2c Bay Area

2c San Francisco Bay or the "Bay Area"

1. Contains a brief paragraph how it connects to your study of humanities. 1 point The Bay area has a culture of it's own. It is very different from the Southern California culture, for instance, and we do things a little bit differently here. We are known for own wine in Napa Valley, and some specific art, with is very important in the study of humanities. Learning about differnent cultures within California gives you a greater understanding of the state itself and what to expect of culture of other states as well.
   
2. Contains the following "analytical elements":

1. Observation: What did you choose? What do you see or hear or feel or think of in the choice you made? What is the subject of the work? If you chose a 'thing' what is the work made of and what techniques (colors, lines, shapes, textures)does the creator use? Be specific in your description. If you chose a place, be specific in your description of what you see or hear. Talk to your reader as though they cannot see the item but somehow must draw a painting of what you see or hear. 1 point I chose to do the Bay Area for this topic. When I think of the Bay Area, the literal interpretation of "bay" comes to mind, and therefore so does a big body of water. When referring to "the bay" most people think of the San Francisco Bay, but it also incorporates other counties as well. San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland are some major cities embodied in the Bay, but counties like Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Santa Clara, San Mateo are also included in this phrase. I think of things from rolling hills to tall skyskrapers, airports to famous bridges (Golden Gate) oceans to rivers. It seems as though we've got it all in the Bay area. Big cities, the beach, rivers, and lakes make it so there's a lot of things to choose from for fun. We are also very well known for a big contribution to rap music - some big artists such as Mistah Fab, Too Short, E40, and Andre Nickatina all originated from the Bay Area, and often write about it in their lyrics (evident because when I typed "Bay Area" into YouTube, all I got was these artists' music videos.)
   
2. Interpretation: What is your choice about? Give specific examples to support this statement in 2 sentences; do so in a way that teaches us something about your choice. Make Paulo Freire proud! .75 point This choice is about a culture of it's own. We are very lucky to have the things we want and need so close to home. We have one of the best JC's around the world - Santa Rosa JC, right here in our home town. Another good university closeby is Sonoma State University, also in the top ranked colleges. Although this contributes to a lot of students not moving far from home, a good education, no matter its whereabouts, is always important.
   
3. Judgment: What led you to your choice? What do you think or feel about this choice? Why do you feel this way? Support your thoughts with specific observations. .5 point I chose to do the Bay Area simply because after moving to San Diego for a semester, I realized just how lucky we are. After moving back home to Petaluma, I realized we really are in the perfect location, all the things I love to do (wakeboarding, going to the beach, shopping, partying) are all within a 45 min radius of my hometown. As boring as some people say Petaluma/ Sonoma County can be, I look at it in a different light since now I have experienced other places. We really are lucky to live in such a beautiful place.
   
4. Questioning: What else would you like to know about this choice? When completing the question section, lead your audience into the question by stating a fact you do know, yet you still have the related question. This way, both your audience and you will have an educational experience. Example: I learned that John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath was based on his personal experience working with farm workers. I would like to know if the characters he used in that book are fictitious or are they people he met? .5 point I learned that the demographics in the county are very widespread- around 60% is white, but almost 20% is Asian, and another 20% Hispanic of any sort. I wonder what led to this population of diversity and what it is that attracts so many immigrants to this area.
   

5. Using your classmates work from last week, tell us one thing you learned from 1 student. Is this one thing some common experience you share or some experience that is completely different than what you experienced? Is this one thing related to our class theoretical foundation and if so, how? Is that one thing related to historical or cultural context of this country or a different one? Link that persons blog to this entry (eg cut paste that blog entry here) . .5 point

I learned from Rhianon that the largest art museum in the US is the Los Angelos County Museum of Art. This is somewhat related to my experience since I chose Hollywood for my first topic, and both are located in the Los Angelos County. This is definitely related to our class foundation - art remains to be a huge part in American culture throughout the years, and it is apparent (with such a big museum) that we are dedicated to making sure art is available to see through the publics eyes. LINK:http://rhianonlarson.blogspot.com/2009/02/2b-los-angeles-county-museum-of-art.html

OTHER LINKS:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_California

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SFDowntownPanoramaFromAlcatraz.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Area

