Cross-Cultural Blog

Hi AUC students!

I have a question for you guys. I'm researching the impact of the "green" (environmental) fashion trend across cultures, and I'm wondering if you could help me by telling me a bit about what you have experienced in Cairo. In America, being "green" is currently somewhat of a fashion trend: lots of people wear shirts that promote recycling or "going green," and many celebrities have begun to endorse environmentalism. This has led me to wonder, however, if the trend has to do more with fashion than actual environmental function.

What do you think? What is the "green" trend like in Cairo? Do you feel that it is important to appear environmentally-conscious? If so, does this pressure influence your choices as a consumer? And what is your perspective on the "green" trend in the U.S.?

I would love to read your comments. Thanks for your help!!

-Kelly

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 09:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hey guys! I'm writing a paper on how advertisements for food function in the Middle East versus in the US. I was wondering if you could help me out by answering a few questions? It would be really cool to get a perspective from people who actually live in the region.

1. To what extent do ads in your society portray ideals to be attained?
2. If so, do you feel that in your society sexual undertones in advertising make the product more appealing?
3. To what degree do you feel women’s appearances are venerated in your society (specifically in ads)?
4. Is sexuality considered a strong component/reason for pride?
5. To what extent are traditional religious values esteemed & do you think they play a role in advertising? Do they reinforce or shape your values?

Thanks so much I really appreciate it!!
-Rachel

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Aya Aboul Fotouh
Dania Ghoniem
Jailan Al-Sharif
Samantha Devinck
RHET201
Stanford blog project

How much processed food does the population eat?
How much processed food do you have access to?

When I conducted some internet research on the amount of processed foods that the Egyptian population ate, I found out that the results varied depending on the item consumed. For example, the percentage of Egyptians that consume processed vegetables witnesses an increase of 20% each year. Despite this increase, there are still many people struggling to obtain vegetables due to government regulations and policies that affect vegetable prices, which are in many cases for the disadvantage of the Egyptian citizens. In terms of tomatoes, Egypt primarily relies on its domestic production of fresh tomatoes. However, the harvesting of tomatoes has been affected due to poor handling and packaging, which reduced the available amount of tomatoes for Egyptians. Despite there still being prolific amounts of tomato, yet Egypt imports tomato sauce. As for milk, the majority of Egyptians receive fresh milk, yet the few Egyptian businesses that are involved in dairy processing import dried, skimmed milk. Researching about these facts made me consider how much processed foods I eat on a daily basis. I'd say that I eat some processed foods such as baked chicken. However, I consume fresh vegetables, such as broccoli, which I preserve in a refrigerator and not a freezer. I also consume fresh fruits, depending on the season such as oranges, apples, bananas, and watermelon. I am very grateful for the fact that I am capable of affording fresh fruits and protein foods such as meat, in addition to fish and chicken. In Egypt, many of its citizens cannot say that are as fortunate. Many poor families sleep at night worrying whether they will have enough money in order to buy some vegetables the next day. Thus, many families end up only affording to buy rice and macaroni as inflation continues to progress and affects all food areas, primarily meat and chicken. Since the poor cannot afford to pay for these "luxurious" foods, their diets consist of sources of fat, which leads to many of them becoming victim to diabetes. Furthermore, it is the custom of many families during Islamic religious holidays such as Ramadan (month of fasting till sunset each day), Eid el Fitr (celebration after Ramadan), and Eid el Adha to provide food for those in need. Those in need look forward to receiving the foods that they cannot afford and do not eat during most of the year. Finally, one point I would like to note and I think is interesting to consider is that since the wealthy class can afford foods that the poor cannot afford, many from the former group are constantly dieting. The profession of dieticians is widely popular in Egypt, and many of those who can afford a vast variety of different foods visit these dieticians in order to lose weight. Recently, during the past couple of years, many from the middle class can be found at different diet clinics. However, the same cannot be said for those of the poor class. All in all, Egypt over the past 6-8 years has gained awareness of the dangers of unhealthy food and how they affect one's health. Thus, more citizens are being cautious when it comes to what they eat.

What is going on now with the bread shortage?

Half of the population lives on less than 1 dollar a day; prices have been constantly increasing while salaries are still constant. While poverty increase and difficulties to buy food are increasing, more and more people are turning to subsidized bread. The government then struggles to meet this increase demand and it becomes the target of extreme anger and incomprehension from the population. The problem is that Egypt cannot afford to subsidize bread as this is more costly to them then the national budget of health and educational system! Approximately 50 million Egyptians rely on subsidize bread every day. Bakeries cannot provide enough bread to the increasing population who needs it. Therefore, people begin to queue for bread at 3am. As people wait for such a long time, frustration and stress come along leading to fights and even death. In February, a man was shot dead in a quarrel over a place in a bread queue. Another lady was deathly stabbed outside a different bakery. Moreover, witnessing people dying of heart attacks while waiting in the queue under terribly high temperatures happens very often. Also, due to high food prices many families eat a meal a day and this meal is mainly composed of bread. If bread is not available then what is left for those people to live on? As things are going bad, Egyptian president Mubarak ordered police and army to bake bread for the starving population but it is not enough as they fulfill only 1% of the population needs. Moreover, the government enlarged the list of bakeries or stores who could receive subsidized bread which helped in the availability of bread to the poor. The bread queues have decreased but the prices of all other food are still very high so the problem is actually very far from being solved.

History of bread subsidization:
Subsidized bread today represents a huge problem in Egypt. Its shortage has led people to queue for it at 3:00 am. 45% of the population lives under the poverty line and hence survives on subsidized bread. The government started subsidizing staples, mainly bread and rice, right after World War II. Then when Abd EL-Nasser's government overthrew the monarchy, subsidies where heavily relied on in maintaining social order and promoting a socialist economic model. In 1977, there was an attempt to cease bread subsidy; one which was highly faced by riots. Consequently, the bread subsidy persisted. More reserves are being spent today on bread subsidy than on health or education. However, acquiring bread remains a brutal affair because of the highly inflated prices of food that accompanied the rise in oil price. This increase in prices of staples forced more people to rely on subsidized bread and drove the demand up. While 50 millions loaves of subsidized bread are needed to cover the demand, only 2.5 million loaves are produced daily.

Posted by American University in Cairo at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Hey everyone,

Today in class, we had a special Halloween party! We were encouraged to come to class in costume, and we had food (a whole variety- bananas, candy, granola bars, cupcakes, apples, pumpkin bread, and apple cider). It was great to be able to hang out, talk with each other, and generally relax during an otherwise stressful time. This is definitely just one more reason why we love Stanford!

