Wikipedia reflection

The Wikipedia assignment helped me learn a lot more about my topic: The Temple of Music. Although I wasn’t able to come up with any book bibliographies due to lack of information on the Temple (being burnt down very recently after being built), I had to settle with just a limited number of resources. However, from those resources, I was surprised to find so much information. The assignment helped me to understand more about the research process and after writing the paper, seeing how the information comes together. I’m not sure why the research assignment had to be on wikipedia though. I think it would’ve been better using microsoft word and typing out a paper as boring as it may be.

Although I wish I could’ve gotten some more feedback on the article, the only feedback I got was to have the images removed. I think the images were removed because I simply copied and pasted them onto the wikipedia with the link under it. I hoped more people could’ve wrote me some feedback or edited it because I would’ve liked to see the process more in depth. For example, would they have to get my permission to edit my words or do they automatically have the right to cut words or even full sentences.

Although it was dreadful trying to figure everything on Wikipedia out, I learned a lot about posting articles and somewhat of the editing process. Overall, it was definately a new venture with wikipedia that was somewhat enjoyable while being dreadful at the same time. Although I still prefer the classic method of writing papers, this was definately a new experience. In this class, overall the writing assignments were good because it saved money and time for the students. I thank Professor Boggs for that. The movies were definately fun watching and you can’t beat short lectures anywhere. Great class!

Post 4

Post World War II, women became respected in America because of their role during the war. They basically ran the country while the men were out fighting. They worked in manufacturing weapons, cars, ammunition, and everything else. They were respected because before the war, they were looked as fragile and weak, yet, they held the country up. A new opportunity opened up for women in America thanks to the war. The YouTube video called, “Oldsmobile what women want,” illustrates women as a target by manufacturers because now they received the ability to purchase goods for the family. The video, or ad shows what women would like in a new car and advertises the oldsmobile as the best choice for them. In the video, you can see the lady feeling the seat and the little emblem as well as testing out the “fancy” seatbelt.

Another YouTube I looked up to compare to this one is one called, “What Do Women Want In A Car?” This ad is quite different from the old ad because today it seems women want safety more than the fabric on a car. However, this isn’t to say that women don’t desire a good looking car nowadays. There are definately many ads that try to provoke women to buy beautiful cars with shiny colors and a limited edition Gucci leather seats. This video shows a new car with many safety features that supposedly women want today. You can see the safety gadgets such as a sensor to open the door, a button to start a car, a talking onboard navigation system to keep the hands on the steering wheel, an alarm to caution you when you get off track, and many more. I guess women prefer cars that have all this because of the kids and nowadays, there are way too many crazy drivers out there that can run into you at any second.

The characteristics only changed from a physical attraction to a reliability attraction because of technology and what it has to offer to the modern world. Although many of the stuff in a car now are irrelevant and have no use, one thing is similar then and now: people prefer the best car because it makes their car better than the neighbors’. It has always been about purchasing the car that looks and feels the best.

Reflection 4/21/08

When I think of “Cold War,” the first thing that comes to my mind is the Soviet Union, the color red, and the little symbol that was/is used to represent the country (a red background with a single hammer and a half moon shaped tool/weapon colored in gold). The Soviet Uion came to my mind because of the feud between them and the United States on the matter of communism. This also brings up the topic of the Red Scare in which many eople were scared that communism would spread to America. The color red and the flag came to my mind because of the strong symbolism/feeling that they portray even though I have no idea what the symbols mean. The second thing that came to my mind was President Ronald Reagan because he was our President during this time. One thing I learned was that the Red Scare actually started before World War II. Surprisingly, it started during World War I from 1917-1918.

