White Paper third draft—UgandanKnuckles

Claim: Self-help mantras are effective for people with high self-clarity

Hypothesis: Mantras are helpful despite the initial belief that they are ineffective hoaxes. High self-clarity is key though, otherwise it’ll be ineffective and can make the situation worse. (Self-clarity being how well one knows themselves)

My Proposal: For my research, I’ll be investigating studies done and analyzing reviews of studies done to find out if self-help mantras are actually effective or if they are completely ineffective and just make the individual feel worse.

Proposal 2: From my current research, I have found that self-help mantras usually only help people who don’t need them, and self-esteem plays a big part in that. Upon further investigation, I found how to measure self-esteem as well. Also, actions can be more effective than words

I enjoy psychology, and I remembered the professor mentioning something about this.

First article I found on it: http://ellenbard.com/why-affirmations-dont-work/

This article didn’t provide much more than one person’s opinion on a study. It verified that I’m not the only one arguing this point, and that it’s an arguable position. There’s a common fad that’s been going since the 1950’s where someone will stand up on TV and tell you to repeat random bs to yourself about feeling better and that it will work. In reality, it doesn’t do much at all except make you feel worse.

The study reviewed: https://www.uni-muenster.de/imperia/md/content/psyifp/aeechterhoff/sommersemester2012/schluesselstudiendersozialpsychologiejens/03_wood_etal_selfstatements_psychscience2009.pdf

The abstract to the research article is shown in a non-biased fashion as “Positive self-statements are widely believed to boost mood and self-esteem, yet their effectiveness has yet to be demonstrated.” They argue that people who try to repeat something that they don’t accept actually end up causing more harm than good, as they reject it. Someone who views themselves as stupid and tries to say “I’m smart” might end up making themselves feel more stupid. They further conclude that if praise someone receives is outside their level of how they feel about themselves, it has the inverse effect as well. This means that someone who already feels good about themselves will be more apt to accept praise than someone who actually needs to feel good about themselves.

The first study done generally just showed that people with higher self-esteem used positive self-statements more often than people with lower self-esteem.

There was a second study done afterwards that verified their hypothesis that people with lower self-esteem would not benefit from positive self-statements. In fact, the study showed that the only people to benefit from the positive self-statements were people who already had a high self-esteem. People with low self-esteem suffered lower scores than their original scores as well.

The third study, they tested to see if having less pressure to think of positively would help those with low self-esteem. The results showed slightly less better results for those with low self-esteem than in study 2.

The overall conclusion is that small improvements in mood can be attained for people with low self-esteem by repeating things that are positive within the person’s realm of acceptance, rather than repeating crazy positive things that the person would not believe if someone else told them it.

An article that centers on various studies done: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/jun/30/self-help-positive-thinking

The article starts by showing an example of how positive visualization/speaking positively can actually hinder you rather than help you. A study from the University of California shows that students who visualized themselves getting a higher grade were less likely to study, and actually received lower scores than their counterparts who didn’t. The same went for recent graduates from New York University. The ones that fantasized about getting the job they wanted more frequently ended up receiving few job offers, and thus lower salaries.

The article goes on to reference a widely known behaviorist/psychologist from the 19th century, William James. He posed the idea that behavior and emotion affect each other, rather than just emotion affecting behavior. In other words, smiling can make you feel happy, and frowning can make you feel angry. He didn’t pursue the idea much further, and it would be several decades until someone else picked up the idea.

In the 70s, a psychologist from Clark University, James Laird, tested James’s theory. Participants were asked to use different facial expressions. The results were stunning, as James’s predictions were correct. People actually felt happier or angrier depending on the facial expression they adopted. Further research found that the same can apply to our daily lives, and by acting like a more confident or just different person, you can become that person.

The article goes on to explain a case where people were able to achieve higher amounts of willpower simply by tensing a muscle. Another case cited shows that a confident pose at a desk can make people feel more confident, and another case showed that men who acted twenty years younger in a setting from twenty years prior for a week made them feel and act younger.

This article overall shows that positive behavior can help you become a more positive person. It’s not in the thinking, it’s in the actions.

Side note: The article ends with ten exercises that can be used to test the theory.

The article I had here that was really good has been taken down by PsychologyToday. 

The last source I found: http://www.sonima.com/meditation/mantras/

This source is in support of self-help mantras. The article opens with the personal tale of the author herself. Whenever she is sad or wakes up in a bad mood, she just listens to some positive mantras, and she feels better. She cites that some studies have showed that chanting mantras can help reduce stress levels, and that the tongue tapping actually changes the way your whole body feels.

