ENTRY #20

DORIS LESSING  >> Read the short story "A Woman on a Roof" by Doris Lessing. You can access a complete analysis HERE.

Some important concepts:

• characters: men have names (Harry, Stanley and Tom), ages (45, 17), roles (workers).
• woman (no name) subverts the due image of women in patriarchal soceties (indiference & non-verbal communication).
• she makes no compromise to patriarchal society.
• woman shows her endowed power.

"Phenomenal woman"

by Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is an African-American poet, novelist, educator, dramatist, actress, producer, filmmaker, historian, dancer, and civil rights activist. She is one of the most famous and influencial voices in the United States. Maya Angelou wrote poems about segregation and discrimination towards African-American in the United States and some of her poems talk about identity and the issue of racism. Maya Angelou is one of woman writers who uses feminism approach in her work. In her poems, Angelou expresses about the woman during racial discrimination, segregation, and male domination.

"We should all be feminist"

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

We teach girls that they can have ambition, but not too much... That they can succeed, but not too much, because that threatens men. In this talk that opens a worldwide conversation about feminism, Adichie asks us to start dreaming and planning for a different, fairer world of happier and more authentic men and women.

MADONNA >> Woman of the Year Full Speech Billboard Women in Music, 2016.

Madonna in her speech gives her opinion about the role of women in the entertainment world, where to be successful, no matter the capacity or talent you have, but the physical aspect. A woman cannot grow old or gain weight because the record companies do not hire them. She also says that the press defamed her causing a lot of psychological damage, and only stopped when she got married.

ENTRY #19

READ HERE: The fall of the Berlin wall and the multiplication of Western walls

About James Petras

He is the author of more than 62 books published in 29 languages, and over 600 articles in professional journals, including the American Sociological Review, British Journal of Sociology, Social Research, and Journal of Peasant Studies. He has published over 2000 articles in nonprofessional journals such as the New York Times, the Guardian, the Nation, Christian Science Monitor, Foreign Policy, New Left Review, Partisan Review, TempsModerne, Le Monde Diplomatique, and his commentary is widely carried on the internet.

His publishers have included Random House, John Wiley, Westview, Routledge, Macmillan, Verso, Zed Books and Pluto Books. He is winner of the Career of Distinguished Service Award from the American Sociological Association’s Marxist Sociology Section, the Robert Kenny Award for Best Book, 2002, and the Best Dissertation, Western Political Science Association in 1968. His most recent titles include Unmasking Globalization: Imperialism of the Twenty-First Century (2001); co-author The Dynamics of Social Change in Latin America (2000), System in Crisis (2003), co-author Social Movements and State Power (2003), co-author Empire With Imperialism (2005), co-author)Multinationals on Trial (2006).

He has a long history of commitment to social justice, working in particular with the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement for 11 years. In 1973-76 he was a member of the Bertrand Russell Tribunal on Repression in Latin America. He writes a monthly column for the Mexican newspaper, La Jornada, and previously, for the Spanish daily, El Mundo. He received his B.A. from Boston University and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.

Some key concepts:

- NATO
- Israel's separation wall
- War on drugs
- The death strip

ENTRY #18.3

The thought-provoking documentary Class Divide is a timely look at the widening divide between the “haves” and “have nots.” Young people on both sides of the gap offer unique and honest insights that challenge common perceptions about inequality today.

Reflection
This documentary is named 'Class divide' due to the fact that the division of classes is clearly seen and separated. The invisible barriers that divide rich and poor people is a social gap that affects adults and children equally. The lack of possibilities and the discrimination is an issue that concerns all society more and more everyday, accentuating the differences and ignoring the similarities between people.

ENTRY #18.2

Reflective writing: Walls of different kinds

Collaborative work with Delgado, Gisela.

ENTRY #18.1

Governments don't understand cyber warfare. We need hackers

   Today, conflict is essentially borderless. If there are bounds to conflict today, they're bound by digital, not physical geography. And under all this is a vacuum of power where non-state actors, individuals and private organizations have the advantage over slow, outdated military and intelligence agencies. And this is because, in the digital age of conflict, there exists a feedback loop where new technologies, platforms like the ones I mentioned, and more disruptive ones, can be adapted, learned, and deployed by individuals and organizations faster than governments can react.

   There is a fundamental inability today on the part of governments to adapt and learn in digital conflict, where conflict can be immaterial, borderless, often wholly untraceable. And conflict isn't just online to offline, as we see with terrorist radicalization, but it goes the other way as well.

   And so it should be not fearful, it should be inspiring to the same governments that fought for civil rights, free speech and democracy in the great wars of the last century, that today, for the first time in human history, we have a technical opportunity to make billions of people safer around the world that we've never had before in human history. It should be inspiring.

