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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In terms of Christianity, I don’t necessarily believe in the church and I think that they are hypocritical. When one looks at the beautiful cathedrals, churches, and monasteries in Europe, built in the name of Christ, one often fails to see that these elegant monuments and buildings where built by slaves and paid for by the theft of gold and other valuables obtained by conquest. Thousands travel on religious pilgrimages every year, religious pilgrimages such as the Camino de Santiago in Northern Spain, a pilgrimage thought to relieve all sins if completed. History proves that this pilgrimage in specific was made up by the church as a way to fund the reconquest of Spain. The church deliberately lied to their faithful followers for more land, power, and money. The church’s lies and power struggles are evident throughout history. The church and its leader, the pope, have been deeply involved in politics, war, corruption, and conquest for over a thousand years. From monks selling forgiveness to recent pope’s sex scandals, over the course of history, the church has stolen, lied, betrayed and killed while continuing to preach the word of God. I do not discredit the religion, I respect the idea of the church and what it is suppose to represent, however I believe human nature such as greed has corrupted this idea and created a hypocritical institution far from what God had intended.
ReplyDeleteAs I lay in bed wondering what an original argumentative research topic could be, it came to me not in my head, but on my wrist. These power balance bracelets, you know you have seen them around. Everywhere you look in public, whether you’re in the classroom or the gym, someone has one on. Personally, I know many people that own them, but when the topic arises, mixed results come back. Some people truly believe they work and even offer to let me try them on and see. I wear one occasionally, but see no actual help with anything. A multi-million dollar business created with no scientific hard evidence is still running? A great argument can’t be developed with this topic arguing on either side.
ReplyDeleteAnother topic that I see great debatable information on is the effects of marijuana use and studying schoolwork. I personally believe that it can make the material a lot more interesting and easier to study, as the person gets more involved in it.
In response to Diego’s post, I am actually very interested in that. I did not know the churches and monuments were built with stolen gold and such. That idea is very original as well as interesting. He would have to show both sides of the argument, but his ideas are strong and it should be a good paper.
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ReplyDeleteBeen pondering for days on this next paper. Figuring out a topic is far from easy. There are so many things that influence American culture today. One idea i might approach is music videos. Music videos are watched by many Americans. This is a common type of marketing strategy. Let's say Lil Wayne has a new single out and it's all the rage(but on the real, when isn't it?)Anyway, his music video has the latest version of a flat screen tv, or the newly developed iphone 5. Everyone will either pre-order it or stand in a six hour line waiting to get it. You remember the New Boyz? They brought back skinny jeans. And presented a new dance that took America by storm. I'll admit, I have some skinny jeans.
ReplyDeleteOr i could use one of my hobbies. I enjoy music to the fullest extent. I have been learning the art of a DJ for a few years. Music will always become more creative throughout time and the improvement of technology. Mixing tracks together is no joke. One has to have a highly trained ear for this skill. I'm not there yet but i won't give it up. American culture always changes through the "next big thing" someone comes up with.
In response to mab10f, the effects of marijuana will definitely be an interesting topic. A lot of research will be needed and a lot of people will definitely argue about the effects.
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ReplyDeleteAfter reading the topic for paper two and thinking to myself what I am going to write about nothing came to me. I then started to read the other post on the blog and I still have no idea. To me it seems that everyone is doing a topic that is very debatable such as pro-life and pro-choice or the issue on marijuana but all these topics led me to this topic of the legality of gay marriage. This topic is very debatable in society today. There are some people that have very strong views against it and some people that have strong views for it. Personally I am for it; if someone finds their soul-mate and this person is of the same gender then society says they legally can’t be together. I disagree with society I feel that if two people are happy no matter what their gender is then they should be aloud to experience the normal benefits that a normal couple would receive. I feel that I could develop this topic hopefully into a 7 page paper but it might be hard for me.
ReplyDeleteAfter doing some more thinking I decided I might be able to do something that sparks my interest a little heavier then the previous topic did. I am very into sports I watch sports, I play sports and I live sports. I feel sports are a major part of life. They can keep you busy, keep you in shape and keep you healthy. I was thinking maybe I could talk about how sports shape the youth of America. How they are presented to young kids in school helping them to stay healthy and active rather then playing video games all day.
