Lee's Abstract

In this paper, I will explore the influence that smoking in movies has on culture and the public image of smoking. I will explain the prevalence of smoking in movies and how cigarette companies use movies in advertisements. I will then show how successful these companies are and how the movies effect the public image of smoking. I will also explain how successful smoking in movies is in getting young people to smoke compared to older people. I will do this by exploring smoking in movies influence in the past and in other nations. My research and information will conclude that smoking in movies keeps the positive image of smoking alive and successfully encourages young people to smoke.

Sam's Abstract

With a path paved by its big brother MySpace, the online social networking site, Facebook, has been growing rapidly among high school as well as my fellow college students everywhere. The site demands attention and time from the adolescent to young adult generation in an unavoidable way; Facebook creates an entirely new environment in which users can exist. The site is has reached into almost every aspect of life, and I plan to look at its impact, positive and negative. I want to put special focus on communication: with friends, on a college campus, and now, even with relatives. After all, the best way to make sure an event is noticed among a group of college kids is, arguably, creating an event on Facebook. Of all the environments in which my generation exists, it seems that Facebook has become the most demanding. Is Facebook defining my generation?

Tiffany's Prospectus

As I teenage college student, I can not imagine life without a cell phone. So for my research topic, I am studying the ways that cell phones have shaped our society. I will include information about the types of person to person relationships that cell phones both support and dampen. I will also include a section on how communication has changed with technological advancements. I will give reasons for how cell phones have improved communication and how they have hurt it. Many people don’t realize the impact cell phones have on them, so I want the reader to become aware of the ways these machines have changed their lives. The paper will not be simply positives and negatives, but the impact those positives and negatives have. My thesis will be along the lines of “Cell phones have played a big role in shaping American society and the ways in which individuals interact with one another.”

Elizabeth's Abstract

For my research paper I am going to do NAFTA’s chapter 11 and it’s implication for the average American person. I would really like to focus on the laws and policies that have been challenged by foreign corporations that could threaten the health of the people. I would also like to focus on the reasons why chapter 11 was included into NAFTA in the first place.
Chapter 11 is a section of NAFTA that allows foreign corporations of NAFTA countries to sue NAFTA governments that threaten them or their profits. There is a tribunal meeting held to determine the outcome of these cases but these meetings are closed to the public. The tribunal cannot force the governments to change their policies, but they can award huge uncapped financial compensations to the corporations.
I am going to research the reasons why big corporations need chapter 11 to protect themselves from governments. I want to research the situations in the past where governments have directly tried to cut the profits of corporations without a just reason. I want to research all the ways in which chapter 11 helps businesses to make a profit. I also would like to look at the results of chapter 11 for the average American consumer, who is not involved in the Tribunal meetings to determine the outcome of their own government’s policies. I am going to look into the cases that have already been brought against the government and the implications of the results.

Laura's Abstract

The divorce rate is now one in two, and one in eight Americans opt never to marry. I am studying the attitudes of Americans towards dating and marriage and how they have changed in recent years because I am trying to find out why the divorce rate is so high to help my reader better understand the nature of the modern marriage. In my paper, I would like to argue that the modern attitudes about dating and hooking up have led to the deterioration of marriage in our society. Because we live in a “hook up” society, and people often have pre-marital sex, people are more likely to have affairs once they are married. In addition, couples are now more likely to live together before they are married. When people don’t reserve this bond for marriage, they are likely to not value marriage as much. They seem to say, “let’s give this a test run.” Therefore this attitude is carried over to marriage, and couples don’t take their commitment as seriously. In addition, when people live together and then break up, the emotional effects can be as devastating as an actual divorce. As a generation, who lived through many more divorces than any other in American history, many of us are choosing to opt out.

