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A Little Bit About Doug

           My name is Doug Oscarson. My life story started somewhere in North Central Phoenix in a house I vaguely remember. To skip the first few hazy chapters, it would be best to start with my life from kindergarten on. To help jog up my memory, I did a little exercise where I tried to draw where I lived as a child. This is what I got:

            I went to Arroyo Elementary near 43^rd Ave and Cactus. I spent my days going to school, and my nights doing homework, and playing with legos and erector sets. I believe I was really into riding bikes at this time. It was here I learned the importance of getting good grades in school, studying hard, and becoming a big reclusive nerd.

            High School was completed at Moon Valley. While high school taught me much about history and math, I think the most valuable knowledge involved how to deal with people and the politics behind getting what you want when it comes to people who have desks. I think I still valued grades and the necessity of studying, but my people skills got a little bit better. It was here I also started to identify trends within groups of people including classmates and the staff.

            In college, I have jumped around quite a bit. I started off at U of A as a physics undergrad. A year later I was moving back to Phoenix and going to ASU. I spent two years going from Math, to Math Teaching, to Computer Science. I just never found what I was looking for in my education. I think my journey through majors has concluded with Sociology. The interaction of people amongst each other keeps my attention longer than solving y in multiple dimensions.

            I took this class for two reasons. First, it is unique. I will never have another opportunity to have a class like this. There is such a broad range skills used in here, its really several classes in one. Secondly, as a class we would be looking at a group of people and a part of town with a strong stereotype of filth and crime. This was evident even in our own class on the first day when we all shared our experiences with this part of town. Eight weeks later, its time to match the stereotypes up with the reality, and see what happens.