Extra Credit Blog (Violent Video Games)

In the event of the Newtown and Navy Yard shootings, violent video games have become a hot topic for debate. Murderers of the respective shootings, Adam Lanza and Aaron Alexis were both reported to have played many hours of Call of Duty, sometimes up to 16 hours at a time. Lanza was 20 when he committed his crime and Alexis was 34 when he shot 13 people.



Wonder if they were like this playing violent video games as children......

As a child growing up, I definitely grew up around various violent video games, playing everything from those multiplayer games to first-person shooters. I always felt like they allowed to be whoever I felt like at the time. The games don't have many restrictions to what I wanted to do.

This is how I looked whenever I was playing.

Just kidding.

The average age of a gamer is 30 years and 61% of gamers are below the age of 35. 26% of games bought in 2012 were M, or Mature, rated games. Clearly, people love their violence coming from video games. Most parents wish their children would stop playing these types of games because they're "distracting" and could possibly drive their children to insanity. Those parents probably wish their children did something else more productive than sitting on their ass shooting a bunch of virtual people. I found this video that I feel explains how violent video games do not really cause violence among people. The person defending violent video games makes a great analogy with people and violent video games, saying "Crazy people play violent video games, but that doesn't mean violent video games make people crazy".

Anyways, here's the video on a debate on violent video games.

Hopefully, people understand where I come from in believing that violent video games aren't as harmful as people make them to be.

The question:

Do violent video games cause aggression out of people to the point where they become murderous? Or are violent video games merely an activity where people can get away from real life?

"The War Against Boys" Reactions

Please post your comments/reactions to the reading "The War Against Boys" here.

Also, you must respond to at least one other person's post in a way that is meaningful and extends the conversation.

Is Google Making Us Stupid AND 17 Minute Video Discussion

Please post your discussion questions/comments here.

In your question(s)/comment(s), you must make a connection to both the video and the essay. You may do this by drawing on both in ONE question/comment, or you may post two separate questions/comments, each focusing on either the text or the video.

Please choose engaging ideas that we can discuss and expand on during Thursday's class in a meaningful way. We will use your posts to guide Thursday's class.

YOU ALL WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION. I WILL SIMPLY ACT AS A GUIDE/MEDIATOR.

Feel free to connect to any past discussions, readings, or videos.

Have fun! :)

Analyzing Images

Post your images here. Either a link or the actual image is fine. After you post your image, you must respond to at least 2 other students' images with analysis using the handout you received in class.

Your image can be an advertisement, photography or artwork. You may not include memes with words, nor may you use video. Be sure to answer the questions below as thoroughly as possible. Analysis responses should be a minimum of approximately 2 paragraphs at length.

If your responses are longer than the maximum allowed characters for the post, you may break your response into 2 posts, but be sure your audience can identify that both posts belong together (perhaps include a cue such as "cont..." at the top).

Also, each image may only have a MAXIMUM of 2 responses (thus, nearly every image should have a response). If an image already has 2 responses, pick a different one. Again -- first come, first serve. I will post a couple of images so that there responses can be spread about, and feel free to post more than one image. If you post more than one image, however, do so in a separate post; thus each post should contain only one image, so we are clear on which images are being analyzed.

Here are the questions listed on the handout:

1.     What appeals or techniques are used in the advertisement/image? (Advertising techniques are listed on handout). Explain.

2.     What is the advertisement’s/image's demographic target audience? Explain your answer. (Demographic categories can be found on handout.)

3.   What is the advertisement’s/image's psychographic target audience? Explain your answer. (Psychographic categories can be found on the back.)

4.  How does the ad/image appeal to thinking and reasoning (logos), establishes the trustworthiness of the advertisement and product or image (ethos), and/or plays on the audience’s emotions and desires (pathos) in order to achieve its purpose. This question has three parts

5.  Put it all together. How does the ad/image work overall? How does all of the above come together in an attempt to persuade you to think, feel, and/or act a particular way? Explain your answer.

6.  Evaluation. With the techniques, target audience, and purpose in mind, explain how the advertisement/image is effective or ineffective. This is your judgment, but it must be supported with evidence.

Also, I encourage you to draw on information, ideas and quotes we have discussed and read in class. You may cite the authors and texts we've read in class in your analysis. For this reason, you may want to choose an image that reminds you of something from our texts and/or discussions -- though this is not necessarily required. 

Your images should be posted no later than Sunday, by 11:59 and your responses (2) should be posted no later than 10pm on Monday.  

To get things started, you may respond to this image:

Have fun!

Arora "What Do We Deserve?" Discussion

After reading Namit Arora's, "What Do We Deserve?," post a quote you find interesting and/or salient (meaningful) and then a discussion question/comment to follow.

