My Multimedia Assignment

The most exciting part about the multimedia assignment for me is being able to present an argument in a way that is relevant to my age group.  The prior assignments have both been in an essay format, which is a great way to provide information and explain research, but essays are not very interesting to college students.  With the multimedia assignment, my group members and I will be able to create an entertaining video that will be much more relevant to our classmates.  I believe this is the best way to make a persuasive argument to our class.  It will also be fun to create a video which outlines the points of our argument.  It will be much easier to present our argument to our audience because we can explain our points in our own words rather than basing it off of the opinions of others.  Also, it will be interesting to create a storyline behind our argument.

Research Intro

The recession that the world has experienced over the last few years has affected everyone, but one of the areas hit the hardest in the United States is the higher education system.  The economy’s fall has decreased the amount of money available to everyone, so institutions have a hard time finding funding for their educational programs.  Students have seen colleges struggle to manage their finances, and it has become difficult for students to pay for a quality education.  This is important because these students are the future business and government leaders, and without the proper education, no one will be able to fill leadership roles.  All of these problems are linked to the recent economic downfall.  The recession has negatively affected many aspects of the higher education system, including funding provided by the government, the price of tuition, the availability of scholarships and grants for prospective students, and the value of a college degree.

Research Log: Working With Sources

This image makes the argument that after college, graduates are left with the large burden of student debt left from the loans they used to pay for school.  It depicts a student with his textbooks and pencils scattered on the ground after a giant bag of money labeled "Student Debt" fell on him.  This shows how much of a problem student debt can be as it builds up throughout college.  This cartoon does not display a strong bias although it causes readers to assume that all students face this same issue.  This cartoon supports my thesis because it shows how hard it can be to deal with student debt, and in a recession, this task becomes even more difficult.  It is a very discouraging fact for many prospective students.  I would include this in my essay when I discuss students' struggles with paying for college education.  This cartoon would illustrate my points about how students debate the value of college in this recession because of all of the debt they will build up by using student loans.

Research Sources

"In a Recession, Is College Worth It? Fear of Debt Changes Plans" by Sandra Block (October 9,2011)

• This article provides both sides of the argument over how valuable a college degree is during a recession, along with alternatives that prospective students may use.
• “‘But unemployment among college graduates is still half that of high school graduates. A college education payoff is at least as high as it was before the recession. You're so much less likely to struggle if you have an education’" (Block).
• "But as the worst recession since World War II trudges into its 21st month, many graduates are discovering that the college payoff could be a long time coming — if it comes at all" (Block).
• This article from USA Today discusses the value of a college degree during a recession.  This topic is often debated because while college degrees often lead to better job opportunities, it is common for students to have thousands of dollars in student loans to pay off after graduating.  Many people also mention the fact that because unemployment rates rise during recessions, graduates may have no job to help them pay off these loans.  Others argue that unemployment rates rise for everyone, and a college degree provides better chances for employment:  “‘But unemployment among college graduates is still half that of high school graduates. A college education payoff is at least as high as it was before the recession. You're so much less likely to struggle if you have an education’" (Block).  College graduates also earn more money per year than others in most cases.  That can be important during a recession when it is tough to pay for living expenses.  The information from this article will benefit me by providing both advantages and disadvantages of going to college during a recession.  This information is important for discussing the economy’s effect on prospective college students.

"The Recession Hits College Campuses - US News and World Report" by Kim Clark (October 9, 2011)

• The article contains a graph displaying the percentages at which college endowments have increased and decreased in recent years.  The article discusses how the recession has affected how much money colleges and universities have available.
• “Yale, which saw its widely diversified portfolio increase by 1.5 percent in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008, last month warned that its endowment had already fallen 25 percent since then” (Clark).
• "And in previous recessions, college enrollment has risen, since college graduates get bigger paychecks and more opportunities" (Clark).
• Kim Clark wrote this article for US News and World Report shortly after the economy took a turn for the worst.  The article provides proof of just how quickly the recession affected colleges and universities, and it gives an example of what some of the early effects on the higher education system were.  One important topic Kim Clark mentions is the size of university endowments after the recession began.  In the first few months following the beginning of the recession, most colleges already saw a decrease in their endowments, but the percentages were usually small.  When a survey was taken again a few months later, the colleges reported much larger losses:  “Yale, which saw its widely diversified portfolio increase by 1.5 percent in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008, last month warned that its endowment had already fallen 25 percent since then” (Clark).  This information will be important for my research because it gives an understanding of the initial effects felt by colleges and universities due to the recession.  The article also mentions effects on students by discussing increases in tuition prices and the demand for a college education during recessions.  I can use this source towards the beginning of my research paper in order to introduce the economy’s effect on higher education.

"Labour Economics : The Long-term Labor Market Consequences of Graduating from College in a Bad Economy." by Lisa B. Kahn (September 30, 2011)

• This article contains many tables showing wage statistics from previous years, and it discusses the effects of graduating from college during a recession.
• “Given these wage findings, one might wonder if workers would be better off waiting to enter the labor market until the economy picks up. This would mean forgoing a year or two of earnings, which is possibly a smaller loss than the losses I find. It does not seem to be the case in the real world, but this can be reconciled with my findings” (Kahn).
• "The results in this paper strongly support the hypothesis that graduating from college in a bad economy has a long-run, negative impact on wages. I also find a negative effect on occupational attainment and slight increases in both educational attainment and tenure for those who graduate in worse national economies" (Kahn).
• This article is an in depth study of the effects of entering the job market after graduating from college during a recession.  Lisa B. Kahn is part of the Yale School of Management, and her study reveals that in addition to lowering initial salaries, graduating during a recession can negatively impact students’ earnings for many years.  By studying data from previous recessions, Lisa Kahn was able to support her claim that entering the job market during a recession can negatively affect someone’s career even after the recession has ended.  An interesting thought that Kahn brings up is whether or not it would be beneficial for someone to wait until the economy improves before searching for a job:  “Given these wage findings, one might wonder if workers would be better off waiting to enter the labor market until the economy picks up. This would mean forgoing a year or two of earnings, which is possibly a smaller loss than the losses I find. It does not seem to be the case in the real world, but this can be reconciled with my findings” (Kahn).  Although graduates would have to find a way to survive without a job until the economy improved, they would be able to avoid the long term negative effects of entering the job market during the recession.  Kahn’s study can improve my research paper by providing yet another side to the argument over the value of a college degree in a weak economy.  The statistics from this article will support the claim that the value of a college degree is greatly impacted by the economy.

