Definition Rewrite–dayzur

Posted on December 2, 2020 by dayzur

Not All Knowledge is Useful

High school students tend to get the same curriculum. They partake in similar courses year by year with a schedule pushed upon them. Each student spends 4 years learning the same things, the same general things, and then gets sent off to college or wherever they shall go. With a broad plain of general knowledge how far can they go without roadblocks. Now we can think about the other side. “Useful knowledge.” The knowledge that prepares these students specifically for college and the workforce. For myself, I think that I received an education providing me with useful knowledge from my time before college. I opted into the choice to attend a vocational school with a wide range of career focused academies, in which I had partaken in the engineering academy. Each student took courses from any high school curriculum, as well as pure vocationally focused courses. These vocational courses focused students towards different fields that they wished to work in for the future but these courses aren’t given to everyone. Students lacking college and career preparation courses tend to have a more troublesome time than their counterparts. My experience with the vocational education system leads me to firmly believe this. I  went into a vocational high school for engineering and ultimately turned away from it. Even though I went a different direction, I still got the career focused and college preparation courses. Some students don’t even think about what they want to do after high school and get left behind while other students like myself are much further ahead of the game because I got to experience a different system than the majority.

Not all students are the same.  Some may know what job field they want to go into after high school and others may not even know until after college. This is the importance of variety. A vocational student may not know entirely what they want to pursue yet but they have the options available to them. Whereas, a non vocational student may know exactly what they want to pursue but get caught years behind because they aren’t given the opportunity. These students should have the same chances to do what they wish. Everyone will come along eventually to pursue what they want and holding someone back simply based on where they go to school is highly unfair. Students should have the same general curriculums but be given a choice. Both vocational and non-vocational students should be given these courses that will interest them. Not only will the courses interest them but they will also prepare them. The career focused courses are designed to prepare students for the similar higher level courses and a continuation to the study of the field they will experience in college.

As said by the author of Career Education Now, Sidney P Marland Jr, “It is terribly important to teach a youngster the skills he needs to live, whether we call them academic or vocational, whether he tends to make his living with a wrench or a slide rule or a folio of Shakespeare. But it is critically important to equip that youngster to live his life as a fulfilled human being.” She is 100% correct in this judgement. Say, for example, a student is looking into internships or job options after high school and each one describes a specific set of requirements that they would not even think possible at their age because of what they have been given. All the while, another student was given the exact subjects and materials that they need from their schooling system for this position. Cases can arise where non-vocational students can excel just as much as vocational students but they are barely given the chance. The opportunities for the vocational students to stay ahead compared differs heavily. These said students falling behind can lead to needing more classes which can result in more work and more unnecessary stress for students who would otherwise be excelling in their fields. 

Students drop out for a multitude of reasons, some able to be controlled. One reason being the knowledge these kids are receiving is just plain boring to them. The students aren’t engaged in the courses and feel as if dropping out will be better for them. In the writing College Knowledge the authors, Sarah Hooker and Betsy Brand state, “High school dropouts report that their primary reason for leaving school were that the classes were uninteresting or irrelevant to the world beyond high school or that they felt alienated and unsupported.” It has even gotten to the extreme point where “Approximately 7200 students drop out of U.S. schools each day.” In one year, this adds up to 1.3 million students who, if were given more of a chance, could have done great things for our world.

Keeping students engaged is one of, if not, the most important thing for schooling. Teaching every student, no matter where they wanna go or what they wanna be, the same knowledge produces a bad look on the schooling system and really makes a person think, what are we even teaching the kids these days? Students should be given the resources they need and be taught things that will progress their education to a point where they feel confident and ready to enter college, and soon after the working world. Schooling that gives a student the right tools to further their education tends to show much greater results than schooling which does not. It feels like these schools aren’t even trying to engage their students. The “general knowledge” received by the non-vocational students proves to be much more inferior to its counterpart. While the vocational group is thriving, getting ready for college and their future life in their careers at an earlier stage, non-vocational students seem to sit there in confusion when exposed to the world after high school.

References

Marland, Sidney. “Career Education Now.” Sagepub, 1 May 1971, journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.rowan.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/019263657105535501. 

Hooker, Sarah. “College Knowledge: A Critical Component of College and Career Readiness.” Onlinelibrary-Wiley-Com, 2010, onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.rowan.edu/doi/epdf/10.1002/yd.364. 

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Casual Rewrite-Sonnypetro

Posted on December 2, 2020 by sonnypetro29

Human vs Machine

In a world changing very rapidly there are many new things coming in the near future. The word autonomous doesn’t really ring a bell in most peoples heads, most people know the other word for it, “self driving”. Self driving cars have been in the works for many years and many people are excited for it and can’t wait for them to come out, should you be excited or worried?

Autonomous vehicles are the thing of the future and they seem like they will be amazing and have so many benefits to our world today. The thing is not many people think about the smaller questions that these automotive manufacturer, they don’t seem to have the answer yet because there is not been enough research done. There are many moral questions that are in play when getting into a self driving car, is the car going to protect you because you paid for the car, and is it going to protect you and your occupants in the car? What if your driving down the road and a kid jumps out into the street, is the car going to swerve away from the child into oncoming traffic to save the Childs life meanwhile risking your life and maybe a car in another lane or is the car going to hit the kid saving your life and the car in the other lanes life? Small decisions like this are huge when thinking about getting a self driving car. In a case of an emergency will you be able to take control of the wheel in a split second? Probably not.

