Ali Shiraef

English 1103H

Category: Class Prep

BEA Draft: Introduction, Conclusion, and Multimedia Usage

Introduction:

After conducting the research that I have for this class regarding the Beltline, I have discovered that many of the subjects people discuss regarding the urban design project revolve around gentrification and rising costs of living. I would like to argue that a project like the Beltline is innovative in the way that it adapts urban renewal and attempts to improve the quality of life in the neighborhoods of Atlanta. The ideas that motivated the creation of the Beltline, as provided by its inventor Ryan Gravel, introduce a modern concept to the idea of the city. It has the potential to transform Atlanta, but especially to inspire urban designers to think differently in regards to how to improve the quality of life city dwellers face.

Conclusion:

The progress the Beltline project so far show so much promise for what started as a simple grassroots initiative by a Georgia Tech architecture student. The goals the project plans to achieve will change the city and the lives of its inhabitants for years to come. Not only is the construction of the project beneficial to the entire makeup of the city, but the social and cultural initiatives a project like this takes may finally add to the “feel” of a city like Atlanta. While people come to see the World of Coke, the Aquarium, the Carter Center, and other sightseer attractions, the Beltline and the innovation it influences (like Krog Street Market and Ponce City Market) might not only attract visitors, but the people that live in Atlanta and want it to be an overall better place to live.

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Political Meme (Class Prep)

english-meme

This meme reminded me of the campaign ad Miranda showed for Hillary Clinton where the father of a Muslim soldier asked Trump if his son, a definite American hero, would be included in his (Trump’s) America.

Drew Ferguson Ad (Class Prep)

I chose this ad because I remember seeing it on TV at home and thinking “What in the world?!”.

The video shows a political advertisement for Drew Ferguson, who is running as a Congressman for Georgia. His campaign is clearly running on the ideas of conservatism, religion, and family/middle class values. In the beginning of the video, Ferguson is literally, with subtitles, shown as a father, husband, and dentist. The video places these words over pictures of Ferguson at a church, playing football with his family, and performing dental services on a patient. The video makes it clear that Ferguson is a Republican that promotes small government and “cutting red tape”. There is a specific example shown of him in front of a tower for the Kia plant in Georgia, which helped create thousands of jobs in the state. The simplification of his values, up to what he chooses to wear, shows that he has a very specific target audience. The fact that republican political ads in Georgia only need to be that simple to get a point across shows the close mindedness that often exists with the two-party system. The video itself is only 30 seconds long! Yet Ferguson’s campaign managers know that the 30 seconds filled with conservative stereotyping will most likely be enough to convince Republican Georgia voters. The campaign advertisement presents similar values as Donald Trump, with him mentioning how Washington is “sending our jobs to Mexico and China”, quite randomly. However Ferguson’s approach focuses around the idea of “I’m just like you”, which is quite different from Trump, considering Trump is a millionaire.

Election Day Ballot in Tyrone, Georgia (Class Prep)

The ballot for Tyrone, Georgia contains three candidates for the U.S. Senate (one Republican, one Democrat, and one Libertarian), two candidates for the U.S. House (District 3), two candidates for the Georgia Public Service Commission, one candidate for the state Senate, and one candidate for state House. Locally, Fayette county has 3 Board of Education elections for 3 different districts. A very nice lady that I happen to know is running as a democrat for the District 1 spot, the district my family lives in. I also happen to know the man running as a Democrat for the District 64 state House spot.

Organizing My Blog

To better organize my blog, I first began organizing all of my blog posts into separate categories. These categories include Class Prep, Exploring Atlanta (my personal category), Major Projects, SOS, and the default Uncategorized. Under Major Projects, I have two child categories Annotated Bibliography and Built Environment Descriptions. Built Environment is the parent blog for my BED 1 Artifacts as well as all future artifacts I will post.

Each post on my blog also has relevant tags attached to it to allow easy searching. If a major project post is the first of its kind, it will most likely have a tag saying so, such as #BED1 or #AB1. I also customized the actual look and appearance of my blog. I edited the settings to show categories, tags, and recent posts on the sidebar of the front page. The footer of my blog contains a search bar, recent comments, recent posts, and a list of my blog’s pages. Another way I customized my blog’s appearance was by changing the header image to a picture I took walking down the streets of Atlanta, and I also changed the color scheme of my blog to compliment the header image.

Zotero Entries (Class Prep Week 3)

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Syllabus Quiz (Class Prep Week 1)

Questions:

What are the major projects? In a bulleted list, provide links to the project descriptions for each of them.

How will your final grade be calculated?

A combination of class preparedness, class attendance, completion of the major projects, and accumulation of points is used to calculate the final grade.

What is the “submission form” and how do you use it? Embed the form below your answer (hint: Google “embed Google form” to find out how).

The submission form is used to submit all assignments, projects, and other completed work.

 

Embed the course calendar and weekly overview below this question.

 

Where on the course website can you find an overview of what’s due and the readings for each unit?

“Course Overview” or the calendar.

What is the best way to see an overview of what’s due each week?

Go to the weekly overview under calendar.

What is the attendance policy?

Students earn points for attending class, but lose points for missing class unexcused. Excused absences are limited to university-sponsored events where you are representing GSU in an official capacity, religious holidays, and legal obligations such as jury duty or military service days. Absences for all other reasons will result in a points deduction as outlined above. In the event of extended illness or family emergency, requests may be considered for individual exemption from the general attendance policy on a case by case basis.

What are the two ways you can lose points?

Missing class with an unexcused absence or failing to complete a class preparation assignment.

What are my office hours, and how do you make an appointment to see me outside of  class?

Office Hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 and 11 AM. Students can make appointments either in person or via Skype/Google hangout by emailing rwharton3@gsu.edu.

How do you earn participation credit? Provide a link to the instructions/guidelines for participation.

Students must engage with their instructors and peers, both inside and outside the classroom, to receive points for participation.

Participation Info

How many points can you earn by participating in or organizing a study group session?

Up to 25

How can you be assured of earning an “A” in this course?

Complete all of the major projects, miss no more than four class meetings, and accrue 2,800 points

What are the minimum requirements for earning a passing grade of “C”?

Complete all of the major projects, come to class prepared, and miss only four class meetings

What do you do if you’re not sure how to document your participation in order to earn points?

If you ever have questions about what kind of evidence you need to provide to document your participation and how to submit it, stop by during office hours or ask the question before or after class. You’ll earn points for the office hours visit, asking the question, and for finding a way to make the information available to the rest of your classmates.

What are the Unit 1 readings and which one would you like to annotate for Reading Annotation 1?

Thomas Carter and Elizabeth Collins Cromley, “Introduction,” from Invitation to Vernacular Architecture

James Deetz, “Parting Ways,” from In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life

Stephanie Fitzgerald, “The Cultural Work of a Mohegan Painted Basket,” from Early Native Literacies in New England: A Documentary and Critical Anthology

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