Grading Rubric

·        Visual (____/15 points)

§  Colors [Is the presentation visible]

§  Are the words and pictures easily read and seen

·         Content (____/50 points)

§  Was the research question and argument clearly stated

§  Were the required book, article, and website presented

§  Was there a picture that related to the topic

§  Were there any spelling errors

§  Were there any grammar errors

·         Organization (____/50 points)

§  Did the presentation seem in order?

§  Research question, argument, then the research (book, website, article) presented following with the evaluation process

·         Appropriate Citations (____/20 points)

§  Was the research material cited correctly  

§  Did the picture have a citation with it

·         Verbal (____/15 points)

§  Did the group speak clearly

§  Do they seem knowledgeable on the topic or as if the presentation was the first time they had viewed it

annotated bibliography

What is an annotated bibliography? Why do you have to write one for this class?

In my understanding of an annotated bibliography it is listing out my sources for the research project and along with listing sources gives me the opportunity to explain each source. This seems like the time to explain the source and more importantly to explain or use the CURRA to explain why I believe the source is reliable or [Credible Unbiased Relevant has References and how it is Accurate].

So why write one for this class? A big part of the class has been to not only search for sources but to be sure that they are reliable sources. Honestly until this class I was familiar with keeping an eye out for sketchy sources but never realized how much I needed to check or review in order to weed out bad information. Also in writing this annotated bibliography it shows that we not only picked resources but that we took the time to read through the various books, articles, and websites. It gives us the chance to point out the connections between the sources and our research questions and arguments. Just because a source may be on the same topic does not mean that it will work with our research questions.    

Word count 215 

Research Portfolio

Find at least two credible websites (so, you’ve evaluated them, using our CURRA evaluation criteria) and cite them. Include annotations for each website summarizing the content of the website and how you plan to use it in your research project.

Website #1 http://www.history.com/search?search-field=Ku+Klux+Klan&x=0&y=0

“Ku Klux Klan.” 2012. The History Channel website. Nov 7 2012, 8:53  http://www.history.com/topics/ku-klux-klan.

I chose the history.com website because it covers many aspects of the Ku Klux Klan. In searching through the website I found articles/information on how they began, problems they have caused over the years all kinds of information. I could use this website in my research by giving information on the Ku Klux Klan, their history, and discuss the chaos they have caused and are still causing.

Website #2 http://www.wellness.com/blogs/sydshahid/2009/what-is-xenophobia-and-what-are-its-serious-consequences-if-we-dont-stop-it/syed-shahid-md

"Top Conditions." What Is Xenophobia and What Are Its Serious Consequences If We Don't Stop               It? N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2012. http://www.wellness.com/blogs/sydshahid/2009/what-     is-xenophobia-and-what-are-its-serious-consequences-if-we-dont-stop-it/syed-shahid-           md>.

I believe this is a great resource because it gives information on Xenophobia. I did some research on the author and found that he has an MD and has been working in various fields of medicine for the past 25 years. This source would be very useful for my research in that I wanted to cover Xenophobia but to narrow that down further, I am covering a more specific type of it which is racism and how that ties into being fearful of people.

Facebookistan

Facebookistan

I feel as though I have the right to some amount of privacy on Facebook. They allow users to set their information on private and limit what some websites can gain access too. The podcast (which was ridiculously long) mentioned the problems with privacy changes happening sometimes over night. From personal experience I had set everything on private only to soon realize (after I was being harassed by someone) that my settings were changed without my permission. 

This is where my rights and responsibilities come together.

I have the right to privacy and to connect with people that I know but must also take on the responsibilities to constantly check my settings. I am one who has everything I can, set on private. (why share information with strangers?) Another responsibility of mine is that I need to keep in mind that I should not place anything on Facebook, Blogger or any other internet website that I would not want the world to read, hear, or see. As much as I enjoy Facebook I see the many problems that occur. Harassment, bullying, and hate groups happen on here as much as it happens in person and that people have ways to get around privacy setting and gain access to all of my information. My responsibility is to realize what goes on the internet is out there for the world to potentially see.

This ties into the class in that Facebook and Blogger are new and developing ways to get information and to spread information. People are using these things for more than logging daily activities, pictures, and keeping up with friends. People are connecting from all over sharing, ideas, facts, opinions. Keeping that in mind, Facebookistans need to be careful with how they post information, ideas, or facts. One final thing that connects to the class (which I am VERY annoyed by) is that with every click that I make it is added to my filter bubble further narrowing the types of information that is offered to me. Learning about filter bubbles was very interesting but at the same time I feel like I would have been better not knowing about them. I cannot help but think about what all I have missed out on in researching for papers, projects, and even looking at the news.