Many studies have been done, trying to figure out what people would want the car to do when faced with different types of situations that are very challenging and require a lot of thinking. When you are buying the Self driving car are you buying that car knowing that it is going to make the decisions for you and should you be allowed to say what the car should do in those types of situations. In an article from the Washington Post it talks about this difficult study they sent out. “The study, published in Nature, identified a few preferences that were strongest: People opt to save people over pets, to spare the many over the few and to save children and pregnant women over older people. But it also found other preferences for sparing women over men, athletes over obese people and higher status people, such as executives, instead of homeless people or criminals. There were also cultural differences in the degree, for example, that people would prefer to save younger people over the elderly in a cluster of mostly Asian countries.” These studies proved that people will tend to save younger peoples lives rather than an older person because they have more of a life to live. Also people chose to save animals and would rather swerve off of the road and maybe hitting a pole on the side. What would you want to do if you were driving? You would probably choose to spare the life of the animal and try and slam on the breaks or even swerving off of the road.

Volvo a new competitor in the Self driving car market have come out in an article published to scientific America saying this ” Self-driving pioneers, in fact, are starting to make the switch. Last October, Volvo declared that it would pay for any injuries or property damage caused by its fully autonomous IntelliSafe Autopilot system, which is scheduled to debut in the company’s cars by 2020. The thinking behind the decision, explains Erik Coelingh, Volvo’s senior technical leader for safety and driver-support technologies, is that Autopilot will include so many redundant and backup systems—duplicate cameras, radars, batteries, brakes, computers, steering actuators—that a human driver will never need to intervene and thus cannot be at fault. “Whatever system fails, the car should still have the ability to bring itself to a safe stop.” Therefore no human can be at fault for a crash this should be implemented in every single self driving car manufacture, crashes are pretty much inevitable and no matter what safety protocols are put in place there will always be some type of crash or accident.

In a perfect world every person would wish they could have a safe road with no crashes but we do not live in a perfect world and with the making of these self driving cars is a closer step to making our roads safer. In a report to Consumers Report it was stated that “In the far distant future, there’s little debate that self-driving cars have the potential to drastically reduce, or possibly even eliminate, crashes. In the interim, as self-driving cars navigate traffic alongside unpredictable human drivers, things will be murky.” This will be a big factor with self driving cars if everyone in the world was in a self driving car it would be almost impossible for crashes to happen but with self driving cars on the road with human drivers there will still be accidents. Most crashes are a result of human error and until all cars are self driving and everyone is in one the roads will still not be as safe as they could be. The algorithms in the car predict what the other cars around them should be doing but if someone not in a self driving car swerves at an unpredictable time it will cause a crash. If there are all self driving cars on the road they would work on the same wave length and they would be able to know what each car was going to do because they have same algorithms and can predict each other.

When it comes down to getting a self driving car you should know what you are buying into and how your car will protect you. You should not buy something and not know how it will protect to you. To have the safest roads you need to know that your car will keep you safe and those who are in your car safe.

References

Johnson, C. (2018, October 24). Self-driving cars will have to decide who should live and who should die. Here’s who humans would kill. Retrieved October 26, 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2018/10/24/self-driving-cars-will-have-decide-who-should-live-who-should-die-heres-who-humans-would-kill/

Monticello, M. (n.d.). Will Self-Driving Cars Make Our Roads Safer? Retrieved October 26, 2020, from https://www.consumerreports.org/self-driving-cars/will-self-driving-cars-make-our-roads-safer/

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Rebuttal Rewrite- SonnyPetro

Posted on December 2, 2020 by sonnypetro29

Self driving cars will be inputted with algorithms that help the car drive safely and keep the car on the road, but when buying the self driving car should you be given the choice to decide what decisions your car makes? It depends on what kind of decisions we’re talking about, the decisions like where is the car going to take me and what roads the car should take are some of the decisions that the driver should have. When faced with the decision to make ethical choices is one that is very tough and should not be made by the driver. The car is built to keep the car safe and the occupant safe. You should not be able to choose if you should hit a dog or swerve off and hit a pole, those choices should be made by the algorithms, and if you do not believe that is not fair then you should not buy a self driving car.

Everyone drives differently no driver is the same and it would make it very difficult for the manufacturers to come up with so many different algorithms to make each consumer safe in the car. A Computer Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Iyad Rahwan says “People who think about machine ethics make it sound like you can come up with a perfect set of rules for robots, and what we show here with data is that there are no universal rules”. It is not possible for the companies to make such algorithms that follow everyones moral choices. There are a lot of different things the manufactures have to take into account when when creating algorithms that satisfy everyone. There are so many different choices that the car will have to make like will it limit damage to the car or will it limit damage to the occupants or will it limit the damage to other things around the car like animals, pedestrians and cause harm to the occupants and the car. These choices are just to complex and the buyer of the car should not be given the option to choose what the car does in these ethical situation.

With the building and manufacturing of self driving cars the decisions should be made by the manufacturers and the specialized teams they have in place to make the car as safe as possible. What I mean by safe is that the occupants in the car will be protected from outside factors. These teams that these big manufacturers have are some of the smartest people in the world and they know what they are talking about. In an article posted on Towards data science, Andy Lau stats this ” The intent of the inventors is to create a better society for drivers and the planet. In addition, self-driving cars have proven to be significantly safer than having an actual driver; this has been shown by numerous studies and data collected from them. In the long run, autonomous cars will increase efficiency and productivity for people around the world. For more people to feel at ease with self-driving cars, companies, and self-driving car owners should understand they are responsible for the safety of all stakeholders. Risk management techniques can be used to quantify probabilistic risk in a way that is transparent and flexible. To create ethical vehicles, developers should continue to learn from past experiences in risk management and morally challenging situations.” Why should we let the buyer of the self driving car make the decisions of what the car should do in different ethical situations, when a scientist that has many years of research is put in to building these self driving cars to make the road safe and prevent crashes. We should believe in the choices that the manufactures they would not make a car that does not value the people, they would not make a car that is not safe and won’t protect the consumer. They will put the right algorithms together to allow for a safer road and more efficient world. All though there will be many different companies coming out with self driving cars each company will have different algorithms and different safety measures to protect the consumer. The owners of the car should leave the decisions making of what the car should do to the people who make the cars and if they do not like that choice then they can drive the car them selves and make the choices on their own.

