Jamons combined papers 1 and 2

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At MU there are over 28,000 college students. Like individual follicles of hair each student has his or her place in the student body. For freshmen college marks the ultimate transitional period from childhood to adulthood. It is the University's duty to educate and provide students with the necessary skills to work a secure job. In doing this it is also the university's responsibility to protect the student's mind from distraction. But what are these distractions and what is the latent goal of a college education that employers are looking for? In a video created by Micheal Wesch, 200 of his students list their various distractions. It is from this video I have put together an answer to those questions stated earlier, I believe the answer is cultural competency and cultural literacy. Cultural competency is defined as “an ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures. Cultural competence is comprised of four components: (a) Awareness of one's own cultural world view, (b) Attitude towards cultural differences, (c) Knowledge of different cultural practices and world views, and (d) cross-cultural Skills.” (Defined by wikipedia). Where as Cultural literacy is defined as “the ability to converse fluently in the idioms, allusions and informal content which creates and constitutes a dominant culture” also (defined by wikipedia). I took from the video and my own college experience and made a list of 5 distractions facing college students today: alcohol, credit card debt, relationships, partying and technology. From this list I intend to prove that it is through these distractions the university's latent goal of creating a culturally competent and culturally literate graduate is achieved.

In the video by Michael Wesch , students surveyed themselves and listed many of there distractions. I think the point of the video was that; students are working jobs that didn't exist when they were in college. Therefor the skills to work these jobs can't be taught in the classroom. College has become no longer a place where you learn the skills to work a job, but now stresses on creating culturally competent and culturally literate students. The video starts out in an abandoned lecture room. There is writing along the walls, chairs and chalk board, The question written is “what is it like being a student today?” the video then transitions in to a full class room, where students begin holding up note cards about their college experiences. Several worldly issues are brought up as well as some personal issues. Some of the personal issues listed was class attendance and time management. One of the worldly issues was global poverty. The question then is raised whether technology is the answer. The students reply to this question, explaining how it distracts them there teachers. For instance one girl says she facebooks through class. Finally at the end of the video a man draws up a comparison chart between the use of technology and a conventional chalkboard. The video has over two-million views currently, with over 7,558 text comments.

How does a video spark so much conversation? What could you find when you look not only at the issue but how that issue is presented. I believe if you look further into Micheal Wesch's video you will find that his video rhetorically supports my thesis. Upon watching the video again this time however with paper and pen ready; I broke down Wesch's argument into terms with Silva Rhetoricae: Forest of Rhetoric.

Silva Rhetoricae: Forest of Rhetoric breaks down Rhetoric into 4 main sections that can be applied to Wesch's video. The first section is Encompassing terms made up by Kairos, the opportune occasion for speech, Audience the people the argument is brought to, and Decorum, how Kairos fits with audience, in other words it is an analysis of how circumstance and occasion specifically fits to audience and the speaker. The second section is called Persuasive Appeals and is composed of the terms: Logos, the argument is presented in a manner that allows audience to logically draw there own conclusion. Pathos, the argument appeals to emotion, and Ethos, the arguments persuasive Appeal. The third term is Branches of Oratory, which is only made up of one term that directly applies to the video and that is; Epideictic, the argument either blames or praises. .

The video is being presented at a time where large universities are shifting from conventional methods of education to technological methods There is a need for such an argument. Wesch is some what limited in what he can effectively tell his audience in the video because his research represents a small present of the students at Kansas university. Wesch overcomes this problem by not generalizing his results. Wesch adds strength to his message by showing the class from which he collected his results. It is the given context of the situation in the video that supports my thesis in the sense Micheal Wesch's class though they mentioned they were distracted by things like technology were able to not only complete Wesch's study but make it get so much attention in less than one year. This shows that even with technology they had mentioned as being distracting for them they were able to be successful.

