Week 6 Blog
Write ten sentences about your argument topic. Order them however you want.
Week 3 - Kairos + Doxa
What is Kairos, and why doe it matter? What is Doxa, and why does it matter?
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Week 1 - Listening Process & Writing Process
Multimedia Argument Reflection
This is a counterpart to your Multimedia Argument project. Write 200-250 words reflecting on the choices you made for your multimedia argument. What program did you use? What theme did you choose? What was the argument? What images did you choose and why? What sounds you choose, and rhythm patterns? Tempo (speed)? How will your argument affect your audience?
My argument topic is about treatment of depression. The two most common treatments for major depressive disorder are medications (antidepressants) and psychotherapy. My argument is that psychotherapy is more beneficial to a patient with depression than medication. I will use online websites and online published journal articles to conduct my research. I will introduce a little bit of background about what depression is and then provide a description of what both treatments entail. I will also include pros and cons of both treatments as well as ethical issues that arise with both treatments. I will talk about two types of psychotherapies which are cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy. Cognitive-behavioral therapy focuses on how the patient’s own thoughts and behaviors contribute to their depression whereas interpersonal therapy focuses on how the patient’s relationships with others contributes to their depression. I will argue for psychotherapy however I will make sure to mention some negative side effects of therapy to strengthen my argument. I will also include data such as percentages of people "cured" from just using antidepressants and the average amount of time it takes people to get cured from medication as opposed to therapy.
ReplyDeleteMy topic for my argument is historic preservation, which refers to protecting buildings and other landmarks that have historic significance. I chose this topic because of my major, which is Construction Science and Management, as well as my interest in history. Our world continues to grow even with the finite space we have. The argument for historic preservation often comes up when an old building needs to be removed in order to make room for a newer building. In my argument, I would like to discuss the specifications a building must meet to be preserved, different options of preservation, and how preserving buildings helps our society. My argument is very broad right now, and I am hoping to refine it as I research. I may choose to focus on a couple of cities or a specific organization that promotes historic preservation. When I conduct my research, I want to look into historical records of preserved buildings and laws or funds created to help historic preservation. I also want to read academic journals about the different opinions on historic preservation, including how it these opinions have changed over the years. There are many organizations that support historic preservation, so I will use their websites in my research as well.
ReplyDeleteMy topic is about the impact of American nonprofits, specifically dealing with education in Central America. I chose this topic because it is closely related to my major as well as potential future career choices. Education is one of the most problematic issues facing Central America today. Even though it has become more popular and more available recently, schools are lacking in resources and overall quality. Many American nonprofits are attempting to support local communities in Central America by building schools and funding other resources and projects. I do not yet have a claim for my argument. Instead, I intend to research how these nonprofits are benefiting the areas they are attempting to support, as well as ways in which they are failing to reach and develop these communities. I plan to research this particular topic by communicating with people with positions in nonprofit organizations. I will also use the websites of various nonprofits to gain more information. My overall goal in this project is to gather information, analyze successes and failures, and form a claim about the overall impact of these organizations.
ReplyDeleteI will be arguing for stricter food regulations. This topic sparked my interest when I heard about the differences between American and European food regulations. The process and the actual rules shocked me. Besides the differences, America also has a huge problem with obesity. We are known for our hamburgers, fries, and fast food. I think that food is one of the most important factors to health, if not the most important. The FDA holds the power to dramatically change the health of America, which in turn would snowball to other diseases: heart disease, diabetes, etc… At the moment, I think that too many chemicals are allowed in our products, such as artificial dyes and artificial growth hormones. The push for increased profit in the food industry has led companies to add harmful preservatives to increase shelf life. While this is helpful in the short-term for businesses, the long-term effects are harmful.
ReplyDeleteMy topic is about renewable energy, which is energy that is renewed by itself. Types of renewable energy include wind, sun, water, etc. Also, one very important resource people tend to forget about it energy from different algae. Learning about renewable energy in my geology class really opened my eyes to see what the world has to offer us on its own. One of the biggest advantages of renewable energy is the little amount of "cleaning" the earth has to do. Renewable energy also has a lot better safety record than nonrenewable energy and it gives off less pollution. Although there are some downsides, I will mainly be discussing the benefits. Although the renewable energy resources are costly and take up more space on the earth's ground, personally I think it is worth it to make the atmosphere cleaner and stop destroying it as we are now. Also, without pollution there will be no more "smog" that clogs people's airways, especially in China. My goal is to inform people about the positive effects of renewable energy while also stating some of the disadvantages because there is good and bad to both sides.
