Skip links

RCL Blog

Just another Sites At Penn State site

Main navigation

rjs6513

Why Classic Literature?

by Leave a Comment

I discovered a love for classic literature sophomore year of high school, when I read and wrote a paper on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Only then did I begin reading old books for fun, often to the question why?, posed by friends and parents alike. 

From the outside, it does seem odd: I went from complaining about doing the reading for English class just as much as my classmates, to voraciously reading all the assigned books and more.

The difference that Twelfth Night made was larger than just being a play I enjoyed reading. For the first time, I was able to relate to a character, and it gave me a glimpse into the past in a way I’d never experienced before. More than anything, Twelfth Night changed my approach to reading classic literature.

I began to search for the reality behind the old fiction. It was classic literature that made me realize that the people who lived a long time ago were people, just like me, and what they had to say about life and society in their times was important.

Classic literature may often be dense and hard to read, but it provides us with a look into the past in a way that nothing else can. It takes the cold hard facts of history and instills them with a sense of humanity. 

The writings of Dickens provide a look into the life of the lower class in Victorian England. Shakespeare portrays people from all walks of life in his time. Jane Austen tells us what women’s lives were like in history, and infuses them with drama and excitement I never would’ve expected.

It’s easy to read a book and wonder what it means, then dismiss it as boring and worthless when it’s not easy to figure out. It’s harder, but so worth it, to remember the person behind the pen, and to make connections to history and take away meaning.

I don’t intend to diss anyone who dislikes classic literature; tastes differ, and it doesn’t make anyone better or worse than anyone else. But this semester, I intend to highlight the reasons I’ve learned to enjoy classic literature, and to help others gain an appreciation for it in the same way I do.

Renewable Energy: Its Past, Present, and Future

by Leave a Comment

With the 2020 Presidential election quickly approaching, most Democratic candidates are promising to take action against climate change, especially by aiming to switch the United States’ energy source to 100% renewable within 30 years. However, with current technology and division about climate change, such a drastic switch may not be possible. 

Currently, about 17% of the energy generated in the United States is from renewable sources as of 2018. This is nearly double the energy generation from renewable sources in 2008.  

The majority of that increase is due to wind and solar energy. This is because most state policy supports wind and solar energy more than less common types of renewable energy: some states require electricity companies to have certain percentages of their portfolios made up of renewable energy, and the cheapest and easiest renewable energy for a company to use is wind or solar. 

However, there is also some support for alternative types of renewable energy. For example, biomass or products can landfills can be digested to create methane, which can be used as natural gas. Additionally, municipal solid waste can be converted into oil that can be used for fuel through chemical processes. There are fewer governmental support for such initiatives, but the EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program provides volunteer support for groups that create that energy. 

The majority of scientists agree that fossil fuels are responsible for several negative environmental impacts, including global warming and an increase in natural disasters. Thus, renewable energy is necessary for combating the effects of climate change and making the United States’ energy portfolio more sustainable. 

Additionally, renewable energy can make the United States less dependent upon imported fuel, such as petroleum. Wind, solar, and even biofuels are easy to create domestically, so even though they’re more expensive than biofuels, the need for imports can be reduced. In turn, this creates jobs in the United States in the manufacturing and installation of the energy source.

However, there are major barriers to renewable energy breaking into the energy market in a major way. The most well-known of these barriers are cost and unreliability. Wind and solar energy may become cheaper than fossil fuels in the long run, but large upfront costs deem them “risky,” such that electric companies are unwilling to make the investment. However, as technology improves, that upfront costs continues to fall, such that cost may become less of an issue in the future. 

Another one of its infamous problems is reliability: if the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow, the energy ceases to power homes and businesses. Sustainably-produced natural gas is a type of renewable energy that doesn’t suffer from this problem, but further technology must be created to significantly increase the role of sustainable energy in the United States electrical system.

Policy related to renewable energy has changed greatly in recent years. Several states have instated Renewable Portfolio Standards, requiring electronic companies to have a certain percentage of their energy portfolio to come from renewable sources, or to buy “credits” from private citizens who have solar panels on their houses. 

