Gender based toy marketing

Guys and Dolls No More?

By ELIZABETH SWEET DEC. 21, 2012

Davis, Calif.

IMAGINE walking into the toy department and noticing several distinct aisles. In one, you find toys packaged in dark brown and black, which include the “Inner-City Street Corner” building set and a “Little Rapper” dress-up kit. In the next aisle, the toys are all in shades of brown and include farm-worker-themed play sets and a “Hotel Housekeeper” dress.

If toys were marketed solely according to racial and ethnic stereotypes, customers would be outraged, and rightfully so. Yet every day, people encounter toy departments that are rigidly segregated — not by race, but by gender. There are pink aisles, where toys revolve around beauty and domesticity, and blue aisles filled with toys related to building, action and aggression.

Gender has always played a role in the world of toys. What’s surprising is that over the last generation, the gender segregation and stereotyping of toys have grown to unprecedented levels. We’ve made great strides toward gender equity over the past 50 years, but the world of toys looks a lot more like 1952 than 2012.

Gender was remarkably absent from the toy ads at the turn of the 20th century but played a much more prominent role in toy marketing during the pre- and post-World War II years. However, by the early 1970s, the split between “boys’ toys” and “girls’ toys” seemed to be eroding.

During my research into the role of gender in Sears catalog toy advertisements over the 20th century, I found that in 1975, very few toys were explicitly marketed according to gender, and nearly 70 percent showed no markings of gender whatsoever. In the 1970s, toy ads often defied gender stereotypes by showing girls building and playing airplane captain, and boys cooking in the kitchen.

But by 1995, the gendered advertising of toys had crept back to midcentury levels, and it’s even more extreme today. In fact, finding a toy that is not marketed either explicitly or subtly (through use of color, for example) by gender has become incredibly difficult.

There are several reasons gender-based marketing has become so prevalent. On a practical level, toy makers know that by segmenting the market into narrow demographic groups, they can sell more versions of the same toy. And nostalgia often drives parents and grandparents to give toys they remember from their own childhood.

Such marketing taps into the deeply held beliefs about gender that still operate in our culture; many parents argue that their daughters and sons like different things. This is particularly true for boys: parents tend to stick with gender-typed toys for boys, either because they understand that the social costs for boys who transgress into the “pink” zone are especially high in a homophobic culture or because of their own desire for gender conformity.

This becomes a self-reinforcing cycle: as toys have become more and more gender segregated, the social costs of boundary crossing and the peer pressure to stay within the lines are huge, for kids and parents alike.

But if parents are susceptible to the marketers’ message, their children are even more so. In a study on parental toy purchases led by the psychologist Donna Fisher-Thompson, researchers who interviewed parents leaving a toy store found that many bought gender-typed toys because their kids had asked for them, and parents were a bit less likely to choose gendered toys — at least for girls — on their own.

Moreover, expert opinion — including research by developmental and evolutionary psychologists — has fueled the development and marketing of gender-based toys. Over the past 20 years, there has been a growth of “brain science” research, which uses neuroimaging technology to try to explain how biological sex differences cause social phenomena like gendered toy preference.

That’s ridiculous, of course: it’s impossible to neatly disentangle the biological from the social, given that children are born into a culture laden with gender messages. But that hasn’t deterred marketers from embracing such research and even mimicking it with their own well-funded studies.

For example, last year the Lego Group, after two decades of marketing almost exclusively to boys, introduced the new “Friends” line for girls after extensive market research convinced the company that boys and girls have distinctive, sex-differentiated play needs.

Critics pointed out that the girls’ sets are more about beauty, domesticity and nurturing than building — undermining the creative, constructive value that parents and children alike place in the toys. Nevertheless, Lego has claimed victory, stating that the line has been twice as successful as the company anticipated.

The ideas about gender roles embedded in toys and marketing reflect how little our beliefs have changed over time, even though they contradict modern reality: over 70 percent of mothers are in the labor force, and in most families domestic responsibilities are shared more equitably than ever before. In an era of increasingly diverse family structures, these ideas push us back toward a more unequal past.

Elizabeth Sweet is a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of California, Davis.

A version of this op-ed appears in print on December 23, 2012, on Page SR12 of the New York edition with the headline: Guys and Dolls No More?. Today's Paper|Subscribe

Instead of Jail, Court Fines Cut to Fit the Wallet

BY TINA ROSENBERG

 OCTOBER 9, 2015 3:21 AM October 9, 2015 3:21 am

Fixes looks at solutions to social problems and why they work.