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napa_County,_California

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=The+Bay+Area&page=1

2b Exploratorium

1. Contains a title using the format listed above .25 points
   
2. Contains the sources you used with links to these sources .25 points
3. Contains a brief paragraph how it connects to your study of humanities. 1 point

The Exploratorium is a science museum dedicated to the teaching of science through hands on activities and experiences. Culture as well, can be taught through hands on activites and seeing first hand what you have been learning as you grow up. That's why museums containing art can teach a lot about the culture it's contained in. Science and the dedication to science discoveries is a very important aspect of American culture, and we are very proud of it. I think that the hands on aspect is also very important to how we as a culture think we should be teaching children. Is this "hands on" experience working?

1. Contains the following "analytical elements":

1. Observation: What did you choose? What do you see or hear or feel or think of in the choice you made? What is the subject of the work? If you chose a 'thing' what is the work made of and what techniques (colors, lines, shapes, textures)does the creator use? Be specific in your description. If you chose a place, be specific in your description of what you see or hear. Talk to your reader as though they cannot see the item but somehow must draw a painting of what you see or hear. 1 point
   

I chose the Exploratorium in San Francisco because I personally am a very "hands on" learner, and I remember going to this museum when I was little. The Exploratorium is in a huge, dome shaped building (also known as the Palace of Fine Arts) located right off the first exit in SF. Once you enter the dome, there is an abundance of activities for you to choose to learn from. For instance, outside the museum there is "Wave Organ" where spectators choose different posts to stand inside and then hear different sonic sounds coming off San Francisco Bay. Or there is the "Tactile Dome" which is a 3D pitch black dome which users must navigate through using their sense of touch. As you make your way through the different levels and areas of this museum, you are met face to face with experiments that test what you know, and teach you what you don't.

b. Interpretation: What is your choice about? Give specific examples to support this statement in 2 sentences; do so in a way that teaches us something about your choice. Make Paulo Freire proud! .75 point
This choice is about learning. I feel that the Exploratorium teaches children in a way that most regular museums don't - and we need more museums with hands on experiences. Friere would have LOVED to see this museum and all the opportunites it presents for kids. Actually seeing the things that you learn about in school in action is a very exciting experience for a child who is trying to put the world together.

c. Judgment: What led you to your choice? What do you think or feel about this choice? Why do you feel this way? Support your thoughts with specific observations. .5 point
I chose to explore the Exploratorium simply because I remember going there as a kid, and I remember being enthralled with the sorts of things that I learned there. It makes learning fun, and that is something that a lot of teachers have trouble with when teaching children. When you are young, if something isn't interesting to you or isn't made fun, you are more likely to forget about it 5 minutes later. This makes an experience that lasts for a lifetime, and I still remember some of the things that I learned inside that great big dome.

d. Questioning: What else would you like to know about this choice? When completing the question section, lead your audience into the question by stating a fact you do know, yet you still have the related question. This way, both your audience and you will have an educational experience. Example: I learned that John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath was based on his personal experience working with farm workers. I would like to know if the characters he used in that book are fictitious or are they people he met? .5 point
I learned that the museum was created by a physicist by the name of Dr. Frank Oppenheimer, but I wonder if he personally was the one who created all the different stations from which you learn from. There are so many different types of activites to do, each teaching you something different, and it's amazing that one single mind could have thought up all those different things.

5. Using your classmates work from last week, tell us one thing you learned from 1 student. Is this one thing some common experience you share or some experience that is completely different than what you experienced? Is this one thing related to our class theoretical foundation and if so, how? Is that one thing related to historical or cultural context of this country or a different one? Link that persons blog to this entry (eg cut paste that blog entry here) . .5 point

I learned from Megan that the Golden Gate Bridge is 8,981 feet long. This is a very different experience as my own, since I chose Hollywood for my place to explore in assignment 2a. It is somewhat linked to the historical and cultural context of this country because the Golden Gate has a very big influence on people all around the country. People in CA and close to SF have the opportunity to see it first hand numerous times - others travel across many states to maybe get a glimpse of this miraculous, huge tower!

