Zarate, Nicolas Christian A.

ENE 13.03i – A: Reflection Paper

A Narrative of the ENE 13.03i

My interest in the humanities has always been secondary in comparison to the other subjects.

I had my reason for choosing with course. It was an English course—narratives and the

humanities, it should not be too difficult. Narratives are texts that are told from a perspective;

they are stories that come from different backgrounds, contexts, and form. I have a lot of

experiences on the study of narratives, because I have had a number of courses that tackled it.

However, I cannot say the same for the humanities. Humanities covers such a large spectrum of

subjects such as language, literature, religion, history, philosophy, and a lot more. I did not have

much prior knowledge about the humanities as I was not distinctly exposed to the many subjects

that are directly under it. However, I throughout the course I did develop a sense of curiosity of

the humanities and what it can offer.

I expected the class to have a numerous amount of readings about different political issues,

and learning the different narratives and perspectives that comes with them. Humanities

requires critical thinking, analysis, and creativity in order to clearly see different views and to

formulate one’s own stand. Given that this is a narrative and humanities class, I expected

frequent group and classroom discussions. In order to receive the full potential of gaining

perspective, it is important to have a good discourse regarding the topic. The course indeed met
these expectations. Similar to my previous English courses, a number of group discussions,

sharing, and presentations were present in the course.

While some of my assumptions were met, some were not. I assumed that there would be

philosophical discussions regarding humanity. This was indirectly tackled by the discussion of the

film, Train to Busan. However, it merely led to more questions. With the events and different

narratives of the characters in the movie, to what extent were the characters still embodying

humanity? The study of humanities was more challenging than I thought given that my

knowledge was limited compared to the other people in class. Humanities is such a complex

subject with various ways to interpret which is why questions will never run out. The more

answers and I ideas I gain, the more questions I start to have.

The key idea that I gained form this class that I value that most is the importance of narratives

in the context of individuals. Everyone has different understandings and perspectives of issues

due to different narratives. There will always be alterative narratives in everything. In a given

issue, it is up to the individual to come up with their own truth and view with regards to the

narratives presented. In my final project, my group and I analyzed the issue between Rappler and

the Duterte administration. Upon close evaluation of the different narratives: Maria Ressa’s, the

Duterte administration’s, and the United Nation’s narrative on the issue, my group and I came

up with a conclusion, and decided against the actions of the government. This key idea enabled

our group to look closely into the narratives of the different entities involved, , connect the facts,

decipher the truth, and take a stand on the issue.

able to give in the duration of the course. However, there is always room for improvement. As I

have mentioned, my knowledge of the humanities and current political issues is limited

compared to the other student in class. Given this, I merely relied on my strengths and endured

through this weakness. I wish I could have took this as an opportunity to work on this weakness

of mine by researching, reading, or even just taking a moment to watch the news, so that I can I

more input in the discussions regarding these kinds of political issues in the Philippines. One of

the biggest challenges for me was contributing in the initial planning of my group’s topic. Due to

my lack of knowledge of current political issues, it was difficult for me to give input in the initial

portion of the proposal. However, with the amount of research I was able to make on the topic

my group and I chose, it was not hard to contribute my own understanding of the chosen topic.

Being a current Legal Management student, I plan on pursuing law after college, and perhaps

build a business on the side. The ideas and skills of this class will definitely aid in my legal

profession. It is a lawyer’s job to consider the different narratives of each individual who are part

of the issue at hand. Connecting the law and the different stories, and applying the different

disciplines of each individual is necessary to formulate accurate conclusions and strong defenses.

As for a business profession, these ideas and skills will come in handy with interacting with the

different people that I will encounter. I will encounter people from different disciplines, and these

skills will aid in understanding and building good connections with these individuals. These ideas

and skills will allow me to formulate my own view of issues. There will always be more than one
story. With the use of these ideas and skills, I will be about to extract truths from the narratives

that are presented to me. Connecting them to the cultures and disciplines of the entities involved

will allow me to have a good understanding of the truth behind the issue. This is so helpful in so

many situations, be it disputes with friends, family, co-workers, being a mediator for conflicts

between people, debates in class, and so many more. This has trained me to be more critical of

the stories and narratives that I am exposed to.

Overall, this course has trained me to be more critical of the stories and narratives that I am

exposed to. I have a newfound interest and love for the humanities. I discovered the importance

seeing how culture, disciplines, society, and agenda influence each other in the making of a

narrative. I will definitely take this with me as I continue moving forward.