Reflection 4/14/08

Last week, we began lecture with the professor explaining how to read fast. Althought the four steps of reading the title, the back, the table of contents, and reading the introduction and conclusion have always been what I have followed, I really liked how he wanted us to read the reviews by scholars and other students. This proves to be a good method not only because it gives you more insight on the plot, but it also allows you to compare your thoughts and evaluate it better. The highlight of the lecture to me was the discussion about men vs women in ads. This was interesting because although I knew men were the “superior” gender back then, post WWII, I guess I didn’t really think about what and how women grew status. The conversation on why women became stronger really grabbed my focus. I think the professor brought up the fact that women grew status after the world war II because of their duties, their attitude, and the positions they held while the men were off fighting the war. Thinking back now, I can remember seeing the picture of a woman with a bandana on with a clenched wrist with blonde hair looking straight at you in an ad that I saw back in a history text from elementary or middle school. Looking back at the growth of women in America was very fun and it really gave me something to think about some more.

The little discussion on the stereotypes of the Asian race was also kind of fun. The crazy thing about it is that it’s the same for every race. Other people with different ethnic backgrounds look at an Asian and wonder where they’re from, and vice versa. It was a good discussion to talk about because it focuses on why stereotyes exist and why. And I think the answer to the question lies on an individual’s own curiousity.

Post #3

Asian stereotypes began when Asians began filling the streets of the western world in the 19th century. When asians began immigrating into America in large numbers, it scared the Americans because of such a large amount of people migrating over. They believed that the Asians would soon infest the land with a foreign language and take over American jobs. That’s when stereotypes began in order to relieve the scare.

The Yellow Terror stereotype began when German missionaries were murdered in China. A man named M.P. Shiel took advantage of the situation and used it to illustrate his feelings toward the Chinese.

However, today’s perspective on the Asian culture is quite different than those of the past. Instead of murderous little Chinese men, it focuses more on the Asian accent and appearance. When one says “look, there’s a Chinese man,” the first thing that comes to many peoples’ minds would be slanted eyes and possibly a long white beard (like those in martial arts films). Here is a comic of Captain Marvel that depicts this:

Although the physical appearances are quite similar, the theme behind the pictures are not. The 19th century picture depicts a dangerous Chinese man because of the threat of having an overly populated country by a foreign race while the second and more modern picture simply makes fun of the Asian language.

In conclusion, although stereotypes still exist, it is nowhere close to what they used to be in the 19th century.

Picture links:

 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/YellowTerror.jpg

 http://everydayislikewednesday.blogspot.com/2007/04/dr-sivana-man-of-thousand-faces.html

Reflection 3/31/2008

Last class, we first discussed technology and the its effect on society and culture. One theme discussed was how the use of laptops have basically taken over classrooms by storm and how that affects teachers and students and how it affects their study or ability to teach. A question brought up by the professor was “Do you guys even need a teacher?” The question was raised based on the fact that laptops/technology/world wide web has made every thought, lesson, and knowledge accessible by everyone. The bottom line was that technology affects the way we look at the university.

Secondly, we discussed the rise of the corporation, the clash between businesses and workers, and progressivim. Although these three topics of discussion weren’t very interesting, the last topic grabbed my attention. Americanizing foreign workers was put to the test by Henry Ford who attempted to assimilate foreign workers by providing classes and providing dress codes. I also thought the Therblig chart was interesting because it was used to provide workers and managers a way to communicate with each other. Although it wasn’t the perfect language, I’m sure it proved to be very effective.

Class Reflection: 3/24/2008

Last week’s class was interesting. Most of the lecture was on stereotyping against the Irish as well as Asians. Some typical stereotypes includes: “The Fighting Irish,” or the Asian Riff. The interesting part about the past is that even though they (stereotypes) were used to insult others, today, it has become something that either symbolizes or characterizes someone. What surprised me in class was that even Irish people weren’t considered as “white” males in America. This changes my thoughts on a lot because I always thought that the “white man” was purely indicated by their skin color, not their heritage.

We also discussed Imperialism, Catholicism, Harry Houdini, and the spreading of democracy by the United States. Although the first three didn’t grab my interest much, the latter (democracy) was quite interesting. Hearing people’s perspectives on how Bush was wrong and how this and that was fun listening to. Although it seemed like no one stood up for the President, I saw some eyes rolling as students blamed Bush for everything. I would have voiced my opinion on Bush ( I wouldn’t have rejected his approach to the war) but I was afraid of being mobbed after class.

