Constructing Belief

Reflecting on this semester filled with moments of truth and certainly many lies, I cannot help but think about the impact a course like this will have on my life. I registered for this course because I loved having Dr. Williams as a professor in the previous semester. I would be lying if I said I knew what the class was about before walking in on the first day. Dr. Williams: I have appreciated your insight and comments about life. I can tell that you truly care for each of your students, Dr. Williams: I have appreciated your insight and comments about life. I can tell that you truly care for each of your students, not just as learners but as humans navigating a complicated world. Your willingness to be honest with your own stories, your doubts, your humor, and even your firm reminders created a space where we could actually wrestle with the idea of truth instead of just defining it. That is something I don’t think many classes ever achieve. What surprised me most this semester was how...

Watching the stories and listening to the presentation about Charles Ponzi and Frank Abagnale Jr. really made me rethink what actually allows major fraud to happen. Before this, I assumed con artists were technical geniuses, but what stood out most was how much their schemes depended on confidence/charm and people’s willingness to trust something that looks impressive or authoritative on the surface. Charles Ponzi’s life was far more complex than I expected. I didn’t realize how much of his behavior was tied to insecurity and pressure to rebuild his family’s lost reputation. His history of gambling, jumping between jobs, and getting involved with questionable banks made him seem less like some criminal mastermind and more like someone constantly chasing an unrealistic vision of success. The part about him donating skin to save a stranger really surprised me; it’s hard to connect that level of selflessness with the fact that he later lied to thousands of people without hesitation. It re...