English

What is the deductive problem of evil? (Use both the videos and Adams’ article to explain.) How does Adams understand the problem, i.e. what is horrendous evil and what implications does it have for the existence of God? How does Adams think we can respond to the problem of evil? It is important that you provide clear definitions of key terms, explain concepts and theories in detail, and with examples when helpful, and demonstrate your understanding by providing these explanations in your own words whenever possible (instead of quoting). My recommendation is to demonstrate your understanding of the reading through selective quoting (in other words, keep quoting to a minimum) and when quoting, be sure to explain what the quote means and how it connects to the rest of the discussion. Paper must be at least two full pages and must not be longer than three full pages. Any papers that do not meet the minimum page requirement will be penalized, and anything written beyond the third page will not be read. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4z9Y2u30Qs&feature=emb_logo   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prWSGbDW3LU&feature=emb_logo

You will write a response to two or three images from a body of work of one of the following artists: 1. Sally Mann 6. Margaret Bourke-White 2. Cindy Sherman 7. Henri Cartier-Bresson 3. Nan Goldin 8. Richard Avedon  4. Phillip Lorca-diCorcia  9. Annie Leibovitz 5. Edward Burtynsky 10. Dorothea Lange Be sure to do your research on the artist and their work and tell me what you believe has motivated the pieces you’ve selected in addition your personal thoughts and feelings on them. Consider addressing some of the following questions about each piece you’ve selected for your response:  What is the image “About”? What is the genre?  Is there an obvious objective? i.e.. propaganda etc.… What design elements are being used to create dynamism? What is the Emphasis of the image? Where is my eye going and why is it going there? What was the intended Emphasis? What are the technical considerations? Does the technique help or detract from the intended message or concept? What is the photo’s emotional or psychological impact?

The topic for this discussion will be “Teaching Twain” and the discussion can be linked to content in Chapter 4. The purpose of this discussion is to develop a greater understanding of the powerful nature of words. This is one of the more challenging discussion forums to partake in because we juggle many different values as we attempt to decide in what context, if any, the inclusion of the “N-word” is acceptable. Read Chapters 3 and 4. Review the excerpt shared below. Address the following questions: What meaning does the N-word carry for you? Does it seem appropriate to use it in a scholarly discussion? How do you feel about it being printed (or not printed) in this textbook? Does avoiding printing or saying the word give it more or less power? If an instructor chose to use the word in class, how might he or she do so in a way that would be sensitive to students? Can students investigate the word’s meaning and history without using it? What is your opinion on the new edition? Are the editorial changes sensitive and helpful, or do they sanitize history? Remember…  The initial post must be 500 words for full credit, and each reply must be 150 words and include a question for the discussion post author. You must incorporate two textbook concepts in the initial post, using APA formatted in-text citations. You must cite at least one outside scholarly source–ebook, journal article, film, etc. and cite in APA format. At the bottom of your post, add complete written citations for the textbook and outside source at the bottom of your post.

Reading Reflections  An important part of becoming responsible writers and researchers in the humanities and other fields is having the ability to engage directly with other secondary texts. Therefore, throughout the semester, you will complete 3 reading reflections. In each reflection, you will select at least two texts from that week’s course readings and think critically about each of them and how they work together (or don’t). Each reading reflection should include your answers to at least two of the following questions:  1. What about each of these texts was convincing to you?  2. What about each of these texts did you find unconvincing?  3. In what ways did the author(s)’ use of evidence contribute (or not) to their arguments?  4. How do the texts you chose work together as a grouping (or not)?  5. In what ways would you expand the authors’ arguments? 6. How did these texts expand your knowledge?

In your opinion, what does it mean to design for people/end users (“Human Centered Design”)?  Provide an example of how something is designed using this approach. Donald Norman describes various psychological concepts or principles of good design including: Affordances, Constraints, Mapping, Feedback and Conceptual Models.  Select 3 of the concepts. Describe each one, and provide an example of each. Provide one example of a “Norman Door” or other object you have encountered that should be simple, but is difficult and frustrating to use.  Why is it difficult/frustrating?  Considering non-technical issues (e.g., human factors, social, economic, cultural, political, environmental, ethical) why, in your opinion, was the object designed that way?

