you. Try to keep this paragraph as brief as possible – maybe only one or two sentences on the main thesis/theme and one or two sentences on what was most interesting about the material.
- In the next few paragraphs, tell us why that part of the readings or presentations grabbed you. What were you thinking about as you read/watched it? Of course, it would be nice if you had positive thoughts, but that is not always going to be the case. If the readings or presentations frustrated or angered you, you can write about that. If you found yourself wishing the articles or presentations would talk about something else or present the material differently, write about that. As you read or watched, what experiences did you think about?
- In the final paragraph, what is your take away from the content you discussed? Will you do something different? Is there something from an article or presentation you will try to remember as you move forward? Maybe the readings or presentations reinforce something you are already doing? The last part of your reflection should summarize how the information in the article(s) or presentation(s) will be (or already are) a part of your life. It may be helpful to answer the question, “what will you do differently or think about differently based on this reflection?”
Reflections should demonstrate that the student critically engaged the provided materials. Reflections will be assessed on the following criteria:
- Accurate description of the theme/thesis of the provided materials.
- Robust discussion regarding the parts of the provided materials that were most interesting.
- Identification of a new (or renewed) commitment to an action or way of thinking in response to the materials provided.
If you have any questions, please contact the Resolution Center for Student Conduct and Conflict at resolutioncenter@gonzaga.edu or 509-313-4009.
Prompts
Benefits of Failure
Please read the following articles and view the following videos. After engaging with the provided materials, please write a reflection following the format above.
- Video: Being Vulnerable: Dan Stover at TEDxColumbus - Warning: the speaker in this video addresses suicide.
- Article: How to Motivate Yourself in Times of Failure
- Video: Denzel Washington’s Life Changing Speech on Failure and Success
COVID-19
Please read the following articles and webpages. After engaging with the provided materials, please write a reflection following the format above.
- Article: How Privilege Shaped the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Article: Why Even Healthy Low-Income People Have Greater Health Risks Than Higher-Income People
- Article: Motivating People from Privileged Groups to Support Social Justice
- Article: Social Determinants of Health-Related Needs During COVID-19 Among Low-Income Households with Children
- Video: What if gentrification was about healing communities instead of displacing them?
Community Impact & Restorative Justice
Please read the following articles and view the following videos. After engaging with the provided materials, please write a reflection following the format above.
- Article: Our personal choices affect more than ourselves
- Video: Restorative Circles: Creating a Safe Environment for Students to Reflect
- Video: His Holiness Pope Francis at TED2017
Creating and Enforcing Personal Boundaries
Please read the following articles and webpages. After engaging with the provided materials, please write a reflection following the format above.
- Article & Video: Boundaries: What are they and how to create them
- Also review first video: "Setting Healthy Boundaries"
- Article: How to Set Boundaries: 5 Ways to Draw the Line Politely
- Article: How to Respect Other People's Boundaries
- Optional Worksheet: Boundary Exploration Worksheet
Cura Personalis
Please read the following articles, websites, and documents and view the following video. After engaging with the provided materials, please write a reflection following the format above.
- Article: Cura Personalis
- Video: The Eight Dimensions of Wellness
- Document: Assessing Your Life Balance
- Website: Wellness Toolbox - A helpful resource
Fire Safety
Please read the following articles and websites. After engaging with the provided materials, please write a reflection following the format above.
- Article: Keep Your Family Safe From Fire
- Collection of Articles: US Fire Problem
- Collection of Materials: Campus Fire Safety Outreach Materials
Forgiveness & Reconciliation
Please read the following article and website and view the following video. After engaging with the provided materials, please write a reflection following the format above.
- Article: Two Differences between Forgiveness and Reconciliation
- Video: How to Apologize
- Website: Making an Effective Apology
Integrity & Authenticity
Please read the following articles and view the following video. After engaging with the provided materials, please write a reflection following the format above.
- Article: 6 Steps to Leading a Life of Integrity
- Article: How to Live an Authentic Life: Two Key Practices
- Video: Clip from the Movie Fortune’s Truth (1993)
Theft & Vandalism
Please read the following articles and websites. After engaging with the provided materials, please write a reflection following the format above.
- Website: Sign Theft: A Surprisingly Dangerous Crime
- Article: Replacing Street Signs is Expensive
- Website: Washington Theft Laws