Word Count 385

Research Portfolio

Wednesday, October 31: Find at least one image that you would use in a presentation about your topic and cite it correctly. Also find an additional resource you’d use in your research project. 

"KKK Crawlers November 1922: Members Of The American White Supremecist Movement, The Ku Klux Clan Crawling Out Of A Tunnel After A Meeting. (Photo By Topical Press Agency/Getty Images) -- Image Date: 01/11/1922 -- Image Date: 01/11/1922." (1922): Image Collection. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.

I found this picture to be interesting because the members were hiding in a tunnel for their meeting. So much of what I read was the KKK hiding, secret meetings, when they do appear publicly they hide their faces. Are they fearful of prosecution if caught? Fearful of what will be done to them if other races see them? Or are they just trying to intimidate others?... 

______

Additional resource that I found…

So far I have researched through GALILEO & Databases for information. I thought for an additional source it would be interesting to get some information from the point of view of KKK members. (Scary…) But there is actually a website kkk.com. I was curious about the content of the website and in looking through it came across an application to join them, merchandise people can buy and even a section on various articles they had written.

One article was The Coming White Genocide

": The Coming White Genocide." : The Coming White Genocide. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2012. <http://kkk.bz/main/?page_id=570>.

(This is in no way a scholarly article but I thought it would be interesting to show the opinion/point of view of a KKK member.)

A couple quotes from the "article"

“The genocide against our race will take many decades, but the time is steadily becoming short. And this genocide is not based on geography, but race. It is a worldwide phenomena”

“Whites will be faced with crime rates never seen before in history, in some places mass killings, arrests and displacement, will most likely happen. We will be turned into a weak and compliant slave minority. Our people are coming under judgment from God because they refuse to follow his laws on a national scale”

Though this is not a scholarly article it goes along with my research in the possible psychological explanations behind Xenophobia. Is the KKK simply a hate group? Are they expressing their fears through hate, intimidation, and violence? Or are they simply violent crazed whites?

       ~I had hoped to find an interview but this was as close as I could get to hearing from a Klan member~

Filter Bubble

Filter Bubbles

~What is it? What are the drawbacks? What are the problems for my academic research? Which ones do I experience in my life?

Filter bubbles are a way for websites like Google and Facebook to show in my search results the things they think I may be interested in based on previous searches or things I have clicked on other websites. (Many more websites I’m sure but these are the main ones I’ve noticed these past few days)

The man in the video stated it, “Shows what it thinks we want to see not what we need to see and may not see uncomfortable information”. There are many drawbacks to filter bubbles and his statement was the main one. If this happens on news websites I may be missing out on seeing important current events.

Another drawback of filter bubbles is when it comes to doing research. Based on things that I have previously clicked I may end up missing out on links that give me the information needed in academic research.

I wanted to do a little experiment to see how this works when I search for something and then have my boyfriend search the same thing on a different computer. The results were not as drastically different like the two searches in the video but we still got different results.   

Word Count 224

rhetorical devices

I had heard of rhetorical devices before but never took the time to purposefully search for them until class Monday. I never realized how often they are used and how I get sucked into them.

One rhetorical device that I noticed being used quite frequently was the appeals to emotion. Though there are many used in everyday commercials and especially during the political debates the appeals to emotion is used A LOT.

The website your logical fallacy explains the appeal to emotion as “to manipulate an emotional response in place of a valid or compelling argument”  (Richardson, Smith & Meaden, 2012)

Richardson, J., Smith , A., & Meaden, S. (2012). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/

*Example one: This was mentioned in class but was one of the first that I thought of. That is the ASPCA commercials where they play sad music and show the sweet little faces of animals in cages or right after being rescued from abusive situations. They show the pictures and then ask for donations. (how can you possibly say no to that!)

*Example two: The starving children in Africa or those few commercials that show the hungry children in our country. They show starving children then ease right into if you give ___ a month you will save __# of children’s lives.

*Example three: During the presidential debate Obama would be asked a question and would begin his answer with a sad story from his past then ease into answering the question. Though that can be quite annoying (whether it be Obama or Romney doing the same thing) it does work in many cases.