Kelly's Abstract

Jon Katz said that by using the internet we will be forming a new kind of libertarianism. From that idea i decided that my topic will be based on the idea of free expression in using the internet. I plan to argue that this idea of free expression enables anyone to become who they want to be on the internet. It allows people to say what they need to say without bias. The internet helps people to challenge the norms of everday life and allow us to speak about what people believe to be the truth.
I would also like to focus on how the enitre world does not have free expression on the internet. I want to show what kind of progress is being made in the world to get people their rights of free expression on the internet. I would like to learn more about this topic and help those who read my essay to learn just how much free expression affects society and the world.
So. I would like to focus on freee expression, what it is, who has it, who doesn't, and how people are helping those who dont have it to get it.

Carl's Prospectus

My topic is on the study of how writing history through narrative affects the interpretation of that history. I am trying to find out exactly how narrative writing distorts reality, to what degree, and how to discern truth from fiction. Possibly to narrow down the topic I will use what I learn in an example and analyze parts of a narrative on Genghis Khan. The idea is to help my reader understand the complexity of history and how history cannot be taken at face value, especially the narrative, even when it is written as “fact” like Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. Although I focus on narrative writing in history, I want the paper to show how much there is in regards to how history is written so that the reader goes away thinking more critically of historic sources and so that they know in the end, they are the ones that must decide which historic interpretation they wish to accept. Other ways to narrow down the topic might be to take a specific event that is told in multiple narratives and analyze that, or to look at one part of the historic narrative that is especially significant in the telling of history.

Ryan's Readjusted Prospectus

I have changed my topic somewhat since class this afternoon. Here are my new ideas:

My research paper will be an investigation of the interplay between advertising and personal values. The broad background is the psychological affect ads have on us. First, I want to learn about how advertising uses and/or manipulates American values in order to sell goods and services. I will uses outside research and studies and hopefully several ads themselves to demonstrate how ads use what we hold dear in order to satisfy our desires (or make us want to satisfy a fictional desire). Advertising, by definition, makes us want to buy things. But I think Americans are looking for something when they latch onto advertising. We are looking for advice, reassurance, and comfort in advertising, and ad manufacturers take advantage of these desires and values. So, the second dimension of the paper is that advertising in turn reinforces, adjusts, or perhaps even recreates some of our personal values. Although this topic essentially has a broad basis, the paper will be looking more at how advertising affects our values as individuals. I would like to argue that advertising can shape values. (I may bring in international sources here to prove that ads affect values in general, not just Americans’ values.) I will analyze ads from different media, but I would like to focus on television, magazines, and “brand names.” The fundamental point is that ads do more than just encourage us to buy things. I will try to prove that advertising, both obvious and non-obvious, has a profound effect on our values, but one that we might not always see right away.

Sylvia's Prospectus

The topic that I have chosen to research is the effects that violent video games have on children.  Not only will I research the immediate possible negative and positive effects of the video games, but I will also research the influence the violent games have had on public policy.  The research conducted will also analyze the marketing techniques used to promote such games and the reasons the games are popular.  The ratings of the games will also be an aspect as to how each game is considered "violent". I will investigate the effects of violent video games in order to help my reader better understand the danger in the violent games.  I will also analyze studies in which not only children were affected, but also older individuals.  I will use this research to discuss the greater impact that the violent games have on a "young mind" and the type of behavioral effects the games seem to have.  Within the research I will also try to compare recent studies with more dated studies to analyze the differences between present "violent" games and ones of the past.  

John's Prospectus

There is much talk in the American media of China’s status as an emerging global superpower, of China’s rapid economic growth and of its expanding political influence in Asia and throughout the world. Newsweek, The Atlantic Monthly, and National Geographic have all dedicated entire issues in the past couple of years to the subject of China’s rise, and the implications that its growth will entail for America’s position in the world. But the rhetoric employed by the American media when it discusses the rise of China does not lead the reader to a complete and accurate picture of the significance of China’s rise. Rather, the American popular media frames China’s rise as a problem that Americans should fear. The negative language and the constant associations employed by the American media between China’s ascension and America’s decline create a subconscious anxiety in the American public concerning the subject of China and its growth. The American media uses a rhetoric of fear and foreboding when writing about China’s rise, and the American public thus learns to associate China with danger.

