The platform I’ve decided to go with for this assignment is Weebly. I used Weebly a lot in high school and I think it has the right set up and materials to achieve the aesthetics that I am going for for this project. Being an out of state student I feel that I rarely get time to speak to or see my parents. They only visited once this year since I’ve been at school and have only seen PSU’s campus a total of 3 times including that visit. With that being said, I am going to make them my targeted audience and I am going to make the theme/purpose of my e-portfolio be my freshman year at Penn State. 

 

I’m thinking that I am going to have 3 educationally based artifacts and then 3 extracurricular artifacts. My first educational artifact will be my favorite project that I made last in RCL which was my Ted Talk on the death of chivalry. I think that it was a really fun and different topic and that my execution was interesting to watch. My second educational artifact is probably going to be one of my discussion posts from PLSC 1 or 14 since both were quite controversial and I was quite proud of the support I had provided on my end. My final artifact will either be my art project for GER 83 or one of my writings from CRIM/SOC 12. I’m still playing around with my extracurricular artifacts but I’m thinking right now about including my sorority, ski club, and then either my involvement with THON or my other club CHAARG. 

When I first read about the Advocacy Project, one idea really stuck out because it’s something I feel is so important today. Growing up as a dancer, I witnessed a lot of girls (as well as myself) go through eating disorders and problems with body dysmorphia. At first this was just prevalent in the dance world but now I see it everywhere I look. So for my project I am planning to do it on eating disorders (particularly in teenage girls). Most likely I would execute it via video format as an educational promo on the harm of phrases seen on apps like tik tok and how it affects girls’ perceptions of their own bodies. For example, when one girl on the slimmer side posts a video all of the comments are “I guess I won’t be eating dinner today” or “eat a hamburger”. On the other side, if a girl with curves posts the same video, the comments are “wow you are so brave!” or “i love your confidence”. Seemingly harmless jokes are creating this stigma of what size is “ideal”. With a video educating youth on what words can do to someone’s body, I think it would be very impactful if shown to a high school health class or something along the lines.

 

I think that Eva O’Leary’s collection Spitting Image is both a piece of art and a piece of advocacy. Without a doubt, this is a beautiful photography art collection because it captures people in how they view themselves, not how others view them which is completely the opposite of any art profile done previously. The concept is truly impactful and “art” would be the best way to explain the collection. It’s also 100% advocating for the help of desexualizing young girls as it shows when/how they feel beautiful, with or without makeup or any other forms of visual transformation. As for ethics, I think that it is when looking at the analysis of the keyword piece and the video. This project is being carried through by a girl who was in the same place as the girls in the photos just a few years prior and thus has a stable handle on how they view themselves vs how they think other people see them and it’s rather appropriate to see that through the photographs. 

https://pennstateoffice365-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/arn5293_psu_edu/EXQi0SwXsLtKtPOaJIv3qRQBnZA8Pq9Kz6nP1R1wboHYHg?e=PJ74H6

Here is my very rough draft for my issue brief (if you have access to edit please don’t I simply could not figure out how to make it view only). All of the things highlighted in yellow I still need to write out and the paragraph in blue needs to have the citations fixed. Overall, I like how its going so far but I just wasn’t in love with the infographics I had so Im going to start from scratch with that whole section in yellow.

 

DETECTING AGAINST DEATH:

The benefit of the k-12 school system in America implicating metal detectors to prevent further school shootings.

 

April 20th, 1999 kept all of America glued to their TV screens and radios that day as a mass shooting was reported at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. Senior students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold had walked into school that day unsuspected with two 9 mm firearms and two 12-gauge shotguns. By the end of the day, 13 innocent lives were lost at the hands of the two boys and the guns that they held. Twenty two years later, and there have been an additional 229 school shootings and counting in America. The real question is why was nothing done after the first massacre back in 1999? Why do school districts and boards continue to wait for something worse to happen to their students again? Some argue that it’s not the gun that kills people, but the person that does the killing. While this is true and schools should pay more attention to the signs of mental health in students, the guns are what could turn someone with a disease from a person, into a murderer. 

 

The best way to keep guns out of schools is the proposition of a system change of implicating metal detectors at the entrances and exits of k-12 schools in America. This would keep dangerous weapons such as guns from entering school either via student or intruder. It’s proven that schools with metal detectors have decreased crime within and around the school so if this policy were to be enforced at all schools around the US, we could see a decrease and maybe even the disappearance of school shootings.

I am a very factual person. I believe in science, I believe in research, I believe in factual evidence. But when it comes time for me to scan my boarding ticket and walk through the little walkway to the aircraft, there’s one thing that I must do that I believe will prevent me from falling from the sky. Poking the outside of the plane with my index finger.

My family has always held traveling as one of the most important and valuable things in life. Before the age of one I had already been to Europe twice and today I’ve been out of the country close to 30 times. So of course, I’ve always loved planes. The excitement of getting to sit in one place with complete strangers all with only a destination in common was so fascinating to me. I loved when the plane sped up turning the trees to a green mush as they slowly vanished below while the rumbling of the wheels on the ground ceased as the plane took off into the air. 

This feeling for my dad is not mutual… He loves traveling just as much as the rest of my family, but the initial take off always leaves him clutching my moms hand as if the plane could combust any second. A superstition that he adopted to help him ease this worry was touching the outside of the plane before boarding. None of us, not even him, know where this came from. But for as long as I can remember he would touch the outside of the plane before placing a foot inside. Little me at 5 or 6 loved copying his every move and so I too would poke the shiny metal before continuing into the aircraft. 13 or so years later and just two days ago when boarding a plane back to my hometown, I placed the tip of my finger to connect with the edge of the doorway outside the plane.