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 04:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

The topic I chose for my paper is urban literature. I have always been interested in urban literature because of the number of African American people that praise the genre. This is an interesting topic to talk about because it deals with a whole bunch of issues that is not written about in other books and if it is mentioned in other books, it is not done so explicitly as in urban fiction novels. I have no clue what I want my thesis to be. There are so many aspects and issues involved in this one subject and I have not the slightest idea of how I will narrow it down and come up with my own thesis. I am focusing towards how black women are represented in urban fiction novels. In this paper I want to explore both sides of the controversy that exist within this topic. I want to figure out the true nature of this genre and see how it has change the world of literature whether it being for the better or worst.

Continue reading "Urban Literature Reseach Proposal" »

Posted by Cristy Gonzalez, City College of New York at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

Having the AUC located in the heart of the Middle East, “Egypt”, means that its students will be following an Arab style of clothing since Egypt is a purely Arab country. Despite such fact, AUCians are well acknowledged with ongoing worldwide fashion trends and that what makes the AUC one of the most distinguishable universities in Egypt; its amazing mixture of Arab and non-Arab fashion styles. Below are some of the popular fashion trends followed by the differently cultured students and which are as follows:

Here, we have the eye-catching Gladiator sandals. Why are they on the top-of the AUCian fashion list? Well, they have their unique styles which as you can see can reach the ankle line and therefore be hidden under the trousers as well as be wrapped around them. Not only are they found in various colours that range from astonishing pinks, explosive purples, electric blues, calming whites to classical blacks, but also, they are surprisingly comfortable since they are usually made from comfortable materials such as leather. In addition to the sandals, we have the head bands which are seen an important accessory to the diverse AUCian outfits. What makes them that famous is the “hippy” look they provide as seen in the photo above (right figure).

Speaking of accessories that are related to one’s profile face, are the Ray-Ban sunglasses. Whether they are in their classical shapes or modern ones, they definitely suit both sexes as seen in the above left picture. Nevertheless, when it comes to skinny trousers either cotton or jeans, they are worn by males, yes, males and not just females unlike what is usually perceived by many.

Leggings”, a word that indeed can’t escape an AUCian female closet. Why? Because it goes well with all seasons; summer, winter, spring and fall. They are called leggings since they actually customize the leg’s shape. Despite the fact that they might be of a thin textile, they are astonishingly warming during cold days. Although in the above pictures the leggings’ colour is black, you can find them in cheerful colours like red, purple and even yellow. Oh! Here we find again the Gladiator sandals spicing up the leggings and the skinny jeans as well.

We just can’t forget about the books and that’s where the cross bags come to take an essential part in our clothing. It all started simply as laptop bags and with their enormous spread over the AUC campus, they became a desirable trendy look. They can be plain casual like Vans or with classical designs such as Louis Vuittons. Speaking of classical style of clothing, the classical shoes come along as seen in the above pictures with Kareem wearing the brown and Youssef wearing the black.

Those were just few of the AUCian trends that largely depend on the ongoing global changes in the fashion industry. However, being an AUCian, means you just have to be yourself whether you follow these looks or not. In both cases, you are still going be an AUCian...

Mirna Awad and Amr El Abd

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 06:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

The employment fair event has been taking place since the year 1986. The American university in Cairo was the first university that introduced the employment fair event in the Middle East. The caps office which is the Career Advising and Placement Services is responsible to organize this twice a year one day event. This Caps office spreads out information booklets that include the names of all the participating companies with their vacant job positions before the event’s initiation. The event’s aim is to acquaint graduate students with the possible career life they are tending to take. It also builds up relationships between those students and the corporate world. Furthermore, it’s about presenting our graduate students’ skills and qualifications to the participating companies which are recruiting for certain employees. Thus we can say it’s a mutual event where both parties are satisfied. From the companies’ side, they can find their employer’s needs in our students. While from the students’ side, they are offered unexpected great highly paid jobs, and this of course is also beneficial for the university as it reflects its image on its well qualified students.

Continue reading " Employment Fair Event in AUC BY: Farah Omar &Nourhan Wael" »

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 05:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Hey peeps, this is Osman and Hamza and we're talking about some different groups in AUC. AUC is one of the places in the region where you can find a collection of various groups having different beliefs. The existence of students from different cultures allows the campus life to be enjoyable. However, every student tries to find the group that supplements his beliefs. Therefore, students that share the same beliefs create their own group. That is how diversity shows up. Examples of these groups are the Gucci corner group, the theatre majors, the science majors, the “G-spot” and the Goth cave group. The variety of groups around the campus is extremely wide and they are all very different, yet share similar aims.

Continue reading "Diversity of groups in AUC" »

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 12:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the most interesting things about AUC is its clubs and organizations. It has a wide variety of clubs such as community service, entertainment and educating clubs. One of these clubs is called AYB, Alashanek Ya Balady. It is an Arabic word which means “for you my country”. It is a student-led community service club which mainly aims to achieve sustainable development at Ein Elsera which is a poor district in old Cairo where people have some problems like low income, computer illiteracy and language problems. This club has started at AUC since 2002, but now it has four chapters in other governmental Egyptian universities. AYB consists of two main bodies. The first one is OC, stands for organizing committees which mainly works on campus. They are divided into smaller committees which are responsible for AYB’s public relations in campus, raising fund and making documentaries about AYB. They also design flyers, posters, banners and booths. This picture shows AYB booth which was for “Be Positive” campaign which urges students to be positive and do their best to improve their country.

Continue reading "Community Service" »

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 01:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Aucians have been waiting for a long time for the opening of the sports center in the new campus in Katameya. They endured a lot in the old campus due to the limited facilities that were provided. For this reason they were waiting for the new sports center to fill up their expectations and cover their needs. In fact, the new sports center provides a lot of facilities to AUC society, both students and staff. There is an outdoor zone containing two basketball courts and two handball courts.

