I recommend reviewing the prompt before you start writing as there are a number of topics that you cannot do and all topics do have to be approved, but that's not something you need to worry about right now. Right now, I want you thinking about original ideas (that means something new that no one has said before) that are deep enough to do research on and write a 8-10 paper on.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Let's Brainstorm
We are about to begin paper 2, the researched argument. One of the most important parts of the assignment is choosing an original and complex topic to write an argument about. For this blog, I'd like you to write about some of your ideas. If you don't have any specific ideas yet, then a good way to approach this blog is to write about some of the things in your life that you are really interested in (your hobbies, your religious community, your clubs, the things you read, etc.). Many of your interests can be turned into really good research questions.
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Although I only have a small idea as to what my original and complex topic is for paper two, I will discuss my hobbies and interest to maybe further assure my topic. For this paper we have to “critically analyze various cultures existing within America.” In the reading from Beyond Words “Be it ever so Homespun, There’s Nothing Like Spin” the Author Kim Severson discusses the idea of Greenwashing. I found this to be very interesting and an original idea. I believe that she would have been able to write paper two on this topic and been very successful. She did an amazing job of playing on one part of American culture. She brought up the idea that consumers may not buy the product because it was better for them, but because it was an easy way to showcase their social and political views.
ReplyDeleteThe second reading “Myspace Data Mining” By Brad Stone made me rethink how I feel about ads on social networking sites. The fact that “Big brother” is watching me, putting me and the things I like into categories and then placing ads on my page I do not feel comfortable with at all. On the other hand it is genius, because Americans will click on the link and want to buy the products.
Some of my interests are Sports and fine arts. I Dance for Florida State University Kollage Dance Troupe, and have been dancing since 2006. Also I play the violin and drums. I went to a magnet middle and high school that both had performing arts. Yet something I will probably base my paper on will be sports. I love football, born and raised around it (cannot wait for the super bowl GO GREEN BAY!) but a sport that has taken my heart has been running. I ran my first 5K (3.1 miles) in 1998 and since then have yet to stop. Cross country and track has always been something I have been passionate about. I believe I want my topic to be based on the new trend in running “bare foot running “it seems to be taking the running world by storm. Also something that has Nike involved in some way, because I feel Nike has had a huge impact on this and our generation.
When someone asks me what are my interests or what my favorite hobbies are, the answer comes natural to me, it is baseball. If I was asked this question from the time I was 5 years old up to today, the answer without a doubt would be baseball. I have played baseball all my life, its been my favorite thing to do. Not only is it my favorite thing to actually do, but its my favorite thing to watch, read about, talk about, I just love everything about baseball. Since I have always been into baseball, I know a good amount of information about this sport. I can tell someone about the game of baseball, the players, history of the game, for hours and hours. This makes me believe that this would be a good topic for me to write a 8-10 page research paper on. Since our paper has to do with American culture, I figure choosing baseball as a part of my topic would be great. After all, baseball is America's past time, so I'm almost positive I can put together a great topic to write about for our second research paper.
ReplyDeleteYukita I do not really understand why you do not feel comfortable with "Big Brother" watching us and putting things we are interested in in front of us. I find it amazing as how far our technology has come along for things like this to happen. For example with advertising, I noticed when I moved to Tallahassee, I began seeing advertisements of stores in Tallahassee pop-up along the side of my Facebook page. Its is crazy how the people working with Facebook, now know I am a part of Tallahassee, therefore they give me advertisements about Tallahassee, rather then still feeding me ads of places in Miami. I find it fascinating.