ReplyDeleteFor my argument topic, I decided to pick NASA funding and argue that it should continue to be governmentally funded. NASA receives roughly 0.5% of the total US budget, and some people argue that it does not deserve the funding that it receives, especially with the emergence of private companies such as SpaceX. Space exploration brings much uncertainty, as it is never a guarantee new results will be found and it is a costly expenditure. However, space exploration is too big of a task for private companies, needing the assistance from the government to help missions become possible. I chose to pick this topic because I love space and dream of possibly working for NASA one day, and for that to happen, NASA must be funded. NASA is more than traveling to space as it also involves a lot of research about the world we live in. Through this research, many discoveries have been made that bettered life here on earth, such as improvements in artificial limbs and memory foam. It is also argued that there is not much more to find in space worth exploring. However, there is much more to be learned through travel to other planets. Overall, the possibilities NASA brings about outweigh the opposition to NASA funding and therefore the program should still be funded and supported by the government.
ReplyDeleteMy argumentative topic is Capital Punishment, or more commonly known as the death penalty. The use of death as a punishment has been around for centuries. It is now receiving more attention, as more people are becoming concerned with its use. There are now only 31 states that are still allowing death as a punishment for crimes. Methods of execution include hanging, lethal injection, firing squad, gas chamber, and electrocution. Washington is the only state to where someone can be hanged, and Utah is the only state where a firing squad is still used. Gas inhalation is only used in Arizona and California, while Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia all allow electrocution. The death penalty was stopped in 1972, but reinstated in 1976. Lethal injection is the primary method of execution in the states that still allow capital punishment. Since 1976 1,264 criminals have been executed in the United States.
ReplyDeleteMy argument topic is about stem-cell research, specifically the debate on whether to promote or not promote stem cell research. The ethics behind stem cells is that they are from embryos that must be harvested to obtain the special stem cells. What makes these cells so special is that they can make multiple copies of themselves, and they can differentiate into more specialized cells. This then leads to the treatment of many diseased organs and tissues. Stem cells are costly but are one of the most effective forms of treatment for many cancers and diseases. My argument will be for stem cell research, but I will also look at the opposing argument that is not in favor for stem cell research. Those that are against funding stem cell research see it with a view of pro-life activism. They see embryos as human beings and harvesting embryos as murder. To develop my argument, scholarly journals on cancer treatment and research will be looked at, as well as, organizations like the American Cancer Society and the ISSCR, or the International Society for Stem Cell Research. Even though I will be arguing for stem cell research, I will keep an open mind and display the other side of the argument.
ReplyDeleteMy topic is about the one-and-done rule in college basketball. This is the rule where players coming out of High School do not have the option of entering the NBA, but must play a year in college basketball or wait a year. There is many varying opinions on wether this is a good rule or if it should be taken away or even added onto. One of the most popular arguments against the one-and-done rule is that if a kid is good enough to play in the NBA then they shouldn't have to be forced to play college and miss out on the millions of dollars they could be making in the NBA. There is also a degree of concern about players who are forced to play college and get injured which could really damage their future careers. Many people that are for the rule suggest that most players coming out of High School are just not ready to take on the NBA and need more time to develop their talents.These people also think that these very talented players actually are being payed in various benefits that come with playing in college like a free tuition, housing and food. Before the implementation of the rule in 2006, many players like Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady did not attend college and were arguably some of the best of all time, but this is not a common occurrence. Many players who attempted to join the NBA straight out of High School had very poor, short lived careers or did not make the league at all. Regardless of the differing sides of the argument, both sides have great points and mostly seem to be focused on what is best for the player.
ReplyDeleteI chose to do my argument on the Black-Market organ trade. This is the practice of illegal buying and selling of organs. This occurs due to the always increasing demand for organs in contrast to the steady supply. Thousands of Americans have died while waiting for a transplant. This is a controversial topic due to one side stating that it fulfills the high demand for organs around the world, and after all a person should be able to decide what happens to their own body. The other side states that this practice is extremely dangerous because the donors typically come from low-income communities and seek help from inexperienced surgeons. The donors never usually make the full amount promised. A new governmental system implemented in Iran, however, allows for the donation of a kidney from a living donor. The process includes lots of medical testing and today about 55% of kidneys donated in Iran are from living donors. I will explain the whole process of organ trade and detail what the going price for specific organs currently is.