Waymo is another big competitor in the self driving car world and their teams has put together the first self driving car on the road. The team at Waymo has designed the car to be fully autonomous and are training the car to drive like a human, I don’t mean drive exactly like humans because we all know that humans aren’t the best drivers. They are not giving the choice of what the car should do to the buyer. Waymo is working everyday to make the car able to share the road with human drivers, they are trying to fix small things that will allow their car to drive smoothly snd freely on the road. Waymo is the leading manufacturers for self driving car in an article from the verge it said that, ” Waymo already has a huge lead over its competitors in the field of autonomous driving. It has driven the most miles — 6 million on public roads, and 5 billion in simulation — and has collected vast stores of valuable data in the process.”

Another big topic that could be a major issue in the case of letting the owner of the car choosing what choice the car makes is legal issues. If the owner of the car tells the car what to do in a situation does that make them responsible and not the car, because the car is doing what the human said. If the owner does not tell the car what to do then only the manufactures could be at fault for legal issues that happen with the car. Many people wonder about legal issues with self driving cars, if the company does not comply with all major requirements than they can be hit hard with legal lawsuits if something goes wrong.

Reference:

Hawkins, Andrew J. “Inside Waymo’s Strategy to Grow the Best Brains for Self-Driving Cars.” The Verge, The Verge, 9 May 2018, http://www.theverge.com/2018/5/9/17307156/google-waymo-driverless-cars-deep-learning-neural-net-interview. 

Maxmen, Amy. “Self-Driving Car Dilemmas Reveal That Moral Choices Are Not Universal.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 24 Oct. 2018, http://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07135-0. 

Andy Lau, MBA. “The Ethics of Self-Driving Cars.” Medium, Towards Data Science, 13 Aug. 2020, towardsdatascience.com/the-ethics-of-self-driving-cars-efaaaaf9e320. 

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Definition Rewrite- PardonmyFrench

Posted on December 2, 2020 by pardonmyfrench13

It’s Social Suicide

Social media presence has grown over the past decade, allowing users to create and share content with followers and friends. The content then either receives negative or positive feedback from the audience it was shared with.  Social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and dating sites like Tinder, have all been linked to a person’s self-esteem and self-worth based on number of likes and shares. Now in days cell phones enable us to open these apps at the touch of a button, which can alter a person’s outlook on life and mood instantly. These sites have taken over the internet, drawing people of different backgrounds. Users consist of several races, genders, ages, and sexual orientation, growing the sites diversity. Younger users are the most frequent visitors to social media sites along with the most effected by the content that is produced. Social media itself isn’t always a positive environment. There are many negatives to the sites that can include things such as bullying, inadequacy of user appearance and “FOMO.” Exposure to these negatives over and over again have been shown to lead toward depression, anxiety and even suicide among teenage users. These users try to counteract the negatives with feelings of verification through their profiles in the form of likes and comments. When they don’t end up getting the required attention in the form of likes to counteract the original issues, this ends up leading back to the previous negative effects. Likes are leading to a recipe for disaster among the teenage community, leading to the question; would getting rid of them increase moral and decrease suicide?

Teenagers are not only trying to find their place in the world, but also who they want to identify as. Social media is only making this even harder. There are certain body standards represented through social media, as well as the goal of becoming an “influencer”, and getting enough likes on posted content. Gaining approval from peers online is what everyone wants, but heavily weighs on teens due to their development. During the teen and young adult years, a person is developing emotionally, physically and mentally which can lead to stress without a solid network of support. Without this network, or when troubling situations occur, someone without such provision can fall through the cracks leading to a hefty consideration of suicide. Teen suicide has been on the rise for years. In 2019 the highest amount of suicides among teens was recorded. Teens and young adults have stripped the title of group most likely to take their own lives. Teen suicide is clearly a large issue that needs to be addressed and solved. There are tons of warning signs that need to be caught and addressed as a way to prevent such a sad outcome.

Since teens are most likely to seek approval from peers and these days anyone online, negative responses or disapproval can really crush one’s ego. Teens in general are looked at to suffer from a lower self-worth and self-esteem than that of an older, more matured age group. They are more easily influenced by other’s opinions of them, which makes teens an extremely vulnerable group. Once negative self-image has crept in it takes over every thought and can affect everyday life. Over 70% of girls age 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities, such as attending school, when they feel bad about their looks. The teenage brain is also nowhere close to developed which could be one of the reasons they are so easily influences by other people’s opinions. The frontal lobe doesn’t develop until mid-twenties, which is in charge of processing and reasoning and making rational decisions. As for self-esteem and social media platforms, that also goes hand in hand.

Social media sites are one of the main places people, especially teens, experience judgment on posted content. Users thrive on fitting in and social acceptance in the public eye. Social media sites will always be known to host rude comments and contain bullying. Its inevitable even with anti-cyberbullying programs in place.  90% of teens have been known to use social media sites. If their profile is left with social disapproval, this could be detrimental to one’s self-esteem. Cyberbullying is particularly dangerous because it takes away the human interaction aspect. Those who bully cant see what its doing to the person on the other side of the screen. Empathy among this community is being lost. Students who do experience a form of cyberbullying are nearly 2 times more likely to attempt suicide.