When it comes to analyzing various cultures existing within America, there are a lot of options to choose from; yet, I am completely clueless as to what I would like to write paper two on. I could easily come up with ideas but I need to find one that’s unique and something I’m interested in. After the two readings I think that the idea of tailoring ads to personal information on MySpace was extremely original. It took an original idea, advertising, and made it complex by connecting it to people and their friends that have similar interest. It reminded me of the use of pathos and building a bridge with the viewers.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite personal interests is cheerleading. I’m not talking about sideline cheers for a football team either. Since fourth grade I’ve been an all-star cheerleader. You compete against other teams across the globe with a two minute thirty second routine of nonstop action. I cheered for a team in Miami called Top Gun and we won first place at the Worlds competition in 2008 and my last year in 2010. I don’t get super offended when people say cheerleading isn’t a sport because I don’t think everyone is aware of the different types of cheerleading, but I’m hoping to develop an argument based off of this some how. Other than cheering I’m interested in fashion and style, especially how trends change at different paces across the nations. Also, I am eager to learn more about how artists start their careers and make a living. Hopefully something related to one of these topics can be turned into a really good research question.
Yukita, I definitely think you should write your paper on “bare foot running.” My step mom and brother are also runners and I over heard them talking about it the other day. I wasn’t exactly sure what they were talking about considering I am not fully aware of the topic but I think it would make an awesome paper.
In response to Ray_chirino: I think it is crazy how technology has advanced so quickly and now the people working with Facebook know that we are a part of the Tallahassee network and Florida State. I am also from Miami so I remember seeing ads for clubs and events for down south and now I see Jimmy Johns all over my page, it do agree with you that it is fascinating. I just don’t like the feeling know that it’s not a random ad pop-in up on the side, but someone who has reviewed my likes, dislikes and probably knows more than I anticipated putting out for the public.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the prompt for Paper 2 I was unsure what an original topic and presentation of it would look like. The examples of “Be it Ever so Homespun, There’s Nothing Like a Spin” and “MySpace Data Mining” helped me see the kind of paper we are expected to write. However, I am still left completely clueless on what to write about! My hobbies growing up were dance and baton twirling. I was in baton from the age of four all the way up into college where I was a Majorette for the Marching Chiefs. I don’t think there are really any topics from that unless I discuss the effects extracurricular activities have on students or something to do with dance and self confidence. I’m very into volunteer and missionary work both in the United States and abroad. I spend my summers volunteering with HOPE Worldwide, a faith based charity, or traveling with my church to other parts of the country and/or world to meet the needs of the poor or help the churches we support abroad. Perhaps I can develop my message on why I think the poor and needy should be served or something of that nature. I am not sure if we can incorporate religious beliefs in our argument but I could still make good points on this topic such as the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards of service. I will have to think about this and get more feedback this week.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Demi, I think you could develop an incredible paper on cheerleading as a sport! Especially coming from an elite team like Top Gun where there is so much gymnastics involved you could find a lot of good research to support the athleticism of it all. It also helps that you love the sport because you can have the passion it takes to prove a point in a paper.
When I see a paper assigned and it is a seven to ten page research paper I get the chills. The most difficult part about writing papers for me is actually coming up with an idea that intrigues me so that I can write a lot about the topic without writing about the same thing over and over again just to meet the criteria. I have been playing soccer since I have been four years old. I loved playing but I also ended up not playing my senior year in high school soccer because I could not take any more from my coach who would constantly bring down my confidence while I played. Therefore, I could write something on the lines of how high school sports in America have become so much more competitive and have put more pressure on kids when playing sports is suppose to be a stress reliever.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea I have pertains to religion since I have gone to Catholic school my entire life and my parents have always been churchgoers. I think in my generation kids are not as religious as kids were fifty years ago. This might be because we have so many more distractions such as media. For instance, like in “Myspace Data Mining” people can find you on Facebook according to where you live just how my church’s youth group found me and would constantly send me messages to join the youth group. I can specifically relate my paper on the Catholic Church and American Culture or I can relate religion in general to American Culture.
I have always enjoyed politics, however, I find it strange that political parties fight each other when in the big picture we are all on the same team. This topic just surrounds American Culture because it is based on America’s government.
