Obergefell VS. Hodges

In this unit, we've been focusing on different court cases like Roe V. Wade, Brown Vs. Board of Education, and more. In the last unit, I got the chance to watch a real court case and observe how it was structured. We are applying the same knowledge to this unit as it revolves around the different policies in a court room. We also discussed how different laws and constitutions came to be and its position and history in the court room. For this Action Project, I had to choose a case and go over its history as well as the impact it had on society. I chose to do the Obergefell VS. Hodges case because it's something that impacted a lot of LGBTQ people throughout the country.



In conclusion, I learned that love is power. Since the government is extremely powerful and make decisions for our country, many feel powerless and hopeless. Many also don't get to live their lives the way they want to because of the decisions that the government makes. I am very happy that there was success with this case. I think it's amazing that several LGBTQ couples got the rights that they've always deserved.


Citations:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Obergefell v. Hodges.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 19 June 2018, www.britannica.com/event/Obergefell-v-Hodges.

Chen, Jingwen. “Obergefell to Discuss Marriage Equality, Personal Journey at Ohio State.” The Lantern, www.thelantern.com/2015/10/obergefell-to-discuss-marriage-equality-personal-journey-at-ohio-state/.

“Guides: A Brief History of Civil Rights in the United States: Obergefell v. Hodges.” Obergefell v. Hodges - A Brief History of Civil Rights in the United States - Guides at Georgetown Law Library, guides.ll.georgetown.edu/c.php?g=592919&p=4182205.

McLaughlin, Seth. “Plaintiff in Gay-Marriage Case: Donald Trump Is No Friend of Our LGBTQ Community.” The Washington Times, The Washington Times, 26 July 2016, www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jul/26/james-obergefell-plaintiff-gay-marriage-case-donal/.

“The Effect of Obergefell v. Hodges for Same-Sex Couples.” The National Law Review, www.natlawreview.com/article/effect-obergefell-v-hodges-same-sex-couples.

Long but Never Forgotten

In my Policy class, unit 2 we focused mostly on wars and the different things people experienced through these wars. We discussed the Vietnam War and the memorial built in Washington, DC to recognize the deaths of thousands of veterans. Through this unit, we also discussed the powers of the Executive Branch and observed what policy is when it comes to court and a criminal case. In one Field Experience, we watched a murder case in court. I found the language that was used very interesting as well as how the evidence was revealed in the court room. Recently, we visited a Veterans art museum. The museum is filled with art only from veterans. Through their work, they demonstrate the different traumas they experienced and how their life story relates to their war experience. The art shows that they are also more than their experiences as veterans, they are artists. 

“Heavy Weight” by William Myles

This is a painting I saw at the museum that really stuck out to me. The painting not only shows a black soldier but the issues the soldier may have faced as a black man before war. Next to him shows the KKK, a man getting arrested, and people who may be protesters wearing a “No War” shirt. People were very against the Vietnam war at the time and often protested about it so their voices were heard. These people were mostly liberals and hippies around the 60s and 70s. They also were very outspoken about the lives of black people in America. I chose this photo because it reminded me of Truman’s policy that abolished discrimination towards people of any race and religion in the US Armed forces. That led to abolish the segregation in the services. The painting also represents so much more about the black soldier than just the time he spent in war. It represents the injustices of a black man in America.

Declaring a ScreenWriting course

This declaration written for my Argument course goes through reasons as to why Screenwriting should be taught as an independent study in GCE. As a student in GCE, I have the right to speak up about what I want from the school to help me grow artistically and academically. In this Argument course we have been studying The Declaration of Independence and how inductive and deductive reasoning is used in Arguments. For this argument, I have to use either inductive or deductive reasoning as well. Since GCE is independently motivated, allowing us to explore our interests and take risks through real world education, students should be able to take an independent study on the art of Screenwriting. Although the course Ollywood was already taught at GCE, Screenwriting is a different learning experience and dives into the study of writing movies and telling a story. My unalienable rights as a student in GCE it to be taught in a way that will help me grow and prosper in the real world. I discuss my reasons in a podcast where I give 5 different premises (accidentally leaving out one) as to why Screenwriting should be taught as an independent study. Below, I stated the 6 different premises supporting the guiding question, How does screenwriting contribute to real world education and benefit me as an artistically challenged student in GCE?

Follow the premises below as I discuss each reason.




The purpose of school and learning is to acquire the knowledge you need to become successful and make money in your later years, moving into adulthood and the adult world. It also gives people the chance to learn about who they are as a person and what careers may interest them in the near future.

(1:57) P1: Students in GCE should expect to be taught differently than the average school.
Here, when learning about Humanities we explore many topics and subjects within the subject itself. Screenwriting isn't just about writing a movie, it's storytelling, it's dialogue. It is not far from what kids already learn in a Humanities class.

(2:23) P2: It improves story telling.
Many kids in school need to use storytelling all throughout their lives. It shows creativity in your writing. Good storytelling is the key to becoming a better writer. This is of course is essential when you're applying to colleges. Colleges want to hear YOUR story. This can prepare a lot of students for this as well as for exam prompts, job interviews, etc.

(2:26) P3: Writing and reading stories can help with anxiety and stress.
According to the University of Rochester, keeping a journal and writing down your thoughts can help manage your mental health. Writing or reading stories is also shown to help anxiety and stress. Students don’t have to journal about personal things but they can be story ideas for screenplays, or short stories. In my opinion, writing of any form whether it’s journaling or storytelling can help you collect your thoughts and bring out the creativity inside. Students doing this once a day can help refocus them because school IS Stressful.

