Question 1:
Bernie Goetz was raised by a raging father with an authority problem. This resulted in serious psychological problems for Bernie. One day while riding in a New York subway, Bernie felt threatened by four black men who asked him for money. Without hesitation, Bernie pulled out a gun from his pocket and opened fire on the four men. After this incident, he was considered a hero because the men had a criminal background and were only expected to cause further trouble in the future. Bernie turned himself in and was later acquitted on charges of assult and attempted murder. From 1984 to the late 1990s the crime epidemic in New York tipped. Murders dropped by two-thirds, felonies were cut in half, and there were 75 percent less felonies on the subway, making New York the safest big city in the country. According to the public eye, Bernie Goetz was deemed a heroic vigilante. However, I personally feel that no man should perform such deadly actions on other human beings. It seemed as if Bernie had no remorse for what he did when we watched the You Tube interview in class. Why was he carrying a gun in the first place? Did he open fire because of their race? Why were all of his charges automatically dropped? These are all questions open for discussion and further questioning.
Question 5:
The Zimbardo prison experiment further explains the "Power of Context". In this study, prisoners and guards took on the roles of prisoners and mean, cruel guards even if it wasn't their true personality. This shows the importance of one's environment. I feel that if the living conditions in prisons improved, it could dramatically impact the inmates' behavior. This idea could be supported by the example of the graffiti cleanup on all of the subway cars. After the graffiti was painted over time and time again, the crime rates decreased dramatically. The "Power of Context" has everything to do with the physical environment. Therfore, if the environment found within prisons was improved, I feel that the same results as the New York graffiti incident would follow.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
English Conference II
Session 4: Panel 8
This session included two IUP undergraduate students who shared their creative writing pieces with the audience. It was interesting to see this writing style because it is much different from what we are focusing on in English Research Writing. The first presenter read her piece entitled "Silence", which was about the loss of the author's father at age eight. She said it was very emotional to think about and write, but she wrote it not only for herself, but for others who didn't have the opportunity to meet her loving, caring father. The author said she has yet to share it with any family members because she wants to possibly further expand the piece and wants to wait until it is officially complete. An interesting question was asked during the session of "How do you know when to write for yourself and when to write for an audience?" The presenters and fellow professors answered by saying you can originally write for yourself and then get others to peer edit and critique your writing to see if it has the possibility of sparking readers' interest. The second presenter read a handful of her creative writing short stories and poems on a wide variety of topics. She didn't have a central theme for all of her pieces. She stated that she gets her ideas from visual cues in everyday life which help her start the piece, even if that item plays no important role in the story. I found that very intersting because all you need is one simple "old brown building" as the presnter stated to get the ball rolling, and before you know it, you have created a work of art.
This session included two IUP undergraduate students who shared their creative writing pieces with the audience. It was interesting to see this writing style because it is much different from what we are focusing on in English Research Writing. The first presenter read her piece entitled "Silence", which was about the loss of the author's father at age eight. She said it was very emotional to think about and write, but she wrote it not only for herself, but for others who didn't have the opportunity to meet her loving, caring father. The author said she has yet to share it with any family members because she wants to possibly further expand the piece and wants to wait until it is officially complete. An interesting question was asked during the session of "How do you know when to write for yourself and when to write for an audience?" The presenters and fellow professors answered by saying you can originally write for yourself and then get others to peer edit and critique your writing to see if it has the possibility of sparking readers' interest. The second presenter read a handful of her creative writing short stories and poems on a wide variety of topics. She didn't have a central theme for all of her pieces. She stated that she gets her ideas from visual cues in everyday life which help her start the piece, even if that item plays no important role in the story. I found that very intersting because all you need is one simple "old brown building" as the presnter stated to get the ball rolling, and before you know it, you have created a work of art.
English Conference
Session 3: Keynote Panel
This session included three keynote speakers who are all professors at IUP. Dr. Lynne Alvine asked the question, "How do we tell stories in our lives?" She answered the question by providing the audience with five different quotes on narratives. She said that a narrative is the primary way our mind functions. She also said narratives are a way of thinking and a way of life. If you pay attention to the stories in your mind, they help you form an identity and give you guidelines for living your life.
The second keynote speaker was Gloria Park and she talked about telling stories via research writing. Her focus was on diversity and social issues prevalent in today's society. She encourages her students to come up with research topics that are related to their academic careers. This is the same method that our English professor uses as well. Gloria stated that the student should "own" his/her paper so that is why it is very important to find a topic that is of personal interest. She stated that it's a good idea to find a topic that raises the audience's awareness and can bring about change in the world.
Veronica Watson was the third and final keynote speaker and her focus was on literature. She stated that "Literature irrigates the deserts in our lives." It puts us in someone else's footsteps and tells us to forget ourselves. She mentioned the growing popularity of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter and how people are talking to more people, but somehow feel less connected. We are talking to people with similar interests, so in essence we are talking to ourselves. Veronica stated that literature slows down our fast paced world and puts us in times and places that are unfamiliar to us as readers. She encouraged us to communicate with cultures that are differnt from our own so we can see the world in a different way.
This session included three keynote speakers who are all professors at IUP. Dr. Lynne Alvine asked the question, "How do we tell stories in our lives?" She answered the question by providing the audience with five different quotes on narratives. She said that a narrative is the primary way our mind functions. She also said narratives are a way of thinking and a way of life. If you pay attention to the stories in your mind, they help you form an identity and give you guidelines for living your life.
