Reflection from class

In class we used three different methods to review our introduction paragraphs. I didn't like the relationship method because it seemed too tedious. The does/says method was easy to accomplish which i liked however i don't feel like it's thorough enough. The t/p/a method was the best in my opinion. It clearly points out the topic and purpose of the paragraph and also demonstrates how all the sentences are relevent to the topic and purpose. In the future I will most likely use the t/p/a method.

Video Summary

Since we didn't have class on Tuesday we had to watch three videos that presented the information we missed in class. The videos taught us about outlines. As we move on to the drafting phase of our next portfolio we need to focus on organization. There are many ways to organize thoughts. Some work better than others depending on the kind of learner you are. The traditional way to outline your paper is by using roman numerals. This method works best when you have topic, support, and evidence sentences. Another way is by freewriting. This way is good for natural drafters, however after freewriting it is necessary to edit and cut your ideas in order to write the paper. The third way to outline is by MEAL, which stands for main idea, evidence, analysis and link. Many people use this method for their body paragraphs, and not necessarily their introduction and conclusion paragraphs. The last method for organizing your thoughts is by showing and telling. Telling is simply making your observations while showing is using evidence to support your observations. Typically each paragraph will contain three or four shows and three or four tells.

Annotations for 3 sources

Source 1: Identity and Violence Amartya Sen
This book focuses on a persons identity, how we tend to identify others, and the violence these perspectives cause. This is relevant to my topic of humanity because it gives insight to why people perform acts of prejudice and injustice.

Source 2: "A Legend in humanity" Robyn-Denise Yourse
This newspaper article is about John Legend's effort to reach out to humanity. This is relevent to my paper because it provides a positive example of the good in people and how his fame helps him spread the same message i'm trying to convey in my paper.

Source 3: "prejudice" Encyclopedia Britannica
The encyclopedia entry for the word "prejudice" explains different kinds of prejudice and possible reasons why it occurs. This helps me explain to my readers why we have prejudice and why we need to get rid of it.

Introduction

Acts of inhumanity take place all throughout the world. For as long as humans have been living, they have been affected by prejudice and injustice. Why does this occur? We’re all human with the same emotions, pains, and capabilities to love and be loved. In order to rid the world of this cruel aspect of life, it is important to understand this sense of humanity and treat others accordingly with respect and equality. Examples and the effects of acts of prejudice and injustice against humanity will inform others, persuade them against these actions, and demonstrate the need for peace.

Abstract

Context

Everyone is human; we all have the same rights, emotions, pains, and capability to love and be loved despite our backgrounds. This message is clearly conveyed in my image. However people don't always see things this way which causes a problem.

Problem

The problem is that there is too much prejudice, inhumanity, and hate crimes in the world. This is a problem because these acts are unnecessary and unjust to those who are affected by them. The affect of these actions may also lead to greater effects on an individual, their families, society, and even the world.

Launching Point

In this paper i would like to convey a message about the problem that hopefully causes the readers to think of others as humans just like themselves. I plan on demonstrating this point of view through past examples of unjust or inhumane acts against certain groups of people and how these acts affected those who were targeted.

Topic and sources

Topic:

Humanity, prejudices, peace

Sources:

1. Baird, Robert M. Bigotry, Prejudice, and hatred: definitions, causes & solutions. Ed. Stuart E. Rosenbaum. Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus books, 1992. Print.

2. Biggar, Nigel. Burying the past: making peace and doing justice after civil conflict. Ed. Nigel Biggar. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown UP, 2001. Print.

3. Nasr, Seyyed H. The hear of Islam: enduring values for humanity. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2002. Print.

4. "prejudice." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 02 Nov. 2009 .

5. Robertson, Geoffrey. Crimes against Humanity: The strugle for global justice. Penguin, 1999. Print.

6. "Guy Fawkes." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 02 Nov. 2009 .

7. Anne Roiphe. "Just Another Genocide :[1]. " The Jerusalem Report 11 Aug. 2003: General Interest Module, ProQuest. Web. 5 Nov. 2009

8. Sen, Amartya. Identity and Violence The Illusion of Destiny (Issues of Our Time). New York: W. W. Norton, 2007. Print.

9. Yourse, Robyn-Denise. "A Legend in humanity; Singer devotes effort to helping world's poor." LexisNexis Academic. 18 June 2008. Web. 5 Nov. 2009. .

Richard Miller Summary

Richard Miller's video reminded me a lot of the reading we had by Burkdall. Miller talks about the change in communication and how it has become more instantaneous. He believes "we're living at the moment of the greatest change in human communication in human history." He also focuses on the multimedia aspects of communication and publication. Miller uses a personal example of how he incorporated visual images, audio clips, and text into one of his published works to demonstrate this. With the technology of computers, people are able to write, read, research, publish, and communicate on the web anywhere at anytime without picking up a pencil or opening a book. He mentions how he was assigned an article on the one year anniversary of the Virginia Tech. killings. He explains how he wrote and researched this whole article without stepping a foot in the library. He simply was able to find the information online and type it in a word document. In the reading by Burkdall, he also observes the rise of multimedia and its affects on our learning and teaching methods. Both Miller and Burkdall approve of the integration of multimedia and writing, which is why these two texts reminded me of each other.