David Stojcevski died in jail in Macomb County, Mich., a far suburb of Detroit, last year. He was taking doctor-prescribed methadone and two anti-anxiety medicines to alleviate symptoms of drug withdrawal when he began a 30-day sentence in June 2014. His family alleges that officials at the jail did not respond to his pleas for his medicines. He began hallucinating and was placed in a special cell with 24-hour camera surveillance. (Local 4 television in Detroit first showed the video. A warning: Watching will produce nausea and outrage.) There he lay for 16 days, naked, on the floor. He lost 44 pounds. Finally he stopped breathing, was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.

Guards are required to monitor the cell cameras, taking notes every 15 minutes. They watched Stojcevski for days as he died.

But this isn’t a story about horrendous jail practices, although the lessons should be obvious. Rather, the point is that Stojcevski received a death sentence for a traffic ticket: He had been arrested for obstruction of justice when he couldn’t pay a $772 fine for reckless driving.

His death is an extreme consequence of cash-register justice, a practice that ruins lives across the country every day in less dramatic ways.

And this is a story about a possible remedy: Make fines proportional to an offender’s ability to pay.

About a dozen countries in Latin America and Europe use such fines, called day fines. In countries where their use has been studied, day fines have markedly reduced the number of people incarcerated, made the criminal justice system fairer and less abusive to the poor, lowered recidivism and saved government money.

Day fines were tried in a handful of cities in the United States a quarter-century ago. They didn’t catch on, in part because the political climate was uncongenial: It was the peak of lock-’em-up sentiment. But America no longer wants to lock up every offender. Today, there is a rare bipartisan consensus on the harm created by mass incarceration.

So it’s time to take a serious new look at the day fine.

Photo

CreditIlana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times

First, why we need it:

In America, people are routinely jailed for failure to pay fines. Since the 1990s, courts in many parts of the country have had to pay for themselves, or even support their cities, so fines can be exorbitant. Ferguson, Mo., is the most notorious example: “Ferguson’s law enforcement practices are shaped by the city’s focus on revenue rather than by public safety needs,” said the Justice Department’s report on the police and courts in Ferguson.

Someone pulled over for a missing taillight can be given multiple fines, plus court fees that might equal or exceed the original fines. If the accused can’t pay, her case may be turned over to a private company that supervises “pay-only probation” — bill collecting, really. The company collects the money and charges the offender for doing so. (Here’s an excellent summary of the process, written in plain English.) The offender could pay off her whole fine and still owe thousands of dollars. If she doesn’t pay, she could go to jail, which would probably mean losing her job.

Cash-register justice incarcerates or keeps on probation many people who are not dangerous, just poor. And taxpayers are being abused by legislators who keep heaping fees on offenders. The lawmakers are not considering the enormous cost of jailing those who can’t pay, the cost of collecting their debts, or the cost to society of turning a civil violator into an incarcerated criminal.

“I don’t think legislators know this is not working — that the fees on the books are costing more money than they are bringing in,” said Karin Martin, an assistant professor of public management at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. The Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, for example, looked at the incarceration of 246 people in Mecklenburg County, N.C., who fell behind on their court debt. The county collected $33,476, but jailing them cost $40,000.

Legislatures should not be making courts pay for themselves. It creates terrible injustice and ruins lives. It perverts justice by giving courts an incentive to convict.   But if judicial systems are going to be made to pay their own way, it should be done fairly.

One way is to use the day fine. Rather than a set dollar amount, it is a percentage or multiple of an offender’s daily income — hence the name. In some countries, “daily income” is simply after-tax earnings. Others adjust for the number of dependents or fixed obligations like child support, and some consider only what is earned above a basic living allowance.

In the United States, for example, a very minor offense carrying a fine of one day’s income might cost a minimum-wage earner $72 if based only on straight income, while someone with an annual income of $250,000 might pay $685. A more serious offense could carry a fine of 10 or 20 days’ income, or more. For the system to function, additional court fees should also be proportional to income.

Different fines for different people — is that fair? Compared with the current system, yes. Even $500 for a traffic fine and fees can ruin the life of a minimum-wage worker. For someone who makes $250,000 a year, that same fine is a minor inconvenience, and an ineffective deterrent to further violations. The rich are more likely to drive recklessly, and they can put a fine on a credit card without a thought. Same offense – two very different punishments.

But with a day fine, an offense would carry a similar punitive hit for rich and poor.

Germany is probably the biggest user of day fines. In 1975, the government of what was then West Germany adopted the practice because it wanted to reduce prison overcrowding, and because research had shown that low-level offenders jailed for short times emerged more violent and dangerous. Offenders were no longer given short sentences, but rather fines that were adjusted for income.