Additionally, some states have instated output-based environmental regulations, which limit the allowed emissions per unit of energy. They encourage efficiency in the production of energy from resources, as well as the use of renewable forms of energy. 

However, on the national level, there are fewer encouragements for renewable energy. Many lawmakers in Congress receive campaign contributions from electricity companies that depend on fossil fuels. Rather than risking losing the contributions totaling up to 2 million dollars, lawmakers in the national government prefer to have minimal guidelines for sustainable energy. 

Overall, renewable energy is a major way to fight climate change, but it’s not as simple as many consider it to be. The further implementation of renewable energy has many benefits, but it also has barriers and drawbacks. With advancing technology and the upcoming election cycle, the future of America’s energy hangs in the balance. Either way, issues related to energy will require compromise and ingenuity to solve.

Gay, But Also…

by 1 Comment

Compared to a TV show or movie, an audio drama is a walk in the park to make. All it requires is a few actors, some recording equipment, and some editing software.

The fact that audio dramas are relatively easy to make means that creators who would otherwise never be able to share their stories are doing so through podcasts. A big fraction of those creators are LGBTQ creators telling stories full of LGBTQ characters.

The representation in itself is lovely, but the best part is that the stories aren’t all Love, Simon-esque stories about coming out and falling in love, nor are they Brokeback Mountain-style tragedies. Podcasts allow their LGBTQ characters to be detectives, adventurers, doctors, and more–something that’s rare in TV and movies.

For example, The Penumbra Podcast is a sci-fi adventure with an almost entirely LGBTQ main cast of characters. The main character does have a love interest in season 1, but the focus is on the alien trying to take over the world, rather than the romance.

Similarly, The Bright Sessions tells a story about a group of people with superpowers, known as “atypicals,” as they try to take down the evil organization trying to experiment on them. The main plot is full of action and adventure, while multiple subplots involve LGBTQ relationships.

That isn’t to say there aren’t podcasts about characters discovering that they’re gay, or gay characters falling in love. Kaleidotrope is a rom-com that encompasses several romantic tropes to tell the story of two gay high schoolers falling in love.

Also unlike TV and movies, audio dramas don’t forget the letters besides L and G in LGBTQ. The Strange Case of Starship Iris features a transgender main character, and the main character in The Magnus Archives is asexual.

Audio dramas break a lot of trends in TV and movies, but their wealth of LGBTQ representation is one of the most important ones. Finally, LGBTQ listeners and creators get to see themselves in the stories they’ve seen leave them out their entire lives.

What’s a Genre?

by 1 Comment

We’ve all been consuming fictional stories from the time we were babies, so by now, we should all have an idea of what genres we like.

For me, it’s urban fantasy and the very edge of science fiction: fantastical stories that feel like they could fit seamlessly into our world.

That love may have begun with my obsession with the Artemis Fowl and Percy Jackson books when I was in elementary school, but it certainly did not end there, and audio dramas have given me ample content to feast on in this genre.

However, audio dramas never just pick a genre and leave it at that.

Wolf 359 is one of the first audio dramas I listened to, and it’s still one of my favorites. It’s a drama set in space worthy of being compared to the likes of Star Wars: it includes thrilling storylines about aliens and mutant viruses, features stunning character development, and poses ethical questions ranging from the idea of redemption to what it means to be human. Despite the drama, it somehow manages to keep a light, humorous tone reminiscent of The Office throughout.

King Falls AM, another one of my favorites, takes the form of a late-night radio show in a small town full of vampires, werewolves, and alien abductions, or odd people and kidnappers, depending on who you ask. The podcast keeps up the comedy through the dynamic of the two hosts of the radio show and their frequent callers, but also includes adventures, political intrigue, and love stories that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Podcasts seem to have cracked the code of creating stories that go beyond genre lines and are still entertaining, and some of them know it.

