#8 Reflective Post

1) What information did you find useful in this class?
I found the different perspectives and what they entail to be very useful. By knowing what they are I can readily see them within our media and society. Knowing about them informs me as a person and allows me to make better decisions about what I'm actually gaining from the media.


2) What do you think were the best or challenging aspects of this class?
The most challenging aspects of the class were definitely choosing artifacts. I have so many different things that I want to talk about. I wish we could have chosen an artifact from every different form of media. i.e. one commercial, one song, one movie, one show, as they pertained to different perspectives. Then chose the one you like the best for your final paper or just create a new one that you never got the chance to talk about. I think I would have grasped things easier that way and it would have allowed me to talk more about different aspects of media I feel passionately about.


3) In general, how might you incorporate the knowledge and experiences gained from this class into your personal, academic, and professional life beyond this classroom?
The best thing about public speaking classes and pop culture classes is that one can gain a sense further than the classroom. By learning all of these perspectives we can now analyze and take in information knowing how they were put together and came to be relayed to the public. We can make better and more informed choices about what we chose to believe from the media. As well as be able to express and present our theoires and ideas to others about certain artifacts within the media. This class gives us the tools to express ourselves and our opinions not only in the classroom, but in the office, board room, living room, dinner table, and stage as well.

4) Think of a specific question or issue that is most pressing to you right now. How would you use the knowledge from this class (e.g., knowledge of rhetoric and/or rhetorical criticism) to gain perspective on this question or issue? Right now something that I have been playing around with in my mind is the virality of the kony 2012 video and how people were so excited and involved within the cause. This week marks cover the night, and I am afraid that all the critics will be correct in their assumption that no one will go out and support the cover the night cause. By using the theories and perspectives we learned in this class, if I wanted to, I could further analyze these news casters ideas and theories on why they think the way they do to form my own opinion, as well as delve deeper into the issue to see what the newscaster is trying to support or go against and what values it might en-tale for him/her if they go one way or another on this issue. 

Overall I really enjoyed this class. It allowed us to deal with events and ideas that are current and pressing, not just information in a textbook, it was fun!