In 2010, Germany used day fines in more than 94 percent of traffic offenses and in a vast majority of crimes that would otherwise have drawn short jail sentences, like fraud, embezzlement and theft.

An early study, published in 1980 by Hans-Jorg Albrecht of the Max Planck Institute, found that the fines were more effective than short sentences at preventing future offenses.

Since day fines are calculated to be bearable, collection rates are much higher than with traditional fines. But they still require enforcement – in Germany’s case by means of other civil (not criminal) sanctions like the seizure of property, the garnisheeing of wages or the imposition of a sentence of community service. Nonpayers go to jail very rarely.

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Read previous contributions to this series.

Day fines were tried briefly in several American court systems at the close of the 1980s, led by the Vera Institute of Justice.

Ron Reinstein, at the time the presiding judge of the Superior Court of Maricopa County, Ariz., said the program in Phoenix was only “moderately successful.” One obstacle was that judges had to give mandatory fines for drug possession; neither those fines nor court costs could be adjusted for income. Nor was everyone convinced of the project’s importance. “There were some good results in the pilot, but there wasn’t the commitment from everybody,” he said. “The prosecutors were not that interested.”

On Staten Island in New York, Vera itself operated a day fines office in the court, where staff members interviewed defendants, calculated fines and managed collection. “The rate at which people paid in full shot up,” said Judith Greene, at the time Vera’s director of court programs. “The amount of money collected over all shot up.”

The big challenge in administering day fines is determining an offender’s income, since tax returns are not public. But that is true in Germany also, and the courts there find what they need. The police and courts routinely collect information that helps determine income. And they can simply ask the defendant. About half give information voluntarily. The police end up investigating in less than 2 percent of cases.

Professor Martin, of John Jay, wants to resume day fine experimentation in the United States — not just for traffic fines and minor infractions, but the way it works in Europe: as an alternative to jail for anyone who might get a short sentence. “This is the only way we’re going to extricate ourselves from the horribly expensive and punitive system of punishing people with criminal justice debt,” she said.

One question is whether the fines should have a cap. If they did, they would be less fair — the superrich would pay less, proportionally, than others. And that would bring in less money, although very few offenders have multimillion-dollar income. But a cap would have value in heading off a public relations disaster: those few enormous fines that might make the whole system look outrageous. The New York Times ran an article about day fines in Finland in April, focused tightly on a $58,000 speeding ticket issued to a businessman with an income of about $7 million a year and the public-relations campaign he started in retaliation.

Day fines could keep offenders with modest means out of jail and at home, with their families and in their jobs. The system could save money by reducing incarceration and probation. Supervising offenders on probation is pricey, and leads to more incarceration — half of all the inmates in American jails are there for technical violations of parole or probation.

Perhaps the most important advantage of day fines is this: The current system persists because it doesn’t affect people of means and clout. Cash-register justice is a poor-person problem. But it won’t change until it’s also a rich-person problem. Then there will be political pressure to do something about America’s counterproductive and unjust system of having defendants pay for our courts.

Join Fixes on Facebook and follow updates on twitter.com/nytimesfixes. To receive e-mail alerts for Fixes columns, sign up here.

Tina Rosenberg won a Pulitzer Prize for her book “The Haunted Land: Facing Europe’s Ghosts After Communism.” She is a former editorial writer for The Times and the author, most recently, of “Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World” and the World War II spy story e-book “D for Deception.” She is a co-founder of the Solutions Journalism Network, which supports rigorous reporting about responses to social problems.

Example Rhetorical Essay

Shaheriar Malik

Mr. Tompkins

English 100


2nd November 2016

United We Rise, Together We Fall

The article “Our Gas Guzzlers, Their Lives” is about a country in Africa named Burundi, and how the climate change is affecting it. This article is mainly aimed at the people in well-established countries who have it better off. Nicholas Kristof, the author, wants the readers to be convinced that global warming is real, serious, and not a matter to be ignored. To achieve this goal, he uses the three rhetorical appeals: ethos, logos, and pathos in such a way that the reader is, both, convinced, and sympathizes with the text.

The author starts off with a hook to gain the readers’ attention and intrigue them. He uses strong adjectives and interviews different people to make it even more convincing, and states facts on strong grounds. He also adds a touch of sympathy, or pathos, in the article. He doesn’t only use the three rhetorical appeals, but shapes the sentences, and the entire article in such a way that it’s comfortable to read, and easy to understand.