The Penumbra Podcast builds its entire brand on bending genres. It tells two parallel stories: one follows the classic jaded private eye as he makes peace with his past and learns to open up, and the other of the only female knight in a fantasy land as she defends the citadel against mind-manipulating monsters, falling in love along the way. The podcast purposefully subverts every trope the creators dream up, and it results in a story that’s both surprising and fun.

When I started audio dramas, I knew I would enjoy most of them due to my genre preferences. What I didn’t know was that the stories would bend genre to an extent that just about anyone could enjoy them.

 

Public Controversy Memo

by Leave a Comment

Krystal, Rachel, Bella 

ENGL 137H 

11/22/19 

Work Plan: History of a Public Controversy 

TED Talk Work Day Activity Summary 

Duties of Each Member: 

Krystal – Goalkeeper, research, script outline, video editing, look for images, interview Matt and Carly, help write interview questions 

Rachel – Park Ranger, research, organization, writing interview questions, script outline, video editing 

Bella – Scribe, research, outline script, script writing, email political science professors to interview
 

Timeline 

  • Nov 22 through Dec 1: Thanksgiving Break, research more, generate video outline, scheduling possible interviews with Matt (Ben Shapiro stan), Carly (international politics major friend), and Professor Berkman (political science), write interview questions 
  • Dec 2: Start gathering images and videos, begin writing script 
  • Dec 4 Have all interviews finished, put the video together, finish script. 
  • Dec 6-10: Begin video editing and narration recording. 
  • Dec 11: Finalize video and clean up loose ends 
  • Dec 13: Present videos in class 
  • Dec 16: Final video cuts by noon 

Day 1: 

Our group discussed a range of topics including: 

  • Vaccinations 
  • Flag burning 
  • NCAA athletes getting paid 
  • Airbnb and the Housing Market 
  • DACA 
  • Legalization of marijuana 
  • Abortion 

Day 2: 

After talking to Professor Taheri, we decided to go with DACA. We started to compile some research by finding articles and websites that pertained to our topic. 

Articles: 

https://www.procon.org/headline.php?headlineID=005384 

https://www.uscis.gov/archive/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca 

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/470075-supreme-court-sharply-divided-over-trumps-daca-repeal 

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2019-11-12/timeline-on-daca 

https://www.oyez.org/cases/2019/18-587 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/us/daca-supreme-court.html 

https://www.factcheck.org/2018/01/the-facts-on-daca/ 

 Stasis Questions: 

Facts: 

  • Executive order introduced by President Obama in 2012 to prevent the deportation of people brought illegally to the United States as children 
  • Renewable two years at a time; no pathway to citizenship 
  • Benefits:  
  • work permits 
  • in some cases, health insurance through employers 
  • In some states, drive legally 
  • Ability to pay for school 
  • Between 15 and 31 years old at the time of June 15, 2012 
  • Under 16 when entering the United States 
  • In high school, graduated high school, or honorably discharged from the military 
  • Not convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, or three or more other misdemeanors 
  • Failure to pass DREAM Act in Congress, which would provide a path to citizenship for individuals brought here illegally as children 
  • Essentially, it would defer deportation for individuals who are “not a threat to national security” 
  • Average age of DACA recipient is 25, 82.5% of them being under 30 as of 2017 
  • 28% in California, 16% in Texas 
  • As of 2017, there are 689,800 current DACA recipients and 798,980 since 2012 
  • DACA can be revoked due to criminal action 
  • Controversy about what revocations have been on 
  • On Sept. 5, 2017, Trump announced that new DACA applications would not be accepted amid legal action threatened from Republican Attorneys General and governors 
  • Supreme Court is determining whether DACA applications should still be accepted as legal proceedings concerning the repeal of DACA persist 

Definition: 

  • The nature of the issue pertains to the legality of the enaction of the DACA program, as well as the legality of the way which the current administration attempted to end it 
  • Small part of the ongoing immigration debate taking place in the US 
  • Parts of the issue: Legality of program debated, morality – Dreamers view themselves as American and grew up in America, economic ramifications of deportation, viewed as encouraging more illegal immigration 