She cites a psychologist from Beverly Hills, Vanessa Pawlowski, as a proponent of mantra chanting. She says, “There’s a lot of negative self-talk, people getting stuck in judgment and playing the same thing over and over again. So I have them use mantras as a way of interrupting those negative experiences and instead give them something positive to focus on.” The rest of the article centers on the stories of nine different women and how mantras have helped them.

The first woman used mantras to help her build self-confidence. The second woman uses them to help her not feel like a failure when she couldn’t achieve her lofty goal of running 100 miles. The third woman uses them to help her endure tough times. The fourth woman used them to help her realize she was ready for love. The fifth woman uses them to remember that she doesn’t always need to have the right answer and to be happy. The sixth woman uses mantras with her patients to help them get over body-image issues, or to help them recover from eating disorders. The seventh woman uses mantras to help her build different character traits within herself. The eighth woman uses them to help her start her day. The last woman uses mantras to help her relax when she feels like she hasn’t done enough during her day.

This article represents the positive effects that self-help mantras can have. It helps to diversify my pool of thoughts, and it is set from more of a feeling and emotional perspective. This helps to contrast from some of my other articles that are mores science based.

I’m feeling pretty good with the progress I’ve made. I managed to change my topic entirely and find all five sources in just four days so I think this project will be manageable. My opinion is roughly the same, but now I know more about the subject than just my hypothesis and thesis statement. I anticipate my overall outcome to shift from just self-help mantras being counterintuitive, to the whole idea of mantras and and chanting being counterintuitive.

WHITE PAPER 2 STARTS HERE

The meaning of the most popular mantras: http://www.sunnyray.org/The-meaning-of-the-most-popular-mantras.htm

Before being able to thoroughly criticize mantras, we need to know what they mean- especially the popular ones. The first part of his page talks about what mantras are, the steps to using them, and explaining what the rest of the page is.

The first mantra they go over is the one that everyone knows. Om, or “aum” as they clarify, is described as “the three qualitatively different levels of consciousness: A – waking, U – dreaming and M – deep sleep.”

The next one is “Om Namah Shivaya.” It contains elements of the previous mantra, but has two other parts added on. “Namah” stands for adoration or respect, and “Shivaya” stands for God. This chant is for bringing peace to the user.

“Om Mani Padme Hum” is the next mantra on the page. This is one is used for transformation of an impure body into the pure qualities of the Buddha. A gem more specifically.

It doesn’t go into as much detail for the last three on the page. “Om Asato Ma Sadgamaya” stands for “Lead me from the unreal to the Real,” so it can be assumed that this is for trying to find an answer or truth in something uncertain or false. After that is “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare.” This one is sixteen words long and is three different words for God.  “I love you, I’m sorry, Please forgive me, Thank You” is the most popular among the newest members of the chanting community, is taken from Hawaiian tradition. This one is used for taking responsibility for our actions, or as the page says, “We take absolute responsibility for our life, because our external reality is but a reflection of our inner reality. So we should always ask for forgiveness, be thankful and love the people around us.”

With this better understanding of popular mantras, I should be able to better understand the uses behind mantras and their usage in in improving one’s self-image and self-esteem.

Most common measurement of Self-Esteem: http://fetzer.org/sites/default/files/images/stories/pdf/selfmeasures/Self_Measures_for_Self-Esteem_ROSENBERG_SELF-ESTEEM.pdf

Not much to say about this. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale is the quiz used to measure self-esteem, and it was made in 1965. It features 10 questions, and features a point scale out 40. A higher score means higher self-esteem.

Assessing Self-Esteem: http://sites.dartmouth.edu/thlab/files/2010/10/TFH03.Hea_.Self-regulation.pdf

This PDF opens by explaining what society believes about self-esteem, and the foolish steps taken by schools in an attempt to try and boost it in students in schools. It further defines self-esteem as “Self-esteem is the evaluative aspect of the self-concept that corresponds to an overall view of the self as worthy or unworthy.”

An important distinction the PDF makes is the difference between self-concept and self-esteem. Self-concept is “the totality of cognitive beliefs that people have about themselves; it is everything that is known about the self, and includes things such as name, race, likes, dislikes, beliefs, values, and appearance descriptions, such as height and weigh.” Self-esteem is “the emotional response that people experience as they contemplate and evaluate different things about themselves.”

The writers of the article point at cases of low self-esteem being brought on “when key figures reject, ignore, demean, or devalue the person.” That’s not to say that just because you tell your kid off or don’t pay attention to them 24/7 they’re not gonna have good self-esteem. That just means that you shouldn’t insult your child everyday and you should talk to them at least a few times a day to make sure they’re alright. Connections can be made between cases of low self-esteem and social anxiety as well. As taboo as it is in 2018, there are gender differences in what helps boost self-esteem in males and females. Females tend to gain self-esteem through positive relationships while males gain self-esteem through objective successes. An interesting observation made from one of the studies is that men gain self-esteem through getting ahead, while women gain self-esteem through getting along.