In response to Yukita’s opinion that it is a little scary that advertisers on Facebook can look at your personal information and find out where you are located it makes me a little uncomfortable too. However, at the same time it is also convenient because you do not have to go looking for what certain clubs are doing in the area because they’ll contact you, or maybe you didn’t know that there is a Tropical Smoothie right on Tennessee Street, well there you go. Technology is great.
The first reading “Be it ever so Homespun, There’s Nothing Like Spin” proves a good point about how there has been a growing interest for organic food over the years from the general public. I remember being a young girl when organic goods had just been introduced to the market and shopping at Whole Market with my parents… not many people cared about organic apples, let alone anything else. But now there is even organic shampoo available for purchase and use. Consumers are so attracted to the idea of “organic” and think that all organic goods are healthier that they don’t even stop to compare the slight differences in the products if there even are any and just buy the goods without consideration.
ReplyDelete“MySpace Data Mining” is a good article that proves the point of how technology has advanced to the degree that many people think anything is possible in the future, like flying cars. Communication began as word of mouth but nowadays, internet users can easily reach another party via social network sites like MySpace. Like Brad Stone stated, “a punk band in Seattle could publicize a performance by looking up all the people on MySpace who live in that area who are punk fans.”
One of the two most challenging tasks that I encounter with any paper I write is coming up with the topic of my essay, the other test being writing an introduction. However, it was not the case for this assignment two. After reading the prompt, I only thought of one idea that I really like and feel confident researching and writing. I want to learn about how shows like “The Biggest Loser” affect the American society’s outlook on issues of obesity and exercise. I don’t really know how this idea of mine came to mind but I am set on it. I plan to focus on how there has been change in lifespan over the decades, today’s range of dietary options and weight loss options, and factors that contribute to America’s obesity problem.
Demi, I agree with Rachel. You could really write up a great, interesting paper on cheerleading. You seem to love it so much and partaking as such a talented cheerleader to win a world title, you can research what makes a sport a sport and prove cheerleading to be one.
For as long as I can remember, culture has intrigued me. Needless-to-say, it's a part of everyone's life but I feel more connected to it than that, I enjoy analyzing, studying and exploring the complexities of culture- both foreign and familiar. Being an artist (a former dancer and currently a studio artist) I am especially drawn to the aesthetics of culture and begin to consider using current art movements in America as an insight into our culture. I would like to further explore this as a possible topic yet do not feel sure on whether I could write about such an abstract topic for so many pages and whether I could find sufficient sources to support the ideas.
ReplyDeleteStraying from my interest in visual arts in relation to culture, I am also considering exploring the growing culinary and local foods movement spreading across America. In recent years, Americans seem to have significantly increased their interest in the culinary arts and we can see this by the support in television shows such as "Top Chef" and "Hell's Kitchen". Bistros and cafes with experimental menu items and foreign combinations seem to be popping up left and right, and people seem to be looking to bring 'gourmet' to their every day meals. Along with this there is also a growing interest in using locally grown and produced foods (foods consumed within 100miles or less of their origin). People are beginning to avoid imported produce and opt for options grown closer to home. I would like to investigate what this change in the American pallet says about our culture; Are we regaining pride in the 'American Owned' mentality? Are Americans truly making efforts towards a healthier lifestyle and a healthier planet? Is the current economic situation redirecting our focus to the dinner table because our resources are limited?
Yukita, I think that exploring barefoot running would offer great insight into culture. I find the idea of 'chi running' and its popularity to be a great display of American culture because it represents a traditional interest in athleticism and the new age appeal to health. It also makes a statement about the fairly recent resurgence of interest in the earth- connecting with it, caring for it, coexisting, etc.
After reading “Myspace Data Mining” and “Be It Ever So Homespun, There’s Nothing Like Spin” I have an idea as to where the direction of Paper 2 is heading.