(2:54) P4: Students have the freedom to express themselves.
I read an article in the NY times about how teachers in some schools do not allow kids to express themselves through their writing. I’ve noticed this in school, myself. Whenever writing about a topic that is unique or personal, teachers would try too hard to make it academic focused. Creativity is not looked at as a good thing in school sometimes. Teachers don’t understand. Writing and reading screenplays can be a way for students to disconnect themselves from the real world and channel in with the things that they really feel. If kids have to read books in school that already have violence or explicit language, why are we not able to write and read movies about a world we identify with?

(3:03) P5: It would be just as beneficial to read a full screenplay in class, than to watch a movie.
When students are reading screenplays rather than watching the actual movie, this allows them to break down dialogue which can improve reading and writing. This could also help language as well because there are a number of screenplays that use different kinds of language and I'm not just talking about foreign movies. English language comes in several different forms and It’s a different experience when you're reading the actual screenplay.

P6: It gives students room for career choices.
A screenwriting class can change a kid's life. Just as much as a science, math, or basic English
class can change a student's life. School is an opportunity to explore the future career choices you have. There are people who love movies. And there are people who love writing. Screenwriting is a mixture of the two. They’ll have that prior knowledge before going to college if they do want to go for art. It just gives kids more options , rather than narrowing them down to careers like a scientist, lawyer, doctor, and so on.

In conclusion, reading and writing screenplays should be taught as an Independent Study to give students the room for self expression and opportunity to improve writing skills, especially through storytelling.


Sources:


“7 Reasons Why Studying Screenwriting Can Make You A Better Novelist.” Bang2Write, 1 Dec. 2016, www.bang2write.com/2013/08/7-reasons-why-studying-screenwriting-can-make-you-a-better-novelist-by-max-kinnings.html.

“How Reading Screenplays Will Improve Your Writing.” Creative Screenwriting, creativescreenwriting.com/screenplays/.

“Journaling for Mental Health.” Ice Packs vs. Warm Compresses For Pain - Health Encyclopedia - University of Rochester Medical Center, www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentID=4552&ContentTypeID=1.

KristinaAdamsAuthor. “How Writing Helps Me Through Depression.” The Writer's Cookbook, 16 Sept. 2017, www.writerscookbook.com/writing-through-depression/.

Proulx, Natalie. “Is School a Place for Self-Expression?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Apr. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/04/24/learning/is-school-a-place-for-self-expression.html.

“The Declaration of Independence: Full Text.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/.

Movie Critic For A Day

In this unit, we learned a lot about post production, cinematography, lighting, acting, and more. In my elective course, Ollywood we recently watched the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest directed by Milos Forman. This movie follows the life of a man named Randle Murphy who ends up in a mental institution. Through this experience he learns a lot about the people in the institution and himself. While watching this movie we had to take notes on the acting and the purpose of the film. We also had to pay attention to the lighting and framing choices and how they moved the story. For our Action Project in this unit, we had to act as the film critics Gene Sikel and Roger Ebert. After choosing a partner and movie, I analyzed the film Psycho (1960) and discussed the lighting, angles, acting, and more. Although this Action Project was difficult because of the editing and focus we had to give the movie, I had so much fun making this with my partner, Moriah. I felt like a real film critic and learned about what made a great review. This was a lot different than writing a review because I felt like I could be a little more flexible with what I pointed out and said. I especially enjoyed watching the movie and seeing my reactions change. 

About my Rhetorical Challenger: Lori Lightfoot

One of the courses I'm taking this year is Rhetoric. Rhetoric is an integrated Humanities class that revolves around breaking down and analyzing situations rhetorically. In this unit, we're learning about mayoral candidates in Chicago and how they're using rhetorical thinking to persuade people to vote for them. For our first Action Project we did this through putting ourselves in the candidate's shoes and writing a speech, taking on their role. I pretended to be Lori Lightfoot and I wrote a speech about the dangers of police violence in Chicago because that's a serious issue she's trying to tackle. Now, we're acting as if our candidate is in a museum and we have to use rhetorical thinking to present who they are, their significance, and the problems they want to face in Chicago. We did this by rhetorically analyzing a text and video on our rhetorical challenger. In the project we broke down the occasion the text was written for and its background. We looked for different rhetorical devices like Pathos, Ethos, and Logos. We also looked for the different stylistic devices they used throughout the text or video on them. I chose to present Lori Lightfoot in the form of an editorial.

Posing as Lori Lightfoot

Rhetoric is an Integrated Humanities class in GCE. In my Rhetoric course, we learn about the art of persuading different audiences through writing and speaking techniques. For this unit, we studied the way important figures in history interacted with others using a rhetorical analysis. In a rhetorical analysis there is the speaker, audience, genre, occasion, and purpose. When rhetorically analyzing something, you can also use Aristotle's 3 appeals : Logos, Pathos, and Ethos. In this unit we applied rhetorical thinking to hands-on projects and Field Experiences. In the beginning of the unit we had to analyze a Fender Guitar AD and make a slideshow on how it was rhetorically successful. We took that project to a new level by actually getting to see Fender Guitars along with several other instruments at the Chicago Music Exchange, a music equipment retailer. Getting the opportunity to see these instruments and the way retailers sell them demonstrated how people use rhetorical thinking. Our action project for this class is focused around a political figure. The mission is to convince an audience that they’re a trustworthy candidate through a speech. Our job was to select a mayoral candidate in Chicago. I chose Lori Lightfoot and wrote a scripted speech, acting as if I were her in an interview. The speech is supposed to include logos, pathos, ethos, and effective oratory. You then have to take a video of yourself reading the interview question you made up with the answer to it, posing as your candidate. Later on we will get the chance to read these speeches at a people’s assembly.