The argument uniquely is specific to Wesch's college course. However some aspects of his argument can pertain to other larger university for instance debt, student to faculty ratio as well as use of technology in the classroom. His choice of tittle “a vision of students today” is misleading however because they are many colleges that his argument cant pertain to. One example of which is Online schools. This type of schooling is exclusively based on technology there for the main of issue of technology either being beneficial or detrimental for students can't apply. The context of the argument does tie to the speaker because Wesch is a college professor.

Wesch's video appeals to logic because is allows the audience to interpret the information presented. For instance when it adds the hours each night students spend studying, one the phone, working, and sleeping, the audience is able to conclude that hours don't add up before the final card explaining that it takes 26.5hours. Wesch does act to some what control the logic of the audience by reaffirming the correctness of each answer to each question or detail he mentions. The video also asks many Rhetorical questions, allowing the audience at times to enter deep thought as the video progresses.

Wesch's video also appeals to emotion. The music and images are used to present a specific mood as well as some of the facts. One example of which is the abandoned lecture hall in the beginning. The feelings portrayed are at first depressing and overwhelming. then the video transitions into feelings of fear and hopelessness after showing the first note cards which are about world poverty and debt. The video finally ends with a feeling of hope, as if all these problems are hear but we can still change them. Its the transition of the feelings that give the situation so much meaning especially to college students. For instance the fear and hopelessness are feelings a freshmen might encounter his or her first stay in a dorm so far from home. The overwhelming feeling could easily be associated with stress from class. The feeling of hope at the end is like the hope all students have in securing themselves a successful life after college. Micheal Wesch's intended audience are people who are able to connect college life. He demonstrates this by his choice of language throughout the video. “I will write 42 pages for class this semester and over 500 pages of email” (Micheal Wesch's vision of students today). Note the “I” in that sentence, he uses first person to tell all his results. If he intended his video to be for someone other than someone who can connect to college life, he would of attacked the situation in an more neutral manner perhaps “college students will right 42 pages for class this semester...etc.” Wesch is trying to make the argument seem more at home for people who have some sort of connection to college life

Epideictic is a type of appeal, that either blames or praises Its the question of what is the vision of students today that is so persuasive. It is asking college students to take a second and ask themselves “why am I here?” and “what is the university doing to secure my success?” college is usually thought of something you just have to get through, but now the video is making us ask “what am I getting from college?” and “what am I doing those 14hours a week in class and is it going to help me secure a successful future?” the answer to those questions as stated before is Cultural competence and cultural Literacy.

Wesch's argument neither blames or praises technology. It allows for the audience to come to there own conclusion. Its his presentations flexibility that allows for any thesis if supported to be right. However upon further look at his rhetoric you find that is in his presentation that he does indeed support the use of technology.

The video, introduces is subject manner by first asking a question. One reason Wesch would choose to start the video that way could be that he wanted to get his audience thinking from the very start. Wesch's statement of facts is when he asks “What is it like being a student today?”(Michael Wesch's vision of students today.) This lets you know the video is going to have something to do with studenthood, what it is like being a college student. Wesch supports his claim of what it is like being a college student by the results he gathered from is student ecology class. Wesch then ends his argument with no real conclusion.

The issue of studenthood thus far in my college experience is both similar and different than what is displayed in the video. I will admit I do facebook through math class, but even if there weren't computers in there I'd still space out. I have come from a high school that has over prepped me for college in the since that I have already learned everything I need to know for intermediate algebra. In a way I still am learning even when I am distracted from the dry erase board. Ive introduced myself and befriended people from Iraq, learned their views as well as my own culture's views on the Iraq war. In that sense I have become more culturally competent and more culturally literate.. I come from the largest high school in the state of Missouri, so when it comes to cultural competence and cultural literacy a lot of the issues I have had some sort of experience with.

Alcohol corrupts the minds ability to reason. It causes students to wake up late, and perform undesirable actions. Yet on campus alcohol is not entirely illegal. Even for incoming freshmen walking into a dorm intoxicated has no formal consequence. We all know or have heard of someone who has suffered from alcohol poisoning and yet the university continues to tolerate the delinquency of students. Either this means the university is not fulfilling its duty of protecting college students, or that the university leaves the responsibility to the students, so they can learn to make wise decisions in regards to alcohol as young adults. This corresponds to the definition of cultural competency, in the sense that alcohol is a big part of American culture thus one is aware of one's own cultural world view.