When teens post to sites such as Instagram and Facebook, they fulfill certain motives. Feeling a place to belong, affirmation of one’s appearance, and getting to know people better by presenting oneself to many users in a short amount of time is just some of the reason’s teens have engaged with these platforms and made them so popular. Content or a selfie is posted to a user’s profile which later appears on a feed that can receive likes and comments.  If the content is received well and shared it can lead to gratification in the user’s circle.  Strange the way mood can be determined by something completely online. If the opposite happens and negative words or not a lot of “likes” are given out, then a user may not feel as confident and invalidated. This becomes a dangerous cycle when acceptance is determined through social media and strangers. Why is it that likes can determine someone’s social status? Maybe it’s because likes and comments are seen as real-life affirmation teens seek.

Likes on social media are the driver and reason people post content. Seeing which users like and comment on the media posted gives a feeling of instant gratification. Some people view every like as positive affirmation. The likes become addictive and stimulate the brain, believe it or not. Likes and comments begin to symbolize reputation and social status. Users can easily compare themselves to others with more likes them. Comments online can also be misinterpreted. Not enough comments or likes as well as certain emojis being used can be misunderstood and lead to the beginning of a downfall, not only on a user’s profile but internally in their head as well.

Social media platforms are leading down a rabbit hole of negative effects. Teenagers interaction with the sites and how easily they are influenced and seek approval is just the start of the volatile mix. Teens are the neediest group that seeks constant approval leading to lower self-esteem and bigger reactions. They misinterpret content from other users and therefor become the most effected all together. Suicide is also on the rise for this age group making the mix of these triggers high and putting teens at risk. Social media needs to be placed on a lower pedestal in everyday life, in order to save teens lives and mental health.

Refrences:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327167587_Connecting_Adolescent_Suicide_to_the_Severity_of_Bullying_and_Cyberbullying

https://online.king.edu/news/psychology-of-social-media/

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-teens-and-self-esteem#fnref3

https://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-suicide-rates-rising-teens-young-adults-20190618-story.html

https://harvardmagazine.com/2008/09/the-teen-brain.html

https://www.foxnews.com/health/cyberbullying-all-american-little-girl-suicide

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Definition Rewrite-shadowswife

Posted on December 1, 2020 by shadowswife

Cultural Appropriation vs Cultural Appreciation

When the K-pop sensation, BTS, in 2013, debuted their song, “No More Dream,” they used many Black hip hop elements for the music video. The boys wore chains, rings, and dark and edgy clothing, made gang signs and hand gestures, committed crimes, led a gang, aggressively danced in a dark neighborhood, and were caught by the authorities at the very end. The video is a prime example of culturally appropriating in the most negative way possible. This boy band’s music video had to be one of BTS’ worst videos for displaying such offensive, stereotypical, and exploitive depictions of Black culture. The video depicts stereotypes and mocks cultural norms in a way that I did not initially understand.

Differentiating between appropriation and appreciation are challenging to identify because of the thin line of distinction between both terms. With this in mind, numerous cultures have adopted other cultures’ behaviors and standards and made it their own without proper appreciation. This realization led to exploring the concept of cultural appropriation and how it lends to the idea of adoption or theft of other people’s ideas and cultural norms in an irresponsible manner. However, with society becoming more aware and sensitive to the topic of cultural appropriation, it is frequent that many would misinterpret someone’s genuine intentions to show their love and respect for their culture. People should be more aware and cautious about the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation because the appropriation of another culture’s rituals without acknowledgment can be misconstrued as insensitive.

According to the article, “Cultural Appropriation”, Ramsey, Warren, and Owerka-Moore state that “cultural appropriation is the ignorance or inappropriate adoption of ideas from marginalized groups. This inappropriate adaptation is noted among low socioeconomic groups with a purpose of exploiting the culture for economic or social gain.” Further, the literature suggests that culture’s appropriation has led to inaccurate depictions of cultures, negative stereotypes, and plagiarism of popular culture and music without attribution. The concept of appropriation and the misuse of power in societal and economic realms have contributed to increasing cultural conflict. This conflict not only undermines cultural relevance, but it is exploitative of oppressed groups.

According to the ResearchGate article by Richard Rogers, cultural exploitation denotes the taking of elements of an oppressed society by a dominant culture without equal exchange, consent, or remuneration. In instances in which cultural exploitation is evident, the lack of choice or control is prominent. Rogers also states that often, the dominant political strength and economic influence render the sending culture powerless. He emphasizes how governments utilize their power to subjugate oppressed societies into submission, such as imposing organized religion on ethnic groups who otherwise may not have subscribed to the dominant culture’s religious viewpoints.

Cultural exploitation can be further observed in current social occurrences as well. As racial tensions continue to escalate in modern society, cultural exploitation permeates in music and fashion. Lyrics and genres, such as hip hop, have met with controversy and hostility. Hip-hop artists, writers, and producers continue to combat the challenges of foreign companies’ misuse of the genre for economic gain without appropriate attribution or respect. Western artists have been confronted with similar practices as well. The article, “Cultural Appropriation,” has referred to Kylie Jenner as a controversial figure in cultural appropriation. She was perceived by many as trendy and fashionable in her depiction of style box braids through social media. However, others deemed her actions irresponsible and exploitative. Her actions were deemed as cultural appropriation as she physically depicted black culture. Although aspects of black culture, such as box braid, may be deemed negatively and criticized in this scenario, Jenner is celebrated and admired. Therefore, exploiting culturally significant customs. Artists are seen in many instances as role models with societal responsibility. Kylie Jenner represents a majority whose actions may be construed as a premise of lack of social consciousness. Therefore, rendering those ethnic minorities who place cultural significance in expressing their beauty has no voice in protecting their cultural elements due to other dominant societies’ dominance. 

