-
ePortfolio
May 4, 2014 by Maggie Purcell
Category Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments
-
Advocacy Project
April 9, 2014 by Maggie Purcell
For my advocacy project I am not entirely sure what I plan on doing. One idea I am considering is writing to the Penn State Police and Penn State Office of Student Conduct to implement a policy similar to that at Temple University which grants medical amnesty to students who need to go to the hospital for alcohol abuse. This would mean the person would not get in trouble with the law. I think this would increase the amount of people that call for help for they would no longer fear getting their friends in trouble. I could poll a certain portion of the student body and see their views on this shift.
Category Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments
-
Policy Essay
March 26, 2014 by Maggie Purcell
For my policy essay, I’m thinking about the topic of reforming the juvenile justice system. Currently there is a high recidivism rate and a high cost for the state in the juvenile justice system. Missouri has a different approach than the rest of the country and has much greater success. My policy would focus on addressing the current problems and seeing how the Missouri plan could be implemented nationwide.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marian-wright-edelman/juvenile-justice-reform-m_b_498976.html
http://www.brookings.edu/research/testimony/1996/02/28crime-diiulio
Category Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments
-
This I Believe…
February 5, 2014 by Maggie Purcell
“Mr. and Mrs. Dursly of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much…” This sentence began what was to become one of the most successful series of all time. Harry Potter. Though Harry Potter was a global phenomenon that reached many people’s lives, it meant something very special to me.
When I was in 1st grade I went to see the first movie with my sister and dad, and from there I was hooked. My mom began to read the books to me every night before I went to bed until I was old enough to read them myself.
For me, Harry Potter was more than just a series. It traced my childhood. Beginning at age 6, Harry was with me until summer going into my junior year. Looking back and remembering those moments with my mom as she struggled to say the different characters names. To middle school when I would anxiously await the release of the new book and hide myself away until I finished it. Up until the very end when I attended the midnight premiere of the 8th movie with some of my closest friends. Harry was with me. When I look back at my childhood, some of my best memories are those involving the series and the times I had with it. Harry Potter allowed me to create memories with the people in my life, but also allowed for an escape.
Whenever I was having a particularly difficult time I could just turn to the books and escape from the reality of what was actually occurring. I remember coming back from school having a particularly tough day in middle school. Most of my friends from elementary school had changed or were simply no longer my friend and I felt very lonely. Thus to deal with this I would turn to my friends who had been there from an early age, Harry Ron and Hermionie. They gave me the solace I needed after dealing with the mean girls all day at school. They had been there for me since I was young and were still there for me into early adulthood. And even into today if I’m having a rough time I will just open up one of the books and escape into another world.
For me, Harry Potter was much more than just a novel. It was a link to my childhood and an escape from reality. And for that I believe in Harry Potter.
Category Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments
-
Second Semester Blogging
January 15, 2014 by Maggie Purcell
For this semester I’m considering continuing my passion blog from last semester and expanding the different ethnic foods that I try. Another idea I have is to read a book for each post and then giving a brief synopsis of the book and my feelings on it. One idea I’ve been considering for the This I Believe speech is pizza and to go into how it brings people together. Also I may to the speech on weakness and say how people need to show weakness at time and that it’s not a bad thing. An idea I have for the Civic Issues blog is within the Sex and Gender category and to look at the media portrayal of gender including gender differences, bias, and homosexuality. I’ve also considered doing a blog on ‘political scandals’ and analyze various scandals recently occurring.
I would like to improve the overall quality of my blog and be more engaging to the reader. I’d also like to break up my writing more I feel like it was mostly in large blocks. Another thing I would like to do in the blogging is get more of my self into my writing.
Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 1 Comment
-
HW #7
December 2, 2013 by Maggie Purcell
The video and text allowed for greater understanding of putting together a video. Since this project doesn’t really need much filming or camera selection the greatest area that was important to us was editing. In the video they showed various different features you can add to a video through editing and also the process of editing itself. One feature they showed was the ability to add text to the film. This allows greater focus to be brought to something that is being talked about and also brings organization to the film. You can clearly see what the film is going to be about, with a title, and various sections, if there’s transitions with words. Another editing feature the video showed was transitions. This allows for more than the film to just look nice. It creates clear distinct differences between ideas and makes it easier for the viewer to see the change in ideas. Sound was another feature that can have rhetorical effects on the film. By incorporating music, a mood can be created for the film which will influence the viewer’s mood and feeling towards the topics. Upbeat music will show its a light and happy topic whereas sad and dramatic music could indicate a more serious subject.
Category Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments
-
Nike
November 20, 2013 by Maggie Purcell
Typically Nike advertisements feature some famous athlete endorsing some various shoe or other apparel with the simple Just Do it Slogan featured. They rely on celebrity endorsement to take their advertisements to the next level. Rarely do the ads appeal to the audience on some sort of deeper level. That is what makes these Nike ads aimed towards women specifically interesting.