Scott's Prospectus

I have decided to switch my topic. The more I thought about it, the more I decided that I didn’t want to write about racism. I have decided to write about the effects of sleep on students. I am going to argue that students need to get more sleep. Sleep has many physiological effects, and teens are some of the most affected. Recent studies show that teens are the most sleep deprived group in society. Sleep doesn’t only affect academic performance; it affects almost every aspect of life. Teens have more sleep related driving accidents than any other group.
I am going to argue that teens need to get more sleep. Doctors, researchers, and parents have all told teens that they need to get more sleep. Sleep affects a person’s information processing, memory deficits, attitude, and ability to carry out complicated jobs. This seriously affects a person’s academic performance. When a student doesn’t get enough sleep, their work suffers. Grades go down, attention waivers, and they miss things from falling asleep. Experts are trying to get schools to start later to allow students to get more sleep.
Most people think that as a person gets older, they need less sleep. This is not true, because as teens move through their teen years, they need increasing amounts of sleep. The recommended amount of sleep to avoid sleep deprivation’s affects is nine hours.

Tyler's Prospectus

The topic that I am researching for this piece is the affect of being a major collegiate athlete on education and major selection. Recent studies have shown that athletes, whether being pushed this way or not, are opting to pursue what are considered easier majors. The main motivation behind this is to remain eligible so that they may continue to play sports. Other questions that I will look to answer are; are academic advisers for athletes pushing them towards easier majors, does this properly prepare college athletes for a professional life outside of sports after college, and are rules from the NCAA that were intended to promote academic success amongst athletes actually having the opposite affect?
I believe that the academic issues that stem from being a part of major college athletics are due, for most cases but not all, on taking the easiest academic path. I also believe that academic advisers to athletes are, unfortunately, working more to help athletes maintain eligibility and not focusing on advising for the athlete’s future outside of sports. The rules regarding eligibility of college athletes, I believe, are inadvertently pushing more athletes to pursue easier majors so as to retain eligibility. This trend is having a negative affect on the future of college athletes.

Kari's prospectus

For my research paper, I am studying the effect of the internet on the psychological health adolescents and teenagers, specifically its impact on depression. I will be investigating this topic to determine whether the internet leads to a more connected society or causes teens to have feelings of isolation and loneliness. In the process of this research, I want to delve deeper into determining the psychology behind these feelings. The paper will focus on the phenomena of cyber bullying and the psychological impact that it has on adolescents. I hope to explore what particular aspects of the internet contribute to the hurtful and destructive behavior can that result from the internet. I will also explore a study that links internet usage to depression and loneliness. The paper will also link current instances of cyber bullying such as the recent suicide that took place in front of a live audience over webcam and the mother who bullied her daughter’s friend over MySpace. I hope to help the reader to better understand not only the ways that psychologists classify and diagnose behaviors that signal depression, but also come to a conclusion about the role that the internet plays in mental health areas such as depression.

Mike's Prospectus

In recent years, a slew of books about atheism have gained popularity in America, books with titles that openly proclaim their attack on theism and faith, such as The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins and God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens. Some have labeled this ‘new atheism’, with its unabashed, outright denial of God and aggressive, at times arrogant tone, antitheism. I will explore the nature of this trend by exploring the origins and nature of atheism as a socially acceptable school of though in Western history. I will use America as the Clearly a large majority of Americans identify themselves as Christians now – what parts of society is this ‘movement’ coming from? How long has it really been around in America? Friedrich Nietzche said that “God is dead” 126 years ago - what was it that specifically brought this philosophical debate which has existed for hundred of years back into the mainstream? Is there really something substantially different between this new antitheism and the atheism that has developed in Western thought for the past few centuries? I am studying this trend to discover its origins and characteristics so that the reader might learn about the history of atheism, something not very prominently known in a largely Christian nation.

Alright, I'll be honest, I'm still not entirely sure. On one hand, I could focus specifically on the new atheism of recent years, in America. However, I don't know if I'll be able to find a whole lot on the specific qualities and causes of this 'movement'. I could, however, just use this new stuff as an introduction in which I'd delve into the whole history of atheism in the Western world. I'm afraid that part might be just a little broad, though, and I'm not quite sure what argument or environment I'd focus in on.