In Response to Mab10f:
I really like the topic of marijuana and how it affects studies but it might be hard to find solid research on school work. You will most-likely be able to find research on how it affects everyday task but I don’t know if you will be able to on school work. There is a documentary with a comedian who smoked for certain about of days and did test then didn’t smoke for the same amount and did the same test. This movie could be helpful. I think it was called Super High Me or something I can’t remember.
When I read the prompt for Paper 2, the words "American Culture" caught my attention, and I could not help but think of sports. America's pastime has certainly advanced over the years. The once fun, recreational sport has turned into a competitive world of over-paid athletes. As a Tampa Bay Rays fan, I am not against baseball, however, I do believe the athletes make too much money for the contributions they make to society. Doctors make a fraction of what athletes make each year and they are capable of so much more. Saving a life is much greater than hitting a home run in my opinion. I find it absurd that a doctor who went to medical school for years has a lower income than a football player or a golfer. Athletes do not produce anything that is tangible. However, doctors today are working to find curse to many fatal disease. Personally, I feel the income distribution is far from off balanced. In today’s society, events such as the World Series, or US Open are watched all across the country while life saving operations are being performed. A doctor’s hard work is not always recognized; sadly most of American’s can give you a recap of last years Super Bowl.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Diego Gonzalez, I think you chose a very good topic. I am a Catholic and I think the whole Pope scandal is absurd. I still believe in my religious views, however, it is upsetting to hear that all of this has been going on for years. It is not something that can be disregarded. It is an important issue that needs to be handled properly.
As I was brainstorming ideas for the paper, I thought I would think of pet peeves. It is always easier for me to write against a topic, and I thought about one thing in particular; sex on television. In specific, television shows like 16 and Pregnant, and the Secret Life of the American Teenager. These shows flaunt sex appeal and make it seem okay that teenage girls are becoming pregnant earlier and earlier. I am pro-life, but that does not mean that 15 year olds should be having sex and thinking it is normal. Many television shows promote teenage sex appeal, and 16 and pregnant even has girls on the show that were pregnant when they were 14. The media is very influential and many Americans watch these kinds of television shows. Many television shows I think of have sex appeal in them. I do not know if I can think of one that does not. So basically, I would write my paper on the effects of sex appeal on American teenagers. I am not stating that it should be cut out completely, but 16 and pregnant glamorizes having a child, even though there are hard times for the young couples as well.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Dillon Cole, The following topics are banned: abortion, gun control, eating disorders, the legalization of marijuana, lowering the drinking age, Facebook, stem cell research, gay marriage. It says it in the topic so I thought I would let you know. I think your second topic sounds like a good idea, especially since you play sports and are interested.
After thinking for a long time about what I should write my paper on, I decided to take a break and put my headphones on and listen to music. That's when the idea for my topic came to me. The music I was listening to was music I pirated. I decided that I could write about how pirating music affects the music industry. I myself enjoy listening to new music all the time so I'm constantly downloading new albums by various artists. One could argue that music piracy actually has benefits to it. Bands make very little off CD sales, the record labels take most of the profit. Band's selling merch and playing concerts is where they make the most money, so by saving the money on buying an album and spending it on a band t-shirt or putting it towards a concert ticket could actually be more beneficial to a band.
ReplyDeleteIn response to mab10f: I think that writing your paper on power balance bracelets would be a great idea. I personally believe it's just a big scam. In fact, the Australian government forced the company to admit that there is no scientific proof to back up their claims and that they have to offer full refunds to anyone that wants one. Yet, the company is somehow rich enough to by the naming rights to the arena that the Sacramento Kings play in, which they just did.
There are so many different topics to write about but I am not sure what would be the best thing to write about and will have enough research on the topic. The first topic that comes to mind would be the increasing rates for college tuitions. It goes up every year and becomes more of a damper on the parents of the students to come up with efficient funds for their child. Government funding usually comes into play to help those who have inefficient funds but is there really enough money for the government to disperse to all of the students that are in need? Will there be more private grants that are given so that students do not have to take out multiple loans? Would college tuitions ever have a constant rate so that people would be able to fund their child’s education much easier? Another topic is hard to come by. A good topic would be about global warming but I do not want to take the generic approach. If the world begins to reduce the amount of pollutants in the air will global warming decrease, not change at all, or become worse? The fact that people are cutting back on the emissions of their automobiles and greenhouse gases is this practice beneficial to the world or is slowly harming it? It is good that we are conserving and becoming wiser about our excessive use of modern technology but is it really for the best?