Continue reading "AUC Sports Complex" »

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

AUC was first established in 1919 in downtown Cairo, this part of the busy city was known for its ancient artifacts and beautiful environment surrounding the campus but due to the rapidly growing population and the narrow streets and since most of the population concentration is located in central Cairo and Giza it was very difficult to maintain a smooth flow of traffic around the university campus, this caused many problems to the students, professors and even to the public, it was impossible to sustain proper class timing. Also the pollution became intense in this area due to the very large number of vehicles. Also the fact that many of the government's headquarters are located in this area caused even further complications. All these difficulties made the university board consider moving to a new campus in a place more suitable not only to make it easier for the students and the professors but also to help decrease the over crowded streets in this part of Cairo. After long discussions and debates the board reached the conclusion that they should move to a more suitable, newer area. The decision was reached to build a new, bigger more advanced campus in new Cairo which is a city newly formed and considered as an extension to the capital. It is located south east of Cairo, with the new city’s vast areas and facilities it was able to attract a very large number of business and schools to re-open there. With AUC leading by taking this huge step of moving out, not only did it serve the public in this crowded part of Cairo by decreasing the pressure on this area but it also leaded other universities to do the same and encouraged many businesses to open in this new area and also investors were stimulated and started building huge resorts, houses and living areas. This all was a great step in helping diverse the Egyptian population in new areas. The new AUC campus also was a great positive to the university's capabilities and facilities. The larger space of the new campus enabled a lot more, now AUC has enough space to build more labs and better classes and larger lecture halls and conference rooms; this opened a door of opportunities to the university to expand its teaching programs, and research programs now not only will it now be able to accept more student but AUC is now able to introduce medical school and pharmaceutical school, and in the very near future these schools will be established. AUC’s new campus is also environmentally friendly this is a great positive in helping our country decrease its greenhouse gas emissions. The over all view is that AUC's step towards moving into new Cairo created life in an area once people knew as the desert and transformed it into a new place full of life for the good of our country.
By:
Beshoy Tarek Malaty and Hussein Mohamed

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Written by: Aya Salama and Silvana Philip

(http://egyptclub.whwebsolutions.com/wp-content/themes/Ancient%20Egypt/images/Header.jpg)

In the minds of many, Egypt has always been the land of the pyramids, Cleopatra, king Tut, "the mummy "and " the mummy returns". The mystical appeal of the ancient Egyptian civilization has lured many to try and know better about it and study it more closely. And where closer can one ever study it that in the land of the pharaohs itself! The American university in Egypt is one of a selected few (probably one of two) of American affiliated universities that offer an Egyptology major world wide. Among the different departments of AUC, Egyptology is considered one of the most unique and interesting departments. The department presents a wide variety of courses concerned with the dawn and development of the Egyptian civilization. Students study different topics such as construction, hieroglyphic language, medicine, religion and many other aspects of this great civilization. For its uniqueness, the department attracts Egyptian and foreign students alike who share the passion of studying ancient Egyptian culture and history.

Continue reading "Egyptology in AUC" »

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Greetings from across the Atlantique! If any of you guys ever came to Cairo, you probably noticed that it’s a polluted city. Where else would you see a bus blowing more smoke than a big fire? In order to avoid polluting our city even more, the American University in Cairo developed an environmentally friendly campus. Other than classrooms, meeting halls and buildings our campus also has a lot of greenery. There are 1,216 date palms such as the ones shown in the photo and a lot of grass areas. Being surrounded by this kind of environment is a pleasant experience when you live in a crowded and polluted city such as Cairo.

Continue reading "Our Environmentally Friendly Campus" »

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Greetings from across the Atlantic! If any of you guys ever came to Cairo, you probably noticed that it’s a polluted city. Where else would you see a bus blowing more smoke than a big fire? In order to avoid polluting our city even more, the American University in Cairo developed an environmentally friendly campus. Other than classrooms, meeting halls and buildings our campus also has a lot of greenery. There are 1,216 date palms such as the ones shown in the photo and a lot of grass areas. Being surrounded by this kind of environment is a pleasant experience when you live in a crowded and polluted city such as Cairo.
Also, the AUC campus is a pedestrian area. This allows us to take a break from the very crowded streets all over the city even if we have to walk around all day in the sun. The only other way of getting around on campus is the golf carts which are not pollutant. But unfortunately they are reserved for faculty members.
The AUC also encourages recycling. More than 75 percent of the stone in the wall that circles the campus “was recycled from stone that would otherwise have been discarded as waste”. Other than that example, as you can see in the picture, our university also tries to sort garbage. This will later help recycle some of the things thrown away such as paper that will otherwise be a problem to the environment.
These are some aspects of our environmentally friendly campus. I hope I didn’t scare you away with the bus story. Cairo is still a great place to visit, after all it is the land of the great pharaohs. Talk to you soon!

YOUSSEF Youssef (This is actually my first and last name, I didn’t write my name twice)

Source: http://www.aucegypt.edu/newcairocampus/Pages/default.aspx

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 09:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One can witness from the upper pictures how the streets in Cairo most of the time look like. People keep complaining how much time they spend in their cars in order to get anywhere because the streets are always a mess. “Official statistics estimate that 8000 people are killed and 32,000 hurt on Egyptian road accidents each year” (Egypt Car Accidents) . This is due to Egypt’s share in bad roads and people not following the rules. For example on the highways here in Egypt such as the “Mehwar” and the “Ring Road” you can find people crossing the streets while the cars are driving with a very high speed. Moreover the trucks and the buses that are old and insecure to drive are a cause of these accidents too. “According to one study the accident rate in Egypt is about 34 times higher than in the European countries and roughly three times higher than countries in the Middle East”(Egypt Car Accidents.) Our first semester in AUC at the new campus in new Cairo was in fall 2008. Almost everyday there was at least one student who had an accident on his or her way to college. Most of the time, it was either on the “ring road” or “road 90”. Road 90 is a 10km long road that connects the ring road with college. Cars always drive with a very high speed on it while there are u-turns, people crossing the street and a lot of cars and buses that drive the wrong way. These factors caused a lot of accidents and harmed a lot of people.

Continue reading "AUCians do care!" »

Posted by Student Cultures Class, American University in Cai at 02:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

For my research project I am greatly interested in the fear of a teacher shortage that is currently looming over the educational system in the United States. This worry can be easily seen at the college level through all the federal incentives being offered to those who consider teaching - with everything from grants to volunteer educational work that leads to certification. This subject greatly interests me because I am thinking about becoming a teacher if my original goal for a major does not work out. A shortage would also limit competition, giving valuable advantages in the job market while also doing something to better serve our communities; however, if this concern does not bear fruit the surge of new teachers will put further stress on the system and many educators will be out of work.

Continue reading "The Great American Teacher Shortage" »

Posted by Bret Weeks, City College of New York at 07:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

A topic that I feel very passionate about currently is illegal immigration in the U.S.- specifically immigration policies and bias within them. I am researching immigration policies throughout history, to see what has changed and what has not, and possibly why. Exploring the idea of the U.S. targeting certain immigrant groups as opposed to others, to me seems extremely interesting.

Some issues surrounding this topic are border policies- the controversy of securing the borders. Laws that are keeping immigrants out of the U.S. rather than making it easier for people to enter the country legally, and apply for citizenship. The rights of illegal immigrants in the U.S. (access to education, employment (the use of E-Verify and whether it be enforced)). I think my point could be proven by comparing the treatment and the experience of Mexican immigrants entering the United States illegally and people of other countries. The wall built separating Mexico and the U.S. is huge evidence and in my opinion serves as a sign of discrimination, something I also plan on discussing.
As I read about much it is costing to keep illegal immigrants out, from wall construction, to new technology that verifies ones citizen status, I came across the alternative being that the U.S. invest in Mexico in order to prevent illegal immigration.