Megans blog: http://megan-human7.blogspot.com/2009/02/assignment-2a.html

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_California#Museums

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploratorium

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VCmwKqGICI&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8Vvlpsx6DU&NR=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_Organ

2a Hollywood

1. Contains a title using the format listed above .25 points
   
2. Contains the sources you used with links to these sources .25 points
   
3. Contains a brief paragraph how it connects to your study of humanities. 1 point

Hollywood is associated with a very important aspect of American culture - movies. Hollywood is said to be the "cinema of the United States", as many movies made in America are made in the city of Hollywood (extending out to Burbank and Westside LA as well). Hollywood is a culture of it's own, and often referred to as "Tinseltown" because of it's fake and "glamorous, glittery" lifestyle. The study of humanities is the study of different aspects of culture around the world, and movies are a very important aspect of our American culture.

1. Contains the following "analytical elements":

1. Observation: What did you choose? What do you see or hear or feel or think of in the choice you made? What is the subject of the work? If you chose a 'thing' what is the work made of and what techniques (colors, lines, shapes, textures)does the creator use? Be specific in your description. If you chose a place, be specific in your description of what you see or hear. Talk to your reader as though they cannot see the item but somehow must draw a painting of what you see or hear. 1 point
2. Interpretation: What is your choice about? Give specific examples to support this statement in 2 sentences; do so in a way that teaches us something about your choice. Make Paulo Freire proud! .75 point
   
3. Judgment: What led you to your choice? What do you think or feel about this choice? Why do you feel this way? Support your thoughts with specific observations. .5 point
   
4. Questioning: What else would you like to know about this choice? When completing the question section, lead your audience into the question by stating a fact you do know, yet you still have the related question. This way, both your audience and you will have an educational experience. Example: I learned that John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath was based on his personal experience working with farm workers. I would like to know if the characters he used in that book are fictitious or are they people he met? .5 point

I chose Hollywood, because when I think of Hollywood, I think of what other people refer to as the "typical" American. In Hollywood, the weather is always sunny and nice, people are seen cruising in convertibles with the top down, and everybody is tan and blonde. The beach is nearby, and you have the power to freely choose whatever you want to do for the day. Palm trees line the pavement streets, and walking down Melrose Ave you see some of the worlds most famous footprints and handprints, and become excited that just walking down the street you might see a celebrity. Looking up and over the buildings, you see the infamous "HOLLYWOOD" sign, resting on the Hollywood hills. At least this is how Hollywood is portrayed in the media. This choice is about the stereotypes that come from people oversees. Hollywood is so widely portrayed, that foreigers think that all of America looks like it does in Hollywood. But that is not so, and only traveling to America itself will you see there are much more diverse cities than Hollywood. I chose Hollywood because growing up, I had always wanted to be an actress. I dreamed of being in movies, and moving to LA when I was a teenager to pursue an acting career. During a trip to southern California to look at colleges with my family, we drove through Hollywood to take a quick peek. It was NOTHING as I expected. I was absolutely appalled - the glamorous lifestyle once seen on TV was actually just a run down, scary, ghetto town, and not all that I thought it was. Special in it's own way, of course, but no where I wanted to live. Upon visiting other places around the U.S, I saw many more places that I think stood more for America. I learend that Hollywood was not always the glamourous lifestyle back in the day - in fact in 1853, one adobe hut stood tall called "Hollywood". I wonder how many years it took for it to flourish into the modern Hollywood lifestyle that we know today.

5. Using your classmates work from last week, tell us one thing you learned from 1 student. Is this one thing some common experience you share or some experience that is completely different than what you experienced? Is this one thing related to our class theoretical foundation and if so, how? Is that one thing related to historical or cultural context of this country or a different one? Link that persons blog to this entry (eg cut paste that blog entry here) . .5 point

I agree with Anthony that Friere probably wouldn't have had such an impact if he hadn't gone to Law school. Friere going to law school opened his mind about a variety of different things, and made him experience a different way of life, which is very important to the principals he teaches. Having different experiences and trying new and different things opens your mind to different cultures and ways of doing things, which is exactly what this class is about.

http://amusettihuman7.blogspot.com/2009/01/1b.html

LINKS:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_California

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame