Reading Response to "It wasn't me, was it?"

I found "It Wasn't Me, Was It?" to be the most interesting reading for this week, as far as plagiarism is concerned. "Champing at the Bit" was a nicely comprehensive yet lucid explanation of copyright laws and their trend toward favoring the author, but DeVoss and Rosati's essay hit on some really important points, including:

"American academic writing is full of often conflicting complications, the most obvious of which is expecting students to come up with and develop an original idea, while requiring them to find plenty of material to back up their supposedly new and original idea or perspective on a subject" (155).

The paradox of the original research-paper has always caused students difficulties, ranging from coming up with the original idea to finding sources to support it to preventing plagiarism. As DeVoss and Rosati point out, students often struggle to determine what counts as "common knowledge" versus what must be cited, and they sometimes engage in what Rebecca Moore Howard calls patchwriting in which they work through new concepts or information by splicing an original passage with their own writing. Howard thinks this should be given a positive value as a step in one's progress as a writer. DeVoss and Rosati steer clear of such judgments, focusing on presenting information and discussing the impact of the internet on plagiarism. Essentially, they suggest that teachers engage students in discussions of intellectual property rights, critical online research, and the like.

DeVoss and Rosati miss an opportunity to really consider how the internet is changing--and will change--our views of plagiarism and authorship. If a student scours the internet for information, selects dozens of pieces of information (text, pictures, video, etc.), and then pieces it all together into something new and original, should this be considered plagiarism if none of it is cited? If someone posts something on the internet, isn't that tantamount to saying, "Here, use this."

Let me be clear: I am not referring to copying and pasting text; if I copy and paste someone's writing, then I have copied rather than created, and that is plagiarism simply because my creativity has no hand in the creation. I am also not referring to photographs or other media that are encrypted or protected; obviously, the author of this material is not saying, "Here, use this."

But if I synthesize a variety of resources, using my creative transitioning or splicing, then am I plagiarizing, patchwriting, or authoring an original document based on research (a research paper without the artifice of "good paraphrasing"). The power of the internet as a research tool--its ease of accessing, collecting, and copying large amounts of data or media--will eventually force a change in the academic view of plagiarism and authorship. If nothing else, teachers can google images or videos just as easily as the students, thus nullifying the need to cite them, especially since the citation amounts to a "type this into google" instruction.

Teachers can also google the text to check for originality, in which case they may find that their students have done a rather remarkable job of collecting, synthesizing, and presenting a broad array of seemingly disparate sources, in a surprisingly original and individual manner. If this occurs often enough in the future, will we see it as plagiarism resulting from poor research skills or a poor understanding of copyright? Or will we view it as a more honest (and technologically advanced) version of the "original" research-paper?

Multimodal Assignment: Meta-Narrative

Creating this academic blog was a very fun, interesting learning-experience. I am really glad I chose to analyze "300" in this medium. Another topic would not have been as ideally-suited to the digital environment, and a print medium would have been much too limited for "300." In contrast, the digital environment was perfect because this topic lent itself to using visual rhetoric. The images and videos really support and illustrate my analysis. In fact, they might prove my points better than my writing. There was also a lot of opportunity to use contextual hyperlinks, turning the blog into a great resource for someone who wanted to learn the historical and/or contemporary context of the movie. It would be a valuable resource even for someone who was interested only in Greek history. Inserting all the links was time-consuming but ultimately worth it.

I wish I had been able to make better use of audio clips. There were a couple places where audio would have been ideal, especially where I mention Leonidas shouting "Spartans! Prepare for Glory!" I tried to use embedded audio clips, but I found out that there were only two ways of doing so. The first was to contact the third-party website hosting the clips and get the html code. The second is to use a third-party service for creating and storing your own clips, such as Gabcast. I tried to use Gabcast, but it was very difficult to figure out and I finally gave up. I doubt that the audio-clip site I linked to in my second blog entry will be willing to release the html code for its clips, but I may try at a later date. For now, I am marginally satisfied with linking to the audio-clips. If one of my students chose this method of dealing with a technological impasse, I would be reasonably happy.

