ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION: For this type of Module Activity, you get to be creative. Take a concept or a philosopher that you learned about in this module, and engage with it creatively: maybe make a flyer that highlights, visually and textually, the most important/meaningful idea/insight you encountered, or in which you explore how the ideas you’ve learned in the module help you understand an issue or a moral dilemma in new ways.
Revised Design (below) by Anne McAdoo Originally Designed by Julie A. Gay Photos by Claudia Sanchez Revised Nursery Rhyme Written by Anne McAdoo
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Depression, malnutrition, disease, despair, lack of knowledge of resources. Below is a video of a Ted Talk from Rutger Bregman. Bregman references an experiment which found an IQ decrease of about 14 points when people felt a scarcity of something--whether it be time, money, food, etc. Bregman goes on to explain that when a computer crashes it's not that it's a bad computer, but rather it had too many programs running or too many things going on at once, just like those living in poverty. |
ITS ONLY MONOPOLY MONEY
Circumstance of birth plays a big role in poverty. Privilege is passed down, yet the understanding of true privilege is often not. As we learn more about the factors of poverty our understanding of the deeper issues begins to flourish. Take the U.S. prison system for example. If we look at the factors to why a crime was committed and attempt to combat the initial issues we could potentially decrease the number of people committing crimes, thus decreasing government spending on the high costs of prisons as well...potentially putting those funds back into a preventative focus. |
PASSING DOWN PRIVILEGE
GEORGE ORWELLGeorge Orwell, a novelist in the 1900s, experienced poverty first hand in the 1920s. He writes, "Poverty annihilates the future." In 1933, Orwell had his first work published, Down and Out in Paris and London, stating, “It is curious how people take it for granted that they have a right to preach at you and pray over you as soon as your income falls below a certain level.” |
DEFECTIVE"Poverty is a personality defect." A quote by former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. The poor are mentally ill. The poor are not capable of making proper choices. At least, that's what people believed and some still today. Can poverty and mental illness coincide? Absolutely. But does poverty cause mental illness and/or vise versa? While each case of poverty is different, there are many similarities in the process of occurrence, and it's not always as simply as one thinks. |
SCARCITY MENTALITY
After watching Rutger Bregman's Ted Talk on poverty, Bregman brings to light his thought transformation on poverty. Bregman states, like so many others he too believed there must be something wrong with those living in poverty.
Bregman then dives into education. As important as education is, it is not enough. He then quotes behavioral scientist, Eldar Shafir, "It's like teaching someone to swim and then throwing them in a stormy sea."
And most importantly, Bregman talks about the investment in poverty and that by using 1% of U.S. GDP (Gross Domestic Product), a total of $175 billion, we could eradicate poverty.
Bregman then dives into education. As important as education is, it is not enough. He then quotes behavioral scientist, Eldar Shafir, "It's like teaching someone to swim and then throwing them in a stormy sea."
And most importantly, Bregman talks about the investment in poverty and that by using 1% of U.S. GDP (Gross Domestic Product), a total of $175 billion, we could eradicate poverty.
"AN EXISTENCE WITHOUT POVERTY IS NOT A PRIVILEGE, BUT A RIGHT WE ALL DESERVE."
"HISTORY HAS TAUGHT US--THINGS COULD BE DIFFERENT."
Rutger Bregman
IF I WERE TO ASK YOU WHAT IS BEING DONE TODAY TO HELP ALLEVIATE POVERTY, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
Government aid programs like food stamps and welfare have been around for a long time. In fact, food stamps were first introduced in 1939, but it wasn't until 1964 when President Johnson signed the Food Stamp Act, that SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) became a permanent program. In 2007, an experimental CCT (Conditional Cash Transfer) program was introduced in New York City to research the results and long term effects of a CCT program. A CCT program is a reward system offering cash to participators whom follow a set of behavioral guidelines. After the program's scheduled end in 2010, no new CCT programs have been implemented in the U.S.
LIFE IS NOT ABOUT
SUSTAINING, BUT RATHER
BETTERING AND THRIVING.
Shouldn't we try to help those who carry the desire to better themselves?
- What were the notebook activities that made you think differently about a project, or about your writing (or research or revisions)?
- What notebook activities were the most interesting or fun?
- Which notebook entries do you like the best now?
- Which notebook activities might you try again, in other writing circumstances?
Respond to these questions, and answer one more:
- Name three new tools or strategies you now have as a result of doing the notebook activities, ones that you can use with some confidence going forward.
I rather enjoyed almost all of my notebooks. In some cases, I found them more informative and alluring than my major writing assignments for the course. Right off the back I was feeling stumped about what to write for the first notebook. Writing about what I already knew about poverty using pictures? What did I know? At first I felt I knew nothing about poverty other than the experiences I had throughout my young life, but those moments helped guide me to focus on each one individually until I started to uncover a bigger picture which soon webbed a connected design.
Notebook 2 was a cartoon strip about differing views which began to draw a picture of why the improvement of poverty was at such a standstill. When you know what people are fighting for from their point of view, you can better accommodate or better know how to combat it.