    ^This post is due by class time on Thursday (8am)

Respond to at least 1 other post and engage in a MEANINGFUL conversation with the author (not simply along the lines of "I agree" or "this is so true" or "great post" or "I disagree"). Respond to the author by extending or complicating their ideas.

   ^This is due by Monday at 9:00pm

You must both post and respond in order to get full credit for the discussion.

**Throughout your posts, make connections to your life, the world at large, connect ideas to other texts we've read or videos we've watched or ideas we've discussed. Go beyond the Arora's text with your observations, questions, comments, responses, etc. 

Discussion posts for Thursday, 10/10

Post your discussion questions/comments/concerns for Thursday's class (10/10) here.

Due by 11:59 on Wednesday

Essay 2 THESIS ASSIGNMENT

Click Here for the Thesis Assignment for Essay 2.

Here is the actual link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TwJQs9pDDbsq5w8X2jb99Ua8e4xgP5GXeVdZaDvfkX4/edit?usp=sharing

CECG - Credibility, Evidence, Common Ground

Directions:

If your LAST name starts with a letter between A-H answer the following questions:

1.  CREDIBILITY - #1
2. EVIDENCE - #1 & #2
3. COMMON GROUND - #1

If your LAST name starts with a letter between J-Z answer the following questions:

1. CREDIBILITY - #2 & #3
2. EVIDENCE - #3
3. COMMON GROUND - # 1

THE ASSIGNMENT IS DUE BY TUESDAY @ 12noon

...............................

Credibility, Evidence, and Common Ground

Credibility – In 6-c, Hacker recommends that your introduction should “establish credibility and state your position” (86).

1. We don’t have Epstein’s formal introduction. But she still has to maintain credibility and state her position. Find one passage that illustrates how she maintains credibility and one passage in which she states her position. Quote each passage, and explain why you selected them.
2. Re-read your introduction for Paper 1. What revisions can you make to your introduction to help establish your credibility?
3. Does your introduction include a sentence (or two) that articulates your perspective or position? If so, good. Rewrite the sentence(s) for this assignment. If not, try to locate such sentences in your draft. Rewrite those sentences in a way that helps you get your perspective into the introduction.

Evidence – Evidence is the stuff that supports our points or ideas. In 6-e, Hacker writes about three main kinds of evidence: facts and statistics, examples and illustrations, expert opinion (89-90).

1. Find one example of each kind of evidence in Epstein’s article. Quote each passage and explain how the evidence works to support a specific point or claim.
2. Look at your draft. Find one example of at least two kinds of evidence in your draft. What point does each piece of evidence help you support (or develop)? If the evidence isn’t supporting a point, is there a point that you can make with that evidence? Is there other evidence that might better help you support that point?
3. Examples and illustrations, when used together with other evidence, can help “flesh out an argument and bring it to life” (Hacker 89). Find a specific example of lifestyle branding on the (Red) website. Try to use that example in combination with “expert opinion” on lifestyle branding to develop a point of your own. (In other words, write a paragraph that makes a claim or point by using expert opinion and an example from (Red).)

Common Ground – We sometimes seek to overlook or ignore the evidence (or the perspective) that doesn’t support our own position when we make an argument. When we do this we miss opportunities to persuade readers. At the extreme, such omissions can undermine our credibility.

1. Find a passage that shows Epstein working “to build common ground” (Hacker 93). What would be lost if Epstein left that passage out of her article?

Revisit your draft for Paper 1. As you think about the position(s) you are taking, do you see pieces from Epstein or (Red) that might lead people to take a different position? How might you account for that material and build some common ground?

Google Doc for Class Schedule

Below is the link for the class schedule that will be regularly updated.

Consider this document "alive" -- meaning it is living, breathing, growing, and adapting all the time.

In this way, I can update the syllabus and schedule on a regular basis, making sure the assignments are most appropriate, best fitting your needs and the due dates are align with our daily progress.

Because of this, you will need to review the class schedule regularly -- ideally, at least on a daily basis. That way, you are aware of what is expected of you for every class and can come to each meeting prepared and ready to engage.

CLICK HERE:  CLASS SCHEDULE

Here is the actual link address:

(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AF-E7YNC5FihACNBqEyH9VXHNgtAroWfcbX_MsKXWC0/edit?usp=sharing)

Thesis Assignment

Apparently, some of you are having trouble with the google doc. Please use this blog for your thesis assignment.

Use this document to post your thesis statements and topic sentences

Directions: Write your full name, thesis statement and topic sentences in the order to plan to discuss them in your essay.