Social media’s impact and how users interpret cultural appreciation versus appropriation plays out in media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. According to the article, “Moving From Cultural Appropriation to Cultural Appreciation”, the author, Hsiao-Cheng Han, states that “the media tends to teach the general public who to be and what perspective someone should have of the world. However, people have different interpretations of what each post means.” Kylie Jenner’s box braids Instagram post is an excellent example of how people had conflicting opinions on Jenner’s post. One side of users believes that Jenner is exploiting Black culture while another side thinks she is displaying her appreciation for it. The media’s influence perpetuates conflicting opinions on fashion and music, which often exacerbates the opposing factions. 

Music has a cultural significance in black culture. The article, “Cultural Appropriation”, mentions how African Americans are credited with developing not only hip hop but also jazz, blues, and rock and roll. However, the article also states that from 1930 to 1970, White artists adopted these music traditions that were deemed unsavory and became wealthy in a still segregated society. African Americans had limited recourse in combating cultural dominance in a Jim Crow America. In the ResearchGate article by Richard Rogers, the author states that cultural dominance is the utilization of components of the prevailing culture by members of a dominant culture in a context in which the dominant culture has been imposed on by the subordinated society appropriations that sanction opposition. The article, “Cultural Appropriation”, further states that artists such as Muddy Waters, Skip James, and Howlin’ Wolf struggled to gain success for their significant contributions to the music industry for many years. Eventually, they were recognized for their achievements but never to the level of their White counterparts who appropriated black music.

Despite controversy and inequities which continue to persist, there also is a movement promoting inclusivity, respect, and understanding of other cultures. Education is crucial in comprehending the differences in appropriation and appreciation. In appreciating cultural or cultural appreciation, one honors and values another culture and its customs to gain awareness and respect. Whereas if practices or cultural items exploit another culture or reaps economic gain may be perceived as appropriation. Cultural appreciation allows for deep-rooted respect. In instances where there is a genuineness to appreciate other ethnic groups, asking permission to use cultural things, utilizing the object specifically as they are intending, researching the culture, asking questions, and acknowledging the limitations in knowing the culture. Appropriation occurs when members of one culture adopt an aspect of another culture without attribution. Often appropriation occurs from a dominated society that takes from marginalized communities. However, fostering an environment of inclusivity in which a genuine desire to listen, to learn, respect, and to provide equitable remuneration could afford opportunities for dialogue and cultural awareness.

References

Cultural Appropriation [PDF]. (n.d.). https://bento.cdn.pbs.org/hostedbento-prod/filer_public/whatihear/9-Cultural_Approp-Viewing_Guide.pdf

Rogers, R. (2006, November). From Cultural Exchange to Transculturation: A Review and Reconceptualization of Cultural Appropriation. Communication Theory, 16(4), 474–503. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2006.00277.x

Han, H. (2019). Moving From Cultural Appropriation to Cultural Appreciation. Art Education (Reston), 72(2), 8–13. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2019.1559575

Big Hit Labels, & BTS. (2013, June 11). BTS (방탄소년단) ‘No More Dream’ Official MV [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBG5L7UsUxA

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Causal Rewrite – BabyGoat

Posted on December 1, 2020 by BabyGoat

Why Can We Feel Music?

Take a moment to clear your head. Think about the last song you listened to. How did it make you feel? Think about what type of music you listen to often. Is it happy music? Is it sad music? Or, is it sinister? Many people listen to different music, and many people listen to music differently. Music enthusiasts may listen to lots of music carefully and enjoy every single element. The casual listener may only listen to music with a basic view and enjoy it for what it is. But either way, people listen because it makes them feel a certain way. 

Music has the ability to put us in another dimension if we let it. The sound waves enter the ears, which sends signals to our brain, which then tells us how to react. But, these zones also affect people’s emotional states as well as cognitive abilities. 

One big reason we can feel music as we hear it is because each note has a different frequency. These frequencies go to the brain and our brain reacts. Now, when multiple keys are played, whether it’s at the same time or in the form of a melody, the group of frequencies create a feeling or emotion. And this is when scales and key signatures come into play. Each key has a certain group of notes that can be played, giving each key a different feel. We also have the Major and Minor scales. Usually, the Major scale sounds happy, while the Minor scale sounds dark. For example, most kid nursery rhymes are in a Major scale. Mary Had Little Lamb is in the key of C Major. Happy songs for kids keep them innocent, happy, and fresh.

 Now, in the mainstream pop world, let’s think of an example for adults. Ariana Grande. Her new 2020 hit “Positions” in the key of C Major and promotes happiness. In this song, she describes how she would do many things to keep her man happy. The emotional feeling of the song is happiness. LedgerNote.com describes C Major as, “Completely pure. Simplicity and naivety. The key of children. Free of burden, full of imagination. Powerful resolve. Earnestness. Can feel religious.” In opposition, Ariana’s 2019 hit “7 Rings” in the key of Db Minor, which is also the same as C# Minor. Immediately the aura of the song is different. This song is basically her bragging about being able to get whatever she wants. WMich.edu describes C# Minor as “…sighs of disappointed friendship and love lie in its radius.” While the lyrics are not described as this, although some could think bragging about material possessions does mean one is too snobby to be a good friend, the instrumentation definitely has this feeling. But this is one example of the scales and emotions having a nice relation. 