When I create a blog like this in the future, I will probably use a very similar process. I will write my text and then go back and insert the hyperlinks. I will do this more often as a I write, rather than entirely at the end. This will make it a little easier and less repetitive. I will also insert images and video to illustrate and support my main points or to simply provide context for my readers. Most likley, I will still do this at the end, after I have written my text. This way, I will know what kind of videos or images to look for. For audio-clips, I will try to find websites that provide html embedding code, just like YouTube does. If anyone knows of such a site, please let me know. In terms of the blog's overall rhetorical effect, I think it is important to choose topics that lend themselves to visual rhetoric and to effectively blend good visual rhetoric and good written rhetoric. I believe I pulled this off in this blog.

Multimodal Assignment: American Values in "300"

Both the image to the right and the one centered below can be downloaded for free at the official website for the "300" movie and DVD.

To sum up the movie "300," it contains a drug-induced erotic dance (the Oracle-girl), a softly pornographic love-making scene (Leonidas and Queen Gorgo), a hedonistic semi-orgy (Xerxes' court), a multitude of digitally-enhanced pecs and abs (the Spartans), and enough blood and violence to drench a frightened by-stander. It also explicitly and implicitly expresses fundamental American values, including freedom, duty, sacrifice, honor, justice, defiance, integrity, meritocracy, patriotism, and familial loyalty, devotion, and love. Arguments can also be made for other values, especially feminism.

So what does all this mean in the grand scheme? What does it say about American culture that its core values can be bundled with heaping helpings of sex and violence in a mainstream blockbuster movie that makes hundreds of millions of dollars?

Like the Romans 1500 years ago, Americans are awed by decadent spectacle. It is not always enough to tell a good story or to portray epic events, such as the Battle of Thermoplyae, as they really occurred. Americans are bombarded with media everyday of their lives and thus become desensitized to it. Those daily lives are hectically busy, making any time investment in television, film, or literature a cramped luxury. Yet in spite of their busy lives, Americans often go to the movie theater or video store, and they have a virtually limitless selection available. Therefore, film producers must work very hard to make sure their movie compels people to spend their precious time and money on tickets, rentals, and DVDs. Sex and violence are two common methods of gaining and keeping people's attention, but Americans are so inoculated against violence and sexual suggestion that movies must continually up the ante, so to speak. "300" may seem tame compared to films thirty years from now.

Sex, violence, and good old-fashioned American values are the ingredients of a sure-fire recipe for a large audience and huge economic success. The eroticism of "300" attracts viewers based on a fundamental, undeniable human appeal. Its violence fascinates an equally basic aspect of human nature and experience. Any movie that can present either or both of these appeals will find an audience in America. The audience will be larger if these appeals are presented with any artfulness, such as striking cinematography or visual effects. And the audience will be enormous if the movie also offers core American values in a fairly uncomplicated manner. The stunning success of "300" reveals as much about Americans as it does about how to make a blockbuster.

Multimodal Assignment: American Values in "300"

The image to the right can be downloaded for free from the movie and dvd's official website at http://www.300ondvd.com/300.html.

First things first, there is no doubt that the spectacle of "300" is sexual and violent. As Travers points out, "the soldiers from the Greek city-state of Sparta look gym-ready for battle in crotch-squeezing ensembles that expose as much flesh as an R rating will allow." There is an erotic dance number performed by the drugged-up, half-topless girl whose ramblings are interpreted by the Oracles. And the battle scenes are nothing if not gory and, at times, disturbingly violent (view screen shots). I will not deny the film's overt appeals to testerone-driven males and their reluctant, but eye-candy rewarded, girlfriends.

Nonetheless, a New Historicist analysis of "300" reveals numerous explicit and implicit American values in addition to its sex, violence, and artistic cinematography. Some of the explicit values include freedom, duty, sacrifice, honor, defiance, and integrity. The implicit values include meritocracy, justice, and family values such as loyalty, devotion, and love. Thus, it makes perfect sense that "300" was a smash hit with its American audience.

Integrity is an important American value explictly present in the movie. The Oracles do not grant permission for Leonidas' war-plan, which prevents him from taking the entire Spartan army to Thermoplyae. The viewers see a Persian messenger bribing these Oracles, who are like half-man, half-animal mutants. A key legislator speaks against sending the Spartan army to Leonidas' aid, and it turns out that he was also bribed with Persian gold. He is later stabbed in the gut. Due to his physical deformities, the traitor who betrays the 300 Spartans is hardly recognizable as a human. Anyone in the movie who lacks integrity is portrayed as detestable.

Meritocracy is an implicit American value used to partially justify many of our beliefs, including capitalism, plagiarism punishments, and numerous others. "300" implicitly expresses the value of meritocracy through the Spartans. Each Spartan is the equivalent of the absolute best Special Forces soldier today.

