chapter 9 question 3

one concept not discussed in the questions that i found helpful was the discussion of communicating in the public sphere that focused on the efforts of more ordinary people whose public communication bought light to important social issues. i think of candy lightner, whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver and who would later form MADD. her advocacy not only helped change laws around drunk driving but also opened up a public discourse on this important social issue. oftentimes we think of public communication happening by celebrities or politicians when sometimes the most powerful and influential public communicators are ordinary people whose very human story has the ability to touch the lives of so many people.

chapter 9 question 2

president obama is an extremely intelligent man and i feel that the combination of his charisma and ability to convince me of the truth of what he is presenting are his strongest characteristics as a speaker. but ultimately, i think that is a combination of credibility, attractiveness and power that make him an effective speaker. i think of the keynote speech he gave at the 2000 democratic convention, and how electrifying his speech was. although he was little known outside of chicago many pundits and average joe's felt he was someone to watch within the democratic party. he has grown tremendously from the presidential debates and is in his element when presenting a well thought out speech to large crowds. i think the area president obama needs to build ethos would be in the area of power. ethos in the area of power is something presidents achieve through the positive management of their role as president. it's only through setting and achieving goals that this will come about. in regards to credibility and attractiveness, i think this was achieved by the victory of winning the electoral votes of states such as pennsylvannia and indiana which frequently go republican.

chapter 9 question 1

one of the better speakers i have heard was angela davis, university of california professor and civil rights activist. i was drawn in by the topic of her speech which was the prison industrial complex and by the fact that she is a living legend insofar as well known black activists who remain active in speaking out against the continued injustices going on in this country. i was impressed by her ability to provide an historical context for her argument and beliefs. the timeliness of her speech was also a factor because she spoke on the problems surrounding the corporatization of prisons and the impact on black and latino men at a time when few were publicly talking about this issue.

one of the worst speakers i have ever heard was a seminar instructor i had at san francisco state who has thankfully retired. maybe it was the age difference and generational differences insofar as what i expected from a professor lecturing but i found his presentations dry, not insightful and outdated. it didn't help matters that he did not like to be challenged by divergent views. i think the main thing i remember from this instructor was that his area of historical expertise had evolved and changed in ways his lectures did not reflect and therefore his message was no longer relevant.

chaper 2 questions 2&3

I think there is some value in thinking of communication as patterned interaction especially as one grows older. what come to mind to me is dating. there are certain roles each gender tends to play in relationships such that there is some predictable behavior. for example, most people will become upset if their paramour is overtly flirting with someone else in their presence. but to equate communication with a game is a mistake and minimizes the potential seriousness of playing the game poorly or even equating communication with something frivolous. everyone is unique and one is not always able to predict how someone will react to different moves. there is some truth to male stereotypes that women are unpredictable. i would agree with this because no matter how well versed one is with the game, there is no predictive element or definative pattern.



3).
i enjoyed the part of the reading that dealt with the evolving perspective of cultural studies. in this post modern world it's ironic how one takes certain perspectives for granted and this is one of them for me. i never really thought about how influential the cultural studies perspective has become because i had never given it a name. this perspective has had a tremendous impact on the social sciences, history and ethnic studies to be more specific. the later mentioned disciplines place the struggle for equality in america within the context of the continual struggle for power which is very different than the i started out in my study of history. i think the 'old study' of history frequently obscured the connections between social forces and opression which i have found useful in understanding various historical events.

chapter 2 question 1

i was thinking about the communication that took place between white settlers and Native peoples in the New World. (i hold a ba in american history) if communication is used to create group ideas about oneself, one another and the world one lives in, it's easy to understand why there was so much miscommunication between the 2 groups. with each group having it's own distinct and rather different cultures, their perception of reality were understandably quite different. the cultural contexts each group held for understanding the world, made it very difficult for each group to transend or find common ground. the worlds that each group built were very different which made coexistance rather difficult and problematic.

recently, the term staycation has come into use. with the economic downturn many americans are unable to afford to travel but will use their vacation time to explore the city or area they live in. there is certainly value in taking time off from work and enjoying the simple pleasures in one's city but i'm certain this term is unheard of in countries where a vacation is an activity reserved for the well-to-do.

introduction

hello out there,
this is nyp and i hold a ba in american history from san francisco state. i enjoy the spoken word so decided to enroll in this course. i think it's always good to develop foundational understanding for subjects like communication which we tend to take for granted. i hope to become more adept at blogging and learning from our instructor and from one another.

intro

hello there,
this is nyp and i'm an open university studio, recently registered. i look forward to lots of great blogging!!