ENTRY #17

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
ARGUMENTS	COUNTERARGUMENTS
It reduces crime rates.	It is not a deterrent against the crime it punishes.
It would be right if people from all sections of society were executed.	It abuses two of the most basic human rights.
	It targets the economically disadvantaged.
	It tortures physically and psychologically by forcing individuals to wait to be killed.
	It is irreversible and results in the death of innocents.

ENTRY #16

AN OPINION ESSAY

Some people think that some types of criminals should not go to prison. Instead they should do unpaid work in the community. To what extent do you agree?

Owing to the great variety of crimes that can be punishable by prison, some people argue that not all criminals are the same and it would therefore be more appropriate to give certain criminals community service instead. I agree that in some cases, prison may not be the best solution and community service would probably have more benefits.

One justification given for prisons is to keep society safe by removing criminals from the outside world. So the first thing to consider is if someone who has broken the law is a danger to other people. In the case of violent crime, there is an argument to keep the perpetrator away from society. However, burglary or possession of drugs, for example, does not involve violence against other people so the criminal does not present a direct danger to anyone in the community. Keeping these types of criminals in prison is expensive for the taxpayer and does not appear to be an effective punishment as they often commit the same crime again when they come out of prison.

Personally, I also believe punishments should reform people so they do not reoffend. A further reason not to put these people in prison is that they may mix with more dangerous and violent criminals, potentially committing a worse crime when they are released. By keeping them in the community, helping others, they not only learn new skills, but they could also develop more empathy and care towards others. If this occurs, society can only benefit.

Critics of this more rehabilitative approach to crime believe that justice should be harsh in order to deter people from committing similar crimes and that community service could be less likely to have that effect. However, there is very little evidence to suggest that long prison sentences deter criminals.

In conclusion, putting criminals who are not a danger to society in prison is expensive and, in my opinion, ineffective, both as a deterrent and as a form of rehabilitation. Community service for non-violent crimes benefits both society and the offender. That said, it would be useful to have more data to work out whether community service or prison is more likely to stop someone reoffending. I strongly believe that decisions on how best to deal with criminals should be based on evidence of what actually works.

TIPS
• Introduce your essay by restating the question in your own words.
• If the essay asks you to what extent do you agree?, make your opinion clear throughout. You can either agree, partially agree or disagree with the statement, explaining and justifying your opinion.
• The structure should be:
- Introduction
- The first reason why you agree/disagree
- The second reason why you agree/disagree
- The third reason why you agree/disagree (if you have one)
- Conclusion
• Use phrases to organise and link your ideas, e.g. Owing to … , One justification for … , The first thing to consider is … , A further reason … , In conclusion ... .
• If you do not have solid evidence for your ideas, use modal verbs such as might, may or could (e.g. they could develop more empathy and care) or other tentative phrases (e.g. it does not appear to be an effective punishment).
• Conclude by restating your opinion and summarising your two or three main arguments.

In the following video, the famous actor Jeremy Irons presents reasons against death penalty:

ENTRY #15

GENDER DIVERSITY IN EDUCATION

Collaborative work with Delgado, Gisela.

ENTRY #14

VIDEO 1: THE IMPORTANCE OF HEDGING


EXAMPLE 1:

• Categorical claim

The issues highlighted in this study are applicable to all participating institutions.

• "Hedged" claim

The issues highlighted in this study may be applicable to many participating institutions.

EXAMPLE 2:

• Categorical claim  

Government support will assure the spread of new knowledge and the skills necessary to use the internet to thousands of people in rural areas. 

• "Hedged" claim

 Government support may help assure the spread of new knowledge and the skills necessary to use the internet to thousands of people in rural areas. 

EXAMPLE 3:

• Categorical claim   

The study proves the link between smoking and lung desease.

• "Hedged" claim

The study indicates/suggests the link between smoking and lung desease.

EXAMPLE 4:

• Categorical claim 

The number of unmeployed people will continue to raise as the poor economic situation persists.

• "Hedged" claim

The number of unmeployed people will probably continue to raise as the poor economic situation persists.

EXAMPLE 5:

• Categorical claim 

 This (and subsequent) studies led to the conclussion that the GTP itself must be the elusive base, and therefore to the proposal of the GTP-as-based mechanism.

• "Hedged" claim 

 This (and subsequent) studies led to the conclussion that the GTP itself may be the elusive base, and therefore to the proposal of the GTP-as-based mechanism.

VIDEO 2: HEDGING AND BOOSTING

EXAMPLE 1:
Students often arrive late for Monday morning classes.
EXAMPLE 2:
Generally speaking, students arrive late for Monday morning classes.
EXAMPLE 3:
Students are likely to arrive late for Monday morning classes.


In our writing, we often indicate how confident we are about the claims we make. If we are doubtful that something is true, we may use words like perhaps or possibly. If we’re confident, we may say that something is clearly or obviously true. These words are called hedges and boosters. They affect the tone of our writing, and good writers use them effectively.

HEDGING
To hedge means to waffle on an issue, to avoid committing oneself. Originally, the term referred to literally hiding in a bush or hedge. These days, hedging simply means expressing some feeling of doubt or hesitancy.

BOOSTING
If hedges express doubt, boosters demonstrate confidence. The danger with boosters is that they can make you seem cocky and pompous. However, if you use them sparingly they can convey the right amount of self-assurance. The selective use of boosters will convince your reader that you know your stuff and are an expert in your field.

1. DEFINITION OF HEDGING
2. DEFINITION OF BOOSTING
3. WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT IN ACADEMIC WRITING?

ENTRY #13

Prezi Presentation

ENTRY #12

Nominalizations are nouns that are created from adjectives (words that describe nouns) or verbs (action words). For example, “interference” is a nominalization of “interfere,” “decision” is a nominalization of “decide,” and “argument” is a nominalization of “argue.”
First, it is important to understand what these words mean when you see them. Second, if you are aware of what nominalizations are, you may use them to make your writing easier to understand.
Copyright ©1995-2019 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University.

Some examples:
My kids got sick (action) →The illness of my children (noun)
Because the President failed to remove the troops, many deaths (action) → The failure to remove the troops resulted in many deaths (noun)
More complex (Adjectival phrase) → Complexity (noun)

Extra examples:
Invasion can destabilize ecosystems (action) → Ecosystem destabilization can be the consequence of invasion (noun)
 We demonstrated the effect of pH (action) → A demonstration of the effect of pH was performed (noun)

ENTRY #11

Discourse and Context in Language Teaching

Chapter 6: LISTENING
Chapter 7: READING
Chapter 8: WRITING
Chapter 9: SPEAKING

ENTRY #10

ENTRY #9

 Collaborative work made by:
- Delgado, Gisela.
- Di Grazia, Camila.
- Gianella, Jacqueline.
- Horvath, Analía.
- Núñez, Alejandro.
- Ortiz, Hernán.
- Rodríguez, Giselle.
- Tarantini, Cecilia. 

SHARED DOCUMENT

ENTRY #8

ENTRY #7

 A THESIS STATEMENT is the single, specific claim that your essay supports. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper. It includes a TOPIC, a PRECISE OPINION and  a BLUEPRINT OF REASONS.


Tips for Writing Thesis Statements

1. Determine what kind of paper you are writing: An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience. An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to the audience. An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence.
 The claim could be:
- an opinion
- a policy proposal
- an evaluation
- a cause-and-effect statement
- an interpretation.
 The goal of the argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the claim is true based on the evidence provided. If you are writing a text that does not fall under these three categories (e.g., a narrative), a thesis statement somewhere in the first paragraph could still be helpful to your reader.
2. Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.
3. The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first paragraph of a paper.
4. Your topic may change as you write, so you may need to revise your thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.

ENTRY #6

ENTRY #5

       Summary

. Topic sentence  

- What is the subject?

- Interesting topic

- Giving an opinion on it

- Not overly detailed

. Body                    

- Supporting details for the argument

- Order details according to importance (stronger points first) or a chronological order

. Closing sentence  

- Restate the topic sentence in a different way

- Keep the audience thinking

Source: Learn English with Alex [engVid]. Published  May 19th. 2009. Parts of a Paragraph - English Academic Writing Introduction. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=129&v=cCuExRE6N-4

EXAMPLES OF TOPIC SENTENCES

1. I saw around Velva a release from what was like slavery to the tyrannical soil, release from the ignorance that darkens the soul and from the loneliness that corrodes it. In this generation my Velva friends have rejoined the general American society that their pioneering fathers left behind when they first made the barren trek in the days of the wheat rush. As I sit here in Washington writing this, I can feel their nearness. (from Eric Sevareid, "Velva, North Dakota").

Topic sentence: Many politicians deplore the passing of the old family-sized farm, but I'm not so sure.

2. The first is the wear-and-tear hypothesis that suggests the body eventually succumbs to the environmental insults of life. The second is the notion that we have an internal clock which is genetically programmed to run down. Supporters of the wear-and-tear theory maintain that the very practice of breathing causes us to age because inhaled oxygen produces toxic by-products. Advocates of the internal clock theory believe that individual cells are told to stop dividing and thus eventually to die by, for example, hormones produced by the brain or by their own genes. (from Debra Blank, "The Eternal Quest" [edited]).

Topic sentence: There are two broad theories concerning what triggers a human's inevitable decline to death.