 Overall, great class with lots of thoughts and opinions.

Wiki Bibliography

Wikipedia Bibliography:Wiki articles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Music – although this link is the link to the stub on the temple of music, it still provides me with basic information that will get me started.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Fair – this link provides me with some other buildings that the architect of the temple compared with in order to build his masterpiece. The buildings at the world fair were known to be similarly electrifying.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Renaissance – this wikipedia article provides me with a bit of a background on what the actual style behind the Temple was based upon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-American_Exposition – The Pan-American Exposition was the event in which the temple of music was the concert hall for. Looking back specifically on the exposition could prove to be a valuable resource.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_McKinley – this is a bibliography of President McKinley who was assassinated at the Temple. Just a brief discussion on who he was could factor into the paper.

 Internet Resources:http://www4.bfn.org/bah/a/archs/ej/ej.html#August – link to the bibliography of August Esenwein, the architect for the Temple of Music.

http://freenet.buffalo.edu/bah/a/archs/ej/dem/temple.html – provides more information about the Temple.

http://209.85.207.104/search?q=cache:2Lm0-sLGeNkJ:ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/exhibits/panam/music/temple/templetext.html+temple+of+music&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=23&gl=us – This link provides me with mainly pictures of the Temple. Looking at the pictures could help to provide me with a better understanding of the style the architect followed.

 Book Resources:

Reflection 3: 3/3/2008

On 3/3/2008, we discussed the civil war. Although we didn’t get to see the movie “Glory,” I’m sure one day we’ll be able to. I would definatley like to see the all black regiment in the civil war as well as another Denzel masterpeice. From the two films we saw, (Gods & Generals, and Cold Mountain), I think the first one is the more accurate depiction of the civil war. This is because in Cold Mountain, the fight we saw seemed like more of a guerilla tactic than what historians proclaim as the fair method of war. However, in Gods & Generals, we did see some “rules of war” being broken with that one crazy dude charging in.

Another topic discussed in class was of the Confederate flag. The meaning behind the flag was discussed by classmates and how in today’s society, having the flag could mean negative motives. I also stood behind the fact that the confederate flag has a negative aura to it. However, I am seeing more and more next door neighbors and friendly people with the flag on their vehicles or have it hanging on their porch. This has definately made me rethink my past belief.

 The Dredd Scott case which was briefly discussed in class is also an interesting topic because it illustrates that the black man although not being equal to the white man, was able to sue the white man. I believe it was the initiative like this one that helped bring the black community at par with society.

Post #2: Utopia

During the early 19th century, the newfound American government was in a huge debt to both the French and to the American people for supplies obtained for the great revolutionary war. Because of the large amount of debt, many people weren’t able to receive full payment for their support. Hence, my Utopia is based on the farmers and factory owners who had to work hard to support themselves during the hard economic times.

The town is a religious community as well as a profit seeking capitalist community. Although the town is religious, social class can be easily be seen by the amount of land one has. If you see the drawing, you would notice that the factory owner (nearest to the river) has a bigger land to grow crops and fruits as well as a park nearby. In my Utopia, the factory owner actually owns all four factories and the workers live next to the factories with basically no land to grow crops. There are also farmers living on the edge of town who also contribute to the wealth of the community but they don’t have as much land as the factory owner.

The town is open to the world because of trades. For farmers and factory owners to gain profit, trade is the only way to achieve it.The community’s values are based on religion. When the town is in hard times, they look for God and although regulation and laws aren’t really watched over, the man with the power (factory owner) is sought when in times of seeking justice for a wrongdoing, etc.

The town, because it is open to the world, is actually open to anyone who wishes to join in. Even native Americans who would like to convert to Christianity or make American profit could join if desired. One could tell the values behind the town based on the physical locations. Because being beside a river meant wealth and power, the factory owner and the Church are nearest to the river; but also, the roads connecting every part of the town symbolizes that anyone could seek help and guidance from either God or the factory owner.

Flickr Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/23449016@N03/