Culture and Society in America

The future blog could be a science fiction blog. They could talk about things that seemed impossible in the past that are now possible. They can also talk about what may be possible in the future due to trends. It might bring up the utopia/dystopia conversation again. http://www.bbc.com/news/health-38026393   - This site talks about sci-fi inventions that became true.

A few blog post suggestions that I would give to the future ENG 112 classes would be: Religion vs Spirituality. I think it would be interesting in general to see how religion has evolved, and to see the opinions of future students on what they think would be the major religions in the future. Would the major religions right now still continue to lead or would smaller religions take the place of them? Also, discuss the pros and cons of organized religion or spirituality. Discussing conflicts between certain countries. (current day) Being able to write about what is currently happening globally will allow these future students to be able to really feel like journalists.

 Going in to the next semester of ENG 112's I think that there are several possibilities of topics to blog about. However the topic eventually has to be narrowed. There are so many basic topics that could be discussed, such as politics (an obvious example), culture, sub-culture, etc. But personally, I think the thing that would be most exciting to research and explore would be Art in America. Art is everywhere and comes in many forms, from drawing and painting to rallies for ideals such as women's rights. These are all forms of expression and art in America and would be intriguing to write about and read.

There were a few blogs that I enjoyed doing. Some of my favorites included the topics on an American Utopia, changes in American Culture, and the blog post where we got to choose a topic based on events currently happening (I chose technology for this one). Some of my new ideas include: 1. How would you rate America's general performance compared to other countries around the world? This question should be answered in the most blunt and honest way possible. Think about what is currently going on in America and the world (trade, taxes, employment) and compare America to other countries. Feel free to back up your opinion with data. 2. Is a degree worth getting? Do you feel like people get a degree for satisfaction, potential for growth in a job, both, or do you feel like obtaining a degree is simply a waste of money? This question has different components and the blogger should select a view to defend. Currently, a doctoral degree is the highest obtainable degree, but there are...

http://nationwideradiojm.com/holness-welcomes-reduction-in-school-violence/ For the next English 112 students, I feel that school violence would be a good topic. School Violence  can go into different categories such as: gun control, bomb threats, bullying, fighting and etc. Each violence can be explained into detail on why it happens? The first link I've added explains what are the issues for school violence and how many violence are reported yearly. The second link explains what school violence is and the causes & effects, and how to prevent the violence. The blogs would help everyone understand what to do just incase of the violence or why it happens.  First link: http://www.vov.com/issues/preventing-school-violence Second link: http://www.teachtrauma.com/information-about-trauma/types-of-trauma/school-violence

My favorite blog post this semester was definitely the one where we played the "Believing Game" and explained or debunked a subculture of America. It was open-ended and allowed for everyone to have a different topic, all while being under the same main topic. I really enjoyed the freedom of that post and believe future 112's will as well. The main topic doesn't even have to be America as a whole. The topic can be just American Subcultures all semester long. Questions per blog post could include: "(The Believing Game one to start out with)" "How do these subcultures affect national issues such as the economy?" "How does these subcultures get along?" "(Etc.)" If everyone aligned themselves with a subculture early on, it would be really interesting to see how each question is answer by each student. Also, it may make it a little easier for the students to come up with a post if their topic of discussion is the same each week....

I actually found this topic of Amercian Culture to be quite interesting. Of course, I believe there are many topics out there that would be very interesting for upcoming blogger writers. One topic that I believe would make an interesting blog post is Citizen Journaling. We discussed it being a possibility for a topic in class. Citizens play an active role when it comes to sharing news and reports going on in our world. Especially with "fake news" being more prominent and many news articles/reports being questioned. I think it would be very interesting to see what different types of journaling students will come up with. Especially with what they are taught and how to academically analyze and write essays as well as finding academic and trustworthy sources, it would be interesting to look at their different perspectives surrounding the news and what they think citizen journalism should look like. I found an interesting article that talks about the different perspectives people...

maxresdefault.jpg What would be a good blog topic for the next ENG 112 students? I have few suggestions that could be good to write about the future blog topic. One idea would be to write about the school systems, which will consist the difference between the U.S. school system compared to other countries. We can also discuss how we can improve the school system and how we can start it. Afterward, the students can address the school security system and what we should do about it. Finally, the topic can end with what a perfect school system be. presidential-elections-2020-400.jpg Another topic that can be brought up for the next ENG 112 would be about the next presidential election. Since 2020 is the next election, the future candidates are about to show up towards the end this year (2018). In this topic, they can discuss their views and which candidate represents them. They can also predict which one would pass to the next level.