Kristof arranges the words, and uses them in a way that makes the reader feel bad about the situation. This is where he brings in ‘pathos’. He tells us that Burundi is the poorest country in the world with an annual average income of $100 per individual. It is also stated that one of every five children die before the age of five, and that the average life expectancy is 45 years. Not only does he state facts but also quotes other people, like scientists, officials, locals. He even tells us his own opinion about it, and says that global warming affects the whole world, not only a part of it. “Against that grim backdrop, changing weather patterns in recent years have already caused crop failures – and when crops fail here, people starve [P4 GGTL]” he says. The last sentence of the last paragraph states “The cost of our environmental irresponsibility will be measured in thousands of children dying of hunger, malaria and war” which is the author’s own opinion but it also plays a part in pathos.

The author also uses facts and figures, or ‘logos’ in his article. Kristof says that Lake Tanganyika’s shoreline has retreated 50 feet in the last four years, and ships can no longer reach the port, and Lake Victoria is losing half an inch of water every day. The reason these facts are believable is because he quotes credible people like scientists, and people who live or work there. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, he states facts like the average life expectancy, the average income of an individual, etc.

The answer to the question “Why should I believe this?” is that he actually went there and shares his own experience. And not only that, he quotes credible people: scientists, officials including the president of Uganda, locals, etc. Some of these people live there and go through the harsh conditions every day. The author interviewed them and shares their opinions in his article. All of this comes under ‘ethos’. He quotes Mr. Ehrhart, “It’s at the least disastrous and quite possibly catastrophic. Life was difficult, but with climate change it turns deadly. That’s what hits the alarm bells for an organization like Care,” he added. “How can we ever achieve our mission in this situation?”

The article would’ve been dull and boring if not played around with. The author doesn’t leave the facts and quotes left separately, but mixes the three appeals. He brings in sympathy to logos and ethos, and gives his own opinion about the situation. All by shaping the sentences to make the reader feel bad, and agree with him. The facts like the shrinking of lakes, average income, life expectancy, death rate sound very sad because of how they are expressed, and how they are arranged. The author also mixes ethos and pathos by quoting others sharing their opinions about the climate change, and positioning them in a way that it looks convincing. All three rhetorical appeals are also mixed together when he quotes the panel “Projected reductions in yield in some countries could be as much as 50 percent by 2020, and crop net revenues could fall as much as 90 percent”, where there are facts in a quote which bring in sympathy.

The whole article is perfectly organized and arranged as it makes the reader agree to his argument and feel bad about it. The reader might share this article with others, so they can try and make a difference. The author slipped in his opinions in some parts, quoted credible people, stated facts to support his argument, and brought emotions in this article and did a very good job at it. Although there is a quote from a fisherman that says that even the hippos are unhappy, which brings in a bit of humor and makes the reader not take the matter seriously. Other than that, it was all well rounded.

Words Cited (this would be on a separate page)

Kristof, Nicholas. “Our Gas Guzzlers, Their Lives.” The New York Times, 28 June 2007

Prompt: Essay 1

Essay 1 – Rhetorical Analysis

“To analyze an argument rhetorically means to examine closely how it is composed and what makes it an effective or ineffective piece of persuasion. A rhetorical analysis identifies the text under scrutiny, summarizes its main ideas, presents some key points about the text’s rhetorical strategies for persuading its audience, and elaborates on these points.”                              -- Ramage, Bean, and Johnson in Writing Arguments

]

Write a rhetorical analysis essay of 4-5 pages on one of the articles listed below from The New York Times (search nytimes.com or use links on course site):

·         “Instead of Jail, Court Fines Cut to Fit the Wallet” by Tina Rosenberg

·         “Gender Based Toy Marketing Returns” by Elizabeth Sweet

·          

Your essay should explain the argument presented in the article and evaluate its effectiveness in persuading its audience of its central claim and reasons. Your essay should identify at the outset the audience at which the piece is aimed, its argumentative purpose, and its central argument.  Once you have identified these concerns, evaluate the rhetorical effectiveness of the given text.  A rhetorical analysis examines 1) the writer’s use of the three rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos); 2) the arrangement and style of the piece; 3) the context (kairos) of the piece

To earn a passing grade, your essay should include:

1.      A title!

2. An introduction that identifies your article and sets up your argument about the article.
3. A thesis that evaluates the effectiveness of the article based on the author’s use of rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), style, and context.
4. Effectively organized paragraphs with strong topic sentences and transitions.
5. Examples from the article (summaries and paraphrases in your own words and sentence structure, as well as some brief, correctly integrated direct quotations).

