Assignment 28 Read Hayakawa Chapter 15, "Seeing is believing."

In this chapter, Hayakawa makes a number of claims about television, some quite provocative. For example, everything on TV appears to be true, since you are actually seeing it., even though you know it's staged. It seems realistic.

1. Descript some situation with which you have become familiar only through television. How realistic do you think your version is? Why. Could it be entirely different from what you think you know? Be prepared to discuss.

2. In "The world through a keyhole," Hayakawa claims that the TV picture is an abstraction. How can this be? How does it fit the definition of abstracting? (Hint I see one big reason and five possible examples).

3. In "Into America's Living Room," Hayakawa makes the case that TV is emotional and immediate. It is excellent at making us feel things, especially horrible things like floods, fires, etc. He seems to claim that TV news causes terrorism. Suppose all news organizations conspired to never report on terrorist activities. Ever. Would that put a stop to it? Why or why not.

4. In "Film at 11:00," Hayakawa gives some examples of where because TV images are at a high level of abstraction, very generalized, it's easy to show things like cars on line for gas during a shortage. But hard to show things like policies for reducing oil dependence. Suggest a pair of related ideas of your own, one being easy to visualize and the other difficult, impossible, or boring.

Assignment 29 Continuing with Hayakawa Chapter 15, "Seeing is believing." (So numbers are continuing also)

5. The point of television is selling, says Hayakawa. Not only selling us, the viewers, sociological values and actual products, that's only a part of it. Mostly, it's trying to get an keep out attention and sell that to advertisers. This is a tough assignment: watch a (commercial) program which you enjoy and also watch the commercials. Try to keep in mind the entire time that your attention (the ad industry actually calls us "eyeballs") is the product being sold. How does that make you feel?

6. Take a quick guess: what are the most popular professions in the US, according to television.

7. How does television support the two-valued orientation, according to Hayakawa?

8. Why do you think all of the presidential candidates will, at some point in the next election, speak at a high school in, say, Iowa, even though most High School students can't vote?

Assignment 30 Academic Language: On line reading, your choice. Look on line for these questions and cite the source where you find answers.

1. How would you define academic language? How is it different from everyday language? (Here I am not referring to overblown, pompous, speech or sophistry, but what we might call "good" academic speaking and writing.)

2. Why did I use the word "sophistry" in the last question? (I know you didn't know what it meant then. But I assume you do now).

3. What is "APA style?"

4. What constitutes plagiarism? How is it avoided. (Be careful not to cut and paste, and therefore plagiarize, your answer to this question!)

5. Mark Cripin Miller wrote something which Hayakawa used as an introduction to Chapter 15, which you probably didn't read. A) why didn't you read it (if you didn't). B) what do you think of it, now that you have?