ReplyDeleteIn response to Gary Wong’s comment, abortion is too much of a controversial topic to research about because there are some many opinions out there that you won’t really get enough factual information. It would be a good argument to make but there will never be united idea whether abortion is right or wrong. You can possibly use it is a topic if you find various kinds of information to use but may not be enough for this paper.
Since the video game industry has been increasing substantially in popularity for a long time now, many people have come up with arguments for why video games are bad for the youth of America. As an avid gamer, and someone who has been that way since early childhood, I think it would be fun to explore topics such as video games relating to violence in children, obesity, impacts on social life, and self-esteem issues. Many people, like politicians and parents, attack video games and argue that they are ruining the childhoods of America's youth, and are turning them on to bad habits. I tend to disagree with this, and would really like to do some research on the facts. I believe that video games help to expand the mind, and promote critical thinking while teaching people to solve complex problems. They can help you focus, relax, and even calm down. While emotions can run high during a gaming session, I don't think that kids or teenagers who play video games are necessarily going to be violent just because they play violent games. I've been playing for years, and I know that I certainly am not. There are obviously many conclusions that can be drawn from researching how video games affect people, and I am excited to find out what they are.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Diego:
I think the topic of corruption in the church is a really good one to write about. There's tons of evidence of it throughout history, and I think you can really make a solid, engaging argument about it. I think it's very controversial, but a good argument should be.
When i began to think of topics for this paper and topics to analyze for this paper I had nothing. But as soon as I turned on the tv after working on it for a little while it came to me. Fad diets and quick fix workouts. America is becoming increasingly obese and these fads have unfortunately become a part of American culture. We have been trying to find the magical pill and quick fix to weight loss and health that no one wants to suck it up and lose weight the real way. These diets and workouts are scams and the companies pay off celebrities to promote them saying how they worked for them. I believe these diets are hurting our culture and i think it would make a good paper topic.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Evan Kastrenakes I think you might have a hard time writing a full paper on the benefits of piracy. It is such a sensitive subject to the music industry that i think you will have a very hard time finding sources that are advocating for it.
I reviewed the prompt and realized that my original topic, abortions, was on the banned list, and so I had to reconsider a different topic. I understand that the topic of Gay marriage is also banned, but I would also like the chance to address specifically gender Identity and the stigmas surrounding the issue. There are Drag Queens and Female impersonators, both serve to entertain However there are those individuals who live their life and truly believe that they are physically in the wrong body. The argument bases itself around both the mental/psychological aspect as well as the genetic and physical aspect. Where one may be born a woman, sh may truly feel and believe that "She" is in fact, a "He". One of the few instances that the transgendered community has been seen in the media is the "Pregnant man". How a Female to Male patient was able to carry a child in his still existing uterus.
ReplyDeleteIn response to mab10f, the Power bracelet has potential to be a really interesting paper, I would just be wary of running out of information or facts to write about. Also, the legalization of Marijuana unfortunately isn't the most original idea, but definitely is a solid argument!
When I first read the journal prompt I had no idea how to respond. I did not know if I could up with any "original" ideas. I read the Paper 2 prompt, and it istantly came to me.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that people in college and the people inmy generation are very active in causes or nonprofit organiztions. I would like to explore why companies like TOMS Shoes, who give a pair of shoes to a child in need everytime a pair is bought, appeals so much to the younger generation. Why are we so attracted to "causes"? I myself am very drawn to these types of things. I own a pair of TOMS and I try to be green as possible and have joined many causes on Facebook. Why is it that more and more young people are involved with these types of things? Is it because we are more open minded than the generations before us or is it because we grew up when the green movement or non-profit organizations are a huge part of our society?
In Response to Diego Gonzalez:
I think your topic is very interesting and original. This topic will be one you will be able to find a good amount of information on. I took a World Religions class last semester and learned about some of the things you mentioned. I do like how you don't completely discredit religion because of some of those who have corrupted the original purpose. It is a good idea to see something from both sides.
