Update On the Science Building

With graduation only a week away, I have been thinking a lot about my memories from my years here at Albright. I’ve even been thinking about the tour that eventually sealed my decision to come here. One of the biggest things I remember about my tour was the promise of a new state-of-the-art science building that was to be completed in my junior or senior year. And I’m definitely not the only one who remembers this tour highlight.

Unfortunately, the construction of the new addition was started only this past fall and those of us who remember this tour promise won’t be here to see it become a reality. “The senior and junior science majors are kind of bitter about this because we were promised a new building when we came here for orientation,” said senior Rick Grimminger, a chemistry major here at Albright. Theresa Parrish, a senior biology major, agreed with Rick when asked her opinion on the new addition to the science building. “The only thing I have to complain about is they said it would be done when I was touring.”

Since I’m not a science major, it’s easy for me not to be all that upset that the science building isn’t complete despite the promise during my tour. Then again I didn’t base my decision to come here on that promise because I’m a communications and English major. I would probably feel much like Rick and Theresa if I was promised a new communications center and wasn’t in school when the project came to fruition.

However, both Rick and Theresa see the benefits the new addition will bring. “I think it’s a good way to expand our academic pursuits by building the new building,” said Theresa. Rick said, “It will be a huge benefit. The new addition will provide new classrooms and new labs. Along with those lab will be new lab equipment.”

Having taken an anatomy class to fulfill my lab science general studies requirement, I saw how outdated most of the labs and equipment seemed to be. Even though I don’t use the building and its resources on an everyday basis, I’m pretty sure when trying to dissect a whale’s eye it shouldn’t break the scalpel. Samantha Cordisco, a freshman chemistry and education major who often uses the labs and their equipment explained, “The facilities we have are in need of an update. Things are old and corroded.” She also said the new labs and equipment will help speed up the processes of labs that oftentimes take much longer to complete using outdated materials.

Bob Presser, a sophomore business administration major, has yet to take his lab science general studies course. He said that if he knew the addition was to be finished and operating, he would wait to take his lab science in his senior year. “If all the science majors I know are right in telling me their sure it will help me, I guess I can trust them,” he said. Judging by the opinions of science majors like Rick, Theresa, and Samantha, and knowing first hand that the materials and labs are out dated, Bob may be smart in waiting to take his lab science course and utilizing the advantages the addition will afford him.


In the attached videoblog, I document the construction’s progress. With the unique foundation being finished, the summer months will see the quick rise of the actual building’s frame, according to Bill Robinson, the Senior Superintendent for IMC Construction who is handling all of the construction work. Administrator William Wood, Vice President for Administrative and Financial Services at Albright, discusses how the completion of the construction is a top priority for the college and how the web cam showing the progress is an under utilized tool. Despite being at the beginning stages of the construction, IMC and the Albright community have a good working relationship that both Robinson and Wood believe is the key to the success of the project moving forward and being completed as scheduled.

In the attached audio blog, I interviewed Albright professors from the physics, chemistry, and biology departments about the advantages the new addition will provide for teaching. Dr. Richard Heller, a biology professor, said the new addition will go beyond just giving the building a facelift. Dr. Pamela Artz, chair of the chemistry and biochemistry departments, said the chemistry department will have a better ventilation system to work with. Dr. Brian Buerke, chair of the physics department, said all physics labs will be able to occur under one roof. The professors not only agreed the addition would bring benefits to their different departments, but they all agreed it will allow students the opportunity to do more advanced and sophisticated research.

A New Change To The Albright Education Department.

Albright College is a private, co-educational college that offers a liberal arts curriculum with an interdisciplinary focus. Albright is made up of roughly 1600 students. One of Albright College’s popular majors is education. According to Dr. Yarworth, Albright is made up of 250 education majors. Albright’s education department has its very own mission statement, which states: “Albright College is a liberal arts institution. Within the context of a liberal arts education, the mission of the Teacher Certification Programs at Albright College is the development of broadly educated professionals who are knowledgeable in areas of specialization, skilled in pedagogy, technologically proficient and cognizant of divergent learning processes. Albright aims to develop reflective practitioners who are knowledgeable and thoughtful facilitators of the learning, growth and development of students in a culturally diverse and complex world.” Albright tends to stand apart from other colleges because of the variety of education the student receives. The education majors gain an assortment of knowledge through the standard liberal arts institution and the education department.