My position on some of these issues is that many of the U.S. immigration policies/laws specifically unfairly target illegal Mexicans. These laws are shaped in a way that show they are not welcome in the country, this group of illegal immigrants are made inferior to the rest of American society.
Illegal immigration directly connects to the overall theme of ‘Immigration in the U.S.,’ it is a major concern and an ongoing debate currently in not only the United States, but worldwide.

Posted by Anna Vega, City College of New York at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

http://www.stanford.edu/about/speak.html

Greetings from the Farm! This is Asli, Jonathan, and Kelly, three “frosh” at Stanford University. Even though we’ve only been here a month, we’ve already been exposed to many of the wacky sides of Stanford. While it’s true that most freshmen here were admitted based on stellar SAT scores that reflect an ability to communicate well, formal English is a rare thing once you’re actually here. Whether you’re grabbing a coffee from the CoHo, hanging out with your RoHo or even hosting a ProFro, knowing your Stanford lingo is one of the first and most important skills to pick up.

The fact that Stanford students use so many abbreviations may make it sound like we’re always in a rush. However, the opposite is true: students here are typically pretty relaxed. Our lingo reflects Stanford’s laid-back and sometimes quirky mentality. Why say “Memorial Auditorium” when “MemAud” sounds so much cooler? We’re writing to you right now from our PWR class, which stands for “Program in Writing and Rhetoric.” We look forward to communicating with you and learning about your schools. Maybe you can come visit us at Stanford and try some EANAB’s (equally attractive non-alcoholic beverages)! But if you come during “Dead Week” (study week before finals), don’t be scared off by our primal scream (a midnight stress-relief tactic)! Talk to you soon!

P.S. For more Stanford slang, check out www.stanford.edu/about/speak.html

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 04:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

Hey! How’s it going across your respective pond? We’re Molly, Helena, and Ketaki and we’re from Washington State, Montana, and Northern California. We’re all freshman at Stanford, and we really like it here. One of the main things about Stanford that’s so great is the freedom we have to explore our interests and try new things; no one is expected to have a major until two years after they’ve started here. This philosophy extends beyond the academic portion of the campus to sports and other extracurricular activities.
Stanford culture is different from anything we’ve ever experienced. Even though everyone here has achieved something incredible, most people are extremely humble and relaxed. It’s easy to make friends because people are open to new possibilities. Even other parts of California aren’t necessarily as laid back and accepting as Stanford. It’s such a surreal feeling to ride your bike past palm trees and fountains every day on the way to class. All of us are still getting used to the idea of actually being students here!
I hope you like your school as much as we enjoy Stanford. We’re really looking forward to video conferencing with you!
And, as they say in California: PEACE out, yo! If you're ever in the Bay, don't hesitate to hit us up for some fro-yo!
- Molly, Helena, Ketaki

Continue reading "Hella Chillin' by the Bay" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

Greetings from Stanford! Our names are Aliya, Zanny, and Meredith and we are freshmen here at Stanford. Yesterday was a big day on campus. It rained for the first time this quarter, the first rain we experienced as freshmen. We did not know how to react. “I never thought it rained in California!” “Oh my god, my bike seat is soaked!” “Yay, puddles!” Students’ reactions were a mix of horror, disbelief, and excitement. Sure, most of us complained about the wet and cold weather, but—to be honest—we all enjoyed the change of pace. Most Stanford students ride their bikes to class, and you can imagine the effect of sleeting rain on the average bicyclist. Each of us responded differently to the weather. Zanny was feeling rebellious and decided to tough it out and bike to class. She was extremely disappointed with this decision; her hood wouldn’t stay up and she was drenched from head to toe. Meredith decided to go all out with the rain gear. She put on rain boots and a raincoat and carried an umbrella as she walked to class, to scared to bike. After witnessing a spectacular bike collision as she was unlocking her own bike, Aliya decided that the safest bet was the long trudge to classes, with or without an umbrella.
The rain affected more than just our travel plans. The gloomy weather required many cups of hot cocoa, cider, and tea; incessant rain forced all of us to change out of drenched clothes several time. We communed with our peers in dorm lounges, sharing our horror stories and complaints as well as our hopes for brighter days ahead.

Continue reading "California Sunshine?" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

int main()
{
printf("hello, world");
return 0;
}

Here at Stanford, we are chill most of the time, or so it seems. We live under the warm Californian sun. It’s warm 90% of the time and clouds always look lonely. So it’s really hard not be relaxed when you’re not solving differential equations, and even sometimes when you are. But we somehow manage to find time to work and time to relax, which is essential to surviving as a student. We aren’t competitive but we are ambitious. We come to Stanford with high expectations of ourselves and don’t cut ourselves short by pushing each other down. It’s a collaborative environment because we know we need cooperation in order to be successful. But it’s not just about working and being successful in our own eyes. Our difficult workload is always balanced by the tendency to enjoy the sun and each other’s company.

Continue reading "California Culture" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

No, really, it is more than you'd imagine!

Hello! Our names are Lea, Raina, and Christopher, three freshmen at Stanford University. We’ve been having an amazing time here, getting to know our fellow classmates. We love the fact that everyone trumps the stereotype of simply being a good student.

While we’re all passionate about academics and intellectually curious, we also have whole other identities as artists, athletes, actors, activists, and aesthetes. It is always so exciting to learn about our classmates’ lives, loves, and accomplishments, both inside and outside of the classroom. Everyone is so impressive! For example, one student holds the Guinness World Record for juggling, while others own their own companies and non-profit organizations. Most impressively, everyone is very humble about their accomplishments, always willing to take a moment to share about their life experiences or to explain a homework concept to others.

We also know how to have a good time! Late night conversations, parties, fountain hopping (we run around at night and jump into various fountains on campus), art and comedy shows, and spirited sports games only begin to cover some of the quirky, fun-filled, fantastic experiences that we have had so far!

Continue reading "More Than You'd Imagine" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

We come from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities. For instance, of our group of three students, one is from a public school in Indiana, another grew up in Taiwan, and another has moved 14 times between four countries. Stanford is a very active campus and has many student-athletes. The sun is almost always shining and we are always outside. We consider ourselves more laid back than our east coast peers; less competitive and more friendly. Everyone here is treated with the same respect. Even between boys and girls, different races and ethnicities, and different levels in school. Everyone is so excited to be here and to meet other people here. We present ourselves as people rather than a list of accomplishments. We tend to become good friends with people before we find out the amazing things they have done. As a community, we are a little quirky. For instance, Stanford student love to go “fountain-hopping” where we all run around and jump into fountains. We also have an annual tradition of “full moon on the quad” where everyone gathers and kisses as many people as they can.