Evaluation Assignment The goal of an evaluation is to determine if something is “good” or not. This is usually done to establish whether or not a product is worth the cost that it is being sold for, although it can also be used for establishing the quality of work done by an employee or student. You will be formally evaluating a product that costs $50 or more. Purpose This assignment requires two steps before beginning your analysis: establishing the product category and choosing the criteria used to judge the product. Establishing the category is important because you want your reader to clearly understand how you view the product, and you want your criteria to reflect that category. For example, the criteria by which you judge a truck will be different than the ones you judge any motor vehicle by. Being clear and specific about the category will help you communicate your perspective and purpose to the audience, and will help you remain impartial as you judge the product. Audience Your audience will consist of your scholarly peers whom you may assume are also interested in purchasing the same type of item that you are evaluating.   Content/Subject  Your evaluation will begin by establishing what product is being evaluated, how much the product costs, what one category you consider the product to be a part of, and what three criteria you will be evaluating the product on. Each paragraph should address one criteria each, establishing the idea for each criteria before judging the product.  Finally, you will want to conclude with a judgement about whether or not the product is worth the cost.  A few questions you may consider as you craft your essay: What kind of questions do I usually ask before purchasing this kind of product? What would a perfect example of this kind of product be like? Are all of my criteria appropriate for the same category? Are my criteria the best choice for judging this product? Am I biased towards or against this brand? Steps Step One – a 1,000 word rough draft Step Two – a peer review of a classmate’s rough draft due in Lesson 5 Step Three – a final draft due in Lesson 6 and written in an elevated and sophisticated style that makes use of correct grammar and usage.  You should make sure to make a clear and precise argument as you evaluate the chosen product.  Specific guidelines for this assignment are: Clear introduction and conclusion. Structure the essay around the three chosen criteria. Conclude with a judgement about the value of the product. Adherence to MLA format (including in-text citations and Works Cited page). Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. At least 1000 words, excluding headings.

For this essay, you should write an organized, insightful reaction to your choice of music videos from the list below. Your principal questions should be this: What elements of life does this video depict? Does the video inspire and/or challenge you and why?

Based on this week’s readings, explain the reasons why we should protect free speech; then explain an example of a situation where it seems appropriate to limit protection of free speech for the sake of the greater good.  In what sense do we embrace deontology when we protect free speech, and in what sense to we embrace utilitarianism when we decide there are some situations where free speech should be limited?

Choose one of the following prompts. Write a detailed, focused , engaged critical/analytical essay. Be very specific. Support your assertions textually. Narrow your focus to small sections or a chapter. Describe, explain, detail and connect your ideas for your reader. Show your reader these ideas in action through textual example.    Hersey stated that he had decided “to write about what happened not to buildings but to human beings”. Hiroshima is a kind of seminal book in what is now often referred to as long form narrative non-fiction. What are the elements that have been borrowed from fiction? What is the impact on the reader with this vs. a more traditional non-fiction approach? How  does Hersey arrange his chapters to create the narrative drive. Choose one chapter. Think about how that particular chapter functions in the book as a whole. How does it build on what came before it?  how does it anticipate what comes after? Does it build connections between characters? Does it contribute to the reader’s understanding of characters? What is revealed? What is withheld?  Anatomy of a scene. Choose a place/scene/situation in the book that particularly strikes you. Deconstruct it. How does Hersey create it? Look at language and syntax, imagery,metaphor, simile, arrangement, punctuation. What makes this piece work? With journalism, Hersey once said, the reader is always conscious of “the person who’s writing it and explaining to you what’s taken place.” He said he wanted to have “the reader directly confronted by the characters,” so he tried to write the piece in such a way that, as he put it, “my mediation would, ideally, disappear.” Do you find this to be true? If so, how does he accomplish this disappearing act? Where do you see the writer? In other words,where do you see the invisible hand that controls the narrative?

Background Information: Who is the speaker? What is the title of the speech? When was the speech delivered? Where was the speech delivered? (location, event, occasion) Who is the intended audience of the speech? Content/Persuasive Analysis: What does the speech say and How does it persuade?? What is the tone of the speech? What is the purpose/objective of the speech? What is the overall persuasive technique used in the speech? Use evidence from the speech to support your answer. If necessary   Emotional Appeal: These are appeals to the emotions of the audience. What evidence can you find of this persuasive technique in the speech?     Logical Appeal: These are appeals to logic and fact, or to the power of reason. What evidence can you find of this persuasive technique in the speech?   Ethical Appeal: These are appeals based on the credibility and manner of the speaker. What evidence can you find of this persuasive technique in the speech? How effective was this speech as a informative/persuasive speech? Why? GIVE REASONS! The Introduction  Your essay should begin with an introduction that does the following: (1) grabs the reader’s attention.  There are many ways to do this.  You could start with a fascinating quote from the essay or list a relevant statistic.   (2)  STATE YOUR THESIS.  I will want to know up front the position you plan to take in your essay.  (3) Provide background information.  This is always a tricky one.  You should provide enough contextual information so that your intended audience can follow the argument you intend to make.  Assume a typical audience of college students and take a moment to reflect on what they might know about the topic.     Make Your Argument The body of the paper is where you offer your argument. (Defend your topic choice – why is it the best/worst, etc. – clearly define your criteria and how your subject meets or does not meet these criteria)    Use clear topic sentences.  Begin each paragraph with a sentence that introduces the content of the paragraph and connects the paragraph to your thesis.  Be sure to provide specific examples.   Write Your Conclusion Most college professors will expect you to provide a conclusion that (1) restates your thesis and (2) provides closure and ties up loose ends.  The same strategies that work for grabbing a reader’s attention in the introduction also work for a conclusion.