The Pennsylvania Board of Education is going through major changes to make their program better. The changes that the Board has made will come into effect January 1, 2013. The Penn State Live website explains the change pretty thoroughly by stating what the changes are. The teaching certificate will change from the current N-3, K-6, 7-12, and K-12 special education certification for all grades to pre-K-4, 4-8, 7-12, and a required dual certification for special education teachers in Pre-K-8. According to Sharon L. Brumbaugh, Special Assistant to the Secretary of Education for the state of Pennsylvania stated in a speech addressed to the House of Education, “the changes the Board of Education proposed are part of the Department of Education’s strategy to boost student achievement by enhancing teacher quality through: changing the scope of the certificate to better tailor teacher preparation to stages of child learning and development, requiring that all teachers have better preparation in teaching children with disabilities and English language learners, ensuring that special education teachers are dually certified in both special education and the appropriate content area, and enabling more focused continuing education for all teachers.”


Albright is under strict rules to try and reorganize their education program to fit the regulations of the Pennsylvania Department of Education new rules. Dr. Andrea Chapdelaine explained to me what Albright is trying to do to enforce the change. “The department developed a new concentration for the middle level certification that allows students to complete the required education courses as well as one of the substance areas-science, social studies, math, and language arts.” Dr. Chapdelaine informed me that the faculty approved Albright’s changes and now the Education department is just waiting on the Board of Trustees for approval. Albright still has major improvements they have to complete over the summer. The projected plan seems like they are developing a modified early education program that will hopefully include a co-concentration in an area of the student’s choice.

“The issue from my perspective is that this situation will offer students fewer chances to tailor make their undergraduate degree to fit their own intellectual curiosities. Interdisciplinary has been the hallmark of an Albright Education but, soon, education students might have to curb their desire to study a field more intently,” says theatre department professor, Jeff Lentz. Lentz explained to me that Education is becoming a pre-professional degree just like Pre-Med or Pre-Law. It seems that a majority of professors are thinking this way and do not like the change very much. The reason why Albright is having such an issue is due to the fact they want to keep the liberal arts education involved in the Education department. The new changes are making this a little difficult for Albright to change. If you want to hear the perspectives of the professors make sure you tune into the audio portion of this blog and also see what the students have to say by watching the video. Signing off I’m Meghan Devore at acstudentvoices.

Pictures from www.http://www.angelo.edu/dept/ceducation/images/ST.gif and http://www.cmet.com/images/sidebar_24.jpg

Photoshop for Democracy Evaluation

Photoshop is an invention like none other, it gives you the power to create something new from two or more different sources, to fuse them together. In the 2004 elections this power was used for campaigning and downplaying the opposition. By doing this there is a possibility that through the various videos, fake photos, and all the illegally distributed photographs that bloggers may have shaped the turn-out of the election.
Henry Jenkins posed the argument that blogging is spoiling the American government and the democratic process in Chapter 6 of Convergence Culture. In "Photoshop for Democracy" he says that this form of grassroots goes beyond the Survivor scandals, but their seeking of information and evidence is to "shape future events". Some examples of these are photographs of dead American solders coming home from Iraq, and shots of abuse in the prison at Abu Ghraib. These journalists, according to Jenkins, are more dangerous than usual bloggers because they "deal often with rumors and innuendos".
the author's support is relevant and believable, he takes true events that could have possible swayed an American citizen's vote and used it for his argument, however I believe that a person's blog is their space to voice their opinions, about whoever or whatever they want. I don't believe that by saying how they feel about certain things, though it may be based off of lies, is ruining a government that is founded on free speech and expression.
It seems to me that "culture jamming" is a very indignant way of not allowing your opponents voice to be heard. By producing noise when they're trying to express an idea can serve as a way for only your ideas to be heard and dominant.
A candidacy seems to be based on a vote of popularity, the president who wins is always the one who, not only expressed the right ideals, but was also able to put their ideas out there. So, in a way, if you become the more popular, well known candidate the more likely you are to be the winning candidate. Also, it's more than you just speaking the right stuff and being advertised more, but you must also be well liked. The 2008 elections were a bit like this, President Obama not only expressed the right ideals but he also one of the most famous senators with the right backing. Through citizen's being able to express themselves about how the race is going, and how they're feeling, also the way candidates are becoming more and more like celebrities are just a few ways that fan culture and politics are now beginning to coexist.

Convergence Culture Chapter 6: Photoshop and Democracy

What is the main argument the author is making?

Jenkins main point is that citizens are starting to apply what they have learned as consumers of popular culture to politics; he points out how popular culture in recent years has become an influence of political culture.

What support does he offer?