ReplyDeleteLike many others, my mind is all over the place with different ideas of what to write about for Paper 2. A few things that have popped up include: sports and the entertainment industry. I grew up playing and loving all kinds of sports. My favorite sport to play has to be lacrosse. Girls lacrosse is a finesse game that requires agility, endurance, hand and eye coordination, and determination, as does many other sports. Playing sports isn’t the only thing I like about them, I love watching them as well. Sitting on the couch to watch College Football or College Basketball, the Olympics, X-Games, ESPN doesn’t bother me at all; actually I enjoy it very much. There’s something about how the players react in big time games and situation, how the crowd reacts, the intense feeling of your team coming from behind to beat a rival that makes it interesting for me to watch. Maybe I could tie this into how American culture has opened its arms to many different types of sports throughout the last hundred years or so. Besides sports another interest of mine has been in the entertainment industry. Not that I want to become an actress, make millions of dollars, and have my face and name plastered everywhere or anything like that, I find it interesting how movies and television shows are made and the stuff that goes on behind the scenes. Also, I find it interesting how the press and media portray the celebrities in the industry because they messed up somewhere along the line. Maybe I could tie this into how American culture views these people as either good or bad. Better yet, tying both the sports world and entertainment industry into American culture could be done by looking at people who have done good things and others who haven’t done good things and how Americans view these types of people.
In response to Ania, I think there is so much information to talk about obesity and exercise. I think using “The Biggest Loser” as an example is a great way to talk about how it ties into American culture. The people who participate on that show are prime examples of what could happen if you do eat all day and get no exercise and how to turn it all around to provide inspiration for many other Americans who aspire to change their ways. That was actually a topic that popped into my mind as well when I read over what we were doing for Paper 2.
Honestly, I cannot think of any specific ideas for an original and complex topic for a research argument. I have many general ideas, questions, and thoughts about topics that I never took the initiative to address. But I do feel that if I take the steps to find the source of interest in these cases I would be able to find a topic that I would like to research in the second paper. My general interest is music, I love that there is always a song that can sum up any moment in a person life and inspired them. I feel that for this reason music is a vital element in human connection in society. Music can make you laugh, cry, reflect, and understand things that go around you. It gives people a canvas to be creative and brings attention to certain issues that wouldn’t be relatable or understandable if brought up in a different form. For that reason music is a major interest and factor in my life and the only interest at this point of time that I could think of.
ReplyDeleteYukita, I understand why the idea of “Big Brother” watching us and putting things we are interested in front of us would make you feel uncomfortable. Even though it’s great that technology has advance so much that it can target our interest, the idea that it secretly watch and categorizing us feels like our privacy is being violated and technology like that uses us as experiments. This should make anyone uncomfortable when you think about it.
After reading "Be it Ever So Homespun, There's Nothing like Spin," I really got to thinking not about the authority and credibility of "organic" food labels and what they tell us, but about whether or not so called "organic foods" are actually healthy for us. After my mother became very sick with cancer, she had a growing interest in extremely healthy foods and trying to buy more foods that were organic, since many processed foods contain carcinogens.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I wouldn't consider my future goals as hobbies, I do have a growing interest for the medical field. I always knew that I wanted to be a doctor...I believe that in American culture, children are naturally raised to pursue being a doctor or a lawyer because of the monetary benefits of being either one. But I don't think it's culturally derived for children to want to pursue such a career due to the benefits it could provide for the millions of people in America. My growing interest in Radiology, and my mothers diagnosis with cancer 5 years ago, led me to think that Onco-radiology was a good route to go. Knowing whether or not organic foods could help prevent cancer and whether or not they really make a difference in our overall health (also taking into consideration whether or not products are "greenwashed" or not), seemed to stick out to me as a possible topic. I still don't know whether or not this is appropriate or not because I don't know how I could make this center around American culture. Maybe whether or not American's are trying to eat healthy, or trying to make others believe they are due to the items in their grocery cart?
However, I've been playing sports for as long as I can remember. The only one that stuck with me throughout the years is volleyball. I've played since I was in 6th grade all the way up through high school. I've continued to play intramural volleyball with my sorority, and will hopefully be trying out for the club team in the fall. I've organized camps for younger middle school girls as well as coached a 16's club team! As much as a passion this sport is for me, I feel as if I've written one too many papers about the sport and my accomplishments playing it.