6.      A conclusion that provides closure to the essay and considers the implications of the argument.

7.      Consistent, correct use of MLA style, including

1. Proper MLA in-text citations for all paraphrases and direct quotations from the article (see pp. 384-7) and
2. A Works Cited page in correct MLA format (which does NOT count towards your page minimum) since you will be quoting from your article (see pp. 387-96). Your only source will be your article. No other research is allowed.

8.      Adherence to the conventions of standard written English.

Prewriting:

1. Choose an article and read it over carefully a few times.
2. Freewrite about your response to the argument made in the article.  What is the argument? Did the author convince you of the argument? Why or why not?  Be specific.
3. Freewrite or brainstorm responses to each of the following questions:

a.       How does the author present her- or himself as credible (ethos)?  Does this strategy work? Why or why not?

b.      Does the author use any emotional appeals (pathos)?  Are such appeals effective?  Why or why not?

c.       Does the author use sound reasoning (logos) to present the argument?  Be specific.

d.      Is the style and organization of the text effective? Why or why not?

e.       What does the author do to frame the context (kairos) of the piece?  Could more have been done? How so?

4.      List 4 quotes you might use in your essay, and explain how each one relates to your assessment of the author’s use of ethos, pathos, logos, or kairos.

5.      Write a possible thesis for your essay.

Thesis Statement

Thesis statement

The thesis is the ONE sentence that contains

the foundation, the premise, the argument

you are presenting to your readers.

It is the core of the essay.

Strive to make it strong and clear.

ELEMENTS OF THESIS:

• It must be ARGUABLE.

This means it presents an opinion, an argument, or an illustration of a view or experience.  It is not a mere statement of fact. 

• It must ADDRESS the TOPIC.

While this element seems obvious too, writers often get going and one thought leads to another and another and the topic gets left behind. Re-read the prompt several times to make sure you haven’t gone off topic beyond the parameters of the assignment. 

• It must be SPECIFIC enough to be covered in the paper.

What is the length of the assignment: two pages? ten pages? The length determines how broad or narrow the scope of your thesis will be. Adjust accordingly. 

• It must MAKE SENSE.

Presentation Questions: non-fiction

Sign-up and make a note of the article titles and presentation dates that you sign up for below.

You will be presenting your analysis in class along with two to five of your classmates. The class will be counting on you to be on top of the article you are covering, so please be prepared!

To receive credit, you must participate in the presentation of your analysis. You will be graded primarily on your written analysis (breakdown of scoring below), but outstanding presentations will be rewarded.

Read the article that you will be analyzing carefully. If possible, read it twice. On your first reading, just try to identify the main idea(s) and get a feel for the writer’s approach and the flow of the piece. On your second reading, go over the text more carefully; notice how the writer constructs his or her argument. You will probably want to mark up your text and/or take notes.

To prepare your written analysis:

Identify the author’s name and the title of the article. Answer the following questions. Put your answers in outline form (see sample analysis on the reverse side of this sheet).

1.     What is the central claim (or thesis) of the selection? Your answer should be a complete sentence in your own words (not a quote!). Be as specific as possible, but remember that your claim should cover the whole article. 

2.     Is the central claim expressed explicitly or implicitly? The claim is explicit if the writer spells out what it is. The claim is implicit if the writer only implies the claim but does not state it outright. 

3.     What reasons link the evidence to the claim? In other words, why does the evidence support the claim? Reasons may be presented explicitly or implied. 

4.     What evidence does the writer present to support his or her claim? Specify and categorize the evidence (e.g. examples, personal experiences, analogy, authoritative opinion, facts, statistical data, cause-effect reasoning, results of scientific experiments, comparison, interviews, etc. – see sample on back). 

5.     Comment briefly on the persuasiveness of the article by answering one or more of the following questions.  

·       Is the argument convincing? Does it rely on emotional, ethical, and/or logical appeals?

·       How do the style, organization, and/or tone contribute or detract from the persuasiveness of the argument?

·       What is your personal reaction to the article?

6.     Write a discussion question to ask the class about the article. The best questions will stimulate interesting discussion about the issues raised in the article. You may also ask questions that “test” your classmates’ recall and understanding of the article. 

7. While you read, you will come across words you do not know. Choose two words and look up their dictionary definitions, and the context in which they are used in the article or essay you read. Report them to the class along with the rest of your report.