Jenkins offers support for his main argument by looking at several politically driven websites, like moveon.org and meetup.org. He analyses how these websites allow for people with common interests in this case political interest, to get together and share ideas. Jenkins also explained how the 2004 presidential campaign of Howard Dean used the internet to gain the public’s support in ways that had not been done before. He talks about young voters and how they are using The Daily Show and the Sims game to stay connected and become more politically involved. Jenkins also briefly discusses how convergence would lead to this idea of digital democracy where it is second nature for citizens to be politically involved.

Do you agree or disagree with the main argument?

I agree with Jenkins point that popular culture allows citizens to become more politically involved because from my own experience I know that I do follow popular culture. But when it comes to politics I tend to look deeper into issues rather than just follow popular cultures coverage if the issue. Popular culture tends to skip many important aspects of an issue; to get the full and correct story I wouldn’t just watch the Daily Show or CNN I would probably read the newspaper or search on some nonprofit sites to get more facts.

Is the author’s support relevant and believable?

I believe that the author did in fact use tactics like giving relevant examples that were both credible and easy to keep up with. His argument was not hard to follow because his examples were all things that I had previously heard of and could relate to. I could easily make a connection between his examples and why they were relevant to his argument.

In what ways does this chapter relate to the 2008 presidential election? In what ways did the 2008 election seem different?

Jenkins uses examples from the 2004 election to discuss how the convergence of popular culture and politics took place and how it did and did not work for the candidates. The 2008 election used tactics that worked for the candidates during the 2004 election. They learned from the 2004 election how much of an advantage popular culture can be for a campaign and how involved citizens can become through the use of popular culture. The 2004 election was only the start of the use of popular culture and the internet. The 2008 election differ in the way that it used popular culture and the internet to engage citizens and to get them more involved on a personal level, which had not been done in previous elections. The 2008 presidential campaign become more of a race between celebrities and less traditional then previous years with presidential candidates appearing on popular culture shows like SNL, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report.

What is digital democracy?

Digital democracy is when technology (websites, video games) and politics are combined and used together to help make the effects of political issues stronger. Digital democracy allows for citizens to better understand politics and become more personally involved in the democratic process and politics.

Discuss your understandings of the term culture jamming.

Culture jamming is a political tactic that reflected the logic of the digital revolution. Culture Jamming is when things are changed and modified to exemplify a thought or idea, not necessarily the idea it was originally intended to exemplify. Jenkins used the Apprentice example that Ben Cohen’s website used during the 2004 election, the web ad took clips from NBC’s the Apprentice and images of Bush and cleverly merged it to show that Bush did a bad job in the White House and if Donald Trump fired Bush then American citizens should too.

Discuss the connections between fan culture and politics.

Fan cultures allows for people who have a common interest to come together and share their ideas about a candidate. Some people like to keep their political views hidden and online fan cultures allow them to express their views and support a candidate without feeling like they will be prosecuted. Fan cultures online or in video games like Jenkins discussed allows the public to get practice and educate themselves prior to getting involved in the real world of politics.

How does the idea of “play(ing) with power on a microlevel” (p.239) relate to the readings and discussion from last week?

The Sims game and Alphaville that Jenkins discussed in this chapter talked about how children were given a voice in the political world through this game which they would normally not have. This same concept of voice was discussed last week with the reading about children role playing and making up alternate lives and stories based on the Harry Potter books. The same concept applies in both instances, in the reading from this week Jenkins spoke about the opportunity that children get by playing this game, the ability to learn about politics which may lead them to become more politically and democratically involved.

4th Hour Blog

What is the main argument the author is making?

The main argument that the author is making is that popular culture has an influence on politics and how it spreads and affects the people. Specifically, he focuses a lot on how political campaigners use different types of media and technology to reach people and provoke responses from them.

What support does he offer?

He describes how today media is and aspects from popular culture have been integrated into politics to make political issues more existent in people’s lives. Specifically, he discussed how the Donald Trump was used in an anti-Bush commercial in 2004. It was created to urge voters to disallow Bush from being re-elected. The author spins off on the Donald Trump point to discuss how politicians also use television to gain more support for their respective campaigns. He also talks about how different websites have also participated in spreading certain political messages by allowing their users to use Photoshop to recreate important political events and happenings to express their opinions and perspective. Most of these were satirical and had a comedic edge but were ultimately designed to make statements. Another interesting aspect he discussed was how Russell Simmons, MTV and Nickelodeon use their prominence in the entertainment realm to encourage young people to vote. This is an example of how popular culture has influenced the political world and more significantly advocate it.

Do you agree or disagree with the main argument?

I agree with the author. I think that fusing elements from popular culture and the entertainment world into politics is a great way to speak to younger generations and just anyone who does not normally follow politics. I remember how much popular culture and the media was included in the last election between Obama and McCain. During the election, both were on the covers of People, Us as well as other types of popular magazines today. Both also were guests on popular TV shows “The View” and “The Tyra Banks Show”—I thought it was a great idea because it reached more people for each of the candidates, whether in a positive or negative way. I think its also important especially today in peak of technology. So many people rely on the internet, TV and popular culture; it is a brilliant idea to invade this territory and change the ways politics function.

Is the author's support relevant and believable?
Yes, I think that the author’s support is both relevant and believable because he provides the names and URLs of the websites as well as discussing TV shows that are currently popular. All of the examples that he used help illustrate his points.

In what ways does this chapter relate to the 2008 presidential election? In what ways did the 2008 election seem different?

Just as I expressed above, the 2008 election received so much media attention and included so many elements of pop culture and for that reason, it relates to the chapter. The chapter discusses the ways that pop culture and today’s technology are connected to politics and the 2008 election demonstrated this completely; anywhere you went online, there were ads about the candidates or they were being featured for an article or story. Not to mention how many blogs and citizen journalism websites had a huge focus on the election, this is very significant considering how popular blogging is. Also, politics appeared in the entertainment world with all of the public endorsements by the celebrities, benefit concerts and the fact that Obama became a superstar before he was elected as president. All of this also shows how the 2008 election was different. There were not any other election that had so much online coverage as well importance in the media and entertainment world.

What is digital democracy?

Digital democracy is the result of politics and technology being brought together to bring everyday people closer to politics and get a better idea of how it works and the surrounding ideas about it.

Discuss your understanding of the term culture jamming.

Culture jamming is when a message, picture or piece of writing is changed and made into something comedic or satirical.

Discuss the connections between fan culture and politics.

Fan culture and politics can be connected if there were specific fan cultures made for a particular political figure or party just as there are fan cultures for things that a group of people commonly enjoy. Some of them have already been created like with the Sims game in the reading as well as things like Obama support groups on Facebook and other common websites that are popular. This would continue building the bridge between politics and pop culture, making them more familiar with each other as well as it would help reach more people and help them become more politically active.

How does the idea of "play(ing) with power on a microlevel" (p. 239) relate to the readings and discussion from last week?

This idea connects to the readings/discussions from last week because they both deal with people having the power to participate and live in a world that they are separate from in reality. Last week, it was the Harry Potter website where students could put themselves into the world of Harry Potter. This chapter talks about things like the Sims games where people are able to learn about politics and have the chance to govern over something themselves—they both are related to each other because they both discuss the ways that technology allows us access worlds and places that we cannot in reality and in the case of the Sims game, it also is making people more knowledgeable and aware of politics and how it works.

4th Hour Final Blog

What is the main argument the author is making?
Jenkins argues that pop culture has a growing influence on political culture. Whether it be activist magazines or documentaries, the influence has been more noticable in recent years.

What support does he offer?
He lists a series of websites created that involve certain support groups for a candidate (moveon.com and meetup.com). How the websites either rallied around a politician or an issue, and there were anti-George Bush implications from one of the websites. He mentions Governor Howard Dean's Campaign's use of the internet as well. He mentions gaming, and government through the SIMS game.

Do you agree or disagree with the main argument?
I happen to agree with the main argument, but in a very limited way. I am a registered independent. Seth MacFarlane (creator of Family Guy) made a comment on the show about how Undecided voters are the dumbest people out there. I felt the 2008 Elections were a Catch-22 example. I was not swayed to think McCain was worse than Obama through all the anti-conservative advertising, and I was not swayed to think Obama was better through all of his advertising. The fact is though, on late night TV, George Bush is everyone's punchline. The republican party is in a clear struggle, but it is made known through the John Stewarts and Bill Mahers of the world. The 2008 Campaign also saw Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen concerts, both endorsing the same candidate. These concerts raise awareness, and I feel influenced more people to vote.

Pop Culture is not always a heavy influence though. Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 released 4 months before the 2004 elections. The movie heavily criticized George W Bush, yet Bush was still re-elected.

Is the author's support relevant and believable?
I believe so. He cites websites that exist, tactics that were used, and other means that are out there. There may be a completely different side to the argument that is not addressed in this chapter, but he uses credible information to help validate his point.

In what ways does this chapter relate to the 2008 presidential election?
As I stated earlier, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel hosted free concerts to support Barack Obama. That example is the first thing I think of from the 2008 election. Obama had so much celebrity endorsement, and when you looked into popular culture, you could not find much support for Bush, and Bush was actually bashed so hard, that his party took a fall. The political comic shows were very critical of the Republican Party. In fact, the only joke I ever heard about Obama was how popular he was, and Jay Leno's show scripted an Obama-Mia video (in relation to Mamma Mia's release).

The internet has also been a huge tool. The President is always in focus, and his party follows him. George Bush was a Republican with the lowest ever approval rating. That was a headline constantly on major websites, Bush's approval rating drops. It was told from a neutral and fair standpoint, but you read about him not having support, and the people who are affiliated with him are not gonna have support. So I think the media's and especially late night's portrayal of Bush lead to a Democratic win in 2008.

In what ways did the 2008 election seem different?
There was a lot made about the internet, and I just feel the use of social networking sites had a bigger impact than any pop culture aspect. Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter are all popular, and they were flooded with campaign ads.

What is digital democracy?
The combination of electronics and politics being used together to help effect polotical issues. A very relevant example is Alphaville of the SIMS video game.

Discuss your understanding of the term culture jamming.
A change in the portrayal of media. Given programs like Photoshop and Moviemaker, it is possible for anything today to be changed into a different meaning. Howard Dean's speeches, or another example is a lot of online pictures of George W. Bush. They are often used for comedic purposes I believe.

Discuss the connections between fan culture and politics.
We stated certain support websites for candidates earlier. It is almost a sense of community belonging, if people can share a common interest in a candidate or issue, and then expand their group, then that makes a huge impact. A lot of people are scared to express their views alone, but if they have others that agree, the group grows. This leads to rallies and protests which are huge parts of our country's history.

How does the idea of "play(ing) with power on a microlevel" (p. 239) relate to the readings and discussion from last week?
The idea comes from the SIMs game and Alphaville. Giving children the chance to govern is a unique concept because they are not free to do so in real life (not at the time they're children).

Last week, we spoke about roleplaying based on the Harry Potter series. This allows children also to do something they can not do in real life. In real life, they can't fly on brooms and use wands, but in their roleplaying, they can. In real life, they can't govern over any sort of opoulation, and make big decisions. In the SIMS, they can.

The use of imagination is a link between the readings, but Harry Potter roleplaying also created controversy among ownership rights. Anyone playing the SIMS game legally owns it, and therefore such controversy does not exist.

Photoshop for Democracy: Convergence Culture Chapter 6

What is the main argument the author is making?

The main argument the author makes is that popular culture can influence political culture; it 'matters politically'. Pop culture is everywhere, on the television, on the internet, in magazines. Its influences are inevitable, and are widespread. Politics can have that effect too, but it has to be moreorless sought out, by those who seek it. There are special news channels (like CNN) that cover politics more, websites that cater to that topic more, etc. This article examines how politics can combine with popular culture, by using the same technologies, and influence people to be more concerned with politics, voting and government policies. This 'concept of convergence' goes beyond popular culture and can affect politics as well.

What support does he offer?

He uses various means of support for these ideas. He discusses how in the 2004 Presidential election, Howard Dean made use of the Internet (with blogging) and television, to the two most popular forms of media, to help get the public more engaged in politics. With the blogging, people were about to give their opinions and feedback, with the hopes that others would read it, and ignite a spark in the public's mind about political affairs and campaigns. With television, the idea was that since almost everyone has access to one, he could capitalize off of its accessibility, and allow the political sphere to connect with the popular culture one. He also discusses how two websites, Moveon.com and Meetup.com, have affected politics, with the former being aimed at moving past Bill Clinton's sex life and extramarital affair, and concentrate more the state of the country. He also mentions gaming, and the ficitional living community, Alphaville, that the Sims live in, have affected the way that people who play the game, namely children, think about the government.

Do you agree or disagree with the main argument?

I agree with the argument in general, but there are parts of it that I don't agree with. I agree that use of popular culture can influence how people see politics, especially with the most recent {Presidential election of Barack Obama, in 2008. His use of Youtube and constant advertising, of course, had an influence on how alot of people saw him as a candidate who wanted to identify with the public. However, that was not the reason I voted for him, nor is the reason that Senator McCain didn't capitalize on the media as much the reason I didn't vote for him. I feel like other forms of media helped people to become more aware, like the free concerts, shows, and parties with or hosted by celebrities that endorsed one or both candidates helped, and was one of the main reasons why so many people of the younger generation were so involved. Also, the posters, constant t-shirts, and ways that people could voice their opinions, similar to the Photoshop effect that was discussed in the chapter also helped.

Is the author's support relevant and believable?

Yes, he lists credible sources and websites and uses good examples to support his claims. Everything he says is believable, simply because they act happened. But there is no real side that gives insight, or just an opinion on the other side of the spectrum. There is no discussion of maybe how popular culture has not helped, or can affect politics in a negative way, which I believe at times, it did for Barack Obama. But everything Jenkins says was believable.

In what ways does this chapter relate to the 2008 presidential election?

It had a lot to do with the 2008 Presidential election. Obama had SO much endorsement to help back his campaign. With his constant video updates, celebrity partnerships and involvement, parties, concerts, merchandise, people were able to get a constant update on everythign he was doing, on and off the political campaign run. McCain, or for that matter, no other candidate or President has had that much backing or influence from popular culture as Obama has, and still does. There is a reason why people call him a 'rock star' and a 'celebrity'. He had popular culture on his side, and to this day, people are still wearing his face splattered across their T-shirts, watching his live updates on Youtube, whether it has to do with his latest bill being signed, or his family's new dog. He capitalized on the very media sources that Jenkins discusses, and its worked out pretty well for him, in most aspects.

In what ways did the 2008 election seem different?

There was definitely more of a concentration on appealing to what was current at the moment, namely Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Youtube, and other social sites. There were campaign ads all over; even gossip sites like PerezHilton.com had Obama's face as the wallpaper for weeks before the election. This campaign was definitely covered more by the media, from everything to late night shows, to segments on Nickelodeon, where kids staged mock elections. It was everywhere.

What is digital democracy?

Digital democracy is the combination of electronics and democracy. It uses communication technologies, like the Internet, to enhance democracy. One example of digital democracy is Alphaville, the living community in the Sim's Online Game, where people can decide on who they want to govern them; Jenkins discusses how this idea can affect those who play the game, namely children.

Discuss your understanding of the term culture jamming.

Culture jamming is a type of political effort at communication, which takes a political issue, picture or video, and alters it to make it more humorous. It can be used with satire or irony, which can make it more relatable to the public, while also engaging them in conversation about whatever this political topic is. The best example, I think is SNL's take on the Presidential debates, and poking fun at Sarah Palin. Admittedly, initially, I was not as interested in the campaign until I started watching the segments; it got me more interested in the politics, and eventually I started watching the debates myself, even before I saw SNL make fun of them.

Discuss the connections between fan culture and politics.

Fan culture is when people who are a fans of something all go to one website and discuss their thoughts and feelings about whatever the common interest is. They can make comments and suggestions on this topic. This method can help people become more involved in politics; support for a candidate or a party can increase (or decrease) with the more conversation that results from people getting together about something they are interested in.

How does the idea of "play(ing) with power on a microlevel" (p. 239) relate to the readings and discussion from last week?

Both discussion have something to do with children and their efforts at power, namely through fantasy. With the discussion of Alphaville, this is the way that they can have some sort of control over government and politics, since they obviously can't do it in the real world. This same type of issue was discussed last week when we discussed power struggles with the influence of Harry Potter. Children can enter a fantasy world and have control and exert power through their various fan communities, allowing them to have some sort of involvement, whereas, at other times they can not give their opinions or voices. Ault groups and organizations, like Warner Brothers, educators, and some religious groups wanted to stand in their way and ruin that for them, by wanting to sue the children over their Happy Potter fan fiction web sites. Its taking freedom away from them, and both situations deal with that, in different ways.

Convergence Culture Chapter 6: Photoshop for Democracy: The new relationship between politics and popular culture.

What is the main argument the author is making?
The main argument the author is making is popular culture can encourage political culture. Many people are more up-to-date with popular culture than they are with political culture. However; when the political sphere used different techniques and technology that the popular sphere used more people became interested in political views and voting.

What support does he offer?
The support that the author offers is by using technology and fan communities can encourage voter participation. To increase voter registration the author suggested advertising at concerts and performances because that is what more people are interested in. If you advertise voting at a concert or performance which people enjoy going to then they might see that voting is important because it is being advertised at the event they are attending. Other support the author provides is using films for political discussion and public outreach. He suggests using Photoshop to capture political debates. Games were also built where people could imagine they were governing the world themselves.

Do you agree or disagree with the main argument?
I agree with the argument. Being a young person myself I have a difficult time following politics in general. I try to but sometimes it is just hard to comprehend what is going on and which candidate supports what issue etc. It is much easier for young people to follow popular culture because it is being fed to us everywhere we turn. From waiting in line at the supermarket and seeing a magazine with your favorite celebrity on it to turning on the radio and hearing a new song, popular culture is everywhere. When it comes to politics it is not always in our face, one has to choose to find it. For example if you want to find out what President Obama is doing about the Endangered Species Act then you are going to have to go online and look it up. I think that what the author is saying about using popular culture techniques to address political issues is a great idea. More people would become interested and I think it would make it easier for people to understand the issues.

Is the author's support relevant and believable?
I think the author’s support is relevant and believable. He provides examples and ways to go about converting political issues to being popular issues.

In what ways does this chapter relate to the 2008 presidential election? In what ways did the 2008 election seem different?
I think more people probably voted in the 2008 election because they were more familiar with the political issues because of the mobilization in popular culture. I think more younger people voted than ever before because they saw voting material and presidential news on their facebooks and on the television shows they watched (for example MTV). I am not really sure how this election seemed different I just think that there was more advertising for candidates on the Internet and through other technologies. For example I recently learned that in a video game there were advertisements’ stating to support Obama which I don’t think has ever happened before.

What is digital democracy?
Digital democracy is bringing together electronics and democracy. It involves using communication technologies for example the Internet to enhance democracy. It is a new political development that brings about much debate. An example of digital democracy is creating Alphaville, an online Sims game where people can govern themselves by voting on who they want to represent them.

Discuss your understanding of the term culture jamming.
Culture jamming is a type of political communication. It is taking a political issue and altering it to make it more humorous. Many times they will make a satire or irony story to get more people interested in the political issue. An example is the video of Howard Dean grabbing Janet Jackson’s boob. It is meant to start conversation and be talked about to get people interested in political issues.

Discuss the connections between fan culture and politics.
Fan culture can help people become more active in politics. Fan culture is when people who are a fan of a movie for example all go to one website and discuss their thoughts and feelings about the movie. Sometimes they will make comments and other times they make suggestions. If fan cultures can be started for certain candidates running for office then people can go on and give reasons why they support the person or not.

How does the idea of "play(ing) with power on a microlevel" (p. 239) relate to the readings and discussion from last week?
I think the reading from this week supported microlevel playing while last week’s reading there was more controversy. In both games people were learning. In last week’s game children learned how to become better writers and readers. In this week’s game people learned how government and voting works. With last week’s game there were issues with the website being sued by Warner Brothers but with this week’s game there was no fight for ownership. People can learn and grow through microlevel playing however; I do not think people should only use microlevel playing as there only way to learn.

Photoshop for Democracy - 4th Hour

What is the main argument the author is making?
The main argument that the author is making is that “popular culture matters politically”, or in other words, the concept of convergence extends beyond popular culture and consumerism and can affect the political sphere as well.

What support does he offer?
He offers support for this argument with five examples. The first is the Howard Dean campaign during the 2004 presidential election. Jenkins demonstrates how his campaign utilized the internet in innovative viral and grassroots ways. In addition to campaigning through the more mainstream and traditional media of television, the Howard Dean campaign also used the internet to start a blog, create a place for supporters to gather online, among others. The second example is an analysis of websites like meetup.com and moveon.org. Meetup.com allows people with common interests, such as a political candidate in the case of Howard Dean, to get together. Moveon.org was created to get people to move past an obsession with Bill Clinton’s sex life and focus on the country. It engaged in various contests that called for people to create short films explaining why Bush shouldn’t be re-elected. The discussion of those two websites led to support through the popular use of photoshop by ordinary people to create images making a political statement. Next, Jenkins tackles the question of whether making politics into popular culture itself affects consumers to be more politically engaged. He points out that young voters feel connected to shows like The Daily Show, and points to an attack on CNN by Jon Stewart in which he accuses the network of being on the side of politicians and corporations instead of helping to inform the public on the topic of politics. He follows that discussion, with support through the fictional world of Alphaville, a community within the Sims Online game. Within the game, players have created a way to self govern themselves, and Jenkins argues that a game is never just a game and what is enacted and learned within Alphaville politics is likely having some effect on the citizens playing the game and how they see and engage in politics, especially children. His last example of support is how the idea of digital democracy can be used to create an ‘achievable utopia’ by which convergence would lead to a better informed population and participation in the political process would be the norm. However, he also points out that convergence has also led to a large political separation between the red and the blue that can be mended through coming out of “digital enclaves” to talk through differences and find commonalities.

Do you agree or disagree with the main argument?
Overall I agree with what Jenkins says in the chapter primarily because my own personal involvement with politics is consistent with his argument. I get a lot of my exposure to politics through various popular culture media. I could relate to each of the examples that were given throughout the chapter and feel that in the future I would be more likely to become a more conscious political citizen through engagement with various forms of popular culture that have converged with politics, than more traditional means.

Is the author's support relevant and believable?
I also agree with him because of the support he used. His examples really made sense with his argument. He was able to cite things that related specifically to politics and popular culture in a variety of different capacities such as an online game, an actual campaign, etc. Each example was right in line with his argument and didn’t really have a tendency to stray in one direction or the other. By using examples that had a nice balance of both politics and popular culture to illustrate his points, his argument became much more plausible. Had he focused entirely in one direction, or used outdated examples, I would have been less likely to believe what he was arguing.

In what ways does this chapter relate to the 2008 presidential election? In what ways did the 2008 election seem different?
Throughout the chapter, Jenkins mentions several times how the convergence of popular culture and politics increased the number of voters in the 2004 election. I would assume then, that as technology has continued to advance and convergence has become more mainstream and popular, that the combination of popular culture and politics would again engage more citizens to go out and vote in the election. In addition, I believe that the evidence cited in this chapter as having affected the 2004 election would have served as a point of reference for the candidates this time around. It would seem to me that the campaign staff for each candidate would have looked back to see what things worked, such as the use of meetup.com, and which things didn’t, such as relying too heavily on the internet, and employing those tactics to be more successful during the campaign. Ultimately, this election seemed different because in my opinion, it seemed like there was a higher emphasis placed on engaging with popular culture during the campaign. One major example that stands out in my mind was when President Obama appeared on The Daily Show during his campaign.

What is digital democracy?
Digital democracy is the concept by which technological media, such as the internet, are used by the public to further the democratic process. As evidenced by this chapter, this can be done in many ways. Some examples would be, websites making it easy for various candidate supporters to get together and organize rallies, online fantasy games preparing children to be more engaged political citizens when they are older, and the use of photoshop and other computer application to create images and videos that support some type of political agenda.

Discuss your understanding of the term culture jamming.
Culture jamming is when people take popular images, videos, etc. and manipulate them to send a different message. Culture jamming most likely manifests itself in the form of satire, humor, and/or irony with the intent to prompt discussion, create awareness, poke fun, etc about the topic of whatever was manipulated. Some examples from the chapter include, a viral video edited to look like a trailer for the television the Apprentice in which George Bush was a contestant being kicked off, several videos of a Howard Dean speech that depicted him “howling as he gropes Janet Jackson, shouting at a kitten, or simply exploding from too much pent up passion” (Jenkins 214).

Discuss the connections between fan culture and politics.
In my opinion, based on what I’ve read in the chapter, fan culture and politics can come together in two ways. The first would be through existing fan cultures. Jenkins discusses in his analysis of the presidential election of Alphaville, how the politics generated in fictional worlds can prepare those engaged in it for a more effective political citizenry in real life. The second would be that politics itself can create its own fan culture. This was evidenced by the disctinct separation of red and blue states, as well as how groups can come together online to create fan cultures based around certain officials, candidates or causes. Each of these connections ultimately has the power to influence its participants to engage more with politics and become more active in the democratic process.

How does the idea of "play(ing) with power on a microlevel" (p. 239) relate to the readings and discussion from last week?
“Playing with power on a microlevel” was discussed in this reading with respect to the self governing that emerged as part of the Alphaville community in conjunction with the Sims Online game. It discusses how children are largely powerless in the world of news and politics. They are not familiar with the language used, are not eligible to vote, and consequently do not feel like an audience acknowledged by the news. The world of fantasy, however, allows this group to exert control and potentially prepare them for a more engaged role in society when they eventually do feel like they are a part of the news and political worlds. The chapter talks about the presidential election of Alphaville in which the two candidates were a twenty one year old and a seventh grader each crusading for things such as increasing information against groups trying to scam players out of money, etc. It argues that these fantasy worlds allow children to rise up and exert more control and have more influence than they ever would enjoy in a more traditional place like their high schools. Ultimately, when issues of corruption came out, it raised many questions about the lessons about politics children were learning in fantasy worlds.

This same type of issue was raised last week when we discussed power struggles within the fan world of Harry Potter. Children were able to enter this fantasy world and have control and exert power throughout various fan communities, however adult groups, such as Warner Brothers, educators, and some religious groups were standing in their way and exposing them to a darker side of power and control such as when children were being sued over their Happy Potter fan fiction web sites by Warner Brothers executives.

However, although it raises the question of what type of lessons children are learning about real world politics within their fantasy play, the chapter from this week as well as from last week point out what good can come from this type of negative exposure. For example, with respect to Harry Potter a teenager rose up and created a group that ultimately got Warner Brothers to drop their lawsuits, and the middle school presidential candidate of Alphaville, as well as other kids of Alphaville, who “consistently described the events as motivating them to go out and make a difference in their own communities, to become more engaged in local and national elections, and to think of a future when they might become candidates and play the political game on different terms” (Jenkins 232).