Whitney's Perfect Prospectus!

If you were in a situation where the determination of your fate was out of your hands, does another person have the right to decide your fate? Likewise, if you were in a hospital in a vegetative state or something similar, does your physician have the right to pull your plug? Physician-assisted suicide is an extremely controversial issue concerning moral and ethical values today. The question of whether or not to make it legal is an extremely sensitive issue with state and national lawmakers. I want to prove that physician-assisted suicide should be made legal. I’m going to express how much more challenging it is to keep a person alive who probably will never return to a conscious state. I will identify some real situations of physician-assisted suicide and point out the harmful effects that fall on hospitals, families, and the health care system who harbor these patients. However, I will also comment on the opposing views because they are such an extremely vital part to the entire controversy. I will also write about people’s actual ethical and moral views towards physician-assisted suicide and make decisions based on these opinions that strengthen the idea that the treatment should be allowed.

Palin Africa Hoax

At long last, here it is:
A Senior Fellow at the Institute of Nonexistence

Scott's Research Topic

This is Scott, my account doesn't let me post, so I'm using Tyler's.

I'm gonna do my paper on the effects of racism on society. I will be arguing that racism has a negative effect on society.

Tiffanys Research Topic

I am writing my research paper on cell phone usage. I will be arguing that cell phones have been a detrimental advancement in society. I will compare the positive effects to the negative effects and show that the positives do not outweigh the negatives.

Whitney's Wonderful Wacky Research Topic! AHAHA!

I was extremely interested in the blog that was written about human issues concerning "Doctor-Assisted" Suicide. This topic, if approached correctly, is extremely controversial and it is a very ethical argument. Should doctors be able to decide the fates of his or her patients? Should the doctors have the ability to override the family's wishes? Likewise, does the government have the responsibility to cater to the patient for as long as it takes, even if it could be an extremely extended period of time? What are the ethical constraints that doctors might have if they do kill their patients? In addition, what are current physicians' opinions on "doctor-assisted" suicide?

sarah's research paper topic

I would like to research how the media and their portrayal of women effects young girls around the world. I would like to go into detail about how these images (of the media) influence these girls self-image. I would also like to compare the similarities and differences of the media's images in different societies and their effects on young women.

John's research paper topic

In the American media, there is much excited talk of China's economic rise as a global super power and its advancement into modernity.  Behind the hype popularized by American popular media, is China's prosperity being enjoyed by all sectors of society?  Is the real China, rather than only the urban elite, moving into the 21st century?    This question seeks to address how a pattern of rhetoric can distort or falsify reality.

Democratic vs. Republican Rhetoric

I am going to be writing about the different uses of rhetoric in the United States political parties and what their strengths and weaknesses are. I want to see which are more effective on different demographics. What do they try to appeal to the most? Emotion? Logic? What is the most effective media used pre-Internet? I will try to contain it with the 1900's or sooner. Maybe analyze the last 4 elections.

Video game death

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4137782.stm

this goes all the way back to when we were talking about the affect of video games...

Elizabeth's research paper

I want to do my research paper on NAFTA's influence the stock market. I want to prove that NAFTA has had a negative impact on the world financial market. 

Tyler's Topic

I would like to do my research paper on the impact that playing sports has on education. Is education now playing second fiddle to the sports careers of college athletes? There seems to be a growing trend of major athelets to be studying in what would be considered easy majors. Are there academic advisers really advising them for the future or are they there to make sure that the athletes are eligible over the next four years? This I believe is relivent to the course because we are all curently a part of the educational environment and perhaps some of us are even athletes.

Lee's paper topic

In my paper, I want to explore the effect that movies have on culture and society. How much influence do movies have over children compared to adults? Also, I want to determine whether movies are still more influential than other types of media such as the internet or T.V. (I probably will not spend too much time on this subject to keep my topic less broad). I may also look at Hollywood compared to the film industries of other countries.