I am a huge fan of music, so i want to do research a topic involving music. Music today is very different than it was 50 years ago. And not just the music that artists play but what they write their songs about. Fifty years ago, bands like the Beatles sang songs about love and some current events. But whenever my roommate plays some new music, all I hear is how awesome this particular artist is. I can't remember the last song I heard that talked about a current event. There are of course exceptions of artist that actually sing about things. I my eyes there has also been a downfall of actually singing songs. Artists now don't really sing as well as they can. Like Beyonce', she has a very good voice, but never really utilizes it in her songs. Even the lead singer from Slipknot can sing, but I feel like all he does in that band is scream. I also think that music today is just written to make money and is not made as a form of expression. No one ever pours their soul into a song like B.B. King does. You just don't hear that kind of emotion in a song these days.
ReplyDeletein response to rhe10, I think it would be a good topic, just be sure to not run out of information. I feel like you can run out pretty quick
Same sex marriage is very diverse, and complex and not easy to compromise. Democrats favor the idea of same sex marriage. On the other hand, republicans are against it. Studies have shown that young adults and youth favor same sex marriage, while elderlies are against it. Conservatives push the idea away, liberalist favor it. Conservative researchers after continuous study’s came to conclusions that children with heterosexual parents thrive better than those raised by homosexual parents. Bias studies have shown a greater advantage towards kids who are being reared up in a mother and father marriage home. Due to the fact that girls and boys have variety of needs, there needs to be a balance at home which can only met if they are a home environment of different sex. Though the controversy will not be settle for many years, I believe that the end result should be to legalize homosexual marriages everywhere.
ReplyDeleteI am a strong believer in love. Saying no to same sex couples takes away a very fundamental and important right: the right to get married to somebody they love and has made a commitment to. According to democracy, this is not right nor is it fair. In the past decade, only five states have allowed same sex marriage they include Connecticut, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Iowa. I truly believe this will soon change because one day everyone will realize that love knows no color, or gender.
In response to Diego Gonzalez, I agree with you a hundred percent. Religion has been turned into a way to gain profit and spread their power. I look forward to hearing your points on your perspective on religion.
After reading the prompt for paper 2, I couldn't clearly come up with a topic to write about, so I started thinking about things that appeal to me and I really enjoy. The first thing that came to mind was tattoos, piercings, and crazy hair colors, something that I have many of. American culture today involves the younger generation that expresses themselves with tattoos covering their bodies from head to toe and piercing in places you'd never think possible. Older generations of society argue that tattoos and piercings are unacceptable and something that could hold you back in future success. Where as others argue that the craze is slowly becoming acceptable and viewed as artwork.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was brainstorming for a topic I also thought about Barbie dolls. Many young girls favorite things to play with and collect are Barbie Dolls. They have silky blonde hair, a perfect body, beautiful clothes, and are very materialistic. This could be a bad influence on young children in society who eventually grow up trying to become a real life Barbie. For example, there is a woman that lives in the United States that has gone under the knife a record breaking amount of times to look like a real life Barbie. Some girls will even become bulimic and anorexic to strive to have the perfect body Barbie has.
Another idea I considered was the caffeine phenomenon in American culture. It has become more than a billion dollar business and now caffeine is being added to everything from energy drinks like Redbull, energy bars, and even alcoholic drinks like Four Loko, replacing coffee. Too much caffeine has said to be unhealthy and addictive. Even when mixed with alcohol in drinks like Four Loko it can cause alcohol poisoning, black outs, and even death. Caffeine may be helpful but the way society is using it can be dangerous.
In Response to Lauren Mangine:
I really like your topic of shows that appeal to sex on television like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom. These are some of my favorite shows, but I dont think it is good for younger kids to be watching them. It shows that sex is okay at such a young age. These shows also portray how cute babies are and make younger girls want children, I had that reaction when I started watching Teen Mom.
When I first read the topic, the first thing that came to my mind to write about was lowering the drinking age. I figured that was a very debatable topic but unfortunately, that topic is banned. I kept thinking of what else I can write about and then my phone rang. I got the idea to write about how cell phones have changed our american culture. There isn't a day that I don't touch my phone. I constantly carry it around and I am always communicating with someone, especially now that I'm in college. Cell phones have changed our ways of communication and will continue to do so. My first cell phone was a Nokia brick phone, now I have a Blackberry and there continues to be more and more updates. Our phones can not only call, but now have internet, text messages and even have Facebook. I think this is a pretty good topic that I can write my research paper on.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Sab10:I think that's a great topic because you can talk about so much and it's something that really interests you. Music is something that has been a constant in american culture for decades so you can write about how the music has changed and how people went along with the change.