If you’d like, you may offer others feedback on their work if you’d like, but this is not a requirement and meant to be constructive (in other words, to HELP improve others’ work, without being negative or adversely judgmental).

Example:

Élice Hennessee

Thesis: Write your thesis here.

Topic Sentence 1: This is the first supporting claim I plan to use in the body paragraphs of my essay and this is how it ties into my thesis.

Topic Sentence 2: This is the second supporting claim I plan to use in the body of my essay and this is how it ties into my first supporting claim and thesis.

Topic Sentence 3:

Topic Sentence 4:

Etc…

FEEDBACK: Someone may add a line for feedback and give advice (like peer review). You may post what you think could be improved upon, assumptions that may be present and/or counter-arguments one may pose. Anyone can add on to this section.

Now, go forth and write… ;)

Credible Sources

Evaluating the Credibility of Your Sources

Remember, your use of sources is a means of supporting the argument you make. This means that the sources you reference need to be credible and authoritative. How do you know that your sources are of value? Ask yourself the following questions:

Where was the source published?

• Is it in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal (i.e. an article that is evaluated by other experts in the field) or published by a university press, professional society, or scientific publisher (all of which also operate peer-review processes)? These texts will have scholarly credibility.
• Was the source published on-line? This is not necessarily bad, but it will depend on who published it, why it was published, and how you intend to use the material. For example, there are on-line journals that utilize peer-review thus providing greater credibility to the publication. But there are many articles published under the guise of scholarly work, by individuals claiming expertise but which are of highly questionable credibility. If you have doubts about an on-line source, you can discuss it with your instructor or TA or you can elect not to use it.

Who wrote it?

• You can undertake brief on-line research into the author. Is the author affiliated with a university or another institution? What else has the author written? Citation databases will also tell you the number of times this source has been cited by other academics, giving you further insight into its credibility.

Is the piece timely and appropriate for its field?

• In some disciplines, material can become outdated very swiftly. In others, texts can continue to be considered valuable for longer. You should search for additional texts on the topic to find related sources, sources in which this source is cited, and sources that cite this source in order to get a stronger picture of its intellectual relevance and value.

For whom is the source written?

• Is the intended audience a scholarly one? If so, it should have a clear bibliography that you will also be able to consult for further sources.

Will you use the source as a primary or secondary text?

• If the material does not measure up to expected standards of scholarly work, it may still be of use to you. But as a primary text – that is to say, a text that needs to be analyzed – rather than a secondary text – which is a text that might support your argument or provide a theoretical framework for your analysis, for example.

Why is it wise to avoid unreliable sources?*

Information from unreliable sources is not always true, up-to-date, or accurate. Using unreliable sources in an academic paper can weaken the credibility of the writer, dilute the writer’s argument, and detract from the overall strength of the paper.

What kind of sources should be avoided?

While the Internet provides a plethora of information on almost any topic imaginable, not all of its content can be trusted. Students should be cautiously selective while doing research and avoid sources that may contain unreliable information:

·       Popular and collective websites (ask.com, about.com, WebMD.com, etc.): Websites such as these provide articles and information that has been collected from other sources that may not be reliable. While the sponsors of these sites usually employ writers who research the topics, citations for the sources of the data are not always provided.

·       Wikipedia: Wikipedia is an online open-source encyclopedia, which means that it can be edited by anyone. While the information on the site is audited by a Wikipedia editor, the information found there may or may not be correct or current.

·       Source material based solely on opinion: While material that conveys opinions and beliefs may have some validity, reliable sources that back up the opinion or belief with facts and trustworthy information should also be sought. If the opinion piece does not include data from reliable sources, a writer may choose not to include it as a source.

Note: Some sources, such as Wikipedia, provide a works cited list or reference list. Some of the cited works could be reliable, but checking the original source and interpreting the information yourself provides the opportunity to confirm its validity.

Where are credible, reliable sources found?

·       Academic databases: These databases, such as Academic Search Premier and JSTOR, include searchable collections of scholarly works, academic journals, online encyclopedias, and helpful bibliographies and can usually be accessed through a college library website.

·       Academic peer-reviewed journals: Journal articles that have been peer-reviewed are generally considered reliable because they have been examined by experts in the field for accuracy and quality.

·       Google scholar: This Internet search engine helps the user to locate scholarly literature in the form of articles and books, professional societies’ websites, online academic websites, and more.

·       Library reference or research desk: Library staff can provide useful services, such as assistance with the use of library research tools, guidance with identifying credible and non-credible sources, and selection of reliable sources.

For further guidance, the Undergraduate Services Librarian and affiliates can help you evaluate online sources for credibility.

Source: Columbia College - http://www.college.columbia.edu/academics/integrity-sourcecredibility