Girl, by Jamaica Kincaid

“Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1978/06/26/girl

Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap;wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry; don't walk barehead in the hot sun; cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil; soak your little cloths right after you take them off; when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sure that it doesn't have gum on it, because that way it won't hold up well after a wash; soak salt fish overnight before you cook it; is it true that you sing benna in Sunday school?  always eat your food in such a way that it won't turn someone else's stomach; on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming; don't sing benna in Sunday school; you mustn't speak to wharf-rat boys, not even to give directions; don't eat fruits on the street - flies will follow you; but I don't sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday school; this is how to sew on a button; this is how to make a buttonhole for the button you have just sewed on; this is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and to prevent yourself from looking like the slut you are so bent on becoming; this is how you iron your father's khaki shirt so that it doesn't have a crease; this is how you iron your father's khaki pants so that they don't have a crease; this is how you grow okra - far from the house, because okra tree harbors red ants; when you are growing dasheen, make sure it gets plenty of water or else it makes your throat itch when you are eating it; this is how you sweep a corner; this is how you sweep a whole house; this is how you sweep a yard; this is how you smile to someone you don't like too much; this is how you smile at someone you don't like at all; this is how you smile to someone you like completely;  this is how you set a table for tea; this is how you set a table for dinner; this is how you set a table for dinner with an important guest; this is how you set a table for lunch; this is how you set a table for breakfast; this is how to behave in the presence of men who don't know you very well, and this way they won't recognize immediately the slut I have warned you against becoming; be sure to wash every day, even if it is with your own spit; don't swat down to play marbles - you are not a boy, you know; don't pick people's flowers - you might catch something; don't throw stones at blackbirds, because it might not be a blackbird at all; this is how to make a bread pudding; this is how to make doukona; this is how to make pepper pot; this is how to make a good medicine for a cold;  this is how to make a good medicine to throw away a child before it even becomes a child;  this is how to catch a fish; this is how to throw back a fish you don't like and that way something bad won't fall on you; this is how to bully a man; this is how a man bullies you; this is how to love a man, and if this doesn't work there are other ways, and if they don't work don't feel too bad about giving up; this is how to spit up in the air if you feel like it, and this is how to move quick so that it doesn't fall on you; this is how to make ends meet always squeeze bread to make sure it's fresh but what if the baker won't let me feel the bread?; you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won't let near the bread?

- Girl by Jamaica Kincaid.

Two Shootings

Ferguson, Mo., and L.A.: Two police shootings, one common thread

By the LA Times Editorial Board

There may be a world of difference between the shooting Saturday of an unarmed man by police in Ferguson, Mo., and the LAPD shooting Monday of an unarmed and apparently mentally ill man in South Los Angeles — or there may not be — but the incidents are bound by a common thread that runs through American history and that demands continuing attention and corrective action.
Certainly public safety requires police forces of well-trained officers ready to put their lives on the line for the people they serve. It also requires that the people who pay for and rightfully expect to be protected by the police have well-founded confidence in them, and that confidence requires in turn that the public has an opportunity to discover and challenge bad or outmoded police policies, practices and attitudes.

Less than a week has passed since the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, and even less time since the killing of 26-year-old Ezell Ford here, so it is simply not yet possible to say with certainty whether police in each case followed their training and policy. But a basic fact of life in Ferguson is undeniable: An overwhelmingly white police force disproportionately stops and arrests African Americans. It is a situation that resonates in other cities across the nation, where occupation-style policing in nonwhite neighborhoods once prevailed and may prevail still. People must have reason to believe that police will hear and heed their legitimate complaints, and if there appears to be no safe and rational forum for that conversation, they will seek another one, as the violent encounters in Ferguson over the last five nights show.

Los Angeles is high on the list of cities with long histories of police abuses, especially in African American neighborhoods. Those include a number of deadly encounters between officers and mentally disturbed people that could have been avoided, so the Ford shooting is necessarily seen and felt in that context. But Los Angeles also has a history, albeit a much shorter one, of police reform and community engagement, so there may exist sufficient residual confidence that Ford's tragic death will be properly investigated and any necessary corrective action taken.

That's still not enough, though. Even if it turns out that policy and procedure were scrupulously followed in the Ford shooting, it is hard to believe that police cannot refine their encounters with unarmed citizens to avoid the use of deadly force — and to avoid reopening wounds that have barely begun to heal here and remain raw elsewhere.

The essentials

Syllabus Eng 100

English 100 Freshman Composition

Section (23017 LEC) Term: Summer 2019
Instructor: Tommy Amano-Tompkins		MTuWTh  1:00 pm- 3:50 pm  Room: LA106

Section: 23017 M-Th 1:00 pm-3:50 pm     Location: LA 106

Office hours: 12:15-12:45 pm

Email: tamanotompkins@cerritos.edu (best way to communicate with me outside of class)

Website: https://eng100su19.blogspot.com/

Course Description:

This course develops critical thinking, reading, and writing beyond the level achieved in ENGL 100 (Freshman Composition). The course focused on the development of logical reasoning and analytical and argumentative writing skills.

