Civic Artifact

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A civic artifact is defined as a human made relic or phenomenon that frames the civic in a rhetorically compelling way. This virtually means that any object, saying, or concept that is used to inspire or evoke society can be considered as a civic artifact. With the definition being so broad, it was truly difficult for me to narrow down any my ideas to just one specific topic. That is why, I will present them all to you in this particular blog post.

My first idea for the civic artifact project is to discuss and analyze the twelve zodiac signs. Zodiac signs and horoscopes, nowadays, can be found everywhere in society. The twelve signs, which were originally created as a religious tradition for the Mesopotamia people back in 3,200 BC, have become popular all over the internet and other social media platforms. They are now seen as a fun, new and quirky way to describe someone and their behavior. The vague characteristics that are assigned to each of the signs are able to apply to thousands of peoples’ lives aiding in the trend’s popularity. This massive shift in society’s perception of zodiac signs can be furthered analyzed as to how and why this happened.

The second idea I had for my civic artifact was the infinity symbol. Much like the twelve zodiac signs, the infinity symbol has become extremely popular on social media, especially with the female part of the web. This symbol has become so mainstream that it can be seen paired with almost every artsy photo or quote. However, despite the massive increase in infinities symbols, a stigma surrounding the symbol has also developed. Many look down on women who partake in this trend often ridiculing them. This could be furthered discussed in the essay as to why people deem female interests less valuable.

However, I am still deciding on topics and any feedback would be much appreciated!

The Circle Blog 1

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“Dream”, “Participate”, “Innovate”, “Imagine” and “Breathe”. The same words that adorned the walls of The Circle building are the very same principles instilled within every Penn Stater. From the first time we step onto campus, we become part of a community that is much bigger than ourselves. A community that intertwines both the past and the present with a shared passion for excellence and prosperity. Much like the core values at Penn State, The Circle expresses similar virtues within their departments. The dedicated employees at The Circle believe in the company’s success and strive every day to enhance the lives of others. This feeling of pride the Circlers have for the company emanates the same pride Penn Staters have in their history that is often demonstrated by the populace at Penn State through the cheers and chants.

The similarities between the two institutions extend further than just the shared belief of values that originate from a community aspect. The process of becoming acclimated, one with the society, is extremely encouraged in both communities. In The Circle, Mae is welcomed by the company through a tour and various introductions to other employees. It is stressed that to truly get “The Circle” experience, one must get involved within the community. This same rhetoric can be heard by Penn State’s administration and faculty all throughout Welcome Week.

However, The Circle does exhibit some characteristics that are dissimilar from Penn State. In the first section of the book, subliminal messages can be interpreted from the slogan “All that happens must be known,” (68). This sense of restrictiveness and conformity The Circle is implying differs greatly from Penn State. The Circle, which is known for hiring “almost exclusively from within”, thrives on the idea of sameness (16). Whereas, due to the large student body, Penn State embraces diversity rather than rejecting the differences that are held among students.

 

 

The Journey

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Passion Blog. These two words have been rattling my brain for the past week and
a half. Ever since it was announced that we would be maintaining a blog for
sixteen weeks I have been terrified. How was I going to run a blog for sixteen
weeks? And a blog on one of my passions, what passion do I even have that I can
write about for that long? Hearing that reminded me of the first day of school. Specifically, when the teacher asks you what you do for fun and your mind goes completely blank, so you have to spend an obscene amount of time thinking of something. Well up until a couple days ago, my mind was completely blank with ideas. For days I couldn’t think of even one idea
that seemed worthy of writing about. None of my passions or hobbies seemed good enough nor did I like them enough to write about them for sixteen weeks. It had become extremely frustrating! Even more so, after none of my friends from high school were able to help me figure out an idea. Finally, I came up with the idea to have my passion blog be about traveling. I have always loved traveling ever since I was little. One of my very first travel experiences was when I was six years old! And although it was only to Disney World, it was the beginning of a passion that would lead me to this very moment.

Since there is already a plethora of travel blogs on the Internet, I decided to make mine a bit more unique and personal to me by incorporating my bucket list. Now, my bucket list has been in the works for a very long time, so it has accumulated quite a bit over the years. At the moment, it stands at around forty-three things, which is very intimidating! Especially since, I don’t know much about these items individually. That is why for my passion blog every week I will be exploring all the costs and other minute details into certain items on my bucket list, so that I get an idea of what it will take to accomplish these lifetime goals. So come on and travel with me this semester in ‘The Bucket Travels’!