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 09:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

Hi this is Andrew and David: two average Stanford Freshman with a need to explore!!

Steam tunneling has been a long existing tradition at Stanford. Beneath the campus that so many have called home there is an intricate catacomb of tunnels that wind under the engineering building and center of campus. One can find themselves coming up in one of 250 connected buildings including a chapel at the far end of the quad. Recently almost every known entrance to the steam tunnels has been locked shut keeping eager Stanford students away from their beloved tradition due to the possibilities of lawsuits or injuries. It isn’t uncommon, however, to see one of

these locks cut or a manhole cover open. I believe this is a metaphor of the Stanford community. There is a strong sense of tradition that many value more than the risks present in pursuit of such tradition. Stanford students are curious, eager to explore even the darkest of places and navigate their way through a catacomb of life. They are assertive, keeping a watchful eye over everything in their community, and not afraid to protest something they find unreasonable or even unjust.

Continue reading "Stanford “Steam Tunneling”" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 09:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo in Egypt, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

Being bored at Stanford is impossible. Stanford has an intellectual community, but it is very friendly, welcoming, and open. Everybody at Stanford has a “baby” – they have something they are really passionate about and they put a lot of time and effort into pursuing it. Stanford prides itself on not taking itself too seriously. Instead of having a formal marching band, the band dresses up in crazy costumes for sports games and makes inappropriate formations and instead of marching, everyone runs crazily between formations. Stanford is not only an intellectual community but also emphasizes extracurricular activities and sports: the students are very well-rounded. Students take an interest in each other’s lives. The campus is often referred to as the “Stanford Bubble.” Almost everyone lives on campus and the campus itself is like a little city. Most people rarely venture into the nearby affluent suburb of Palo Alto. Having all the students on campus promotes a strong community feeling, also shown in the inclusion of the whole student body in events instead of having exclusive parties or meetings. There is a lot of emphasis put on exploration and fun in addition to academic achievement. Having a great experience is a huge part of Stanford life out of the classroom.

Continue reading "Bubbles and Babies: Excitement on the Stanford Campus" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 09:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

Stanford has 8,000 acres of land and is the second biggest campus in the world…so it’s really BIG.

We think the dynamic between Stanford and its surrounding area is really interesting The town outside Stanford called Palo Alto is a fairly small town full of silicon valley techies. Although the biggest city, San Francisco, is an hour away, the campus is still incredibly active and friendly in its bubble.

Stanford students enjoy their tight knit campus community, but they also reach out often to neighboring communities with education or volunteering efforts. Student traditions include frolicking in the fountains as well as spelunking in the steam tunnels.

Continue reading "8,000 Acres Is Not Enough: Stanford Reaching Out" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This entry is part of a CCR blogging exchange between Stanford, the American University of Cairo, and Orebro University in Sweden. Students have been asked to post a "university culture" entry introducing something about their university culture (or national culture) to an audience of students across the world. Then, other students will comment and we will soon have a rich dialogue, as students develop ways of writing for international audiences and hopefully learn about ways of life across the globe.

Hey, we’re Paige and Atira, and we’re freshmen at Stanford University! Upon our arrivals at Stanford, the first taste of Stanford life we received was when we approached the doors to our dorm, carrying all our life belongings in two large suitcases. The initiation into the dorm consisted of a loud megaphone welcome from multiple people clad in coordinating t-shirts and mardi gras beads. After the loud wake-up call, they gave us t-shirts of our own, a room key, and a bag of information regarding New Student Orientation. This was our official joining into the Stanford community. A month later, dorm life continues to be the focal point of life on campus. The sense of belonging and collaboration translates into the dorm as well as academics. There’s a competitive atmosphere, but everyone is encouraged to work together towards a greater goal.

Continue reading "Dressing up in the Dorms: Living at Stanford University" »

Posted by Stanford Visual Rhetoric Across the Globe Class at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

The topic above fits into public health because health coverage is key in the overall health of a country- since it will ensure the health of those who can afford, or are offered health insurance. Also, it contributes to the control of other health issues, because it will mean that more people will be able to prevent illnesses. There is a lot of debate today about whether they United States should move into a Universal Health Care System and I think it is important to understand what the two sides of the debate are. Health care affects everyone because it can dictate whether we, or our families will be able to stay healthy in the future. A cancerous growth in someone who is insured can be found at a check up and a life can be saved. A person who cannot go see a doctor as freely will probably not find out until they are in a late stage, and not much can be done to save their lives.

Continue reading "Geography, income and ethnicity: what roles do they play in health coverage in the United States?" »

Posted by Marlen Tello, City College of New York at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

This country was built on blood, sweat, and tears, but not by the hands of citizens. When we think of an immigrant we have nothing to say but the negative aspects that they bring when they come to America legally or illegally. We don’t come to think about all the things they do that help our economy and country grow. Immigrants are important to our country because of the work power they posses, and the determination that they have that citizens just may no posses. There are so many reasons why immigrants should stay in this country and yet instead of embracing them we just find more ways of trying to push them away.
I think that all of us as a society fail to realize the importance that immigrants have to our country, and I would like to explore that. I feel like when we think about an immigrant we have nothing good to say, and think of how bad they make our economy. Yet I want to know what people don’t see in immigrants. That they are hard working people and they have families. I want to find out what positive effects do they have on our lives, society, and country. How they help us be better. What would be some drastic consequences if we lost all the immigrants that we have today.
How many jobs do we really lose when an undocumented worker works in the US? If illegal immigrants are so wrong to work, than why do people still depend on them so much, and hire them for work? Just questions to wonder about when I am researching on my paper, may also be on what are the wages of people that live around immigrants? Would they be higher? Or lower? If an illegal immigrant was to pay their taxes would that effect the economy that much greater? A question that makes me really wonder about immigrant workers is. If America today seems to be in the worst shape in years? I wonder how terrible the conditions must be where immigrants are from for them to come all the way over here to find a job?
The way I plan on researching for my paper topic is by using information that I have already found from my blog postings along with the scholarly articles that I will be gathering within the next few weeks pf my posts. I will look around I=on the internet for statistics, and numbers stating hard facts by using numbers, I plan on using the CUNY database to further my search just in case I do not find enough information for my topic, or enough quotes, citations, and proof. I may also want to look at popular articles that may be on the internet, or in the paper, or read up on other immigration blogs to get different perspectives, and emotion towards the subject. Try to find out how other people may feel about immigrants, and what they think should happen to them. With all t his information gathered I plan on having a well organized, detailed essay with in the upcoming months.
What I might find the most difficult about this research paper may be looking for scholarly sources that support this issue. I feel like I might not find what I am looking for unless I truly look, which I plan on doing. My greatest fear may be not having all my thoughts together. I also think that my downfall would come if I don’t find enough information on why immigrants are helpful to this country. As of right now I have a good idea on what I’m set out to do. I think with a little bit more work and effert I can organize myself, and work off the information I find, I can produce a well written research paper.