Walking down the aisle, making eye contact with the one person that you'll spend the rest of your life with. An image that most people see as marriage: the joining of two people under law and holy matrimony.  The thing is though is that this image of marriage isn't the same for everyone. In particular the idea of polygamy is one that includes more than one spouse in a relationship. An idea that is vastly frowned upon in America alone. So why is it that this form of a relationship is frowned upon? Is it because it is viewed as "unfaithful" or is it because we have a large percentage of christian views in our political frame in the US? There is probably more than one opinion regarding polygamy in America but the law states " Polygamy  and bigamy are illegal in the  US...  In some states, the  law  uses the terms interchangeably".     Nigel Barber  "who received his Ph.D. in Biopsychology from Hunter College, CUNY, and taught psychology ...

For the the next set of ENG 112 students, I believe a good topic for blog posts could be education. With education you can talk about how it's failing or progressing. You could also talk about new forms of teaching as well as how teaching differs from the past. Education is an important topic and relevant to today's time.

      A utopia can be made of several thing as such as peace throughout the world, or in this case, a country. A utopia, defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary, is " a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government and social conditions ".  According to the Oxford Dictionary , the word "Utopia" came from a book by Sir Thomas Moore in 1516 .   Utopias can often be fantasized by people as a world where everyone in society is perfect as well as the structure of the government. Several books have been written regarding Utopian societies and how they function.The unfortunate reality of today is that such a world cannot exist.       The United States was created on a foundation that allows everyone to express their opinion. Everyone has a different opinion from others and can often oppose the belief of others causing arguments. If a utopia would be made out of the United States it would then it would contradict the same documents ...

During our first class discussion on the blog posts, there was a suggestion of the topic being about the environment. While ultimately we chose to focus on American culture, I do think that a class blog focused on environmental discussions would be very original and informative. Science and Math are grouped together in most incidents as English and History are. Crossing over scientific issues into creative writing would create an opportunity to write about loads of different environmental topics. Climate Change is a popular environmental as well as social discussion. It can even be related to politics. The possibilities for anyone's take on our worldwide handling of climate change are endless. The "Earth Right Now" NASA blog is a great contributor to this conversation. There could also be a post about our strategies to deal with waste and pollution. Air, land, and water pollution are things that we have been worried about since the day we were born and it just contin...

      Some of the topics that could be used for future blog posts are: * Alternate History (how would society be different if event X had a different outcome?) * Education (which degrees are most effective/needed/useful? What level of education is best for today? Why are the requirements so much more advanced than they used to be? History of education?) * Life development (what defines success? How could one be successful? How has the meaning changed over time? Is there such thing as objective success?) * Religion (Has it been a force for good or evil? Does the bad of religion outweigh the good? Is America a Christian nation? Is religion relevant anymore? Are some religions better than others? Can we make major life decisions based on Faith?) * Role of technology (Has technology helped society? How was life without technology compared to life with it? Were people happier? Has technology overwritten or even removed basic human functions? Can we make a fully functional ...

Utopian Ideas in Pragmatic America By: Allison Miles The utopian idea is a western take on a perfect place, attached to the idea of recreating lost paradises in history. Despite this hope, the Greek words "ou" and "topos" that make up "utopia" quite literally translate to " no place ". In Republic (a Socratic dialogue, written by Plato around 380 BC, concerning justice, the order and character of the just, city-state, and the just man), Plato described the ideal Greek city-state as requiring communal living among the ruling class, perhaps based on the model of Sparta. Sir Thomas More-- a humanist philosopher --wrote Utopia in 1516, describing a perfect political and social system on an imaginary island. This book popularized the modern definition of "Utopia" as being any place or situation of ideal perfection. Although westerners and especially Americans enjoy this idea of perfection being their home, there are some current issu...

    The Imperfect States of America Is there such thing as "Utopia"? Or will it always end up being a "Dystopia"? Growing up, I read a lot of dystopian novels like The Giver and the Hunger Games trilogy. Those books really helped me understand the ideas of "utopia" and "dystopia". What I took away from them is in a utopian society, "ignorance is bliss". A "utopia" becomes a dystopia when that ignorance is taken away. What those books have in common is that people are blissfully unaware of the things that are happening is wrong until they are faced with the fact. After that, they either try to escape it or try to fight back. You could argue that is the case for the US. How can America become a "utopia" when it can't acknowledge its wrongdoings? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  America can't erase its past, but in some schools, the history is being rewritten. In an NPR article , it talks about...