But do songs in a specific ever not feel how the key was intended for it to feel? One artist in particular whose music we can compare is The Weeknd. His new 2019 hit, Blinding Lights is the key of Db Major. Db Major is described as “Rapture in sadness. A grimacing key of choking back tears. It is capable of a laugh or smile to pacify those around, but the truth is in despair. Fullness of tone, sonority, and euphony.” When you hear the song it doesn’t seem like there’s any type of pain. But it’s when you actually listen and dissect the lyrics. Genius.com says “The track finds Abel in a constant state of distraction that he only gets relief from when in the presence of a significant other.” Depending who is asked, this song feels to be a happy song as he’s trying hard for love, or could be a song of destruction as he continues to rely on the need of a female. But remove the lyrics and the song definitely seems like a very happy tune. This 80s inspired song has no signs of making people feel sad or angry, unless you have a bad memory or don’t like the song. But for a twist, on The Weeknd’s same album, his song After Hours in the key of F Minor. This song has a darker, ambient feel. Ledgernote.com describes F Minor’s feeling as, “Deepest depression, lament over death and loss, groans of misery, ready to expire. Harrowing. Melancholic.” If we played these songs back to back, we could quickly point out the difference of the emotional feelings. But one of The Weeknd’s older songs “The Party & The After Party” is also in F Minor. But, this song sounds a little more happy and brighter than “After Hours.” If these two songs are in the same exact key, why do they sound different? 

Now we can see the misconception of a key having a specific feeling. Now let’s get into the real cause of the emotional feeling from music. There’s multiple reasons for this. 

One reason relates to the instruments used. Different instruments give off a certain type of sound, or have a certain timbre. Brighter sounds like those from bells and high octaves on a piano tend to make things seem happier and safer. Darker sounds like those from a bass or low octave on a piano tend to keep things powerful and edgy. Another reason, which is more on the sound engineering side, is the perception of the instrument. By this, I mean the way the instrument is manipulated to give depth or character. I could have a bell, but if I process it to take away the higher frequencies, it would sound darker. 

But also, if I add delay (echo) and reverb (space), it would make the bell seem ambient and distant. The sense of space could make something feel different, maybe ery in some instincts. Think of walking through the forest and you hear a bell in the distance. Depending on the circumstances, like if you seek refuge, you could be glad to hear something that shows a sign of hope. But maybe, it is night time and you plan on being alone, the sound could startle you and cause panic. I say this to show that the other instruments and their characteristics also affect how we perceive another instrument to fit the song. 

The third reasoning is the tempo and rhythm of the song. Slow songs tend to drag, causing more suspense or a more mellow feel. Fast songs tend to bring action. Think of action movies, they tend to keep people on their toes and entertained. But, another key is the rhythm. Usually, “off-beats” tend to add bounce, which could make people want to move and dance. 

But the most important reasoning for a happy or dark sound is the tension with the keys. This is an important cause as every Major key has a Minor relative key, which means a Major key would have the same notes as a Minor key. The only difference is that the center of the scales are focused on different spots. The way to figure out the relative key of the Major key is to drop down three notes. An example would be F Major turning into D Minor. These keys have the same exact notes, but the center focus is different. In the D Minor key, the next two in key notes are E and F, which are right next to each other and cause tension. The next two notes in F Major are G and A, which have a note gap in between. This is the reason some say Major scales could seem happier, because the focus of the scale has less tension. On musical instruments, the closer the notes are to each other, the more tension there will be. SchoolOfComposition.com says, “Musical tension is a sense of unrest, instability, excitement or anticipation, an impression that more is coming and a curiosity for what’s next.” The more or less tension there is, depending on the notes chosen in the specific scale, some songs will be happier, scarier, adventurous, or even more depressing. 

In conclusion, many factors cause the emotional connection between music and human responses, not just the specific key scale itself. The frequency change of each note and putting them in a group changes the feeling of the sounds. But other factors like the type of sound and the distance and timing of sounds, also affect the emotional ride.

References

E, M. (2019, January 20). What is Tension and Release in Music? (and how do you create it?). Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.schoolofcomposition.com/what-is-tension-and-release-in-music/

H., J. (2020, September 17). Musical Key Characteristics & Emotions. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://ledgernote.com/blog/interesting/musical-key-characteristics-emotions/

(n.d.). Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.wmich.edu/mus-theo/courses/keys.html

The Weeknd – Blinding Lights. (2019, November 29). Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://genius.com/The-weeknd-blinding-lights-lyrics

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Reflective-profs22

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Jessicariccio

Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

I showed this value the most in my safer saws paper.  In this piece of work I researched a variety of sources to determine my final argument.  Along the way of my research I also found sources that would serve well as a rebuttal argument.  I was able to develop my thesis and discover much more about the topic than I initially started with.  I was able to get a clear perception of my argument and what I would include in my paper.  I was able to use appropriate resources and incorporate quotes and references into my work.  I was open to new ideas and received out of class feedback so that I was able to revise and have my paper reach its full potential.

https://wordpress.com/post/rucomp2.com/10245

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities.

My work that represents this value the post is my stone money paper.  I was able to deliver a clear message to the reader and show multiple ideas emerging throughout my paper.  I was able to explore and interpret the text that I read and transform my ideas into a critical way of thinking.  As I read the text I was able to interpret the strategies and was able to bring those ideas into my own writing.  I think that I took a very complex and interesting article and made those ideas my own and was able to portray them well onto the reader.  I also was able to bring the article that was read into my work by citing specific examples from the excerpt.

https://wordpress.com/post/rucomp2.com/8763

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

I felt that my visual rhetoric piece best represents this core value.  I used the element of word choice to write descriptive pieces to allow the reader to visualize exactly what was happening in the video.  I was able to depict the video clearly including a variety of details and recognize the deeper meaning within.  I rhetorically analyzed the video to make it clear for the audience to interpret through my own work.  I was able to provide this information to varying audience and I also created arguments and claims that may have not been interpreted the first time watching the video.  I think I interpreted the claims in the visual aspect very well and was also able to make my own claims in my writing.

https://wordpress.com/post/rucomp2.com/10262

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

My definitive categorical argument paper represents this value the most because I was able to take my research and turn it into my own claims based off of what I discovered.  I incorporated evidence from my sources to provide a clear picture to the reader and convince them of my argument.  I was able to find relevant resources and take the information that would best support my claim and incorporate it into my paper by analyzing the articles and using in text citations to introduce the reader to the quotes as well as provided and works cited.  All in all I think I did a well job finding, analyzing, and providing my resources to the audience in a convincing way to back up my claim.

