The Letter of Introduction assignment was the first paper of the semester, and with this one I got my first experience writing something with very minimal predetermined structure. We still had to incorporate certain things so it would meet the criteria, but with this we had to introduce ourselves. I got to express my interests and hopes for the class as well as my worries for the class. This was really easy for me as I did not really know you as a teacher yet, so I could be very honest with my feelings for the class. Another thing I liked about the paper was how we were asked to introduce ourselves as social scientists. Despite liking this, it was still very hard to think like that, but in the end it showed some interesting results. In many of the other essays I had done in high school or last semester, we did not really get to do something like this. At the time, the only thing I did not like was actually writing the thing. This is because at the time I was not into writing as much as I am now. I am someone that enjoys drawing, so for me writing can be a pain. But when I was working on this assignment, I learned that I could still draw pictures in the readers minds. After learning this I saw my work ethic improve, as I had also learned that in this specific class, I had much more freedoms when to expressing myself in my writing. Once I had learned this, the rest of the paper became much easier, and I felt that I could really get the same flow with the words that I have in my drawings. And so that for me was the best part about this assignment.

Dear Professor,

My name is Ethan Gunther, and this is my second semester here. I am an architecture student and as the usual with architecture students I love to draw. I have been drawing for practically my whole life. I also really enjoy biking, skateboarding and just exploring the city. I also have always loved to study people. I really enjoy people watching, as it is fascinating to see how people operate on their way to work or school. As a result of this I think I could introduce myself through the lens of a social scientist.

I’d say what makes me a social scientist is, as mentioned before, my fascination with how people interact with each other and their environment. Another thing that may make me a social scientist is my ability to be able to stay unbiased in a lot of discussions. Some of the social issues and current events that bother me is the situation at the US and Mexico border. I disagree and agree with different things on both sides of the political spectrum. I also am bothered with the treatment of the environment. I am very curious with how people identify themselves, others and how someone’s identity can change around others. This is like how everyone “wears a mask” around others. I am also curious about why people do certain things and act a certain way. I’ve always felt different around people and I want to learn why they do certain things. I said before I wanted to be an architect, and yes, I do think this career will make me learn more about people. Architecture isn’t the study of buildings, it’s a study of how materials form a space that people experience. What makes good architecture is something that evokes emotion, like art. And so, I think that to have the best understanding of that you need to understand how people act in their environment.

I am looking forward to class this semester. So far, the class sounds interesting to me. I don’t really participate in class, as it makes me feel uncomfortable, but it sounds very interesting and I am engaged. I am really into learning about people and this class sounds like it will help me do so. As for what makes me worried about the class, only the workload. Architecture is a vigorous program so balancing the workload is a bit difficult. In general, this semester I’m really looking forward to growing as myself and be more focused in school. The skills I’m looking to improve in this class are my time management skills and of course, my skills that help me learn about people.

On a final note, I am looking totally forward to English class this semester. I am excited to learn new information and to expand my social scientist tool kit. I also can’t wait to get to know you as a teacher.

Sincerely, Ethan Gunther

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