The question is: what would make America Utopian? This is a challenging question. If there was a simple answer, however, America would already be Utopian. A great American (and global) flaw would be the lack of trust for one another, and the fear of each other. This fear comes from not knowing what the other person has. What kind of morals do they have? What kind of values do they have? Are they looking for someone to rob? Do they have a gun on them? Now, this topic can be turned into a debate on gun laws, but this post is about Utopian America. The weapon doesn’t matter, guns are modern, if this post were  2.5 million  years old, it would be about fearing a stone-wielding robber. The point is, Americans have slowly, over time feared each other more and more. It has created a lack of trust so terrible that when walking down a sidewalk and waving to a stranger, there's a fair chance they won't wave back. In 2016, one of America's biggest fears was  being a victim of t...

Utopian-America is ultimately impossible to imagine or create. For someone to think of this imaginary place, what exactly would they consider altering the most from society we have today? More than likely, this one person would alter the government, religion, education, race, etc. This same person's ideal American society might even be that no one was homosexual or everyone was homosexual; it could be any kind of desire. One person or even a group of people would not achieve the ideal world for all of society, solely because everyone is incredibly different. St. Thomas More, a lawyer, statesman, and philosopher, was a man involved in the Erasmian period of the English Renaissance in his emotional and intellectual attitudes -- search for simplicity, stress on ethics, return to Greek sources, and desire for reform: social, political, educational, religious, and philosophical. These traits appear in his imaginative and significant creation, Utopia . This book is about a fantasy i...

By: Alexandra Tantoco Dreams may be compared to the concept of  Utopia. Another common comparison could be "heaven on Earth." Thomas More , the original creator of the concept , used the Greek word " ou-topos " which translates into no place, to create the term Utopia . This means that the original creator intended for this concept to only be unobtainable , but still considers it a topic to ponder upon. As time goes on, literature continues to live in the concept of utopias and authors can't seem to stop wrapping their heads around their interpretation to it. That is certainly the point of writing, but is there a possibility that those words may come to life one day? Credit: CIO Article /Thinkstock A perfect place for one person might never be the same  for the next. Although, there still contains the argument of whether or not humans should strive to make the world as "utopian" as possible or if that's the role of the afterlife. This wi...

URL        Utopian is defined as a state that believes everything is perfect. America is known for becoming utopian. It is known as utopian because, of how America handles their county's unique diversity or cultures.  Nisbet  stated, America is unique among nations of Western society in its utopia-touched origins. Nisbet is a editorial at the production office in Los Angeles. America is becoming more open-minded about things that can make them utopia. They are open-minded about things such as: inter-racial marriages, other religions, and gay marriage.     Therefore, Jennings , stated no place on the globe has been more crowded with utopian longing and utopian experimentation than the United States in the middle of the 19th century. Jennings is a writer in California and has a book named "Paradise Now". America, was becoming crowded because everyone was thinking and believing that it was going to be a new and wonderful commu...

A version of Utopia from last century- Robert McCall 1983 Mural, The Prologue and the Promise A perfect society where everything and everyone is perfect. Imagine this from time to time? Some imagine this while others may imagine a different form of society that is perfect for them. This idea of a perfect society can be described as a Utopia. Utopia is essentially an idealized version of a society where laws, government, people, and environment are all "perfect." Almost all of us dream of one day reaching this perfection in our society where one does not have to worry about all this violence, corruption, destruction, fighting, hatred, etc. But will American society ever reach this point? Or will it always be a dream or myth that we will become a Utopian society? What would we even have to do to make this dream a reality? While it may seem content to imagine a Utopian society, such imaginations can only belong in books and movies. First things first, there are many issue...

The question "What would make America a Utopia?" is rather subjective. This is because everyone has different opinions on what a perfect society looks like and how it operates. The short answer for what would make America a utopia, (while keeping everyone individual opinions and values in mind) is there is no answer. Unless people were to somehow ditch their personal opinions and abide by any laws with absolutely no resistance whatsoever, a utopia in America can not be. The power of the human will is what makes such a view difficult or even impossible to create. One could even go as far as saying a utopia in America would be one with no laws and no order, in other words, absolute chaos. Chaos is the natural order of life; where there are no laws, people would be free to act as they please. However, if I were to be asked what would make America a utopia based off of my own values, morals, and opinions, I would describe it as a " interdependent Confederation of societi...

