Discussion n. 10: Representation and self-representation (Due Feb 26)

THIS IS FROM one of your classmates, from the last assignment. I chose it as an example of a well written (short) essay.

READ IT AND COMMENT: is there something you can learn from this in terms of APPROACH, STYLE, STRUCTURE (not information).  How does it compare to your essay on the same topic?

[And if you don't know who the Pashtuns are, hurry to find out].

 

 

In today's world a mistake made by a member of a group or tribe represents the entire tribe. The same goes for the Pashtuns. They are seen worldwide as terrorists, although terrorism is not the work of a single tribe or religion. They are portrayed as violent and illiterate extremists. In the media the mention of the Pashtuns comes side by side with the Taliban and they are almost perceived as one and the same thing. They are also considered to be generally dimwitted and there are many jokes about them being truck drivers. To most people the Pashtuns are a hot headed, dumb, impulsive race of terrorists who are good for nothing.

The Pashtuns themselves however, take a lot of pride in being Pashtuns. They think of themselves as a warm, loving and loyal people. They are very brave and passionate and that may be the reason they come off to others as violent. The Pashtuns are also very hospitable and friendly. At the start of the area of the Pashtuns in Pakistan there is a sign that reads, "Welcome to the land of hospitality". The Pashtuns believe in Islam and all the good it teaches. They are very family oriented and generous and try their best to help their less fortunate family members. They are very firm in their decisions and beliefs which to others seems too strict. But the Pashtuns never let any of this get to them and are still proud to be called Pashtuns.

DISCUSSION N. 9: Son of Italy Due Feb 26

COMMENT

Read your classmates' comments first and avoid repeating the obvious.

Pascal describes a childhood in conditions of wretched poverty and exploitation, of deprivation and suffering.
And yet, at a certain point, he says that "they were happy."

Is that "happiness" a result of total lack of self-awareness at that time; or is it the product of the passing of time, of looking back and re-inventing the past?

(And, don't be so sure your answer is the correct one.)

REPLY to a perspective you had not considered.

Discussion n. 8: THE ITALIAN and early 20th century film -- Due Mon Feb 26

The main issue about the film's message (The Italian) to that audience,  was whether Beppo's madness was understandable temporary madness, or if it was a warning signal that if you scratch an Italian you will find a brute (like the Lombroso ape-like shoeshine of the cartoon.)

I know I have lobbied heavily to skew your perspective in the latter direction (maybe I am guilty of indoctrination).

Did I "force" my interpretation on you? Or did I do what I am supposed to do?

Do you think that everything is just a matter of opinion?

COMMENT

A thoughtful comment on ONE clear and precise issue. Don't try to answer all the points in the premise/prompt.

REPLY
An even more thoughtful reply to a CLEAR and LUCID comment.

Discussion n. 8: Amazon-Hachette again Due Feb 26

Now imagine that the cartoon shows 3 persons who look like they are from YOUR TRIBE.

Or, pick the least favorite stereotype about your tribe and imagine it used in a cartoon.


COMMENT

When you FIRST analyzed the cartoon, were you aware of the layering of meanings?

Did you correctly identify the topic, namely, abusive practices in business dealings? Or, the will of the thug?

Rejected email

Discussion n. 7: ITAM stereotypes (due Feb 19)

Reminder:

 

Only comments posted by the deadline receive credit.

 

Open this FILE where I collected your ITAM stereotypes. (Thank you to those who did this assignment. Everything you do in this course is going to count as extra credit toward the final grade.)

 

COMMENT:  two separate answers.

 

A)   Read the stereotypes and give your first reaction: would you be proud to be part of a tribe that is represented in these terms?

 

 

B) About the Hachette/Amazon cartoon: did you notice at all the heavy stereotype of the secretary? Of course, Italian Americans were outraged, especially because it appeared in such an august publication. This cartoon was a rudeness and insensitivity feast.

 

As to the employees of Amazon being offended: nobody is born an Amazon's employee. They can always get another job. There is a huge difference between natural inherent properties and transient ones.

Was the reaction of Italian Americans exaggerated?

 

REPLY to someone who expressed an opinion different than yours in either A or B.

 

DISCUSSION N. 6 - A semiological analysis -- Due FEB 19

It means "analysis of the signs," from Greek semeion = signal.

Semiotics is a branch of hermeneutics, the philosophical study of MEANING. 

Here, much more accessibly, we are dealing mostly with the MESSAGE. A message results from the accumulation of signs. A message is an arrangement of signs organized according to a particular code that is familiar both to the sender and the receiver.

