Going to university for me is to learn, share and experience new things, as well as meeting new people and building social connections. Going to university helps me to develop the skills that I will need in my intended working field. However, sometimes I feel that going to university is becoming more and more of a formality; going to university used to be seen as something prestigious and secures you jobs, but now that does not really apply anymore since there are many fresh grads that are struggling with employment. But, I still believe that going to university is necessary because we still get that competitive advantage compared to those who didn't.
The idea of "Changing the World" is so daunting because it makes you think for sometime and ask yourself "What's broken? What can I fix? Will I be able to make actual change to the world?" it is so intimidating, and yet challenges me to actually find something I'm passionate about and change others' perspectives towards it. And once I found it, I feel really focused and engaged with the topic and try to construct it in a way that would help others understand about it, and perhaps make them think critically about the topic - since changing their minds may take some time.
My project is about the stigma against single people. It may not be as popular as others, but it does exist and the stigma is real. Single people are seen to be immature, naive, irresponsible and envious compared to those who are in relationships. In some cultures, the stigma is so bad that they have labels for singles beyond a certain age.
I want others to know that such views are not always true, and there are valid reasons why people stay single. In order to change the world, I have personally made an animated video that tells the struggle of single people who are stigmatized, and how people can think more critically about the situation that the singles are in before judging their decisions to be single.
I really liked this course, it really gave me a new perspective into everyday life. It amazes me now how I can recognise biases and heuristics play their parts in my everyday life. It also provides me grounds to put myself in the perspective of others and think critically before making decisions and judgments. It has developed my ways of thinking and since I now know the factors that come into judgment and decision making in everyday life, I can use it to help others make better decisions and judgments. However, I wish that there were more discussions in class about some of the key definitions, because I feel that some of them were not discussed thoroughly enough and lacked examples. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this class! Thanks for an awesome semester :)