I love planes, and I love traveling but because I have been continuing this superstition for the majority of my life, I’m fearful that the one day I stop, the plane will take off, reach a high enough altitude, and then plummet to the ground below. Yes, I know that there is a greater chance of getting struck by lightning than getting in a plane crash, or even just walking back to my dorm or driving my car down the interstate. I know that death is inevitable but I also know that fear is inevitable. Fear is what makes a human, human and it’s what makes me, me. I believe that touching the outside of the plane with one of my fingers is what keeps me protected because that I can control. I believe in facts and I believe in science but I also believe in (i dont know how to rap this up yet). So, I will continue to drive my car and I will continue to walk to my dorm but I will also continue to poke the outside of planes with my index finger.

“This I Believe” Ideas:

After looking over and listening to some of the previous broadcasts on “This I Believe” I have several ideas for my “This I Believe” podcast. My first idea would be to cover my personal stance on heaven vs. hell. Although I have a very agnostic view when it comes to religion, I would love to share my theory on where it is we go after death.

My second idea would be that people and citizens of greater age should begin to listen to those of younger generations and vice versa. It often feels like there is this great divide between generations and almost a “competition” of sorts as to who is making the greatest impact. One of the greatest gifts in life is not only knowledge, but simply listening and I think this could change our world for the better. 

Passion Blog Ideas:

Last semester each week I wrote my passion blog on different fashion trends. I covered pants, jackets, shoes, and even masks over the weeks and I truly enjoyed giving my own perspective on what I had observed in the world around me. 

I think that I am going to keep with this topic but I’m also playing around with changing it this semester to critiquing films. With the Oscars coming up this semester I think it could be fun to watch movies and films that are likely to be nominated and then critique them as to if they could or could not win in a given category. 

Civic Issues Blog:

My first idea when I heard we would be writing on current civic issues would simply be the effect of social media in current nation/worldwide problems and politics. Whether it’s Instagram, Facebook, Snap chat, the sharing of ideas is often a huge factor in many factors whether they are true or false.

My second idea would be on the educational system of America vs. other more successful countries. Many are unaware of the many problems with the American Educational system and I think it would be really interesting to look more into what can be changed to better it in the future.

TED Talk Reflection:

Overall I felt that I did really well with the execution of my TED Talk. The praise that I received from my group included that I kept consistent eye contact, had a good hook, good tone of voice, captivating powerpoint pictures, and all appreciated my open ended questions towards the audience. I think these were definitely the things that I focused most on when writing out and memorizing my speech so that it looked as authentic as it could when in comparison to a real TED Talk. I was given two critiques from my group members on how my TED Talk could be improved. The first was to add a couple more examples of modern chivalrous acts such as the one I had discussed about the relationship between Melania and Donald Trump. The other critique was to fix the lighting of my video because it was a little bit dark. I think both of these are great critiques to both fix the execution and overall presentation of my TED Talk. 

 

History of a Public Controversy Project:

The one idea that I really have my heart set on for the “History of a Public Controversy Project” would be the electoral college. I feel that this is such an outdated concept that no longer fits with modern day politics. When looking at the 2020 election it’s evident that the election really does rely on certain states rather than the American people as a whole. However, there are people that feel the opposite. That the electoral college still fits perfectly and is a great way in deciding the US president every four years. The electoral college is quite frankly the definition of a modern public controversy and I think it would be so interesting to learn more about it and create a documentary surrounding it.

Link to my slides:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uwQzimZlawiHOHLzuoLbk-0TFUu1R-lazHhpPGMj72I/edit?usp=sharing

I narrowed down my topic ideas for my paradigm shift paper/TED-Talk to dating simply because it is something that as a female college student I have seen truly shift over the years. 

 

https://www.mic.com/articles/105556/why-there-s-no-need-to-sweat-the-picture-perfect-first-date-according-to-history

 

My first source is one by “Mic” on how each first date has looked over the course of the past century. In the early 1900s, women were often set up in an arranged marriage by their parents. They would then be put in a room with their suitor and the man and woman would be chaperoned as they spoke until a proposal was in agreement between the two. This source analyzes how it goes from this to modern day hook-up culture. Over the course of time it seems to go from no romance (more of an economical prophecy), to romance shown with flowers and women being housewives, to modern day hookups for any sexual orientation via an app or website. 

 

https://www.history.com/news/1949-dating-etiquette-school-health-film

 

My second source is from “History” on an article on the surroundings of 1940s and 50s dating culture. In Fact by the 1950s, men and women were averaging at 23 and 20 as the average age of marriage. When dating in this time period, men were expected to pick up the girl, meet her parents, and then take her out. This is when “going steady” first emerged in which female teens only went on dates with one man at a time rather than go on multiple dates with different suitors as their parents had in years past. 

 

https://scholars.org/brief/rise-hookup-sexual-culture-american-college-campuses

 

My third source is on how colleges have shaped how dating culture has evolved. In the 1920s, more men and women were going to unsupervised universities for the first time. Then in 1978 the movie “Animal House” portrayed the normalcy or partying, premarital sex and other once “sins” as a normal part of college life. But has this grown toxic? Many students are saying that non exclusive relationships, hookups, and so forth are more popular than the usual two person relationship. 

 

With these sources and maybe a couple others that I find along the way, I’m hoping to successfully portray how dating culture has evolved over the decades. Its changed for the good as it is more progressive for women, same sex couples, and for the most part have become an equal 50/50 relationship. However, I also want to bring in how hookup culture has made the dating scene quite toxic in which chivalry is slowly dwindling. Also, I want to bring in the biggest difference which is that people are starting to date to simply be in a relationship whereas in the past people dated to marry (and did so at a very young age and in a short period of time).