See the Spartans' discipline here:

This video was posted on YouTube by diab0lik5 on May 31, 2007. It can be found with the search, "spartans what is your profession."

The Spartans have trained harder than the Persians or any other Greek. Simply put, they are so good at fighting that it is hard (as an American who believes in meritocracy so thoroughly that this belief is mostly unconscious) not to admire the Spartans.

Early in the battle of Thermoplyae, Xerxes offers Leonidas a tempting deal. If the Spartans swear allegiance to him, he will give them wealth and an honored place at the head of the Persian army, from which they will conquer their Athenian rivals en route to the heart of Europe. However, Leonidas refuses the bargain that would have cost Sparta its independence. The glory of being Xerxes’ elite warriors, marching from conquest to conquest, was outweighed by the loss of freedom that would have accompanied it. This is very similar to Americans' sense of independence as liberty from the tyrrany of others. Leonidas' reason for turning down Xerxes' deal is the same as the Founding Fathers' motivation for revolting against King George.

This scene also features a distinctly American style of defiance and flippancy. Xerxes is trying to have a serious diplomatic conversation with Leonidas, whose every reply drips with sarcasm, disdain, and defiance. To listen to an audio clip in which Leonidas sarcastically reminds Xerxes of the Spartan slaugher of his infantry, click here and scroll down to "Culture.wav."

Furthermore, the Spartans consider it their duty to prevent the Persian Empire from swallowing their homeland, even if it costs their lives. In fact, they are very glad to sacrifice their lives because this is considered the only moral, honorable thing to do in the face of an invading force. They are willing to fight and die for freedom and for the loyalty, devotion, and love they feel for their families, who will be killed or enslaved if the Persian invasion succeeds. In the Spartan worldview, this is implicitly and intrinsically just, good, and noble. When Leonidas screams, "Spartans! Prepare for Glory!" he does not mean that the Spartans will gain glory through a defiant death; rather, they will gain it through a worthy, noble sacrifice. Americans are, and always have been, great admirers of worthy sacrifice. Americans have valorized soldiers since the American Revolution, especially those who knowingly and willingly sacrificed themselves for the greater good.

Of course, Leonidas is not entirely certain of Xerxes' chances of conquering Sparta, as shown here (scroll down to "women.wav").

Multimodal Assignment: American Values in "300"

A culture's artistic expressions reveal a great deal about that culture, and the film industry is no exception. When millions of people flock to the movie theater to see the latest blockbuster, it is worth considering why so many people were motivated to spend $7 to $15 on this particular movie instead of another. From a Historicist perspective, movies would depend on the social, cultural, and political climate surrounding their production and release. The prevailing zeitgeist creates the need for and influences the content of movies like "Stop Loss," in which an Iraq War veteran rebels against the army policy of extending soldiers' enlistment periods when manpower is needed (for a deeper understanding of Historicism's anthropological origins, go here). A New Historicist perspective, on the other hand, focuses on the movie's reflection of the audience and its context (for examples, see Stephen Greenblatt and his work, especially Practicing New Historicism). Whereas Historicism uses the socio-cultural context to understand the movie, New Historicism uses the movie to understand the socio-cultural context. The more popular the movie, the more it demands an analysis of why it was so popular with its audience.

View the trailer for "300."



This video was posted on YouTube by JohnK92 on December 9, 2006, and can be found with the search, "300."

In 2007, Zack Snyder's film adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel “300” earned over a million dollars per Spartan warrior. It was in theaters for months and generated an enormous amount of buzz for its surprising success, stunning visual effects, and "Sin City" style cinematography (which was also based on a Frank Miller comic series). Some movie critics are puzzled by the movie's huge success, but most view it as a powerful, profitable appeal to simplistic chest-thumping, testerone-driven males. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone says, "300 is a movie blood-drunk on its own artful excess" that "dazzles as spectacle." Josh Tyler alternately praises and criticizes the movie's sensuous, erotic style and bombastic battle scenes. A.O. Scott says of the movie, "The big idea, spelled out over and over, ... is that the free, manly men of Sparta fight harder and more valiantly than the enslaved masses under Xerxes’ command." In my New Historicist analysis, however, the stunning success of "300" is anything but surprising or simplistic. Yes, the movie is a violent gore-fest with a healthy helping of sex on the side, but it is also a striking depiction of core American values and beliefs.