3. The strictest military discipline imaginable is still looser than that prevailing in the average assembly-line. The soldier, at worst, is still able to exercise the highest conceivable functions of freedom -- that is, he or she is permitted to steal and to kill. No discipline prevailing in peace gives him or her anything remotely resembling this. The soldier is, in war, in the position of a free adult; in peace he or she is almost always in the position of a child. In war all things are excused by success, even violations of discipline. In peace, speaking generally, success is inconceivable except as a function of discipline. (from H.L. Mencken, "Reflections on War" [edited]).

Topic sentence: We commonly look on the discipline of war as vastly more rigid than any discipline necessary in time of peace, but this is an error.

4. In Montreal, a flashing red traffic light instructs drivers to careen even more wildly through intersections heavily populated with pedestrians and oncoming vehicles. In startling contrast, an amber light in Calgary warns drivers to scream to a halt on the off chance that there might be a pedestrian within 500 meters who might consider crossing at some unspecified time within the current day. In my home town in New Brunswick, finally, traffic lights (along with painted lines and posted speed limits) do not apply to tractors, all terrain vehicles, or pickup trucks, which together account for most vehicles on the road. In fact, were any observant Canadian dropped from an alien space vessel at an unspecified intersection anywhere in this vast land, he or she could almost certainly orient him-or-herself according to the surrounding traffic patterns.

Topic sentence: Although the interpretation of traffic signals may seem highly standardized, close observation reveals regional variations across this country, distinguishing the East Coast from Central Canada and the West as surely as dominant dialects or political inclinations.

ENTRY #4

- Constatives are sentences that describe something as true or false (IS).

- Performatives are sentences that are meant to inspire action (DOES).

- Words in themselves are actions: SPEECH ACTS

- Actions include but are not limited to: ordering, promising, apologising, warning, sentencing, christening, marrying.

- Speech acts depend on reception, there are felicity conditions through which the performative can be enacted (performatives should have proper authority, be understood, clear and able to be executed).

- There is no certainty that the orders imparted through speech acts will be followed.

ENTRY #3

There are several ways to cite a source (MLA, Turabian, Chicago). Here you have APA Citation Style

Author(s). (Date). Title of Book/ "Title of Article"/ Title of Periodical/ Volume. Pages. Place of Publication. Publisher. 


Journal or Magazine Article

Wilcox, R. V. (1991). "Shifting roles and synthetic women in Star Trek: The Next Generation". Studies in Popular Culture, 13(2), 53-65.

Journal or Magazine Article

Dubeck, L. (1990). "Science fiction aids science teaching." Physics Teacher, 28, 316-318.

Newspaper Article

Di Rado, A. (1995, March 15). "Trekking through college: Classes explore modern society using the world of Star Trek." Los Angeles Times, p. A3.

Article from an Internet Database

Mershon, D. H. (1998, November-December). "Star Trek on the brain: Alien minds, human minds." American Scientist, 86, 585. Retrieved July 29, 1999, from Expanded Academic ASAP database.

BookOkuda, M., & Okuda, D. (1993). Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future. New York: Book Pocket Books

Article or ChapterJames, N. E. (1988). "Two sides of paradise: The Eden myth according to Kirk and Spock." In D. Palumbo (Ed.), Spectrum of the fantastic (pp. 219-223). Westport, CT: Greenwood.

Encyclopedia ArticleSturgeon, T. (1995). Science fiction. In The encyclopedia Americana (Vol. 24, pp. 390-392). Danbury, CT: Grolier.

WebsiteLynch, T. (1996). DS9 trials and tribble-ations review. Retrieved October 8, 2008, from Psi Phi: Bradley's Science Fiction Club Web site: http://www.bradley.edu/campusorg/psiphi/DS9/ep/ 503r.html



Notes

• Arrange the items on your reference list alphabetically by author, interfiling books, articles, etc.
• Use only the initials of the authors' first (and middle) names.
• If no author is given, start with the title and then the date.
• If you are using a typewriter that cannot produce italics, then use underlining instead.
• Magazine articles: include the month (and day) as shown under Newspapers.
• Websites: if the date the page was created is not given, use (n.d.).
  
  
  
  adapted from: http://essayinfo.com/citations/index.php

MORE EXAMPLES

- Newspaper article: Schwartz, J. (1993, September 30). "Obesity affects economic, social status." The Washington Post, pp. A1, A4.

- Book: James, H. (2009). The Ambassadors. Rockville: Serenity.

- Encyclopedia article: White, P.D. (1998). Heart. In The Encyclopedia Americana (Vol. 14, pp. 1-5). Danbury, CT: Grolier.

- Website: Cain, K. (2012). The Negative effects of Facebook on communication. Social Media Today RSS. Retrieved from http://socialmediatoday.com

ENTRY #2

Advice on Academic Writing de CecyTarantini

ENTRY #1

WELCOME TO MY BLOG!! 💗

I hope you join me in this writing adventure!