Posted by Jafor Ahmed, City College of New York at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

The proposal for my essay is the positive and negative effects of digital medical records. I believe that this is important because this new technology will greatly affect the performance of medical facilities everywhere. I think that both sides of the argument should be explored along with the opinions of doctors supporting both sides.

There are doctors that believe that digital medical records will make them better doctors and help them make fewer mistakes. Hospitals can even save time and money by utilizing this new technology.

There are also doctors that believe that this technology is harmful to the practice. There are some older doctors that think that today’s doctors are relying too heavily on technology and cannot perform decent physical examinations without the help of some sort of new technology.

I think that this is interesting because people are always thinking that new technology will always be an improvement for the ways things were done in the past. Even I believe that digital health records will be a new way to improve medical facilities. There will always be people that prefer the old way of doing things and there might be some truth to that but only the future will be able to tell whether this new technology will truly be a new useful tool.

Posted by Frank Calderon, City College of New York at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

Rationale: The topic I am working on is how the loss of sleep affects the human body. This topic deserves my extended attention because it is a topic that I am very familiar with, and know a lot about some the effects of sleep loss. Another reason is that I want to see if there are long-term effects or short-term effects (or both) to the loss of sleep. I picked this topic because sleep loss is a health related issue.
Working Thesis Statement: Sleep is a necessity of human beings. It is recommended that everyone should get about eight hours a day. Sleep is important because it gives people the energy to do what they need to do throughout their day, whether it is going to work or cleaning the house. But what if some people can’t get their recommended eight hours of sleep every day? How will this affect them, and their way of life if they can’t find a balance to their sleeping habits? Sleep depravity is a serious issue that can result in some harmful effects like loss of memory and the weakening of the immune system.

Continue reading "Research Proposal" »

Posted by Guillermo Ortiz, City College of New York at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Hello, we are five students from Stanford University collaborating with the American University in Cairo as part of a Cross Cultural Rhetoric (CCR) project. We are writing about the international obesity and malnutrition crises for our class on food science and politics.
Professor Paul Zimmet of the International Diabetes Institute warns that “obesity is no longer a problem limited to America…but has reached the scale of a global epidemic.” In a world with 300 million obese people, how is it possible that over twice that number are malnourished globally? This indicates that it is the allocation of food, rather than the abundance, that is problematic.

Continue reading "From Rolls to Ribs" »

Posted by Stanford Rhetoric of Food, Group Y at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog was written by a group of five freshmen taking an introductory course with a focus on the rhetoric of food science and politics in the Program of Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University.

As the world population increases exponentially and the economy fluctuates wildly, the global food shortage is fast becoming one of the most terrifying and seemingly insurmountable crises that humanity has ever faced.

Responses and solutions have been proposed on all sides. The international scientific community has begun to focus a great deal of energy on biotechnology to promote greater crop and livestock productivity; governments are looking to cooperate in the development of legislation that will protect both the agriculture industry and the consumers who depend on its products; non-profit organizations are attempting to interact with those directly affected by the food shortage to develop localized solutions in self-sustainability and agricultural and economic independence.

Continue reading "Responding to the Global Food Shortage" »

Posted by Stanford Rhetoric of Food, Group X at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

This topic deserves my attention because there are a lot of controversies over it in our schools and from our educators. It fits into my designated theme of Education because the library and the internet are used by students to conduct research. Part of the curriculum in school is to teach students to research information on specific topics. My vested interest in this subject is I am student and would very much like to use the resources that would makes my research most credited and has substance.
The traditional library verses the internet in the classroom is my thesis statement. It demands that I prove which one is better for the students. Which one will they benefit the most from and gain the most knowledge. What benefits will they reap and how will it help them be better prepared for their future learning. What are the pros and cons for these two databases? I will address this topic mostly to students and educators.
Unanswered questions about my topic are: What are the differences and similarities between the two. What are the controversies? Which one is better beneficial to the students in furthering their education?

I will research my topic by using both the Internet and Library for information and studies done on this topic. I will use blog articles, newspaper articles, scholarly sources and a book. I will use statistics to back up my evidence. I already have a few articles on this subject. I will be able to interview a librarian and an educator.

Anticipated Challenges will be choosing one of them and agreeing why it is a better research tool. Finding information especially for schools with limited funding who cannot afford to have technology in their schools or even to update their library supplies.

Posted by Sandrea Gopaul-Igartua, City College of New York at 03:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

“We walked for days, for months, thousands of miles. We slept on the ground and often had to eat leaves to survive. People shot at us. Many boys were killed. What happened to my parents? I don’t know. But now we are here, to a new life.” (A refugee from Sudan)

“The experience of becoming a refugee is awful, truly wrenching. It is impossible to convey the misery of it. It was very difficult to stay in the refugee camps were you saw so many problems, but lacked the power to improve anything. Refugee camps are the biggest source of depression. So I came to London, out of depression.” (A refugee from Swaziland)

“As long as the safety of my family is not guaranteed, I don't wish to return to home." (A refugee in Chad)

I believe these three testimonies deserve some extended attention. I lived in Africa before coming here, and I’ve seen/heard a lot of people trying to leave the continent for Europe mostly but also the United States, Canada, and other developed countries. Therefore, I understand why countries such as France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, are trying to limit/reduce the flow of immigrants. But why is immigration becoming a major problem in today’s world? What is the impact of illegal immigration in developed countries?

I will compare the way countries around the world deal with immigration (mostly Europe and the U.S.) and immigrants’ human rights. And for thoroughly doing this, I will mostly read articles written by Amnesty International, Red Cross, the United Nations, Doctors without Boarders, … and some activists organization to conduct my research. I want my audience to be everyone across the world, since immigration does not only concern the United States.

Continue reading "Research Paper Proposal: Immigration’s human rights are now a moral crisis!" »

Posted by Cindy Ngoga, City College of New York at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

I would like to write my final research paper on the lowering of standards in our education system. I decided to choose this topic after doing one of my Ning posts on an article about Seattle public schools lowering their graduation requirements. This article raised my awareness on the subject not only at a local level (in Seattle) but how this may be affecting students nationwide. Before doing a post about this article, I haven’t put as much thought into the topic, but after writing about it I realized it is a very important one.

Continue reading "The Lowering of Standards in Our Education System" »

Posted by Catherine Mika, City College of New York at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Students: Hanna B, Stewart D, Karen L, Stephanie N

This Cross Cultural Rhetoric blog is a project between Stanford University students in Palo Alto, California, and students at the American University in Cairo to explore varying cultures’ perspectives on world issues.