A Perfect Place Imagine in a world where there is no issue, no fighting, no disease, no nothing. A place where you don’t have to worry about anything. A place where someone wouldn’t be afraid that one day someone is going to deport their family and leaving them all alone. A place where students wouldn’t be scared of going to school and not be shot. A place where continuing your education won’t cost them a fortune. A place where parents won’t be scared that their children will one day be an addict to drugs or be attacked at school. A place where child abuse and domestic violence doesn’t exist. A place where everyone is being treated equally and friendly despite their ethnicity or race. A place where food is healthy and natural that’s available to everyone. A place where everyone has a shelter, clothing, shoes, hygiene and any other things that essential for living in the world. A place where poverty does not exist. A place where money does not dominate the area. Currently, there’s ...

https://www.google.com/search?q=what+makes+america+utopian+images&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi7jtCK8MnaAhWBt1kKHbEkBEwQ_AUICigB&biw=1517&bih=735#imgrc=biQMgRRZSQE-_M: Many individuals wonder what would make America Utopian? Utopian  is defined as having characteristics of a utopia, especially having impossibly ideal conditions especially of social organization. There are quite a few definitions of Utopian but this one is a specific definition, one that is always used. America is very unique first off, among nations of Western society in its utopia-touched origins. The 17th  century reflects the passion and also preoccupation with nature and conditions of Utopian being. Utopian in America goes way back to the pilgrims, who sailed off in the Mayflower. In that time the immigrant communities gave birth to native-born Utopians, who eventually broke away and found their own communities, usually towards the West. Also, America's most influe...

The word "Utopian" is one that is rarely if ever used to describe today's society in the world and in America specifically. It is a word that is used to describe something out of an H.G wells book not the current day to day life that we have today. The true definition of "Utopia" is   " a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions" .  While this conversation could turn into a rant of listing all the things wrong with America, I'll censor myself instead because complaining without looking for solutions will and never has done anything to make situations better. Instead the focus chosen is the topic of global warming and climate change and how as a country we can help to reduce our own Eco -footprint to strive towards this Utopian idea of current conditions. Concerning climate "t he planet is warming, from North Pole to South Pole. Since 1906, the global average surface temperature has  increased  betwe...

                                picture    Heaven, the Garden of Eden, nirvana, Elysium, bliss, Shangri-La, paradise, Utopia. Utopia is defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary as, "a place of ideal perfection, especially in: laws, government, and social conditions."    A Utopian society would be one void of all injustice, crime, unfairness, poverty, economic disparities between people, - and depending on who is asked - unhappiness. In short, a Utopian society would be a perfect society.    So, is it possible to make the United States a Utopia? The answer is no, not in a billion years.    What a Utopia would require is reminiscent of George Orwell's ultra-authoritarian government written out in his novel "1984." It would firstly require no crime, at all. Ever. The only way to prevent people from ever committing crimes, would be to have the government watching...

Foster Care: Not my Kid, Not my Problem?  The system that is in place for foster children is not working. It's an ongoing problem that does not seem to be changing. Children across the United States are being ignored by their own states. According to KVC Systems, an organization that helps in stabilizing families in crisis, per  day, there are about 428,000 U.S. children are in foster care. KVC Health Systems, also  estimate s that about 20,000 children "age out" the system. This means that those children either do not get adopted or have a stable living situation by the age of 18, which then they are legally an adult.  Some end up running away before they even age out.   Researcher and Writer Cris Beam states that "for many older kids who don't end up with families, cynicism sets in, and around 12 or 13 years old, they decide to run out the clock and wait for emancipation. Once they turn 18, they can go out on their own. Beam...

https://rallyways.com/8341/you-cant-kill-car-culture/    Car culture has its effects on society. "The automobile is not that important to people's lives anymore, "says Mike Berger, a historian who studied the social effects of the car. Today, teenagers are able to get their license at the age of 16 but others will not bother until they are 18 years old. One reason why automobiles had an effect on America was due too young people wanting freedom and excitement. Berger stated that, automobiles are not important anymore. That's wrong, because we need automobiles to transport around the world. Car culture has changed because the world is changing to fast.      Do it Yourself stated, in the early 1900s, automobiles were considered fussy toys for rich and famous. Do it yourself is a website that helps with home improvement and home repair. In the 1950s there was a post-war boom from the generation of teenagers. That's because the cars were affordab...

Awkward phases. Some have had them some of us are fortunate not to have one. But some may have gone through a change that may have been strange or out of the ordinary for some people. This change can especially happen if one is going through an identity crisis or desperately wants to change their image. These phases can happen to America as a whole as well. This term can be described as counterculture. Counterculture is defined as " a way of life and set of attitudes opposed to or at variance with the prevailing social norm ." In present times, such examples can be seen with those who identify themselves as punk, goth, emo, LGBTQ, etc. But how or when did this counterculture begin to emerge? This emergence of counterculture can be seen in America during the 1960s. https://infogram.com/counterculture-1960-1g0q3pl35dd7p1g According to Melina Perez, a writer for The Richest, " History teaches us that emergence of a counterculture is a retaliation against the norm at a...