Both the novel and the film recount the epic "David vs. Goliath" battle of Thermopylae between the Greeks and Persians. The film begins with the childhood of Leonidas, King of Sparta. According to Spartan custom, he is raised to be a soldier from the time he is a toddler. He endures beatings, is pitted against peers in brutal hand-to-hand combat, and enters manhood after trapping and killing a massive wolf in a narrow pass. The slaying of the wolf is an obvious foreshadowing of the battle of Thermoplyae years later. The movie fast-fowards to Leonidas' adulthood and Xerxes's impending invasion of Greece. A messenger arrives in Sparta ahead of the million-man Persian army and asks for Leonidas' fealty. Leonidas ponders his options and then kills the messenger, even though he knows this will lead to war. By Spartan law, Leonidas must seek the Oracles' approval of his war-plan prior to declaring an all-out war; the legislature will not act without the Oracles' approval. Since both the Oracles and an influential legislator have been bribed by Xerxes, Leonidas cannot convince the Oracles or the legislature of Sparta to commit the army to meeting the Persian advance. Instead, he leads three hundred select warriors in a liesurely walk to "the hot-gates," the narrow mountain pass at Thermoplyae. In this crucial choke-point, Leonidas and the Spartans hold the Persian army at bay until a traitor enables the Persians to encircle the Spartans. They fight until the last man, except for one charismatic soldier who Leonidas sent away prior to the battle's end so that he could share their story and inspire the rest of Greece to oppose Xerxes and his army. (Full Plot Summary and Movie Synopsis).

Movie critic Josh Tyler states, "Snyder’s take on the film is a fantasy, the way the battle would have looked in the minds of the Greeks, as they tell the story of the 300’s sacrifice." It is very important to note that this story is told from a Spartan perspective. From a historical viewpoint, the movie is wildly inaccurate and exaggerated. But many of the film's most fantastic elements become understandable when one realizes that the voiceover present throughout much of the movie belongs to the lone Spartan survivor of the battle, who is now sharing the tale to inspire the rest of Sparta and Greece to honor the 300 Spartans by kicking the living daylights out of the Persian Army. The Oracles are described as (and look like) "in-bred swine." The traitor, who shows Xerxes a second pass, is inhumanly deformed and wretched. The Persian army utilizes ferocious monsters and creatures that exist only in Frank Miller's imagination. Xerxes is seven-feet tall and incredibly hedonistic. All of the movie's fantasy is a realistic portrayal of how the Spartans memorialized the tale. Moreover, the movie's exaggerations enable it to more acutely represent American Values.

Brainstorming for the Sample Multimodal Assignment

It might just be my general level of exhaustion and near-burnout, but I am considering some off-the-wall topics for my sample multimodal assignment. I said to my wife, "I need a topic for my academic weblog." She replied, "What?" I clarified, "I need an academic topic." Then before she could reply, I said, "How about Human Trafficking?"

On the one hand, the thought of a non-English-related topic was refreshing and exciting. On the other hand, I realized how depressing it would be to write about Human Trafficking.

Then I thought of a more fun topic: a New Historicist analysis of the movie "300." I have presented this analysis to my writing students as a way of introducing analysis as a concept, practicing analysis, and discussing analytical frameworks. So I am familiar with it, and I know it can be applied to teaching. Plus, this topic could easily lend itself to multimodality and hyperlinking.

Well, I guess I've talked myself into it.

Explanation of Multimodal Assignment

For Eng 625, our next assignment is the creation and completion of a multimodal assignment. I came up with a blog assignment in which students develop an academic blog focused on a particular theme or topic. Multiple entries and modalities (text, visual images, video, and audio) are required. Students are supposed to state, develop, and support a thesis, using hyperlinks and multimedia in much the same way block quotes are used in academic writing. Before beginning the assignment, students may choose to conduct brainstorming on their blogs. Afterward, they are required to blog a meta-narrative in which they reflect on their creative processes, explain the rationale behind their processes, and evaluate the overall learning experience. During and after completion of the assignment, there is an emphasis on reading and commenting on other students' blogs. Since there is an audience, there is (hopefully) an impetus for doing quality work. Now that I've explained the assignment, I'm going to begin completing it. Hopefully it will be quality work.