Specifically, our group is focusing on how awareness of the globalization of food commodities can shed light on the global food crisis. In this entry, we examine how the globalization of the corn industry has specifically affected food availability around the world.

Source: http://climateprogress.org/2008/04/03/corn-hits-a-new-record-6-a-bushel/

Continue reading "Insert [CORNy] Title Here" »

Posted by Stanford Rhetoric of Food, Group X at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

The topic that caught my attention when I came across it was the trafficking of drugs. I feel that this topic has so many aspects to it and so much information on it such as the history, the affects, and what are the police doing about it. Drug trafficking fits perfectly into urban life because the urban areas are basically the communities where the drugs are mostly located. I have no thesis statement just yet because I can’t decide whether I want to tackle two different areas of drugs. How are the drugs getting into these neighborhoods and why the police aren’t doing anything to stop it, or to speak about the crooked cops aiding in the drug distribution and the major effect it’s having on communities.

Continue reading "Reasearch Paper Proposal" »

Posted by Alain Saint-Louis, City College of New York at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

My question for the research paper will be: Why not give illegal immigrants who already work in the United States temporary legal status when they already obtain a job in order to support taxation?

I think it’s ridiculous that the government is looking over the fact that many illegal immigrants are obtaining jobs and forming an underground workforce and not getting taxed. If an illegal can get here illegally which is a task in itself, of course they will find a job illegally as well because that is what immigrants initially come for. It ties to immigration because it a great proposal to help the bashing of illegal immigrants and take away the target of immigrants being an economical burden and economic downfall cause. Not only that, it will give immigrants a safer more humane environment to work in since illegal immigrants work off the books and work their butts off for little pay which will also increase their wages to a reasonable minimum wage(whoever works more, spends more).
I want my audience to be everyone which is why I would put five types of views in the paper which I would write in the view of a republican advocate, an immigrant, an American for it, an American against it, and a Homeland Security representative to sum up all the point of views In this very controversial matter. I know some will be all for it and others may have a very negative look on it but I want to bring up every little detail on what it Is really about with actual voices from people by having my 5 voices be interviewed discussions .

To deepen my understanding in the aspect of making illegal immigrants for taxation I still have to look more on if the proposition of a controlled legal immigration status is acceptable. I also haven’t look on how many in fact have steady jobs and are illegal which will probably be my next blog topic and also more on the cons of immigrants getting temporary legal status.

I want to approach the paper with pointing out the unethical ways America is treating the case of immigration, one might not know it at the moment or comprehend but this is a modern day slavery trade where people are being created unjust and are unequal to others in the United States because of an “illegal” status. What will our later generations say on the way we handled this? When America was rooted and constructed by immigration, we can’t deprive that.

A great source will be the Department of Homeland security because they have actual statistics on how immigration affects our economic building block and they contain measures on how taxation will support the undocumented with services and security. I will also interview common Americans on their views on illegal immigration and containing jobs and if they think they should get temporary legal status by random selection.

I plan to see if I can get an interview with some rep from Homeland security after I come up with concrete good questions to ask. I also will have to do about 5 more weeks of blogging in order to get solid in this research so to limit bias assumptions that a research paper could contain.

A challenge I will come across for certain is thinking through how to sum up all the aspects of these questions in order to narrow the research paper down a notch. I think halfway through I will narrow the question down more specifically because I still feel like it is too broad and a broad question can become overbearing.

Posted by Sharan Espinoza, City College of New York at 03:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

“Turning immigrants into Americans is a mission
tied intimately to this country’s self-interest and identity,
if not its very soul”. (The NY Times)

The need for Congress to reform the nation’s immigration laws is the golden opportunity to activate the frozen U.S. economy through awakening incentives on all parties (illegal immigrants, businesses and government).

Since the Congress requires the Immigration & Naturalization Services (INS) be self supported and that it does not operate on taxpayer dollars but at user fee, it can be run as a corporation where a budget has to be founded for every project. So let’s work from INS.
Let’s say the INS project is to:

Continue reading "Migratory Consolidation As A Key To Propel U.S. Economy" »

Posted by Alejandra Cetrangolo, City College of New York at 03:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

In New York City, people from all over the world gather as one not only to share their culture, but to learn from other cultures as well. However, one culture that is not always welcomed by others is the gay culture. Life in the city can be difficult, and many can argue that the gay community has it the worst, especially in the more urban areas of New York.

This topic is important to me because I feel very strongly about it. As a witness and victim of homophobia on several occasions in and outside of school, I feel like I can write about the subject matter from all points of views. Although the main idea of my topic is to study and research city and urban life for homosexuals, I can also delve deeper and discuss discrimination of other cultures as well, and compare it to that of the gay community.

In psychology class, I have learned about how the environment of an individual can alter the way the person behaves. In an urban setting, homosexuals would most likely be more wary of their surroundings, and are capable of fending for themselves if danger arises. In a more gay friendly location, homosexuals would more likely be more easy going and less cautious because there is a very little chance of encountering homophobia, and the fact that they feel accepted in the community.

I have already found a couple of sources for my research paper, two that are already on the Ning blog. These two sources talk about discrimination against gays in the workplace and how employment can be complicated for homosexuals to acquire.

This topic can connect to the theme of my group (urban life) because it deals with the living conditions of homosexuals in urban locations. I hope to inform my audience about how much of an issue this is. Fortunately, in this day and age, people are becoming more and more open minded and more accepting of gay people. Unfortunately, there are still those that discriminate towards homosexuals throughout the city everywhere and everyday. Hopefully, my research paper will be able to change the minds of those who are homophobic and make an impact on the LGBT social movement.

Posted by Thomas Lai, City College of New York at 03:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

Deportation of illegal parents is something that is affecting the lives of illegal immigrants but also the future of their legal children. Many illegal parents fear deportation, but they don’t know the laws or how to prevent deportation from happening. What they don’t know is that there are laws and lawyers that could help them. As well as many legal citizens of the United States that believe deportation is the right measure to take. These people only see that the illegal immigration population will decrease, excluding the fact that many children’s life will be damaged.