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

•    Employ the writing process in order to understand and complete the writing task

•    Employ critical thinking concepts to evaluate arguments

•    Employ critical thinking concepts to write coherent, logical arguments

•    Demonstrate critical engagement with outside sources

•    Write in prose style characterized by clarity, complexity, and variety

•    Adhere to the conventions of standard written English, including MLA format

•    Use the Internet as a tool for research and for participating in class activities and study.

Required Texts: (available at the campus bookstore)

City of Thieves, David Benioff

I Loves You Are For White People, Lac Su

You will also need to purchase two blue exam books for in-class essays.

Bring your books, a notebook (or notebook paper), your journal, and a pen to every class meeting. You are responsible for everything we discuss in class as well as your reading. To complete some assignments, you will need access to the Internet and to a computer word processor.

Students who succeed in English 100 usually choose to (**Read carefully!**)

•    Make a serious commitment to succeeding in this class.

•    Come to class on time and prepared.

•    Get the required texts as soon as possible.

•    Do all the assignments, including readings, and keep up with the class schedule.

•    Participate in class discussions and activities.

•    Refrain from using their cell phones during class.

•    Let me know immediately if they experience a problem with the class or if other areas of their lives seriously interfere with their ability to do their class work.

•    Seek out all legitimate help with their course work, if they need it, including the Writing Lab, Special Programs & Services, campus librarians, their textbooks, and me.

•    Maintain academic integrity by doing their own work. They do not plagiarize; they do not cheat. (See box on plagiarism on next page.)

•    Treat their classmates and instructor with respect and consideration.

•    Recognize that real learning is difficult – it involves making mistakes and taking risks.

If you are not willing to make these choices, you are not likely to succeed in this class!

I will be happy to meet with you to discuss your work in this course. I encourage you to visit me during office hours, but if that is not convenient for you, we can make an appointment to meet at another time.

Plagiarism can mean copying, word for word, all or part of something someone else has written and turning it in with your name on it. Plagiarism also includes using your own words to express someone else’s ideas without crediting the source of those ideas.

Plagiarism is a very serious form of academic misconduct. It’s both lying and stealing, and it’s a waste of time for students and teachers. College and departmental policy on plagiarism will be strictly enforced: Any student caught plagiarizing will automatically receive a zero for that assignment, with no possibility of making it up, and may be subject to a formal reprimand and/or suspension.

Cite your sources! Please retain all notes and drafts of your papers until grading for the course is completed.

Attendance/Tardiness

Attendance in class is mandatory. This is the college policy. If a student is absent during the add period OR for more than 10% of the total class hours (three classes), the instructor has sufficient cause to drop that student from the class. Arriving late or leaving early will count as one half of an absence. Because each class is short, we will start on time.

Grading

Your grade will be calculated as follows:

            35%     Two take-home essays

            10%     In-class essay

            15%     Research project

            10%     Journal

            15%     Four reading analysis presentations

            8%     Quizzes

            7%    Participation

English 100 is a UC-CSU transferable course, so rigorous academic standards must be applied to grading your work. All assignments are required. In-class work, such as reading analysis presentations and quizzes, cannot be made up.

Missing assignments can significantly impact your grade and prevent you from passing the course.

No late assignments will be accepted, unless an extension has been arranged with the instructor in advance. Papers may not be submitted by email except by special permission, and when permitted, it is the student’s responsibility to make sure that the paper is received and readable.

Quizzes will be given at the beginning of each class and whenever substantial reading is due. Each quiz will consist of five multiple-choice questions that the instructor will read out loud. Students who are absent or arrive late may not make up quizzes, even if they have really good excuses.

Reading Analysis Presentation assignments: You are required to present your analysis of one of the assigned readings every few weeks for the duration of the class. There will be a sign-up sheet for each set of readings; in some cases, you may be assigned to analyze a specific reading. You must do your analysis on the reading you signed up for (or were assigned) – you may not switch to another reading without clearing it with your instructor. Your written analysis is due the day we discuss it in class (see Schedule), and you will present your findings to the class during our discussion of the reading. Late reading analyses will not be accepted. Guidelines for the reading analyses will be distributed separately.

Papers must be typed and formatted according to MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines. For guidance, see the MLA Formatting and Style Guide at the Web site of the Purdue Online Writing (link available on the course site). Papers may not be submitted by email except by special permission, and when permitted, it is the student’s responsibility to make sure that the paper is received and readable. Late papers will receive an automatic 10% point deduction and will not be accepted later than one week after the original due date. The research paper will not be accepted late!