Yukita, I have to say that I'm really glad that you brought up barefoot-running. I've been seeing a lot of students on campus engaging in this, and I've been so curious as to why someone would want to run without shoes on. I think it would make for a very interesting topic for you to write on, if you decided to write about running rather than dancing.
There are so many subjects that can be argued about with an American Culture theme. However, this seems to be extremely difficult for me to choose a topic to write so many pages about. To begin brainstorming about the paper, I do have many interests and hobbies, which include sports like swimming and waterpolo, which I’ve been doing for the past seven years. I’m not quite sure if I can form an argument about those topics, so I’ll have to think about deeper subjects. I always keep myself extremely busy; within the past year I’ve had four jobs. Maybe there is a way I can construct an argument with teens and balancing the things in their lives.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Ray, I agree that it is really crazy how facebook shows ads that are relevant to us. I didn’t realize this until more recently, and have too noticed that since I updated my school to Florida State, I’ve seen so many pop-ups about Tallahassee and places that are here. I think it’s fascinating that it is set up like this. It makes it a lot more convenient for us to find things we’re interested in, with the pop-ups right in front of us.
The topic of this paper both intrigues me and worries me because I'm not sure that I can come up with ten great pages but I'll definitely try. One topic I'm interested in that my sociology class brought to my attention last year is the purpose of college. Many experts believe that college is just meant to be a filter for employers and that students don't really learn job skills while in college. That made me think a lot since I am a college student but that doesn't mean I'll be dropping out and trying to make it out in America without a degree. Another topic I'm interested in exploring is young people and sex due to so much interest in teen pregnancy and the morals of young people now. But historians have said that the teen pregnancy rates have gone down over the past 50 years. The difference now is that the teens now are not married. There are so many topics I'd love to write about but the funny thing is I can't think of them all at this moment. Whatever I choose I hope I can do it justice and learn from it.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Tori, I think the topic of organic foods and the prevention of cancer would be great for you to explore because I've done it myself a little bit. No one in my family has had cancer but my mother did have a biopsy about a year ago to check for breast cancer.Even if my mother didn't have that scare I would still be trying to find ways to prevent myself from getting cancer because the world we live in now is full of chemicals and I think no one is safe from cancer.
I have many interests and hobbies that I have been doing since i was very young. But three stand out the most because they have defined me as I am today and I think they would be good choices to talk about I just do not understand how I am supposed to do all the research to back up my theories. My favorite hobbies are Music, I was in Marching Chiefs this last semester and it was a blast for me because of all of the different people that were there, MMO's, massive multi-player online games are very interesting to me because I interact with people from all over the world in a second and because it brings out an attitude that you do not normally see in people, and finally reading, I have been an avid reader since I was in the 5th grade and have devoured books throughout my entire life since then. These are my hobbies that I have and will most likely continue till the day I die, I just do not quite understand how I will incorporate any of these into 8-10 pages.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Brooke, I think it would make a good topic to talk about something like water-polo or swimming because of some impacts it has had on Americans recently. The main example I can think of is Michael Phelps winning so many gold medals in the Olympics and how this may have affected Americans as a whole. Also you could talk about how people talked about him after it and whether or not he did anything illegal. Just some ideas hope they help.
(1) I have no idea where to even begin for this paper, so like she said I am just going to start naming off something that I enjoy or little hobbies that I have. I enjoy listening to music and little video clips on youtube; maybe somehow I could talk about how youtube started and why it attracts people’s attention. I could go into how people can even get famous off of it and how we can watch really anything on it. Maybe even talk about how you can upload your own videos unto it, for the entire world to see. Another topic I could use could be figuring out why someone would want the brand logo verses the knock-off kind. I could even talk about how even children are starting to notice the difference and then wanting the brand logos instead of just getting something at Wal-Mart for a cheaper price. I only keep thinking of really random things, I like music so maybe I could find something to write about in that genre, but there is just so much I don’t know where to start. Maybe I could take a specific genre, country for instance (since it is my favorite genre) and get something out of that. Or maybe I could anylize different genres how they are different and similar, but yet both are something big in American culture. Either way I am sure I will find something to write about, I just have to figure out what, but typing out this blog helped me get started.
