Blog Assignment #6: Carte Blanche

It is time for the last blog assignment on this course. In the first five assignment I have provided you with rather strict directions on what I have wanted you to write about. Not this time. In the sixth and final blog assignment you choose yourself what you would like to write about; you are given a carte blanche. Of course, the text must still be coherent, focused, and have a purpose easily understood by the reader, but when it comes to the choice of topic and thesis you are on your own.

I'm looking forward to reading your last blog entries!

Blog Assignment #5: Seen Any Good Films Lately?

Last week I saw director Shane Meadows's disturbing and violent drama Dead Man's Shoes (2004), a film telling the story of how the former soldier Richard avenges the wrongs against his younger, mentally challenged brother. A gang of village bullies and petty thieves have, in Richard's absence, made fun of his younger brother and used him as a punchbag. After Richard returns to the village, he learns about how badly his brother has been treated by the gang of thugs and decides to punish his brother's tormentors. His retribution quickly escalates from simple scare tactics to lethal violence.

I was very strongly affected by the film. It was rather disconcerting to root for the dangerous and savage Richard, but at the same time the hooligans had it coming. Just as Richard's revenge spirals upward, leaving dead people in its wake, we learn about the terrible ways in which the younger brother has been treated, leaving the viewer with very mixed emotions. Should we support Richard in his revenge or should we hope the bullies escape his wrath?

Despite the very violent nature of the film, I can strongly recommend everyone to see it. Make sure you find a subtitled version, though; it's not easy to hear what the characters say in their rather broad, working-class British accent.

Now it is your turn. In your blogs I want you to share your opinions on a film you have seen recently. The deadline for this assignment is postponed to Sunday, April 22.

Blog Assignment #4: The State of the Planet

We have all seen the documentaries and heard the debates about the terrible state of the planet. If we are to believe the scientists, we - as a race - are at a crossroads; either we now take a path towards lower energy consumption or we continue speeding down the highway in our CO2-polluting cars. All the hubbub has finally stired even the politicians to putting environmental issues on the very top of their to-do lists.

What's your take on the alleged, impending disaster? Do you care? Are you perhaps deeply involved in trying to do something about it?

In this blog assignment I want you to elaborate on your own personal view on what the earth is coming to. But I also want you to use at least one word from each of the following six groups of near synonyms. That is, approach the state of the planet from whatever angle you choose, but make sure you include at least six of the following words (one from each group) in your blog entry. Make sure you look up the full meaning of each of the words before you use them.

1. misfortune, cataclysm, catastrophe, disaster, calamity, ruin
2. damage, harm, wreck, injure, impair, mar, spoil
3. shake, tremble, quake, quiver, shiver, shudder
4. predict, forecast, foretell, prophesy, anticipate
5. hazardous, perilous, high-risk, precarious
6. ominous, intimidating, formidable, foreboading

Blog Assignment #3: Video Game Addiction

I have friends who have journeyed so far into the fictional world of Azeroth that they cannot find their way back. Instead of socializing with their friends and families, they spend 15-hour sessions, days on end, in front of their mesmerizing screens, completely wrapped up in the game of World of Warcraft (WoW) -- an astonishingly successful online game by Blizzard Entertainment that has enthralled millions of people (more than 8 million by the last count). To some, the game is so important that they manage to suppress their most basic needs of food and sleep, sitting through 48-hour-long marathon sessions, so captivated by the game that half-minute stops to the toilet is the only break from the game. People have even died in front of their computer screens. Most deaths are related to the blood starting to coagulate after the body has been immobile for days, which, in turn, can lead to a stroke.

Most players of online games are able to strike a healthy balance between their gaming hobby and real life, making the game a natural part of their daily routine. The so-called MMOGs (massively multiplayer online games) become a place to socialize, relax, and solve intriguing problems. But many people cannot find this balance.

I don't play these games myself. Back in the '90s I did play the MMOG Everquest for a number of weeks but found it tedious and time-consuming. But I have many friends who play and I have through them seen the uglier sides of MMOGs, which have made me disapprove of the genre completely. And behind the polished facade of games like World of Warcraft lies a multi-million dollar commercial machine that saps both the money and the joie de vivre from its subscribers.

For your next blog assignment, I want you to give us your personal view on video game addiction. Perhaps you play WoW yourself and want to defend the hours you have spent playing it? Feel free to do so. Or maybe you have a partner who plays too much? Then tell us about it. It is even possible that you have never heard of MMOGs before; if so, tell us how you view it all from your fresh vantage point. Choose any aspect of MMOGs and video game addiction that you want.

To give you some starting points, I suggest you read the following online articles. They all deal some side of the topic and are, in addition, great places to find more JVL words.

Confessions of a 30-Year-Old Gamer by Ta-Nehisi Paul Coates

Treating China's Online Addicts by Daniel Griffiths

Video game addiction all too real by Katherine Nguyen

Blog Assignment #2: The Private Diary Gone Public

According to the site The Blog Herald, the number of blogs on the Internet is mushrooming: it now exceeds 50 million, a number that is doubled roughly every five months. Blogs--short for web log--have been around since the beginning of the new millenium, but despite the rather short history of the blogging phenomenon (read more about the history of blogs at Wikipedia) almost everyone knows what it is.

Blogging is not only for computer geeks and university students--far from it. First-time mothers start blogs about the trials and tribulations of pregnancy and childbirth, cat owners use blogging to profess their love of felines, daysleepers use the night shift to ramble on about the state of the media world, etc. Anyone can do it. But what drives them? What makes people start a blog where they can talk at length about their view of the world? That is for you to answer in your second blog assignment.

Use your own blogs to analyze the blogging phenomenon. Describe to the world why so many want to write a public diary. Post your analyses before midnight next Sunday, March 4.

Blog Assignment #1: University Studies

In the Swedish media there has been a debate lately on the pros and cons of university studies. In recent years, the unemployment rate among university graduates has steadily increased, a strong argument against the effectiveness of higher education. The debate has led to fewer students applying to Swedish universities, as a university degree does not seem to be the free ticket to a high-paid position it used to be. Granted, the unemployment rate is lower among those with a university degree than among those without, but studying at university does not come cheap: former students often have to pay a hefty sum in mortgage fees every month and have missed three to five years of their working life.

All of you have chosen university studies in spite of the alleged disadvantages and perhaps because of the many advantages. But I would like you to tell me why you have chosen to study at university. Use your blogs to describe the reasons for your decision to apply to university courses and programs.