https://wordpress.com/post/rucomp2.com/11884

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

My work that represents this value the most would be my definition categorical paper.  The articles that were provided were very controversial and I accurately used my sources to determine which argument fits best logically.  I also provided some in text citations to support my arguments with evidence.  Throughout the research process I read many articles depicting different opinions and I did a good job determining which resources would best fit my paper.  I accurately used quotations from the text and work cited to acknowledge others for their work while fluently incorporating it into my own.  I recognize the property of others ideas and give credit for using them to support my own.  My research shows my attempt to provide and argumentative claim.

https://wordpress.com/post/rucomp2.com/9342

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Definition—profs22

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Jessicariccio

Needs a Title

Healthcare is something that all citizens should have access to, but not just the ability to purchase healthcare, the ability to have it automatically.  It’s true that insurance companies can cover their customers, but under what consequences?  The lower class suffers the most with mental illness because they cannot afford to get treatment, or insurance.  As individuals suffering with mental illnesses continues to increase, the number of employers who are willing to provide benefits decreases.  People who suffer from such disorder are way more likely to experience poverty or unemployment thus will not be able to afford insurance on there own let alone the help they need.  The help that individuals need is there.  In our society today there have been major advancements in medicine and technology, but the one issues is, its not easily available.  With more and more people suffering from major psychiatric disorders, employers and insurance companies are more likely to limit coverage in order to save money.  It is proven that people who suffer from mental health disorders most likely are uninsured why people who have no history of mental illness are insured.  In the article titled Insurance Coverage of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for Children and Adolescents, the American Academy of Pediatrics writes, “To improve mental health services, it is important to address 3 issues: access, coordination, and monitoring”.  It’s that simple.  Everyone should be able to have to have access to healthcare, coordination of mental health services which is very unorganized, and monitoring which allows patients to have direct communication with health care services.  All of which should come as a right to all citizens, with the cost covered by insurance companies who seem to only be out for money and not the consumers best interest.

Not only do patients have to struggle with the cost of health care, but they have difficulty obtaining access.  The process to access mental health treatments are long and stressful.  Seeing different doctors and social workers as medication is not prescribed by a therapist.  Most of the time the psychologist (the therapist) and the psychiatrist (who prescribes the medication) do not communicate or work together and it makes the process very difficult.  For certain mental disorders a prescription is required to get medicine such as Xanax, Adderall, etc.  What’s even more shocking is that patients may be denied a prescription based on their age.  A study was conducted to compare individual’s ability to obtain a prescription with and without a diagnosis.  The end result was that a majority of individuals without a prescription were able to have access that medicine.  It appeared that patients within an older age range were less likely to get a prescription.  The study, written by Weichers in the article Prescribing of Psychotropic Medications to Patients Without a Psychiatric Diagnosis, argues that, “that prescribing psychotropic medication in the absence of a psychiatric diagnosis is not uncommon, increases with age of the individual, is more prevalent in general medical practice than in mental health specialty care, and is modestly accounted for by the severity of an individual’s general medical illness or by medical indications for use.”  When further investigating the study, it is shown that the categories were broken up into medication (with six subgroups) and diagnosis. It was then proven that age had a big influence on the results.  The end results proving the hypothesis to be true.  So why is it that in our society a person’s age influences whether or not they can get a prescription, and therefore access health services.  Access should be open to all, no matter age, or financial status.

It seems ironic that those who suffer more from mental disorders are less likely to be able to get the care that they need.  As individuals suffering with mental illnesses continues to increase, the number of employers who are willing to provide benefits decreases.  People who suffer from such disorder are way more likely to experience poverty or unemployment thus will not be able to afford insurance on their own let alone the help they need.  The help that individuals need is there.  In our society today there have been major advancements in medicine and technology, but the one issues is, its not easily available.  With more and more people suffering from major psychiatric disorders, employers and insurance companies are more likely to limit coverage to save money.  It is proven that people who suffer from mental health disorders most likely are uninsured why people who have no history of mental illness are insured.  Ronald Sturm and Kenneth Wells explain in Health Insurance May Be Improving-But Not for Individuals with Mental Illness, “The number of individuals without health insurance increased from 1979 to 1997. This has been attributed to declines in the number of employers offering insurance or in lower employer contributions (resulting in fewer employees electing coverage due to higher costs. Because individuals with major psychiatric disorders are at high risk for poverty (and least likely to be able to afford plans that require large contributions) or unemployment, persons with such disorders may be particularly vulnerable to becoming uninsured”.  In today’s day and age, one would think that health care would be available to all.  It is unjust that so many individuals must suffer and cannot get the treatment they need simply because the system is failing them.  Mental health should be treated at the same importance as physical health.  The numbers are rising, and something must be done to put an end to this suffering.  Those families who are poor and cannot afford the health insurance to get better are the ones who need it most, the only thing left standing in the way is for those big corporations to start thinking for the people and less for themselves.

References

“Insurance Coverage of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for Children and Adolescents: A Consensus Statement.” APP News and Journals Gateway, American Academy of Pediatrics, Oct. 2000. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1089099/pdf/hsresearch00009-0087.pdf

Wiechers, Ilse R. “Prescribing of Psychotropic Medications to Patients Without a Psychiatric Diagnosis.” Psychiatric Services, 1 Dec. 2013, https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ps.201200557

Sturm, Ronald, and Kenneth Wells. “Health Insurance May Be Improving-But Not for Individuals with Mental Illness.” Https://Www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1089099/pdf/hsresearch00009-0087.pdf

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Reflective- cardinal

Posted on December 1, 2020 by cardinal7218

Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

I demonstrated this value the most in my definition argument. I asked for feedback more than once on this assignment. After receiving the initial round of feedback and gaining a better baseline understanding of the work I had to do, I responded and specified what kind of feedback I wanted. I used this feedback to completely alter some parts of my essay and to make smaller revisions to other parts. I also had a zoom conference with my teacher about this essay, and the ideas we discussed in that conference were the backbone of my paper. The feedback and the conference opened my mind to unique ideas and helped me to explore interesting angles of my subject matter as well as refine my writing style. 