ReplyDelete(2) I think that would be a great idea Ray, to write about baseball especially since you have known the sport and played for some time now. Picking baseball is perfect too since it had such a strong background in American culture, so researching it and finding interesting facts on it should be easy. Also getting the chance to put your own spin on it too since you played it.
I have been busy brainstorming ideas for our next research paper on a facet of American culture, but have not yet been able to come up with an interesting and original idea. After reading “ Be it Ever so Homespun, There’s Nothing Like Spin,” I am much more aware of the impact organic food has had on our culture. It truly does impact our buying market and has also begun to put a bad image on less healthy brands. As well, the article “MySpace Data Mining” was very interesting to me as I have noticed the increase in advertisements on sites such as Facebook. After reading these articles I have been brainstorming my interests, and the first thing that came to mind was my passion for dance. I have been dancing since the age of four and it has always been a huge part of me. I have always loved the feeling I get when I dance and when I perform. Unfortunately dance is known to create pressure on girls for body image and weight, and this is what came to mind for me as a possible topic. I know we are not allowed to write about eating disorders, but a common problem in American culture is the media and the body image that is portrayed for young girls. Our media often uses skinny models and sex appeal on the news and TV, which gives young girls a bad idea of who they should be. As a communication major I pay close attention to messages that are portrayed on through the media, and feel this is a huge part of our culture.
ReplyDeleteTori, I think writing about the authority of healthy foods and food labels would be a great thing to write about. Companies often use advertisement tactics to scheme consumers into buying their goods when their facts are often not true.
I haven't had any thoughts on what to write about, but my interests and hobbies (while not delving deep into homework every day of the week) is music. I've always loved music, and have always been fascinated with the emotion music can evoke from other people. I can remember going into middle school with my parents wanting me to take up an extracurricular activity. My parents ultimately made me made me join the band. At that time, playing an instrument seemed like the worst thing they could possibly make me do. I remember going into the band room with the music teacher and playing on various, yet clean, instruments to see which one I would most likely enjoy playing the most. I was asked to name my top three favorite which were ultimately saxophone, clarinet, and flute (ewwww now that I think about it). I ended up getting assigned to play the saxophone. Little did I know, saxophone would become my life and passion for the next 7 years. I loved it. Well, I hated it at first, but that’s only because I was so frustrated with not being able to play well. I loved learning how to play something different every time I picked the saxophone up. Learning how to play music gave me much more appreciation for music and its ability to affect the world. I mean think about it, music is an indirect universal language. Somebody in Honduras can listen to a song that was produced in America and get the same feeling from that song whether they understand the words or not. There's just so many things that music can accomplish like nothing else. Music can be used in so many different ways and can come in many different forms. Whether a company is trying to advertise a product or whether someone is listening to music on their way to their next class, music can be an energizer, a dedication to a loved one, a sign off how one is feeling, a time waster, or a profession of choice. Music can be anything you want it to be at any place and time. The truly amazing thing about music is it can serve as empathetic stimulation. When you're sad, put in the soundtrack from The Notebook and cry your eyes out. Anyone can have any emotion, and there will always be a song out there to compliment how you feel. Music can be anything. Music is limitless in potential. Pick a pencil and start tapping away and you're making music. Lastly, the truly inspiring thing about music is that it can be shared among all generations. Elvis Presley, a rock and roll legend from the 50's is still admired and loved because of the music he produced and shared. Kids today know and love Elvis Presley because he's been passed on from generation to generation. The style of clothing may fade in or out through time, but music stands as lasting proof of what has and what does exist in the world. Music is above all ubiquitous and never-ending.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI think it would be a wonderful idea to write on your missionary work and discuss why it's important to help those in need. Conveying a positive message while also discussing American culture seems like a brilliant way to go about your paper.