Turnitin.com: To verify the originality of writing submitted for this class, all essays must be uploaded to Turnitin.com. Turnitin.com will generate an originality report for the instructor identifying any borrowed material in student essays (borrowed material includes correctly documented quotes, as well as plagiarized material). In order to receive full credit, students must upload their essays to Turnitìn.com before class on the day the assignment is due. No essay will be graded until it is uploaded to Turnitin.com.

Go to Turnitin.com to create a student profile. Use the following information to upload your essay:

Class ID:                             

Enrollment password: Cerritos 6

Schedule of Topics and Assignments (subject to change)

Date	Wasted Space	Homework & class preparation to complete before class CR = The Compact Reader  –   R4W = Rules for Writers ***IMPORTANT: For exercises from Rules for Writers, turn in answers to numbered questions only. Answers to lettered questions can be found in the back of the book. ***	Quizzes, exams, and major assignments
		Week 1
Mon. 5/27	Intro	Holiday
Tues. 5/28		Another holiday
Wed. 5/29		Quiz Journal In class: read Girl, by Jamaica Kincaid Read Two Shootings  Reading Presentation (non-fiction): https://eng101sp19.blogspot.com/2019/02/reading-presentation-non-fiction.html	Reading presentation
Thurs 5/30		Quiz Journal Rhetorical strategies (Powerpoint): www.schools.misd.org/upload/page/1507/rhetorical_devices1.ppt Homework https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/establishing_arguments/rhetorical_strategies.html Prompt for Essay 1:  Read the prompt carefully) https://eng101sp19.blogspot.com/2019/02/essay-1-rhetorical-analysis-toanalyze.html Article A. https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/09/scaling-fines-to-what-offenders-can-pay/ Article B: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/opinion/sunday/gender-based-toy-marketing-returns.html	Reading presentation: non-fiction Prompt for essay 1 Brainstorm for essay 1
		Week 2
Mon. 6/3		Quiz Journal Workshop outlines Homework: bring at least a partial outline with you on Monday (5 pts) Read the “sample rhetorical essay” carefully
Tues. 6/4		Quiz Journal Homework: turn in finished outline	Reading presentation
Wed. 6/5		Quiz Journal   Homework: Bring first two paragraphs of your rough draft to class (5 pts)	Reading presentation
Thurs6/6		Quiz Journal Video: Siege of Leningrad Homework: Read City of Thieves chapt. 1-3	Reading presentation
Week 3
Mon. 6/10		Quiz Journal Homework: Turn final draft essay 1 (90 pts)  Read City of Thieves chapt. 4-7		Reading presentation Turn in final draft essay 1
Tues. 6/12		Quiz Journal Homework: Read prompt for Research Project Tutorial for Research Project (library databases) Read City of Thieves chapt. 8-12		Read prompt research project
Wed. 6/13		Quiz Journal Good sources, MLA citations (handouts) Visit library for sources (set up your folder) Homework: Read City of Thieves chapt. 13-17		Read research handouts (at class website) Reading presentation
Thurs6/14		Quiz Journal Homework: Read City of Thieves chapt. 18-22 Read prompt for Essay 2 Brainstorm Essay 2 List of sources due		Reading presentation Read prompt essay 2 Brainstorm
Week 4
Mon. 6/17		Quiz Journal Homework: Read City of Thieves finish the book Outline essay 2		Research project due Reading presentation Outline essay 2
Tues. 6/18		Quiz Journal Homework: Rough draft (first two grafs plus thesis statement)		Reading presentation Rough draft
Wed. 6/19		Quiz Journal Homework: Read I Love Yous chapt 1-2		Reading presentation

Thurs6/20		Quiz Journal Research workshop Homework: Final draft essay  2 due Read I Love Yous chapt. 3-4	Final draft essay 2 due Reading presentation
Week 5
Mon. 6/24		Quiz Journal MLA citations MLA Format Homework: Read ILY chapt. 5-7	Reading presentation
Tues. 6/25		Quiz Journal Homework: Read ILY chapt 8-10	Reading presentation
Wed. 6/26		Quiz Journal Homework: Finish ILY	Reading presentation
Thurs6/27		Quiz Journal In-class essay on I Love Yous… Homework:	Reading presentation In-class essay
		Week 6
Mon. 7/1		Journal (turn in your journal Workshop Research	Journal due Workshop Research PJ
Tues. 7/2		Workshop Research PJ	Workshop \
Wed. 7/3		Final exam	Final Exam