Due THU(5/3) before 8:00am.Power is a word we often take for granted, underestimate and overestimate. Moreover, "power" is a term we do not examine carefully enough; subsequently, we allow "power" to move us around like those chess pieces called "pawns". First of all, power is not a monolithic term. Power encompasses many forms of power that get utilized by everyone. To say that one entity has power and another does not is entirely incorrect since one entity may have A LOT more power in the form of authority, but that other entity still possesses many forms of power of its own: they just might not be recognized yet. For example, we could say a dog owner has all the power. But that's not true. A dog still has powers that its owner will never have. A dog has the power to smell far beyond that of any human. Although a (despicable) human has the power to even take the life of a dog, that dog still has the power of love, the power of loyalty, the power of friendship, the power of the wild (a dog can kill just about any animal smaller than it), the power of persuasion, etc. So in a world chock full of organisms that all need to survive, all are invested with several forms of power to enable survival. At the end of the day, the current conversations and debates about Facebook and the NRA are ultimately about our survival as a society. How healthy or unhealthy is the flow of power between the people and these large corporations? That is a question to think about, but not answer for the purposes of our current Essay Project 4. That's because this question is the only question I hear being asked again and again: the answer simply labeling the NRA and Facebook as good or bad. The task for Essay Project 4 is not to label these entities, it is to analyze movement of power in its many forms between FB/NRA and us. Read the three links below carefully. Then go to ODT16-17 (due WED, 5/2) and post your responses to the questions there. Be prepared to coherently and knowledgeably discuss these questions in class on THU (5/3). Questions you need to be able to not only answer, but incorporate into your essay:
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Due TUE(04/17) before 8:00amWhat is POWER? Who is the NRA? Who is Facebook? Who has power? Read the following 8 articles (they're all pretty short). Locate at least one form of power in each of these articles. Back-up your theory of what form you're recognizing with a direct quote from each article. Be sure to properly cite each of the sources (even though one of them would never make it to a Works Cited page). If the source has no author, you can just refer to it by its website name and title of the article. However, know that such a source would not be considered an "authoritative source". I'm using it simply because it is a pretty reputable site and that it was a good starting point for examining power. Discuss why and how you think each form of power plays out in each article. Even though this is not an ODT, write your response down so that you are prepared to be called on to comment in class on TUESDAY morning. Due THU (03/29) before 8:00amLook through The Henry Ford magazine, Issue June-December 2014 and choose an article to discuss how it inspired you, gave you ideas, and/or gave you a better idea on ways to innovate on an existing model. Remember, what you're doing in this proposal essay project is suggesting a way to improve COM. The most exciting aspect of this project is to innovate. In your response, be sure to do the following for full credit:
Due THU (03/22) before 8:00amRead the COM Newsletter Torch, Volume Two / Number Two 2018. Be prepared to answer the following questions in class, either in quiz form or being randomly called on.
Due THU (02/22) before 8:00amRead Amy Bloom's essay and ask yourself, what is Bloom asking me to think about? Why is she writing this story for everyone to read? What kinds of observations is she making about the U.S. medical system in regards to mental health? What kinds of observations is she making about parenting? What kinds of observations is she making about conforming to society? What kinds of observations is she making about society's definitions of beauty? What kinds of observations is she making about love? Which of these observations that the author is making, speaks the loudest to you? What do you, personally, get out of this story?
Due THU (02/08) by 8:00am.Read Orson Scott Card's take on technology versus language. Be ready to discuss on Thursday (and eventually post in ODT4-5 due Monday):
Remember that you need to utilize at least one direct quote for each of the questions above as a reference point that supports your answer. EXTRA CREDIT: Feel free to post below your initial thoughts and reactions to this story below. What'd you think of the story? How plausible is this type of future? Why or why not?
Due THU (02/01) by 8:00am.Read Isaac Asimov's short story "Evidence" given as a downloadable pdf file below. Contact me if you have any trouble accessing the file and I can either email you a copy or find another way to get a hard-copy to you. (Or you can also try googling "Octavia Butler Speech Sounds pdf" and you should be able to find a workable copy. Be ready to discuss:
Post any comments below in preparation for Thursday's discussion if you want. Particularly useful might be to ask your classmates for clarifications on what they think either readings mean. Feel free to post as you wish as your posts are not being graded here (although I will be reading your posts, I will rarely interfere in these discussions).
Due Tue (01/23) by 8:00am. Read only transcript "01" from Tachikomatic Days (click on the button above). You should recognize the conversation at the end of GITS-SAC Episode 1. Then read Octavia Butler's short story "Speech Sounds" given as a downloadable pdf file below. Contact me if you have any trouble accessing the file and I can either email you a copy or find another way to get a hard-copy to you. (Or you can also try googling "Octavia Butler Speech Sounds pdf" and you should be able to find a workable copy. Be ready to discuss what connections you think are important to point out in class on Tuesday. Post any comments below in preparation for Tuesdays discussion if you want. Particularly useful might be to ask your classmates for clarifications on what they think either readings mean. Feel free to post as you wish as your posts are not being graded here (although I will be reading your posts, I will rarely interfere in these discussions).
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RDG Rules
You do not have to post anything here. However, if you want to ask your classmates anything about the reading, schedule a meetup at a coffee shop with classmates to discuss the readings, etc, this space will be here for you to use.
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