This paper asks us to write about something that interest us. When I think about what interests me there are two things that stand out above the rest. One thing I am extremely passionate about is competitive swimming. I was a member of the varsity swim team in high school for all four years. I’ll be the first person to admit that I was by no means the fastest on the team, but I was so in love with the sport that my serious dedication helped me get elected as varsity captain my senior year. Not only do I absolutely love being in the pool, I also enjoy watching swim meets in person and on television. I live for the summer Olympics! I admire the top swimmers and among my idols are Amanda Beard and Ryan Lochte. A possible topic for my paper could have something to do with competitive athletes or professional sports teams. Perhaps I could discuss the pressure on college athletes who attend school on scholarship or the physical and mental strain put on professional athletes. The second thing I am also very interested in is working with children. I have spent two summers as a camp counselor and love spending time with kids. There is no better feeling than knowing that there are children who look up to and admire you. I enjoy spending time with them and teaching them new things. In regards to the assignment, I could write about something that affects children such as childhood obesity or even the positive benefits of summer camp programs.
ReplyDeleteAnia Bang, I completely agree with you about organic foods. I too believe that most people are so attracted by the “organic” label that they don’t even bother to read the ingredients or compare products to one another. I myself have even been guilty of this in the past and have gained some new insight from the "Be it Ever so Homespun, There’s Nothing Like Spin" article.
Coming up with an idea always seems like the hardest part of a paper, but once you get the ball rolling with a really great idea the paper falls in line. I don’t really have any ideas yet, so I’m going to start with my interests. My father is in the military so that has obviously impacted my life as well as impacted American culture in more than a few ways. Maybe I could write about the increasing privatization and isolation of the military? I’ve also been a swimmer most of my life, so an article possibly about why Micheal Phelps snapped when he was given a break would also be interesting. I’m really into movies, but we covered that with the last paper, so that’s out. Politics is usually something I avoid like the plague, but there’s a dozen things to write about in that category. I’ve never really been into watching sports besides the Olympics, but I recently watched the world cup and really enjoyed myself so maybe I could write an article about soccer and explore why it isn’t as popular in America as it is in the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteAlix, maybe it’s just bias from a fellow swimmer, but I think an article about college athletes, particularly swimmers, would be a great idea. It is a controversial subject and there is no lack of information on it so there would be enough to fill out a paper nicely.
While analyzing the American culture as well as the cultures within them; I am lost. I really do not have any ideas as of right now yet I know that everyone comes to this point while trying to figure out the best topic to write about. I would like to come up with an idea that is as effective as “Green washing”, I felt that she was very precise in her argument and supported her claim with prudent details.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, my blog will be based on things that I am interested in; such as, extracurricular activities. I was not raised in a household when everyone in my house played sports; in fact no one in my house hold played a sport while I was growing up. I was clueless when it came to athletic games because no one played them. The first sport I was introduced to was basketball. I was never any good at it but I played from time to time. People in my town was crazy for basketball, they played the sport every chance they had. I on the other hand, did not like it as much. I would become frustrated with myself because I was not as talented as the others so I did not play. The second sport I was introduced to was football. I found the sport to be very amazing. I learned how to play it when I moved to Tampa and I became very good at it. I continued to become better and better at it as the years went on. I went from being one of the worst players in my apartment complex to being the best player in my neighborhood. I was gifted when it came to football and I found it to be my sport. I played it all throughout high school and was offered a full scholarship to play for FAMU, but my love for the game began to weaken so I gave it up and turned back to basketball. Now I am trying to become good at the sport and excel as I did with football.
Ray I agree with your statement that you made against Yukita. I find it quite neat that your Facebook page advertisements can be based on the links in which you click on. It goes to show that computers are becoming more effective and efficient compared to the past.