Take a look at this cartoon. It appeared in what is undoubtedly the best written magazine in America, The New Yorker,  a very progressive publication with a stellar reputation for integrity and accuracy.

Background: Amazon.com, that by now is the largest book distributor in the world, not long ago started pressuring book publishers to lower their prices below the standard $9.99 for ebooks. The lower the price, the higher the sales and the more profit for Amazon. Most publishers were very unhappy but went along. Hachette decided to reject the imposition. Amazon started boycotting the sale of Hachette books, causing a drop in sales.

Hachette, most of all, supported the complaints of writers who saw their share of the sales go down every time Amazon forced publishers to lower the prices.

This is how The New Yorker characterized the bargaining methods of Amazon.

 COMMENT in TWO PARAGRAPHS

1) In your opinion, who were the people who complained about this cartoon? Why did they complain?

2) In your opinion, were they right to complain?

I hope to elicit a variety of responses. Try to break the mold of conformism. What "signs" in particular people found offensive?

Required: REMINDER - due Mon Feb 12

In COMMENT, acknowledge that you know that at the end of the semester you will have to turn in a document with all the COMMENTS you posted on time. NO LATE comments accepted.

Discussion n. 5: What are your sources of information? (Due Mon Feb 12)

This is a self-reflection exercise. It asks that you focus on your own reactions and investigate what shapes them.


COMMENT in two separate paragraphs:


1) CLEARLY STATED: Whatever information you know about Italian Americans, what are the sources?

No messy jumbles of everything and nothing. A clear, organized answer that shows what the PRIMARY sources are.

Media? Primarily what kind of media?

Direct knowledge? Friends, neighbors, neighborhood, family, yourself?

2) How does THE SOURCE of that information make a difference in shaping your perception of ITAMs?

Think hypothetically (but don't write about it: if you had information from a different source, what would be your opinion.)

NOW, after thinking comparatively, WRITE  how and why the source of your info makes a difference.


REPLY: pick someone whose sources are different from yours and respond to their self-reflection.

REQUIRED: send an email

Email Subject:   ITAM

In the message, list in bullet format, what, in your opinion, PEOPLE THINK when THEY HEAR  "ITALIAN AMERICAN".

NOT what YOU think when you hear the term. Rather, what other people in general think.

DISCUSSION n. 4: Technical and writing recommendations DUE FEB as soon as possible

1) Write your comments in paragraphs, particularly if your comments are longer than 3-4 lines. You want people to read your ideas. With the kind of screens your classmates (and you) most likely use, reading is much easier if copy is broken down into chunks.

2) For the same reason:  don't ramble on. Focus on one idea BEFORE you start writing. This is not the place for stream of consciousness. To the contrary.
You want your messages to be clear and crisp. Short sentences (+ paragraph organization) help.

3) In your COMMENTS, do not address me (your prof.) directly. More brutally, don't talk to me. Talk to your classmates. AVOID at all cost using "YOU" (often used as an impersonal form: it's lazy and gives the impression of random thoughts.)

4) In REPLY of course you can use YOU, as long as you are talking directly to the comment's author. Avoid confusion and misunderstandings.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: the use of impersonal YOU in your assignments is strictly prohibited. (You don't know what "impersonal you" means? Hmmm, where could you find an answer?)

COMMENT
Which of the suggestions above hit the spot with you? How are you going to change your approach to writing?

REPLY to a comment that can help you improve your clarity.

Optional: TRIBES

Are there aspects of your tribe you dislike?

Discussion n. 3: TRIBES (due Feb 5)

COMMENT:

Are you comfortable with the notion of "tribe?"
Do you feel you belong to a tribe?

Even if you are disconnected, by your looks, your accent or where you live, OTHER PEOPLE automatically place you with a tribe: are you aware of it? Do you fight it? Do you like it?


REPLY to a comment that describes an inner experience different from your own.

Discussion n. 2: Cartoons and 2 silent shorts - due FEB 5

COMMENT, two separate paragraphs.

1) Put yourself in the perspective of the original NON ITALIAN audience that saw those texts. Which one do you think was most effective in communicating its message (the message is pretty obvious throughout.)

2) Pick a SMALL DETAIL in the text you choose in 1) and explain why, in your personal view, it enhances and clarifies the underlying message. DETAIL means a small aspect, not a major theme.

Read your classmates' comments first. For 2) choose something original that has not been picked before.

3) REPLY: choose a comment that made an impression for the QUALITY OF WRITING and explain what you could learn from it.