(Here is my definition rewrite to show how I applied the feedback given.)

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

I synthesized ideas from multiple sources in several assignments, but I’d like to highlight my Stone Money essay. I used ideas from an interview, an essay, and a podcast to craft my essay. I put those sources in conversation with each other by showing how the ideas presented in each were all related. My essay strung the sources together, connecting the dots between the stories told in each one. I think my transitions were natural and my comparisons were logical. Even though the three sources I built the essay from were different mediums, I think I did a good job with synthesizing the ideas in them. I also made sure to use the sources to create meaning in my own writing rather than aimlessly regurgitating the information in them.

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

My visual rhetoric assignment is the best example of this. Analyzing purpose, audience, and context was the backbone of that assignment. I watched a short ad about fatherhood involvement and wrote an analysis of the choices made in the video. I considered the audience at every turn, constantly analyzing how the video would make the audience feel or how it would persuade it. That went hand in hand with purpose. When I considered the desired audience reaction, I also considered how it was related to the purpose of the video. The point of the assignment was analyzing the purpose of every detail, really. I closely watched the video and considered the meaning behind everything, from details in the set to the acting.  

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

My research paper is the best example of this value. I referenced over 10 sources to craft that assignment. I referenced varied points of view and types of information because some of my sources were academic and some were public. My topic required me to consult experiences beyond my own, and I made sure to choose sources that amplified the voices of people affected most by my topic. At the same time, I made sure that the evidence I used was there to support my claims rather than simply prove that I consulted outside sources. I put critical thought into crafting this assignment, making sure that my own ideas and the evidence I found were synthesized in a logical way. 

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

My annotated bibliography is the best example of this core value. Every source that I consulted is represented in this assignment. Even if a source did not make it into any of my final essays, it can still be found in my bibliography if it informed my understanding of my topic. I accounted for everything that shaped my argument. Not only that, but I explained how I used each source, taking complete responsibility for how I represented the articles I read. I also proved my understanding of each article by writing summaries for all of them. Both the evidence of what my sources said and my admission of how I used them are out on the table for all to see. I have nothing to hide.

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Reflective – BabyGoat

Posted on December 1, 2020 by BabyGoat

Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

One of my works that demonstrates interaction practices states in Core Value is my Definitive Essay. With my first draft, I worked and got my main ideas down. But, Professor Hodges has gave so much great constructive criticism. Everything that was missing and off with my writing was brought to my attention in great detail by Professor Hodges. This type of interaction helps me acknowledge my weaknesses and better my writing. One issue was that I didn’t make my topic fully known. He said my work was a little too broad. With this in mind, I knew I had make sure I focused on one point and made it totally clear. He also mentioned that I wrote a little to much in the beginning of my essay and that a reader may get overwhelmed. I now know to cut back on wordy paragraphs.

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

I used this Core Value when writing my Rebuttal Essay. For this piece of writing I had to research information from two different viewpoints and put them into my writing. One on side of the argument I write about how some people may think music is a distraction and how it negatively affect people. For example, pop music and rap music on the radio emphasize drugs, violence, and sexual activity. And for the other side I wrote about how music can help broaden people’s minds and maybe even help children with memorization and concentration. For my rewrite, I have to make it more cohesive with the rest of writings, though. I feel that I the main idea is there, but I have to make it fit in with the meaning of the whole research essay.

Rebuttal – BabyGoat

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

For Core Value 3, I would like to think that my Visual Rhetoric fits in this category. For the Visual Rhetoric I watched a 30 second video of a father and his son. The father and son were home alone and doing the worm dance. But the very beginning of the video would’ve made one think that a disaster was going on. For about every couple seconds, I described each frame in great detail. While explaining every frame, I tried to make it easy to follow for a reader who has not seen the video. I went in to great detail about the background, the clothing the people wore, the type of people, the actions taking place, the facial expressions, and even camera movements. I even tried to break down what I think the directed wanted to us to interpret as the video went on. This assignment helped me realize that great writing/films have depth and everything has a meaning.

Visual Rhetoric Rewrite – BabyGoat

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

I believe Core Value 4 was met by my Causal Essay. With this writing I took my time to use my own knowledge about the topics as well as outside information. But, I mostly used the outside information to help support my own ideas and knowledge. Even though I had information in my head I wanted to double check and make sure the information I was providing to the reader was correct. I think with this particular writing I used as details as I could to try to help the reader understand the difference in musical keys, the timbre of instruments, processed effects and the emotion caused by them. I even used actual songs as examples to help push my idea.

Causal Essay – BabyGoat

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

I personally feel that my annotated bibliography fits this fifth core value. Annotated bibliographies shows where and how you got the information for your work, and also, how you used the information. If I lacked research my writing would not be full or trustworthy. But, adding information that didn’t come from own brain or backs up my own ideas would mean that I have no respect for writing ethics. And especially in schooling, I could get in big trouble. Acknowledging the creators of my newly learned information shows that I have respect. If I take a quote from another writer and put it in my writing, I would have to “cite” my work, which means I list the author and the work of where I got my piece of information. Taking pieces of information from different authors and crediting them is perfectly fine. But, taking pieces of information and using it like your own is a big negative.

Bibliography – BabyGoat

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