As many of the students before me mentioned, choosing a topic for a research paper is often the most difficult part of the assignment. And, also like the majority of other blog posters, I am unsure of what to choose for my paper topic. While the two articles provided gave excellent examples of acceptable topics for research, I have yet to decide on a formal topic of my own. Most of my time this semester has been spent working on schoolwork, but in my free time I enjoy volunteering at the animal shelter, watching movies, reading, and spending time outdoors. Two summers ago I spent three weeks camping in Virginia while performing community service for the Student Conservation Association. For those three weeks I went without most modern conveniences and had to live a much simpler life than I had previously. This experience woke me up to the strong dependence on electronics and modern conveniences that are taken for granted throughout the majority of American youth. This area of research could possibly be an interesting topic for me having experienced a good amount of time that summer without daily hot showers, a stable shelter, a bed to sleep on, warm meals, and electronics. On the other hand, I grew up in a privileged environment that ensured I never had need to worry about lack of those items mentioned above. Therefore, this topic would ensure a personal connection to both sides of the spectrum.
ReplyDeleteMatthew, as stated above, I also completely agree that choosing a topic is probably the most difficult part of writing a research paper. But, I think writing your’ paper on college athletes, particularly swimmers, would be an interesting idea for you research. There certainly isn’t a lack of information in that category. I also love watching the Olympics.
Also having read "Be it Ever so Homespun, There’s Nothing Like Spin" and "MySpace Data Mining" , I see what will be expected to do in our second paper, yet, like many others, I still don't have a topic to write on. One of my main hobbies is playing music. I have played in band since I was in the sixth grade and I believe music plays a big role in American culture, and has affected the lives of young children in many aspects. Music has been proven to make children smarter and affect their future mentality. But, I don't know how strong I can make that argument and I think that I may be able to back up another point. I was thinking that I could also possibly write on the effect on high school kids grades if they work, and tie that in to America's work ethic and how is has effected how we function as a country today. Many people today, contrary to popular belief, are very hard working and are making a good living, particularly younger people. Young people are depicted as people who are lazy and have to drive to better their future, but I would beg to differ. What about those people who are putting themselves through college, or who have one of those miraculous stories of rising above the poverty they were born into, or even those kids who are not even grown and support their family. I believe America has always been hard-working. Yes, we do have our (plentiful) far-share or lazy people who will do nothing with their life, but we also have the complete opposite.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Rachel, I think you have a great idea! The argument to help homeless people and how many organizations should try, is great. I think just because homeless people are homeless, does not mean they should be written off to society. Obviously, some people cannot help their situation, and even those who made poor choices, may be trying to turn their lives around. I Like you idea and think you could make some really strong points.
In my paper I would like to discuss the lack of diversity in Greek life and why this is. When people think of the word "fraternity" the image that probably comes to mind is something like the television show "Greek" or something from an American Pie movie. This, however, is not exactly true of all fraternities. There are certain fraternities labeled "multicultural" that exist as well. These are usually groups of African-American or Latin-American students exclusively. In my paper I wish to discuss the harmful effects having such fraternities may have on the Greek population at a school. My reasoning for this is simply that I do not agree with segregating the two groups of students in this way. As a culture that boasts diversity I believe we need to evaluate programs such as these that separate us according to race. If these two groups are the same thing, then they should share a common label, such as instead of Multicultural they should all just be members of the Interfraternity council. If they are not the same thing then they should not both be called Greek organizations, and even then they should not be allowed to have any organizations that excludes someone based on race alone.
ReplyDeleteYukita I'm slightly confused about your statement about "Big Brother" and I have noticed many people have commented on it. Is the creepy part that they target what you are interested in? I feel like this is slightly misplaced considering you have absolute control over what you do when you go on your computer. I also feel that you think more that people are watching than simply programming the computer to respond to certain cues. It comforts me to an extent because I hope that them watching means that people who search for things that are all somehow included in making a bomb or doing something that may hurt people are tagged and it's possible for someone to watch things like that and maybe prevent tragedies.