Notebook 3 is when I first learned about CCT (Conditional Cash Transfers) programs. This information was a staple in my Infographic and trickled throughout many future assignments.
Notebook 4 gave me insight to one of the major ideas when it comes to alleviating poverty and that was the two-generation approach, which focuses on bettering those currently living in poverty while simultaneously preparing younger generations for a future of living above the poverty line.
Notebook 5 surprised me when I learned Japan had the lowest poverty rate (Worldmapper.org). As I was forced to think deeper about the economy and goods produced in Japan I began to realize I knew more than I gave myself credit for.
Notebook 6: Haiku. The first haiku described what we think poverty is about and the latter described what poverty is really about. So many of us want to believe that those living in poverty will have an “awakening” and work hard to climb out. “If the world would just work together we could end poverty!” But in the end how many people believe they could make the difference themselves? If we did, I believe more people would put in a bigger effort. For example, when you see someone who is homeless on the street corner asking for handouts, even if you don’t have cash or food, do you smile? How often to you look someone and greet them with a hello? Fact is we’re scared and ignorance is easier. The longer we remain ignorant of the amount of true poverty in the U.S. and in the world, it will remain.
Notebook 7 was demonstrated to help guide us into digging deeper into our research.
Honestly, Notebook 8 was a nightmare at first, “Create a meme about your social justice issue”. How in the world could I create a meme about poverty without being highly insensitive?! So I didn’t. I couldn’t find the right angle and therefore I learned to be creative and focus on major affecters on poverty: health care, education, nutrition/health and government aid. Education, health and health insurance continued to play a massive role in the continuing of poverty I learned.
Notebook 9: Sketch currents events in your social justice issue. As a man who lived through poverty as a child and went on to become one of the greatest neurosurgeons of all time, Ben Carson’s inauguration on March 2nd, 2017 as the new U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development could be significant to our country’s future poverty rate.
Notebook 10: Create a playlist. I wasn’t sure how this one would turn out, but I really ended up enjoying this project. For one yes, I got to listen to music, but this assignment helped me broaden my horizons of African American music. Not too often do I truly sit down and listen to the lyrics of a song, and this project helped me focus on what musicians feed us and how much potential power they hold.
Notebook 11 and Final Notebook: Both question answering and insight oriented.
I enjoyed notebooks 1 and 10 the most at the time of creation. I think notebooks 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 10 are my best work. I would probably try using the technique from notebook 1 again in other circumstances—before brainstorming ideas for a writing assignment, write down everything I already know about the subject and attempt to make connections.
Using the technique in notebook 1 has previously stated, I hope it will drastically help guide me towards the direction or purpose of my writing with ease. Another technique might be after I’ve already researched a topic, think about what you don’t know about the topic and research that further. And finally, to use a multitude of mediums like comic strips, picture essays, haiku/poetry, musically founded, and more.
1) Analyze group work in the context of civic engagement. How might working in a group affect your writing positively and negatively (think about rhetorical elements like your credibility, your perspective, your message, your purpose, genre, etc.)?
2) How might working in a group impact—both positively and negatively—your own level of civic engagement?
2) How might working in a group impact—both positively and negatively—your own level of civic engagement?
From the moment the words, “group work” arises an undesirable gut feeling sulks in almost immediately. I know I am not alone with this feeling. Too often there is a group member that doesn’t excel in completing assignments. Almost worse, members may complete assignments yet their quality of work doesn’t match yours. In my statistics class this past summer, a student in my group never responded to messages and when it came time for his assigned section to be turned in, it was unknown whether or not he would actually accomplish it. Luckily he did, but for each group member’s section, mine was the only which scored 5 out of 5 points. Now, this is not said in a cocky way, but when you can’t guarantee the quality of work which your grade depends upon, it’s understandable why “group work” coincides with dreaded memories.
Writing-- While I haven’t always received the most helpful peer reviews, I am looking forward to receiving some further feedback on my pieces. I have been consulting with a coworker whom is getting ready to start her Masters in Public Health and while both her and I have similar ideas in quality work she has helped me see and understand that while some of my work provided detailed and useful information, not all of it was always pertinent to my purpose in the specified essay.
Other members in my current group have been using a variety of mediums as well and as we discuss what modes worked best for us and why, my desire to adapt certain pieces into new mediums has me excited for the final results of our group’s online magazine. One lovely woman in my group, whom is the Research Manager, will be double checking that all of our group’s illustrations and written work are properly sourced. As I am still learning how to appropriately source and cite resources, I’m sure our Research Manager will catch my mistakes and help me not only address them, but also better understand what I did incorrectly for the future.
Another benefit of working in a group is getting a variety of perspectives. These perspectives arrive not only by age differences, but also by a person’s background: where they grew up, where they went to college, the social class of their family and more. While some concepts are comical and entertaining to some, others find offensive and misrepresentative. Understanding these differences may help my writing purpose reach broader audiences and apply to more than a select group.
The only way I could see working in a group negatively affecting my writing is if a group member confirms the initial fear of working in a group stated earlier.