First off Nike is a highly respected company and by including their logo and slogan (Just Do it) they establish ethos for their company. They used the first person narrative to relate to all women and create the idea of the “every women”. Anybody could be saying what the words on the ad are saying. Also by featuring only the single body part that each ad is focusing on allows the viewer to relate better. There is no face or other characteristics besides a knee or shoulder or leg. Therefore allowing every women to be able to put herself into that position. They implement a variety of personal stories into each advertisement that are basic life experiences that most people too would know about. These include childhood games like jumping rope, to high school with algebra and looking to the future with talking about being a grandparent.
These ads are specifically interesting because they do not portray the stereotype that most ads do. That women are frail and tiny. It is establishing the ideas that people have faults that they could be uncomfortable about, but instead embrace them. They are showing that strong can be beautiful too.
Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 3 Comments
-
HW #6
November 11, 2013 by Maggie Purcell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpSy_z0ytv8
The TED talk was a daunting task certainly, so preparation for it was extremely necessary. In order to prepare for my talk I first assembled various research from credible sources. I then tried to tie this together under my single idea, failures of the DARE program, and show the audience why this was a problem. I decided to focus my presentation on why the program was failing and my opinion on what can be done to change it. In preparing for my talk, I looked back on various topics discussed in class. I used an appeal to pathos in the beginning by getting the audience members to remember their own childhood experiences before leading them directly into the topic, and also added to the pathos by including a childhood picture of myself. Another tactic I used was to accept counterarguments. On the one failure of the program that it makes drugs more aware to students, I recognized that this could in fact be a good thing. In order to make my presentation stronger, I tried to familiarize myself enough with it that I wouldn’t need the aid of notecards. To do this I practiced (a lot) and I think it worked out well for I rarely forgot what I was trying to say or what my next point would be. I usually don’t practice that often for speeches because I find it makes the people sound rehearsed, but this time I tried that and it allowed me to not get lost half way through. I would say the weakest part of my presentation was my visual aid, it was difficult for me to find statistical evidence to show on a graph, but I could have used more visuals to engage the audience.
Following the presentation came the part that was almost more terrifying then giving the speech (almost), watching it. I found that my preparation in practicing had worked out well cause I rarely lost my spot and was able to engage in eye contact with the audience for the most part. Also I think my various appeals to the audience (the childhood aspect, the fact that students don’t like to do what they’re told and looking back at the effectiveness) allowed the audience to relate more to the topic. I also noticed while watching myself, was that in the beginning I appeared to be much more nervous and by the end I had settled into the talk and was more comfortable.
One thing I think I could have improved was my overall enthusiasm. It was a bit dry and boring and I could have used more vocal inflection to draw in the audience more. Like I previously stated, a greater amount and depth of visual aid could have adder greater substance to my presentation. I also found myself to look quite awkward at times, especially with my hand gestures. In the beginning you couldn’t even see my hands and then by the end I feel like I had over used them. In order to prepare myself better next time, instead of just practicing the same way over and over again, I think I should try to use different vocal inflections at different times to see how they work out. And also to try a variety of gestures while practicing to see which work well, and which simply look overdone. I could also try and start off stronger, like I said before, I appeared much more nervous in the beginning then in the end. Overall this talk was an interesting learning experience by getting to see myself from the audience’s perspective and I think it will allow me to be a better speaker in general.
Category Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments
-
Halloween
October 30, 2013 by Maggie Purcell
Halloween is supposed to be a time to become someone else. But what does that mean now that we’re college students? I know as a female my choices have been severely limited. The funny costumes are still available, but to do them you have to be so creative that everyone can overlook how ridiculous you look. For the most part the costumes the college girls wear are well along the lines of the fewer the clothes the better. Take for example this picture
They are essentially the same idea, hamburger costume, but look at the differences between what the male is wearing and what the female is wearing. What is this saying about the gender differences in halloween, and in society itself?
First off, as I stated before when girls go for the “funny” costume they have to go to the extreme. Is this society suggesting that women cannot be as humorous as men? In the case of the advertisement I would say so. It also presents the idea that the best thing women have to offer is their body. The more they show the better. Halloween is supposed to be a time to portray yourself as someone else, but is this what society is saying women should portray themselves as? For example when buying a costume, the labels often include the words “vixen”, “mistress”, “sexy”, and “ravishing” (and those are some of the nicer ones). This word choice shows women should dress a certain way when trying to be someone else. One cannot simply dress up as the cute disney character Alice in Wonderland without it being corrupted into something else. Halloween in America is a way to degrade women, for the store’s offering is limited to these costumes. And in what way is a hamburger supposed to be attractive?
Category Uncategorized | Tags: | 2 Comments
-
HW #5
October 30, 2013 by Maggie Purcell
For my TED talk, I have decided to look at the effectiveness of the DARE Program in the United States in preventing drug use. Specifically I will look at the failures of the DARE Program and why it is failing. In order to adapt to my audience, I can appeal to them personally. Almost all of us have gone through the DARE Program and a lot of people also have known people that suffer from drug or alcohol related problems. Through this I can appeal to their emotions (pathos) and own personal experience. The logos that I would include is the statistical drug use over the years (since implementation of DARE), money spent on the program, and testimony. I can include visuals that would support these statistics.
Category Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments
