Your thoughts on social capital

I’d like you start today’s class by reflecting on the idea of “social capital” that Robert Putman discusses in the first chapter of our reading for today. In your own words, how would you describe what social capital is? How do you think you’ve benefited from social capital in your life so far? How does volunteering (either at Project Angel Heart or at other organizations) enrich social capital, either for you or for the people the organization serves?

Reflection of Discussion with Rosa Eberly

I wanted to attend Rosa's speech, but unfortunately had class that I could not miss during the time, so instead, I attended the roundtable discussion in Penrose at 7:00pm to about 9:00pm, When I first got there, I was a little shocked- I thought there would be more people. I was initially there by myself with two professors and Rosa Eberly. I let her know that I was not able to attend her speech, and asked her to let me know what she talked about. She informed me briefly that she was discussing service learning, and its positives and negatives, specifically at a University.

Eventually, two other undergraduate students, and Geoffrey arrived. We all started talking about service learning, and its moral components. We all gave our perspectives about the consequences of being required to volunteer. Additionally, we spoke of DU's student body in terms of contributing to and understanding the public good. A main topic that was discussed was the apathy of students toward idealistic change. We couldn't figure out why there was such apathy in the student body as a whole, but all agreed that a large part of it was the families students come from, and their perception of their privileges they are given by attending an expensive, small, and private university. Maybe, for this reason, it is necessary that students are required to participate in service learning.

When Rosa asked us what was something we thought needed change at DU, I responded environmental sustainability--or more specifically, the attitude toward the concept. When asked to elaborate, I expressed that having recycling bins, and having recycled paper notebooks available at the bookstore, doesn't exactly solve the ignorance present on campus. I recalled being in math class, where there was a recycling bin right next to the trash bin. A student ignorantly threw a piece of paper in the trash. This is the type of behavior I was referring to. It demonstrates that environmentalism cannot be improved by convenience; there must be a change in perspective. How can that be accomplished? As Rosa said, rhetoric is the only option left.

Another student present argued that the most prominent problem on campus is diversity. Being of a minority herslef, she felt that the proportions and ignorance present at DU was ridiculous. Passionate about the issue, she expressed that diversity awareness needs to be spread among all of the student body, not JUST the minorities, as that doesn't solve a thing. I found it really interesting to hear others' perspectives on the matter, because I never realized it was a problem. Of course, I could see that DU largely lacks diversity, but I didn't think there was much discrimination that existed. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Not being in the difficult position, I have not experienced the discrimination, and thus, naively assumed it did not exist. It meant a lot to me to hear how it felt to be on the other side, feeling discrimination every day- over, and over again. We all agreed that the only way to solve this issue is by exposing the entire student body to issues regarding diversity--not only those who are affected by it.

Over all, I am glad I attended the discussion. It was very engaging, thought provoking, and I got to know and hear the different perspectives of new and interesting people.

To be or not to be Ideal

Young Idealism by Robert Cole, tells a story of a young man tryign to persuade the son of a black postal worker to vote during the Civil Right's period. Because the two men have different backgrounds their ideals---what they value for themselves and their families--are understandably different. In the case of the man trying to get Alan to vote, his ideals are "to take a certain political stand, to have a certains ocial attitude and be willing to put [himself] on the line for those beliefs." In order to do those things, he would have to put himself at risk for harm, though it is a risk he is willing to take. However the worker would rather continue providing for his family as he has been, instead of voting and potentially getting killed. The article continues to offer numerous ideas of what it means to be idealistic, and how idealism is not always possitive. For example, there is a "danger that idealism can be a cover for a niave or unwitting complacency, a self-satisfaction that does little justice to the truth of one's own life or the lives of those whom one works with or helps or tries to enhance in some way." The to vote or not to vote argument illustrates this point in that the men disagree on how to make sacrifices for their community and families, which leads Alan to decide 'I guess it's everyone's job to decide on what's important, and then go and live the way you believe."
In your volunteering efforts with Project Angel Heart, has there been a time when your ideals about volunteering have contrasted with other volunteers/classmates? Do you think that being obligated to volunteer takes away a moral element essential to service work? Is there a cause that you yourself feel passionate about and would rather take part in?

Community Service

People choose to volunteer for many reasons. Some may choose any organization to work with, simply to give back to the community. Others may choose a specific organization, or develop a new way to give service, based on their personal lifestyles, values, or past experiences.

During high school, Keren, with an interest in the well being of animals, was largely involved with the Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego. Every week, she would volunteer there and socialize, clean up after, and care for the foster dogs and cats to better prepare them for adoption. She enjoyed being of help to animals and the non-profit organization.

Michelle has worked with the Children’s Miracle Network for twelve years, participating in telethons, hospital visits, and TV spots. Additionally, she has been involved in the Make A Wish Foundation, through which ESPN granted a wish for a little girl. The girl was ill, and had been through a lot in her life. She wanted more than anything to skate with Michelle. Her wish came true. Her and her family flew from their hometown to meet Michelle, where the little girl ecstatically, was able to skate on Michelle’s ice-rink. The event was very important to Michelle, as she was able to help the girl, by contributing to her enjoyment of an activity that, of course, means so much to Michelle. A you tube video shows more about this event:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hbjB1ZeUK1c

Clearly, Project Angel Heart has become an important part of our class. We had, and will continue to have the opportunity to learn about the organization’s service to the community. It is significant to our class, in that it provides a foundation for us to help a community service organization, and also, participate in giving back to the community. Project Angel Heart can show us the simple things we can do to help, as well as allowing us to gain so much by giving. Most people would agree that participating in service learning opens up our eyes to the positive feelings we can get simply by helping others in need.

In volunteering with Project Angel Heart, have you gained anything? If you haven’t volunteered yet, what do you think you will get out of it? Additionally, what sort of community service organizations or activities appeal to you? Why? Are there certain activities that you enjoy, which are somehow encompassed in particular service organizations?


Keren F. & Michelle K.

Identifying effective features of a volunteer profile ...

In your community-based writing project teams, discuss the profiles from Project Angel Heart’s newsletter and letter of appeal. Identify the three most effective features or moments in either the client or volunteer profile and describe them in your comment to this post. Then, reflect on how you might apply these in your own writing for this project.

Writing, interpreting and revising ...

To begin class today (4/14), I’d like you to reflect on last Wednesday’s writing workshop and the feedback you received on the first draft of our current assignment. What did you gain as a writer from this experience? What have you learned about doing interpretive or text-based research so far? How are you planning to revise your essay in the next week?

The Suffering of Illness by Jake DeMartini and Bob Ettinger

Jake DeMartini

Bob Ettinger

The Suffering of Illness

The severity of certain illness ranges and as Sontag points out, the traits of these diseases can bring on new difficult roles that many are forced to play. The two primary diseases that Sontag focuses on throughout her book are cancer and AIDS/HIV. With a reputation of being terrible, Sontag points out that this certain reputation adds onto the suffering of those who have it (Sontag, pg. 100). Thinking about it more on a personal level, when learning that someone has AIDS or cancer, it is truly hard not to focus on that quality. Terrible to say but in most cases its true. Although we might get to know them and like them, the fact that they do have incurable illness will forever be stained in the back of your mind. This is something that those who are infected will have to live with. Some people are just simply unaware and skeptical of the disease and in most cases; confusion with the unknown can cause fear.

Along with the struggle of living with an illness comes metaphors that clearly degrades the illness by falsely using them for quotes and political/military gain. This only adds strength to the disease. Shaftesbury makes a point that it is ok and rational to have a little irrationality or superstition. “Stern repressive measures are likely to aggravate disorder rather than cure it, turning a nuisance into a disaster,” Shaftesbury points out in Sontag 79. Hobbs plays off of this by using reason to understand that society is basically healthy with some diseased which society thinks is “always manageable.” These are all metaphors that Susan Sontag touches base on.

After reading about the difficulties and the struggles that cancer and AIDS/HIV patients go through, can you think of an example of someone who has lived with an illness and has fought with the baggage it comes with? Have they influenced you in anyway? Have they changed your perception about illness? And lastly, have you ever seen or heard about illness discrimination in your lifetime or in the lives of others around you?

Portrayal of HIV/AIDS in Rent

I am intrigued by the portrayal of HIV/AIDS throughout the movie Rent. In my opinion, the movie’s portrayal of HIV/AIDS does a great deal to “humanize” the disease. In most cases, characters are introduced in significant context before the audience becomes aware of a character’s diagnosis. In this way, the audience develops a more complex view of the character rather than defaulting to common stereotypes. As a viewer, I was initially drawn to Angel’s character through his care for Collins in the street. I knew nothing of Angel other than his willingness to help a man in need. It is only after this initial scene that Angel casually mentioned the meeting he would be attending. A meeting for, as he put it, “people with HIV. People like me.” To this, Collins acknowledged that this group included “people like” him as well. Even at this point, however, no great emphasis is placed on the disease. Without the application of metaphors, HIV/AIDS is simply that, a disease, and not a means of defining a person.

By following Angel’s role throughout the movie, I developed a far more complete view of her character. A scene that particularly struck me was that of Angel’s friends at her funeral. The tributes given by Angel’s friends spoke volumes about her character. Angel appears here as the focal point of the friend group, the one person that ties all the friends together. Furthermore, at this point in the movie, the relationship between Angel and Collins was the only one defined purely by love, void of deception. The other characters long for this love yet appear to be far from attaining it. Following Angel’s death, Roger returns to NYU, and Mimi nearly dies of heroine withdrawals. This division within the group furthers the idea of Angel having been its focal point. By the end of the movie, the group of friends finally appreciates the significance of their connections with one another when Mimi mysteriously comes back from the dead and references her encounter with none other than…Angel.

I found that the movie did a great deal to humanize, or lessen the implications of the commonly accepted cultural stereotypes associated with, the people infected with HIV/AIDS. A counter argument could also be made, however, that this romanticism of the movie is unfounded or goes too far. How do you feel about the portrayal of the disease throughout the movie? Or perhaps in the case of one specific character?

Reflecting on your understanding of HIV/AIDS

To start today’s class (4/2), I’d like you to reflect on the first time you became aware of HIV/AIDS. How did you first learn about this disease? How was it presented to you? What associations did the disease have? What associations does it have now for you?

Then, identify at least one passage from Susan Sontag’s “AIDS and Its Metaphors” that surprised you or offered you a new or different way of thinking about HIV/AIDS in our culture. Explain how this passage impacted you as a reader.