Marianne Arciga

Dean Herron/ Dr. Hudson

Honors 1000
28 November 2016
Reflective Essay
Before my educational experience in Honors 1000, I looked at Detroit with a lens that
merely understood its rich, culturally-driven historic past and its current state of innovation. The
course has completely transformed my perspective on Detroit. It has opened me up to the deeper,
ubiquitous symbolism and history that pervade the city. The concepts that are used to engage in
critical thinking throughout the course, are useful for application in occurrences outside the
classroom. The city of Detroit is the perfect template to study when looking through various
scholarly disciplines. By analysis through the disciplines we can look at objects and events, not
just as they are, but by utilizing a critical mind. Taking Honors 1000 at the Wayne State
University Irvin D. Reid Honors College has prepared me for my future career and to become a
useful citizen in the community by teaching me to look through various perspectives with an
analytic mind at the past, present, and future of Detroit.
The passport events have allowed me to experience Detroit and use various Ways of
Seeing; learning is enhanced when it is experienced rather than just being lectured in the
classroom. The trip to the Eastern Market has allowed us to look at Detroits past, how citizens in
the past engaged in consumerism compared to the present days circulation of industrialized,
manufactured goods. The visit to the Redford Theatre while being presented with Charlie
Chaplins Modern Times, has enlightened me on the common desire for the average citizen for
the democratic, American way of life. The trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts to analyze the

Diego Rivera mural exposed me to a Way of Seeing Detroit as destructive with the rise of the
Industrial Age, which led to integration and decentralization. I could go on and on. These
passport events, along with other class trips to monumental sites in Detroit, have truly allowed
me to grasp the richness of symbolism and history, leading to knowledge of how Detroit has
evolved over time to the present day, and insight on the future of the city.
Also, helpful in grasping and applying knowledge and concepts being taught in the
classroom are the weekly seminar and discussion questions and the supplemental readings.
Through these exercises, I was often caught in deep thought as cumulative causation could be
applied to the events. These weekly assignments have allowed me time to think critically about
the content to come up with solutions and possible causes to various questions regarding the past,
present, and future of Detroit.
The course readings have largely contributed in guiding me through the course concepts,
thinking analytically, and being aware of the historical occurrences. Fitzgeralds The Great
Gatsby encompasses multiple course concepts, such as Ways of Seeing, Urban Form, the city as
a Forgetting Machine, and many more. Most importantly, the novel shows us that Gatsby, who
disassociated with his past, utilized the city as his Forgetting Machine, but it did not work out to
his advantage, paralleling that of Detroits history with the GM futurama. On the other hand,
Martelle, in his work Detroit: A biography, allows us to look at the citys history through an
unbiased lens which is important regarding overcoming unresolved issues to create a better
future.
Although I am pursuing a degree in the Bachelor in the Science of Nursing, which does
not require extensive knowledge on the history of Detroit, the analytical perspectives that I have
been taught to engage in this course will largely aid my educational path. Nevertheless, being

able to think analytically and critically is a vital skill to be successful in any career path. By
studying Detroit, in the heart of Detroit, I can fully grasp thinking analytically about the world
around me. After this course, I have grown in appreciation for the city and now approach it with
a critical eye. I have obtained an appreciation for the historical resources that are abundant and
comprise Detroit. The concepts and Ways of Seeing through the various disciplines will allow
me to become a contributive citizen in the future, thus, affecting the world around me politically,
socially, and economically.