Carl's Working Research Topic

I'm going to do something related to historiography. Historiography is the subject of studying how history is recorded. My specific question will be, "how does the narrative affect the interpretation of history?" I might also look at oral history, but specifically in relation to story telling not oral history in general. The paper is on how the narrative form of rhetoric can influence history, and so falls into the parameters of the class. If that is maybe too specific I could broaden it, and less historiography related, to how genres/types of historical writing (and author) can influence the meaning of history. This would look at primary documents, narratives, textbook like, and academic writing.

Ryan's Paper Topic

For my research paper, I would like to examine modern day advertising. First I would like to look at the psychological effects of modern advertising and exposure to advertising, perhaps just in America. What makes an ad good or bad? What are the most/least effective ways to advertise? In turn, what does this information tell us about American culture or the American psyche? Then I would like to examine the positive and negative effects of advertising. I think the questions at the heart of my paper are: “Is advertising purely the result of a culture of commercialism? Does it reinforce such a culture? If so, to what degree does it reinforce this culture or what degree of interplay is there between ads and creating culture?"

I would REALLY like someone's feedback on this...is it too broad? Should I only do the second part? Or is there a better way to blend both parts of my paper?

Kelly's most probable Research Topic

My paper will focus on Jon Katz idea from Birth of a Digital Nation. He said that the digital nation brings forth a new idea of Libertarianism. Being online is one of the freest communities in American life. People can virtually do whatever they want. They can explore all the new things that the internet can offer us without the prying eyes of those who judge them. It is a person’s chance to challenge society in ways that they could not before because of fear and criticism.


Comments are welcomed, and most appreciated...unless they are mean!

Sylvia's Final Research Paper Topic..........

The topic that I plan to investigate and write about is the effect of video games on children.  I thought this controversial issue needed further investigation due to the wide range of effects video games seem to have on kids.  On one hand many people our age grew up playing violent video games and claim that "I would never think about acting in a violent manner due to the games" and then we see the opposite when in fact a child commits a severely violent act with dangerous consequences because of what he learned in a video game.  I want to research the severity of the effects if any and actual effects that video games, in particular violent ones, have on children.  I see the relevance of this topic in the course because I know many of us have at one time played video games and it is something we all can relate to, yet there is another perhaps more dangerous side of the effects the violent video gaming industry has had on our generation.  

Any suggestions are welcome. :)

Mike's Super Awesome Research Paper Topic

I'm sure we've all heard of the surge of books promoting atheism in recent years. Books with titles like "The God Delusion" and "God is Not Great". Would these books have been out as a prime display in Barnes and Nobles ten years ago? Why the sudden surge in this topic's popularity? The percentage of people identifying themselves with no religious belief rose from 8% to 14% between 1990 and 2001. Was it the sudden increase in awareness of fundamentalist terrorist groups brought on by Sept. 11th? What is the historical root of atheism? Is the kind of atheism we see today so new? In a general social and societal context, is it a positive or negative force? 

I ordered like 20 books from OHIOlink just now so let's hope I can answer at least a few of these questions. And write a decent prospectus in time. 

Sam's Research Paper: The Final Nail In My Facebook Coffin

I would like to write my research paper on online social networking.
...
Oh, who am I kidding? I would like to write my paper on Facebook. It is, after all, an environment in which all of us except our buddy, Carl, exist. (And more power to you, my friend.) I understand that, realistically, I'll probably have to expand beyond Facebook as there is more literature to be found on online social networking in general. (In other words, Facebook and MySpace.) That will not change my main interest for the paper. In class discussion of more than one article, we have touched on Facebook as an ever present identifier of our generation, and I would like to identify and analyze its many effects on our culture. Clearly, communication among our generation is quite different from that of our parents, and online social networking has had a hand in the change. Is this a positive or negative difference between our generations? What about Nicholas Carr's questioning of Google: how has Facebook affected our focus? How does Facebook fit into the activity on a college campus? Can it be used positively or is it just the distraction that kept this post from going up Monday night instead of Thursday night?