Credit Card debt effects millions of Americans. Its a big motivator in making full time students get part time jobs. Most university's expect students to spend 40+ hours a week devoted to studying its hard to Imagen where a student can find additional hours to devote to something else. Yet it is easy to see how colleges pressure students to apply for student credit cards by requiring students spend hundreds of dollars on books, dorm room necessities, and general living expenses. If it was the colleges job to protect students from credit cards, they would not offer offer full time students competitive interest rates on master cards issued by the UMB bank. However students learn from credit cards how to read and interpret legal print, this illustrates converse fluently part of cultural literacy. Credit card debt is also big part of American culture henceforth another component of cultural competence is covered. Debt, is also mentioned in Wesch's video.

Many students enter college with the hopes of finding there life companion. If you are to find a spouse you must be culturally literate in how you communicate to the opposite sex. The university has coed dormitories, all of which permit the opposite sex visits as well as allow for members of the opposite sex to stay overnight. The university stance on relationships is positive. Though in some cases relationships can interfere with school, the university provides the perfect environment for finding a girlfriend or boyfriend. Marriage globally is a major part of all cultures. Thus in the university's tolerance in relationships the university acts in the support of world practices and views, another component of cultural competence.

Parties bring a combination of all of that has been stated before. Parties at MU are diverse, from celebrations of traditional holidays, to the celebrations of foreign holiday, even to the celebration of local and national sports teams, Parties at the university are for everyone. One such celebration is the celebration of Holi and Baisakhi on held on April 14th. They both are traditional Indian celebrations open to the general public held inside the Chaplin ball room inside memorial union. It is through parties that all components of cultural competence and cultural literacy are met.

Technology has been characterized by many as the solution to many of the worlds problems. But how can distractions like Facebook, or youtube benefit anyone in class? Why are classes designed to allow such distractions to interfere with there studies? If it was the goal of the university to protect students from these distractions there would be blocks for these websites on the server. However Facebook is a network of cultural competence. Facebook gives students the ability to interact with people from all over the world. It also is a social network in which college professors as well as students are able to interact with each other. One example of cultural competence on facebook would be the facebook group “stop the genocide in Darfur”. This demonstrates the knowledge of other's cultural practices component to cultural competence.

In Wesch's second and third video he introduces his audience to web 2.0. The Internet has so many users a new age is upon us. One where it is no longer about fact or correctness, where definitions and meanings are determined by the amount of people who globally accept them. Such an age leaves all other conventional sources of information out of date. For instance the Bible. It was once believed the earth was only several thousand years old it is now and accepted fact that the earth is several billion years old. People will began to look to conventional sources of information as we look at the bible today, a guideline to the vast amount of resources available. Wikis are just one example of how the world is redefining the very meanings of words. Wikipedia now has in its English dictionary as of July 10th “2,449,862 articles consisting of over 1,048,000,000 words” (information quoted from Wikipedia). The uncertainty of this new day in age may at first appear scary, or overwhelming, however web 2.0 is not too new of a concept. In the past we looked to scholars for information, but who's to say Webster knows more about the definition of a word than the millions of people who contribute to Wikipedia. Wikis are one way the majority is taking command.

The Wesch video has raised many questions to why students are attending college. Cultural competence and cultural literacy are the logical answer to this question. Cultural competency and cultural literacy are the latent goal of a diverse education. It is through such said distractions these goals of the university are met. Now its debatable whether you really become more culturally competent in the classroom, or from the distractions so easily accessible with technology. However both parts of this argument are essential to providing cultural competence and cultural literacy to students. As for my own experiences I have yet to discover whether the classroom or my distractions have benefited me in a positive or negative way. In the end