Regarding the Departmental Furor Over Grade Inflation

I completely agree with Dr. Baumlin's assessment of the "English Department Grade Inflation" situation. Even before I read his reply to Dr. Blackmon's e-mail, I was telling fellow teaching assistants that our department's grades should be higher because we use process-oriented pedagogy. If our students' first round of essays adhere to the standard bell curve prior to revision, then the combination of peer feedback, instructor feedback, and student revision should increase each student's grade. If the quality of their writing and thus their grades are not increasing from draft to draft, or assignment to assignment, then we are not doing our jobs as teachers of the writing process.

I also agree with Dr. Baumlin that assuming a stubborn, intransigent stance toward the administration will not do us any good. Instead, we need to closely analyze the context of the grade inflation numbers and justify our pedagogy. If we do indeed need to adjust our standards, then we can do that. But we should do it for good pedagogical reasons, not because a decontextualized, irrational fear of grade inflation says we should.

Finally, I partially agree with Jean Stringam's caustic indictment of the administration for encouraging retention (i.e. easier classes, higher grades) and then expressing shock and awe at grade inflation. I do not share her belief in the administration's hypocrisy. However, I do think it is rather interesting that we (as educators and a society) demand improved education and then question ourselves when assessment shows improvement. With this kind of attitude, we will never be happy with our educational institutions. They will always either be failing or coddling students.

Comps are Over, Thesis virtually Complete

Once again, the title says it all. I took my Comps yesterday morning. Got some good questions, wrote some good answers. I am happy with myself. I tormented myself with the formatting of my thesis for the rest of the day.

I happened to catch a presentation on writing a thesis on Friday afternoon (long story), which focused almost entirely on lower-order concerns such as page numbering, formatting, etc. So I went to my office and spent pretty much all of friday night studying for comps, working on my thesis, and talking to fellow TAs about various topics of interest (including, of course, comps). Then Saturday afternoon and evening I spent hours reformatting tables, double and triple-checking page numbering, messing around with my signature pages because of page numbering snafus (looooong story), writing a cover letter for my oral comps portfolio, and completing a couple semi-overdue homework assignments.

On Friday night, I got home a little before midnight and Saturday night I got home a little before nine. This, after I had planned to spend a couple hours putting the triumphant touches on my thesis and then having fun the rest of the day and night. At least I allowed myself to watch "Wonder Boys" when I finally got home.

I suppose it was all worth it. I learned a ton of useful material thanks to studying for so many questions, and I will be able to submit the review copy of my thesis on Monday. I've already put my oral comps exam portfolio in one of my reader's mailboxes. Now I need to get off the computer and the couch and go to work until 9 p.m. Yay.

To end on a bright-spot: I really, really enjoyed the relaxing, fun lunch with all my friends. We deserved it after Comps.

Studying for Comps

The title basically says it all. I have been cramming for the last week or so. I'm not sure how the English Department expects us to study for comps while keeping up with our course reading, paper writing, teaching, grading, and off-campus jobs (which most of us have because we're paid so little). Somehow we do it though. I know most TAs are studying harder than I am. I've been very fortunate in having some great classes that have really prepared me for the comps exam. My thesis also helped. One of my TA friends said he's read about forty articles in the last week. If I combine journal articles, anthologized essays, books, and portions of books, I must have read the equivalent of sixty, maybe seventy articles for my thesis. Plus, I have a nice background on Plato, Aristotle, and other notable rhetoricians. So it hasn't been that bad, but I definitely have a headache.

Seminar Paper Brainstorming

Right now, I am planning to write my seminar paper on the use of Facebook as a teaching tool. I had never thought of using Facebook for teaching, but it makes a lot of sense. While Blackboard has an academic, "teacher-ish" feel to its interface, Facebook has plenty of "street-cred" with college students. They are accustomed to using Facebook to connect and interact with friends, often through silly applets, groups, status updates, etc. Whereas students usually feel obligated to get on Blackboard for class purposes, they may actually enjoy getting on Facebook since they can do so many non-class related things on it. At the least, they may not mind taking the time to visit the course Facebook group while they're sending people bumper-stickers or writing on someone's wall. The increased social capital of Facebook would be one its biggest advantages. Its only disadvantage (that I can think of right now) would be the lack of a "gradebook." Other than that, I think a Facebook group can accomplish everything else you can do on Blackboard.

I've found a surprising number of articles on the use of Facebook in teaching. I haven't had time to actually read through them yet, but the titles are promising.