The possibilities are endless. I've really briefly flipped through some articles on the topic and think there are a lot of effects to be explored. Facebook is a force to be reckoned with. Ideas/critiques/suggestions/[further synonyms for these words] welcome! :)

The Internet and Psychological Health

For my research paper, i would like to analyze the effect that the internet has had on the psychological health of society. I will make the argument that it has a negative impact on mental well-being. I would like to discuss a variety of current events and situations throughout my paper. Recent issues such as cyber-bullying, online communities that promote hate, predators, gossip sites such as juicycampus.com, and YouTube videos that give harmful instructions have all had a negative impact on psychological health. The internet allows people to have anonymity, but does this put them at risk because they are less likely to seek help when they are feeling vulnerable? It allows them to be isolated from others, which can be detrimental to their psychological well-being as the internet begins to replace human contact.

Any related issues or ideas for refocusing the thesis are welcome!

Pat's Research Paper Topic

I would like to write my research paper about drilling for oil in ANWR and offshore drilling. Would opening up these oil rich areas help America to become energy independent? Would drilling in these areas just be a temporary fix or would they permanently help the country? I would examine the effects, both positive and negative, that drilling for oil or not drilling for oil would have on the country. Becoming energy independent is a goal that seems to be talked about, but never really closely examined. Another area that I would research would be the effect that drilling in these areas would have upon the environment. Would the potential damage to the environment be worth the oil that we are able to extract from these areas?

Krissy's Research Paper Topic

I would like to discuss how religion effects American government. Although the Founding Fathers made it clear that they wanted to keep a clear separation between church and state, religious values and concerns make their way into the day-to-day operation of our government and effect our laws and judiciary system. Even our money says "In God We Trust." One of the founding principles of our nation is the separation of church and state, yet this is not the case. I would like to explore all the ways in which religion pervades the government and its operation. I would also like to come to a conclusion as to whether or not religion in our government has a positive or negative effect on society.  

Laura's Research Paper Topic

In my research paper, I would like to explore what marriage means to us as a society today. I would like to discuss different view points: religious, governmental, heterosexual, homosexual. What does it mean to be "married"? Does this mean a ceremony in a church or signing a piece of paper at a government building? What are the results of living together before a couple is married? What about homosexual couples who live together and really can't get "married"? I think its relevance to the course should be pretty obvious: it reflects religious, cultural, and political environments of today. I think it is important to explore these topics because I think the answers are not so easy, but are important to understand.

Are there thoughts about this? Is it too broad? (I was initially going to limit myself to discussing how living together before marriage effects the outcome of the relationship, but I feel like that is too narrow for a ten page research paper.)

Change?

While thinking of topics for the final blog post of the semester, we reviewed the previous posts and realized that the campaign and election were largely ignored on an overall scale. Although we discussed specific issues that related to the election, we never fully delved into the campaign promises and the future of the country. Both campaigns were full of rhetoric and slogans meant to persuade voters. The common theme between the two parties was the idea of “change,” something that we heard repeatedly from both candidates.

With all this rhetoric about change, we were wondering what direction our nation is heading towards for the future. Talking about change is one thing, but bringing it about can be a complicated and slow-moving process. The idea of change provides a sense of hope to Americans and has caused many Americans to become more involved in the political process. In a time of economic struggles and other hardships, change is the logical solution that voters flock to.

Some critics contend that change is not necessarily always a good thing and have taken extreme views on President-elect Obama’s strategies and policies for bringing about change. For example, Congressman Paul Broun has drawn comparisons between Obama and Hitler. He accused Obama of having Marxist ideologies because he expressed his support for ideas that are similar to those of Hitler, such as a “national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded [as the military].” Although Broun has since apologized for his statements, there are probably others that hold this same extreme viewpoint of Obama’s strategies.

With Barack Obama taking over the presidency in January, what kind of change can we expect? Will the change have a positive or negative effect on the country? Do the radical opinions of critics like Congressman Broun have any basis in fact, or are they merely meant as scare tactics?