Prezi Brainstorming Web

http://prezi.com/liugnt9sc5pf/brainstorming-web/

Research Paper

There are several aspects to our research papers that I am still unclear on at this point.  I have written many research papers in the past, so I understand most of the steps of writing the paper, but I could still learn a few things about the research itself.  For example, I would like to learn about the different ways to use different types of sources in my paper.  I need a better understanding of the differences between using a newspaper article versus a book or a primary source versus a secondary source.  Also, I would like to learn when to use summary, paraphrasing, and direct quotes.  I understand the differences between all three, but how is each method beneficial at different points in writing the research paper?  Strategies for how to find the right information in a source would also be a helpful topic.  What is the best way to determine which information to include in the research paper?

Friday Flyers

1.  The Friday Flyers were originally known as the John Acorn Project.
2.  Mr. Acorn, who started the project, is the former Department Chair of the Arts Department.
3.  There are six aluminum airplanes that are each eight feet in length.
4.  One of the Friday Flyers hangs in the library.
5.  Each Friday Flyer represents a different part of a student's journey through Clemson University.

Thesis Practice

1.  The advertisement focuses on the treatment of animals slaughtered for meat.  PETA often uses controversial advertisements to gain support for laws against animal cruelty.  This particular advertisement uses sex appeal to draw attention to animals killed for meat.  The advertisement shows a woman wrapped in plastic posing with chains and hooks used to hang meat for storage.  The image is supposed to remind people of what happens to animals once they are killed for their meat.  The meat is stored on hooks and later wrapped in plastic to be shipped and sold to the consumer.  The image is supposed to invoke pathos which makes people feel sympathy for the animals.  The words in the advertisement are also supposed to invoke these same feelings.  The advertisement says "No one wants to be treated like a piece of meat" and "Relate to who's on your plate".  People see the attractive woman and feel that neither she nor animals should be treated in that manner.

2.  The advertisement focuses on the debate over cruelty towards animals harvested for meat.

3.  How?  The image invokes pathos through the use of a woman placed in the same situations that meat goes through.  People feel sympathy for the animals because they would not kill people and hang them on hooks or wrap them in plastic.  The advertisement also uses the appeal of an almost naked woman to draw attention to the subject.
What are the contradictions?  The advertisement focuses on the negative things resulting of killing animals for their meat, and it asks people to relate to the animals.  But rather than using advertisements with animals, PETA uses celebrities and models to gain support.  There are also positive effects of raising animals for meat.
To what effect?  The advertisment draws in a great amount of attention, especially from males.  It also successfully creates feelings of sympathy for animals in many people who view the advertisement.
How do I know this?  The image automatically catches the attention of many people who look at it, and the surroundings make people feel sympathy for the animals killed for their meat.

4.  This advertisement focuses on PETA's fight against animal cruelty by comparing a model wrapped in plastic surrounded by hooks to the meat of animals that have been slaughtered.  This comparison makes people think about how animals are treated before being killed and how the conditions are worse than what we would do to other humans.  It is interesting because the image makes people stop and really think about the lives that animals face.  It relates to the larger issue PETA faces with cruelty to animals in all situations.

5.  This advertisement focuses on the issue of cruelty towards animals that are killed for their meat.  People see the comparison between these animals and humans, and they feel that the animals should not face these harsh conditions.  The advertisement makes people realize that they must respect the lives of other animals in addition to those of humans.

Getting to Know Me

My name is Stefan Topper.  I am eighteen years old and I am a freshman at Clemson University.  I was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, but I have moved several times since then.  After two years in Pennsylvania, my family and I moved to Summerville, South Carolina before moving again four years later.  This time, the move took us overseas to The Netherlands, where we lived for another four years.  My final move brought me back to Summerville, where I have lived since 2001.  Because of my many years in South Carolina, the state has become a large part of my life and I have made many friends here.  I attended Fort Dorchester High School in North Charleston, where I was part of the International Baccalaureate program.  Throughout my years in middle school and high school, I realized that science and math were my strongest subjects, and I became interested in engineering.  Because of this, my college search led me to many colleges with respected engineering programs.  Clemson was one of these colleges, and although it was not my first choice, I soon realized that Clemson was perfect for me.  With in-state tuition, financial aid, a great engineering program, a beautiful campus, and a location close to family and friends, Clemson became my final choice, and I am now an engineering student.  I believe my strengths as a writer include correct spelling and grammar and being able to support my ideas thoroughly.  I am hoping that English 103 will allow me to identify my weaknesses as a writer and help me develop better writing skills.  Outside of school, my hobbies include playing music and sports.  I play piano and viola, and I am trying to learn how to play guitar.  I have played soccer competitively for many years, but I will play any sport for fun.  One surprising thing about me is that I am one fourth Native American and over one half German.  I have been learning to speak German for many years, and I am continuing to learn at Clemson this year.