Reading over the prompt I was trying to figure out what culture in America I could possibly come up with an argument that I could debate for 7 to 10 pages. Then I read over the ideas that many of my classmates were coming up with, thinking to myself “How am I going to think of something that original?!” I noticed in the prompt the list of banned topics and came across “eating disorders.” I figured that yes that was an overused topic, but what about the issue of body image? Not all people who have self and body image problems have eating disorders. There are also many types that I can discuss and varying severities. Also how what is considered as “beautiful” has changed over the years in the media and how this has statistically affected young adults of our generation.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Lauren Mangine:
ReplyDeleteI think that the topic for your research paper is great. I know several girls I went to high school who just recently had kids or are pregnant. I think that 16 and pregnant and teen mom have idolized teen pregnancy and made it a less serious subject than what it really is. Personally, I think these girls think that their babies are just like little dolls and don’t realize what a real responsibility it is because they have their parents helping them out. I would be really interested to hear how you developed your argument for this issue.
After originally wanting discuss America’s love for the social network through the use of Facebook, I realized that this was a topic not to be discussed for research. So after careful thought I finally came to the conclusion about wanting to write about college drug abuse. I didn’t want to talk about your typical marijuana smokers or acid users, but talk about something that has grown rapidly in the past ten years; the switch from coffee to Adderall. Years ago, college students were content with studying just by going to the library and surviving off of a cup of coffee to keep them focused and awake. In today’s world, many students are finding that Adderall is the drug of choice, in order to get good grades and study for long periods of time. While this sounds like something positive, students forget that this is a drug that is meant to be for people with ADD or ADHD, and that it can have the opposite effect that it would normally with a person with the condition. It is a drug that is being overly abused readily available amongst the college community. I haven’t done much research on the topic, but I feel that it would be something interesting to research, as it is becoming a problem countrywide.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Nicole’s post, I completely agree. I have two tattoos myself, and they represent something of meaning and hold value to me. I respect the idea of individualism being able to express who you are. It bothers me how older generations see tattoos and piercings and automatically assume that the person possessing them is scummy and grimy I think that with every generation that passes by, the acceptance of individuality is growing exponentially. America is slowly changing from the conservative mindset to one of a more accepting nation. I hope that you do write about this topic, as it is a facet of American culture that is becoming very popular.
`To be honest, I genuinely have no clue as to what major topic I would discuss and analyze in my paper. I definitely don’t want to be clichéd and do abortion, religion, gun rights, or politics. Yet, those are the topics that keep popping in to my mind. However, I definitely know that none of those topics will make it into my paper. My next challenge is to then pick a topic that isn’t broad and that I can focus on a specific area. At first, I thought about doing something like the influences of media devices on society. Yet, I figured each device have its own ways of influencing and negatives that come with it. So at precise 2:00 a.m. , I am just sitting and typing and just thinking of what topic I might want to do. I constantly think about writing my paper on cyber bullying, but I know my stance is that it’s bad, so it’s definitely not a topic that is debatable in my opinion. It just seems to be a given. Also I don’t want to do something to controversial, for instance, immigration laws. As I rambled on throughout this journal, I finally have come up with a topic. I believe that I will write my paper on why educators, doctors, lawyers, and many other workers of this nature aren’t payed more than professional athletes. Yes, entertainment is a big part of society today, but should we pay football players to pay more to catch a football or educators to make a student the scholars of the world. To me this seems unfair and our values in society are different. Therefore I think I will try to debate this topic.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Kassandra Carr: I also believe you shouldn’t do a generic topic. It’s played out and that you should be more inventive and creative in your writing.
I agree with Tatiana, I carry my cell phone everywhere I go, and I feel weird without it. I use it to cal and text people, for internet, gps, watch..etc. My life is on that thing. Everyone these days are very dependent on their phone. I can't imagine an American without cell phones.
ReplyDelete