ReplyDeleteMy argument is that there should be more parking spots available to students at Clemson. Majority of students at Clemson live off campus though, so my argument will focus on spots designated to commuters. There are six specific lots these students can park in, but they are located on the extreme outskirts of campus and fill up faster than one would expect. Since they fill up, students are forced to leave extremely early for class to allow time to find a spot. But, what happens if there are no spots available? My argument will explain the issues that have arisen due to the lack of spots available. The argument against the fact that there should be more student parking available is that students should take advantage of the CATBUS or other options such as Park-N-Ride or carpooling. These are great options, but have recently proven themselves to be almost as unreliable as the commuter lots. The Parking Services and Transportation website, as well as personal interviews with students who commute will be used in order to provide my argument with statistics and personal experiences. I will also research how much money is spent by the university on these spots, and how much money commuters spend on things such as the parking decal or parking tickets.
ReplyDeleteMy topic is being allowed to use computers in ALL classes to take notes. This problem stems from some teachers only allowing notebooks to take notes. While it is said that taking notes helps record the data better in someone's mind, some teachers don't allow enough time to copy down all the notes and the students are left with incomplete thoughts and concepts. I believe that since the students pay for the class, they should at least be given the option to decide how they want to take notes using whichever method suits them best. However, there lies a problem with students using laptops to work on other classwork, or even just doing random things like shopping or texting on their laptops. While this is disrespectful and annoying to the teacher, students should have the choice to take notes or not on laptops. Not only are the students paying for the tuition and cost of the class, they are paying with their time. The opportunity cost of attending class and taking notes or doing something else, probably sleeping, plays a huge role into most college students. I know from personal experience, when my teacher didn't let me take notes on my computer I often got frustrated and bored because I wasn't able to write down all the notes so I just listened to the instructor the entire class. While taking notes with a pencil and notebook seems okay, I believe that students should be able to decide for themselves how they want to take notes, as long as its not a disturbance to the students around them.
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ReplyDeleteMy topic for my argument research paper is the rising minimum wage. There is a federal minimum wage that is set and states can chose to keep it or raise it. During the Obama Administration, there was talk about increasing the national minimum wage. This caused much controversy. Although the national minimum wage has stayed the same, some states have discussed raising it. While it could help families struggling financially, it has many effects on companies. Since, business will have to spend more money on wages, they either hire less people, implement technology that can do the same tasks that workers can or increase the price of their products. As a result of this decrease in demand for workers and increase in unemployment, more people will struggle financially. Even more so with the rise in the price of products. Ultimately, the increase in minimum wage can lead to more financial problems.
My topic is the use of e-cigarettes on Clemson's campus. Clemson has prohibited the use of tobacco products as well as e-cigs on campus. However, there are no clear regulations that the campus has enforced. Therefore, the use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes is still prominent on Clemson's campus. E-cigarettes have grown in popularity within the youth of America and the use of e-cigarettes is very common among college students. While e-cigs are said to be a healthy alternative to smoking cigarettes, they still result in very harmful side effects. E-cigarettes still contain nicotine which can cause damage to adolescent brain development and can also have negative effects on working memory and attention according to the American Lung Association. People can also suffer from second hand smoke from e-cigarettes even though it is not really advertised that way. Young adults should become more educated in the harmful effects of e-cigarettes and if Clemson claims that nicotine and tobacco products are prohibited then they should be able to enforce their own rules.
ReplyDeleteMy topic is public health laws in regards to prescription antibiotics. The United Nations has been monitoring the threat of superbugs, which are germs that are resistant to our modern medicine. These bacteria are produced when antibiotics are used ineffectively. When an antibiotic is introduced into a person, it kills off the easiest to kill bacteria first as they are the least resistant to the drug. Then, as the drug continues in the system after multiple dosages over a period of days. But, if a person stops taking their medication before their prescribed time, they let the bacteria that is the most difficult to kill proliferate. This process of strengthening microbes, spread over a population of billions of humans, has allowed for very nasty strains of microbes to populate throughout the world. The fear is that this process will create a strain that will be resistant to all of the antibiotics in the known medical arsenal. This major public health concern has raised many ideas for combating the increase in the prevalence of these diseases. These ideas include the introduction of a fine for not taking medications as prescribed. These would be highly controversial, therefore a research of the effectiveness of such a law is necessary.
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