Further Discussion

For this class, we read a chapter that focused on Marketing and Advertising. We only had one week of discussion on this topic, and I feel we could have gone deeper on the subject. Marketing and Advertising is a very complex topic, I would know because I was majoring in this topic. There is a lot of potential to discuss critical thinking and logic skills, both as the consumer and the company. As a marketer, you are challenged by the company and the consumer to make ethical decisions. The subject of what is considered right and wrong in the marketing world definitely leaves space for discussion and arguments. Although it may sometimes be a personal decision, but when if the company requires it? The controversial topic of PhotoShopping could also be discussed because there are many different points of view people can stand from. Multiple arguments can be made and challenged through class discussion of this topic. I do not think Marketing and Advertising will have to be further discussed than this. I just think this subject is interesting and could be elaborated a little more.

These are a few of my favorite things...

My favorite thing about COMM 41 has been the ability to blog and, in a way, learn on my own. I have never taken an online class before because I was always hesitant to take one. I was afraid that I would forget about it or that the material will be difficult to learn without a teacher.
To my surprise, I loved the way I learn the material. I was very organized and straight-forward. Every week we would read a chapter or two, then blog about it the rest of the week. This pattern helped me from forgetting about the class, and allowed me to learn on my own pace. Blogging about a specific topic each week helped me explore and engage the subject more than I usually would. By the end of a week, I felt that I was fully informed and knowledgeable about the topic. Additionally, I was able to let my voice heard by other students anonymously which made it easier for me to say what I wanted to say without my identity being revealed. This class, although it was online, was the most interaction I have done between classmates because of this method.
My least favorite part about the class was the lack of structure when it came to group assignments. If it wasn't for my nagging ways, many of the group members would not have done their work correctly, on time, or at all. This can be improved by requiring students to check in with the professor where they are at with their group project personally. That way the students can keep up with the project, and the professor can see their progress.

Art of Arguing: What I Have Learned in Comm 41

Over the course of this semester I have learned so much about the art of arguing. I always knew how to present at argument during a discussion in a way that would convince them or to sound believable. I was unaware of how technical arguing can be. From deductive and inductive, to marketing strategies and hearsay, I learned about breaking down arguments and challenging them . I specifically learned to look into arguments presented around me. When being advertised to, informed on the news, being presented scientific facts, and many other interactions, I have developed the skills needed to evaluate and analyze the arguments made. When someone proposes an argument to me, I now go through a process so I can make a decision on whether or the argument is valid. I take in to account how they present it, where they are pulling there facts from (if there are any), and if their conclusion makes sense. This class has taught me to challenge my thoughts and to not be afraid of presenting my own opinion. I had always been afraid of giving my opinion on a controversial topic or issue because I was worried that my argument would not makes sense (leaving those with opposing views to question my judgement). Thankfully, I have adapted the skills to present and analyze arguments for everyday interactions, making me a much more improved critical thinker.

Websites

This week, we were instructed to review the Mission Critical and Causal Argument websites and discuss the usefulness of them. Each website provided text-full, informational pages with exercises to review the material. For me personally, I think the websites could use a little editing. On the Mission Critical website, each page provided plenty information on that subject, but the pages were sometimes hard to read due to the amount of text and that some of the text went outside the designated area. However, most of the pages gave great examples and I found it very convenient to have the exercises on the same page as the text, so I could always scroll up and review if I was unclear on a question. For example, on the page discussing Loaded Questions and Complex Claims, the text was interesting to read ("Sometimes, answering a loaded question with another loaded question is the best reply") and right below was the exercises. On the website about Causal Argument, there was a lot of reading of text and on some parts I got lost. But jut like the other website, the text included great examples that help me connect to what is being explained. For example, using and analyzing the argument regarding who is to blame for a car accident which included a illegally parked car, a bicyclist, an incoming car, and the car who failed to break. By using this example, I was able to follow the lesson easier because I was applying it to real life. However, the exercises where on a separate page, which made it hard to review before answering a question if I wanted to.

Whether the Weather Be Cold..

Last weekend was really warm down here in San Jose, if you all remember. The temperature was in the 90's and everyone was either at the pool or heading to the beach. I myself enjoy both of those activities last weekend to take advantage of the warm weather. When Monday was coming up, I had expected that the weather then would be warm as well. When friends asked me what the weather will be like Monday, I would reply with, "Warm of course!" Little did I know, I had filled not only my mind, but my friends’ minds, with incorrect information and misled them into thinking the Monday was going to be just like the weekend. I had made the observation from previous days and concluded that Monday will be like the days before. This kind of weather forecasting is named Persistence, where we believe tomorrow will be like today. I discovered that my observation was misleading when I walked outside the next day to significantly colder weather compared to the weekends. I was prepared for hot weather and dressed accordingly. Scientific knowledge taught me that my observations were not a strong enough argument for my conclusion. My hypothesis was incorrectly formed from a wrong analysis, leading to a false conclusion. Next time, I will form a better hypothesis by using correct experimentation SO I won't be wearing shorts in the cold wind.

Libra Love?

Libra Horoscope
You can normally appreciate the smaller things in life, but it's perfectly understandable if you draw the line at small minds. Some petty people will irk you to no end today, even though you're going to impress the heck out of them. Make sure that your pride doesn't stop you from dealing in a constructive way with one of these people -- remember that you don't have to have everyone like you, especially someone who is interested in you only for what he or she can get out of you.
In my humble opinion, I do not think this horoscope prediction was very accurate at all. So yes, it is falsifiable. My day has actually been the completely opposite. This morning I drove home to my brothers and sister to spend the weekend with them as my parents were traveling. I have spent the day appreciating my family and the "smaller things in life". I was definitely not trying to impress anyone, just enjoy the company of my siblings and spending time with them. All of us kids went to both of my sister’s softball games, then we went out of Slurpee’s, made dinner together, and now we are bonding over video games. Maybe somewhere out there there is a Libra that this horoscope applies to, but not in my case. Rarely do my horoscopes apply to my life, nor do I actually try to follow them. They supply us with very obvious advice and do not always to the reader’s current situation- like mine.

Sensationalism

In this chapter, the book discusses sensationalism and the News as Entertainment. It covered how many stories are chosen because of their entertainment value rather than the "newsworthiness". This topic was very fascinating because I started seeing this happen and notice this as I read or watched the news. It is very interesting how the media plays on our human tendency to engage in the memorable events. The book used the example of the news stations cover the story of Michael Jackson's death week after week when it happened, while much more important news was being neglected by the media and people. I personally saw some sensationalism of the news when "Snooky" revealed she was pregnant, or when Jaycee Dugard was found. Jaycee story lasted for weeks, and although we were fascinated by her story, they was much more going on around the world that the people should have been informed about.