Continue reading "Deportation of illegal Parents " »

Posted by Elayne Castillo, City College of New York at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

I would like to research the learning differences between members of the current parent generation, and their children as it pertains to the education system. I will show that today’s children are not learning the skills that they need in order to succeed in society outside of school. I will then show why I think this is happening. In the last pages, I will acknowledge arguments to the contrary of my thesis. Some anticipated arguments are that today’s generation is simply less focused and hardworking than generations past due to a technological overload it has experienced throughout its young life. I will disprove this. I will also argue that the current generation has the untapped ability to succeed at levels never previously anticipated, and that they may be able to close the math and science gap between America, and some of its eastern rivals.
This topic deserves my vested interest because the fate of future generations depends on the outcome of this technological, educational, and neurological debate. Many ideas on education reform are being discussed, but none of them are drastic enough to enact the change I envision. The academic community needs solid research to show them how and why the very paradigm teaching is based on needs to change. I believe that I can not only collect that research, but form a cohesive argument that could be valuable in that debate.
My working thesis is as follows: Today’s children are no longer the people our education system was designed to teach.
Many questions about my topic remain unanswered. The most prominent one is as to whether research cited by articles I’ve read that contradict my argument holds any weight. My life experiences directly contradict such research, and I intend to disprove it. I also need to discover whether my ideas have been tested in isolated circumstances, and to what effect.
I will research mostly through personal interview, and through scholarly journals. This topic is a popular one among article writers, and there will be a wealth of information available.
It will be challenging to object to an argument that has gained a lot of weight in the scholarly world. I, however, firmly believe that hundreds of intelligent people can believe in something that is completely and utterly wrong.

Posted by Russ Phelan, City College of New York at 02:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

Illegal Immigration is one the biggest topics concerning America today but one of the main issues that many people do not consider is how important it is for Americans to treat immigrants as human beings rather than criminals. The topic of whether or no it is right to provide quality education for undocumented students is an important aspect of the illegal immigration debate in this country. In some states around the country, colleges are starting to allow undocumented students attend class but the struggle for the students will still continue as the requirement of affording out of state tuition without financial aid is very difficult.

My thesis will be an introduction to my main argument that undocumented students should be treated like any other student and the strict restrictions are not necessary. It is an argument of equality for students that are feeling discriminated because they are not being allowed to learn. My argument will be supported with evidence because the topic is in my interest, knowing that I might have a better opportunity to be educated than people that are not from here, it is not fair. The United States should make it easier for illegal immigrants to achieve the American Dream and education is the first step to making that happen.

The issues/ideas that may need to be discovered more thoroughly is exactly how many undocumented students are either permitted or restricted to going to school. How will illegal immigrants being educated affect US citizens in the workplace after school has ended? Why is it important for undocumented students to be educated? These are some of the issues I am going to go more in depth because the answers to these questions can support my arguments.

I would like to find both scholarly sources and regular sources because I believe both will be influential to my argument. The scholarly source (EBSCO Host, J Stor, etc.) will provide me with experts opinions and I can put their arguments into consideration as illegal immigration is a hot topic in the United States today. I can also use regular sources such as articles from newspapers, blogs, and the mainstream media. I can use the information from these sources to consider what the majority of the population believes about this issue, whether it is right or wrong.

The most difficult task will be supporting my argument as my argument is not supported by the majority of the population. My arguments seem to support undocumented students whereas the majority of the population are US citizens, who are mainly against them having the right to go to school. My challenge will mostly likely be with finding legitimate sources that can provide evidence that can support my argument.

Posted by Paul Z, City College of New York at 02:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This assignment was created by students at The City College of New York for the Freshman Inquiry Writing Seminar, Web Discourse. Students are researching a social issue in one of four large topics: Urban Life, Public Health, Immigration, and Education. This will result in a final research paper that explores both how the conversations surrounding the issue are enacted and how a CCNY student may enter that conversation in a meaningful way.

Topic-Murder
This topic is important to me and it fits into my designated theme of interest because murder is a serious issue in Brooklyn, the borough in which I live, and in New York City as a whole. Every time I turn on the news or read a newspaper there is always an article or section about someone being murdered, and I would like to look into murder more deeply. There is absolutely nothing positive about someone taking another person’s life. Regardless of reason, no one should be murdered.

I would still need to research murder rates in New York City, possibly the amount of attempted murder rates as well. How has murder impacted Brooklyn? How has it impacted the entire city? What groups of people commit the most murders? What groups of people are targeted most frequently by a murderer? What are people’s incentives for murder? How many cases of murder have gone unsolved?

I will conduct my research through various sources available online and in physical form. I will use scholarly sources for a majority of my research since those are specific to their respective topics.

What will probably be the most difficult about completing the research project in general are the actual research and the interviews. Those will be the most difficult because research can take a while to complete, and the interviews because I’ve never had to give an interview before and I’m not sure what questions I have to/should ask. I also am not sure who I should interview as well.

Posted by Christopher Torres, City College of New York at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This blog post is by Stanford students in dialogue with students at American University of Cairo for a course in Stanford's Program in Writing and Rhetoric on the subject of food politics and science.

After reviewing various photographs published in the photo essay “What the World Eats” in Time Magazine , we have discovered several discrepancies between the depiction of the typical American diet and in the foods we Stanford students actually consume. We realize that while these photographs may accurately portray the diet of a “typical” American, as students of Stanford University we feel that the two photographs fail to accurately portray the contents of our diets.

Continue reading "What We Really Eat" »

Posted by Stanford Rhetoric of Food, Group C at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

In this blog, we will be examining the effects of climate change on agriculture and the role of GMOs in a societal, political, and scientific context as part of our Food Science and Politics class at Stanford University. We will be corresponding with students at the American University at Cairo through this Cross-Cultural Blog.

Continue reading "Engineering Our Environment" »

Posted by Stanford Rhetoric of Food, Group A at 01:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

As a part of the Program in Writing and Rhetoric at Stanford University, we are coming together to open up a conversation surrounding the current use of food for fuel. This is a complex issue that cannot be simplified by generalization. Therefore we hope to open up a discussion rather than an argument.
Contributing authors: Jackie Klimes, Caitlin Morgan, Hannah Rich and Meghan O'Hara.

Michael Ramirez, Creator's Syndicate

Continue reading "Corn on the Cob or Corn in Your Car" »

Posted by Stanford Rhetoric of Food, Group B at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Today we are piloting our first cross-cultural rhetoric video-conference WITHIN the US. Students from Aurora, Colorado will be connecting with students at Stanford.

The task? Rhetorical analysis of image of the American Flag - from diverse perspectives! Not only are there diverse nationalities at each institution, but Colorado and California have very different cultures. In addition, Aurora is a small community college and Stanford is a research one graduate university - so what can we learn from each other? How might we better understand America and its diversity?

Students, please take a moment to post a comment to this blog entry with your response to your experiences connecting today. Be sure to include your name and institution.

• What did you learn about rhetoric and cross-cultural communication today?
• What was most memorable moment or element of the video-conference exchange? What surprised you the most?
• What new insights do you have that you can use for your rhetorical analysis work, your research project, or future intercultural communications?

Posted by Alyssa O'Brien at 07:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (19) | TrackBacks (0)