Quality: 

  • How serious is the problem/issue? 
  • There are currently approx. 700,000 people enrolled in DACA as Dreamers, so this impacts them as well as the suspected 1,000,000 people who qualify but haven’t enrolled 
  • Whom might it affect (stakeholders)? 
  • People enrolled in the program 
  • People who qualify and might want to enroll 
  • Americans, as it impacts our economy and what it means to be American 
  • Americans, as it might impact our broader immigration policies and situation 
  • What happens if we don’t do anything? 
  • The Supreme Court will rule soon about the legality 
  • The program will be ended by the current administration 
  • What are the costs of solving the problem/issue? 
  • Gives recipients legal status to reside in the US 
  • Work, obtain an education, have access to health care 
  • Dreamers work and pay taxes – economic impacts 

Day 3: Framing the Issue 

The debate over DACA boils down to the debate over immigration—should the United States allow immigrants to become citizens? How many? As the Trump administration moves to repeal the law, more questions arise about executive power and who can do what in government.  

Framing Questions: 

  1. What constitutes a “severe enough” crime that merits the deportation of DACA recipients? 
  1. What makes someone an American? 
  1. Should the United State provide a path to citizenship for DACA recipients? 
  1. Where do we draw the line at who is too old to receive DACA status? 
  1. Did Obama have the authority to enact such a wide-reaching executive order? 
  1. Conversely, does the Trump Administration have the authority to rescind the executive order and halt DACA applications? 
  1. What led to the immigration of these families? 
  1. Is it in our best interest, economically speaking, to deport illegal immigrants? 

TED Talk Outline

by 1 Comment

  • Introduction
    • Most teenagers know what it’s like to lose sleep because they were binge-watching a show until the late hours of the night.
    • In the days before streaming services such as Netflix, it was impossible to watch everything at once—viewers waited weeks or years for the next episode or movie
    • Netflix became the first online streaming service in 2008
    • “Binge-watching” became a popular term in 2012
  • Thesis: Streaming services such as Netflix, as well as the advent of the Internet, have changed the way we experience being fans of content, taking much of the human interaction out of fandom.
    • Main idea – watching in isolation
      • Instead of gathering around the TV with family or friends, people now retreat to their rooms to binge-watch
      • 88% of viewers have binge-watched
      • 60% of viewers binge-watch alone (Truong)
      • Netflix encourages “binge-racing”— watching an entire new season of a show within 24 hours of its release
      • 15% of viewers binge-raced a new season of Arrested Development (Matrix)
      • Stereotype of watching Netflix alone in one’s room and eating ice cream when they’re sad
    • Main idea – role of social media
      • Rather than connecting with fan communities in person, fans can now do so through social media, removing the need for human interaction in order to participate in fandom
      • Stereotype of someone binge-watching a show, then immediately going on Twitter to gush about how much they enjoyed it
      • Even at in-person events, such as conventions, much of the purpose is to post about the experience online
      • People form online communities around fandom and identify themselves by it (i.e. “Whovians”)
      • Fans can feel social integration entirely online, with little to no in-person interaction (Misailidou)
    • Main idea – fan content online
      • Even after binge-watching a show and discussing it on social media, fans can continue to engage in that content in isolation by consuming fan content online.
      • Archive of Our Own, a fanfiction site, has over 4.7 million works on it (Romano)
      • According to fanfiction platform Wattpad, fanfictions published on the site can reach over 45 million readers who spend 15 billion minutes per day reading fanfiction (Wattpad).
      • Fanfiction readers develop parasocial relationships with the fictional characters starring in the story, which can replace real human relationships and ultimately harm readers (Lansang)
  • Conclusion
    • Technology and the Internet have provided us with opportunities to accomplish things we never could have imagined
    • However, they have also caused us to be more isolated than ever before.
    • While it is good to take advantage of technology’s benefits, we must also be careful not to let technology replace what is human in us.
Skip to toolbar