Civic Engagement-- Throughout this English course each student was to pick a social justice issue to focus all of their writing on. I chose poverty. While poverty is a common topic, the more I attempted to discuss the issues at hand I felt uninformed. What are common causes of poverty? Why do people often remain in poverty? What are the mainstream views on poverty? What is being done to combat poverty? Is there even anything being done to combat poverty— there must be, but there is still so many people living in poverty. While feeling much more informed as we near the end of the semester, each individual in my group may provide new insight on poverty which could help lead me to further research and understanding. Has someone ever asked you a question that you should know the answer to and the moment they ask you feel absolutely incompetent? Just me? Never mind. Well, that feeling sucks, to be honest. Personally, I don’t like this feeling and find myself later attempting to make sure I don’t find myself in the position again.
I am not only looking forward to hearing more about my own issue from others, especially if they have first-hand experience, but also to gain a more in-depth understanding of the social justice issues of others in my group. For example, the other social justice issues being presented are vaccinations, Medicaid and medical marijuana. While all of these are medically related, many of those living in poverty lack access to medical care. Learning more about these other medical issues will not only offer a better understanding of these issues, but may also help me understand how the medical field does not properly aid those living in poverty.
Understanding issues in depth is the first step to civic engagement. When we know more, we know how to better help and assist those affected by these social issues. We then know where our resources will be best benefited in society.
Negatively, learning more about these issues may create a differing view on a topic that we didn’t recognize before. Sometimes when we learn more about an issue and its causes and inner workings we begin to see the problems of the issue and may even lose hope for change. One thing I can say as I have learned more about poverty, is how I have become a little more saddened by the lack of effort we as a human race, especially in the U.S. put forth into not into accommodating poverty, but the lack of focus on truly alleviating it now and for the long term future. Sometimes ignorance is bliss…but would anything ever change without throwing these issues in front of us? Probably not.
Writing-- While I haven’t always received the most helpful peer reviews, I am looking forward to receiving some further feedback on my pieces. I have been consulting with a coworker whom is getting ready to start her Masters in Public Health and while both her and I have similar ideas in quality work she has helped me see and understand that while some of my work provided detailed and useful information, not all of it was always pertinent to my purpose in the specified essay.
Other members in my current group have been using a variety of mediums as well and as we discuss what modes worked best for us and why, my desire to adapt certain pieces into new mediums has me excited for the final results of our group’s online magazine. One lovely woman in my group, whom is the Research Manager, will be double checking that all of our group’s illustrations and written work are properly sourced. As I am still learning how to appropriately source and cite resources, I’m sure our Research Manager will catch my mistakes and help me not only address them, but also better understand what I did incorrectly for the future.
Another benefit of working in a group is getting a variety of perspectives. These perspectives arrive not only by age differences, but also by a person’s background: where they grew up, where they went to college, the social class of their family and more. While some concepts are comical and entertaining to some, others find offensive and misrepresentative. Understanding these differences may help my writing purpose reach broader audiences and apply to more than a select group.
The only way I could see working in a group negatively affecting my writing is if a group member confirms the initial fear of working in a group stated earlier.
Civic Engagement-- Throughout this English course each student was to pick a social justice issue to focus all of their writing on. I chose poverty. While poverty is a common topic, the more I attempted to discuss the issues at hand I felt uninformed. What are common causes of poverty? Why do people often remain in poverty? What are the mainstream views on poverty? What is being done to combat poverty? Is there even anything being done to combat poverty— there must be, but there is still so many people living in poverty. While feeling much more informed as we near the end of the semester, each individual in my group may provide new insight on poverty which could help lead me to further research and understanding. Has someone ever asked you a question that you should know the answer to and the moment they ask you feel absolutely incompetent? Just me? Never mind. Well, that feeling sucks, to be honest. Personally, I don’t like this feeling and find myself later attempting to make sure I don’t find myself in the position again.
I am not only looking forward to hearing more about my own issue from others, especially if they have first-hand experience, but also to gain a more in-depth understanding of the social justice issues of others in my group. For example, the other social justice issues being presented are vaccinations, Medicaid and medical marijuana. While all of these are medically related, many of those living in poverty lack access to medical care. Learning more about these other medical issues will not only offer a better understanding of these issues, but may also help me understand how the medical field does not properly aid those living in poverty.
Understanding issues in depth is the first step to civic engagement. When we know more, we know how to better help and assist those affected by these social issues. We then know where our resources will be best benefited in society.
Negatively, learning more about these issues may create a differing view on a topic that we didn’t recognize before. Sometimes when we learn more about an issue and its causes and inner workings we begin to see the problems of the issue and may even lose hope for change. One thing I can say as I have learned more about poverty, is how I have become a little more saddened by the lack of effort we as a human race, especially in the U.S. put forth into not into accommodating poverty, but the lack of focus on truly alleviating it now and for the long term future. Sometimes ignorance is bliss…but would anything ever change without throwing these issues in front of us? Probably not.
Author
Anne is 25 years old and originally from the Bay Area, California, but grew up in the small charming town of Horseheads, just south of the Finger Lakes Wine Country in Upstate New York.
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