The second keynote speaker was Gloria Park and she talked about telling stories via research writing. Her focus was on diversity and social issues prevalent in today's society. She encourages her students to come up with research topics that are related to their academic careers. This is the same method that our English professor uses as well. Gloria stated that the student should "own" his/her paper so that is why it is very important to find a topic that is of personal interest. She stated that it's a good idea to find a topic that raises the audience's awareness and can bring about change in the world.
Veronica Watson was the third and final keynote speaker and her focus was on literature. She stated that "Literature irrigates the deserts in our lives." It puts us in someone else's footsteps and tells us to forget ourselves. She mentioned the growing popularity of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter and how people are talking to more people, but somehow feel less connected. We are talking to people with similar interests, so in essence we are talking to ourselves. Veronica stated that literature slows down our fast paced world and puts us in times and places that are unfamiliar to us as readers. She encouraged us to communicate with cultures that are differnt from our own so we can see the world in a different way.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Kim and Nicole's Chapter 3 Blog
1. Some other examples of sticky messages that aren't as beneficial to culture would be music that promotes unhealthy habits such as drugs, alcohol, and racial and sexual discrimination.
4. We feel that children's television shows are more educational and "stickier" than books because children are visual learners. They are more willing to watch television at this age and it teaches them basic things such as counting and reading words. By watching television, children are actually learning new material in a way that makes it seem fun.
4. We feel that children's television shows are more educational and "stickier" than books because children are visual learners. They are more willing to watch television at this age and it teaches them basic things such as counting and reading words. By watching television, children are actually learning new material in a way that makes it seem fun.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Reflective Writing: Chapter 2
In Chapter two, the author Malcolm Gladwell talks about the "Law of the Few." He goes into great detail about three different types of people, Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen who help to spread social epidemics. He started off by giving an example of a word of mouth epidemic. Paul Revere's message that the British were coming tipped while William Dawes' message didn't. Gladwell illistrated how this was a real life situation of the "Law of the Few." He also talked about the six degrees of seperation experiment which showed how a very small number of people are linked to everyone else in a few steps. I found Gladwell's research on Connectors very interesting. He stated that Connectors are people with a special gift for bringing the world together. These types of people such as Paul Revere and Roger Horchow find it very easy to make a lot of friends. The author also talks about the "strength of weak ties" to further elaborate his research on Connectors. He states that a lot of our connections with people are made through acquaintances, not close friends. I can attest to this because I was able to get my current summer job through an acquaintance in my hometown. I don't know the man very well, but it backs up the research done by Gladwell that 56 percent of people only see their contact occasionally.
Comparing and Contrasting Reading Genres
During the summer months when I have more time to read chapter books, I read James Patterson's mystery books. In Patterson's books each chapter is a page turner and very suspenseful. His writing style makes you want to keep reading. His chapters are very short, maybe only five or six pages long, so it helps to keep your focus and attention. In Patterson's books there is a central plot/theme that he is trying to convey to the reader and the way he vividly describes the characters, settings, and events makes you feel like you are a part of the story. His work really isn't too thought provoking, it's more for entertainment and enjoyment. Malcolm Gladwell's books such as "Blink" and "The Tipping Point" are more factual. They are backed up with research, statistics, and interviews about real events and problems that occur in our society today. His chapters are longer and more dense which makes you as the reader want to take notes in order to retain the information.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Tipping Point Summary: Intro and Chapter 1
The author Malcolm Gladwell raises the readers awareness of epidemics and what factors cause them to "tip" or spread like viruses. For example, in the Introduction he states how the Hush Puppies shoe went from phasing out to becoming the number one shoe being sold in America. It was simply because two individuals wanted to be different from everyone else. Gladwell also goes on to say how the crime rates in New York City drastically dropped in such a short period of time. He compares these two epidemics by saying, "They are clear examples of contagious behavior." He provides the reader with a typical contagious moment such as yawning to further explain his idea.
In chapter one Gladwell provides various references for the reason Baltimore was attacked by a syphilis epidemic in the mid 1990s. He stated that the epicdemic was thrown out of equilibrium and it tipped. In this chapter he also talks about the three rules of epidemics in great detail. He explains the "Law of the Few" as the 80/20 principle which means that 80 percent of the work will be done by 20 percent of the people. The second law, "The Stickiness Factor," explains specific ways of making a contagious message memorable. For example, the Winston cigarette slogan helped the company tip into second place as the all time best cigarette seller in the United States. Finally, the third law, "The Power of Context," shows how human beings are a lot more sensitive to their environment than they may seem. He mentioned the murder of Kitty Genovese and the bystander problem. In this situation, when less people are around, the more likely a person will be to help a victim in need and visa versa. These three basic rules of epidemics will help prepare the reader for the remainder of the book and allow for further questioning and investigation.
In chapter one Gladwell provides various references for the reason Baltimore was attacked by a syphilis epidemic in the mid 1990s. He stated that the epicdemic was thrown out of equilibrium and it tipped. In this chapter he also talks about the three rules of epidemics in great detail. He explains the "Law of the Few" as the 80/20 principle which means that 80 percent of the work will be done by 20 percent of the people. The second law, "The Stickiness Factor," explains specific ways of making a contagious message memorable. For example, the Winston cigarette slogan helped the company tip into second place as the all time best cigarette seller in the United States. Finally, the third law, "The Power of Context," shows how human beings are a lot more sensitive to their environment than they may seem. He mentioned the murder of Kitty Genovese and the bystander problem. In this situation, when less people are around, the more likely a person will be to help a victim in need and visa versa. These three basic rules of epidemics will help prepare the reader for the remainder of the book and allow for further questioning and investigation.
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