Another taboo bit of information found is that White women are more likely than Black women to think they are obese despite the fact that Black women are about two times as likely White women to actually be obese. White women are also more likely to view large Black body shapes positively than large white body shapes positively. This article goes into a bunch of other subsections that will be useful for writing the overall paper, but too much to summarize. These subsections are: Dimensionality of Self-Esteem, Stability of Self-Esteem, Revised Janis–Field Feelings of Inadequacy, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, State Self-Esteem Scale, Alternative Conceptualizations: Implicit Self-Esteem, and Future Developments. It also presents the reader samples of the Revised Janis and Field Scales tests, the Rosenberg Scale, and the Current Thoughts test.

A site on ways to boost Self-Esteem: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/self-esteem/#.WoiKJ6jwY2w

The page starts by citing the ways people with low self-esteem may feel. “How to improve your self-esteem” is the first subsection of the page, and it features links to more pages on how to help you avoid situations that may damage your self-esteem, and ways to improve the self-esteem you already have. It also makes the distinction that while people with depression and anxiety may have low self-esteem, the two aren’t cause and effect, but rather things that may come with one another.

The next section is titled “Think about what is affecting your self-esteem.” It cites common and uncommon reasons, and it even includes a small video where someone talks about their feelings and their low self-esteem. A good portion of the page is then dedicated to ways to combat low self-esteem. At the bottom, it has a link to more stories of people who overcame their low self-esteem.

The main reason this page is important is that at no point did it mention taking up chanting or having a mantra. All of these sites say that low self-esteem can be cured quickly through the use of chanting, but this very official page that has several methods that makes sense and are no doubt tested and it does not mention chanting.

An Article about why having “self-esteem” might be overrated: https://www.fastcompany.com/40531879/positive-self-esteem-is-overrated-heres-what-you-need-instead

This article by Melissa Dahl titled “Positive Self-Esteem is Overrated, Here’s What you Need Instead,” explores the idea that having a high self-esteem may not be all there is to getting through your short comings. The first section talks about a study done in 2007 where the researchers had people come in, sit down in front of a camera, and tell a made-up fairy tale/story as it recorded them. The one rule being that it had to start with “Once upon a time, there was a little bear…” After they told the story, the researchers then played either the person’s own recording or someone else’s back to them, and they were asked to evaluate the story. People that didn’t have as much self-clarity hated their own recording more than people who had more self-clarity. Self-clarity is defined as “how well we know our own strengths and weaknesses, as well as our ability to accept them.” This distinction between self-clarity and self-esteem is important as it explains why some people don’t like the way they look on camera, and why some experiences we have are more embarrassing to different people.

The next section is titled “Hacking your way to Self-Clarity.” People with low self-clarity were more critical of their their stories and the way the looked on the recording. They rated their overall performances much lower than others did. People with high self-clarity were less critical of themselves, didn’t have as much trouble watching themselves, and they rated their performances average with other people. The next paragraph makes the distinction that high self-esteem inflates your ego, which can make how others see you hard to understand. Self-clarity, on the other hand, lets you see yourself better, your flaws included. The article then gives a call to action. It asks the reader to think about an embarrassing high school story moment, and then to break it down. After getting the memory into your head, it has the reader ask three questions of the memory, “How many times have other people experienced the same thing or something similar? If a friend came to you and told you about this memory, how would you respond to them? Can you try thinking about the moment from someone else’s point of view?”

The final section is titled “Seeing yourself, and seeing beyond yourself.” This section is mostly telling you why self-clarity is important. It says, “Here’s what doesn’t work: Convincing yourself it was someone else’s fault. Distracting yourself by focusing on your positive characteristics. Telling yourself that the memory ‘does not really indicate anything about the kind of person I am.’ ” It stresses the importance of accepting that everyone has done something dumb or embarrassing things in their life. You’re better off owning it than seeing that incident as just you being the only person who’s ever messed up.

(Side note: the article was adapted from a book written by Melissa Dahl, who is also the writer of the article)

This article is a breakthrough for me on how to the possible reasons for mantras being bs: http://www.saspetherick.com/the-stuck-record-why-mantras-feel-like-bullshit/

WHITE PAPER 3 STARTS HERE

An Article about the effects of sound on your body: https://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/2013/10/02/your-brain-on-om-the-science-of-mantra

This article by Gabriel Axel titled, “Your Brain on Om: The Science of Mantra” starts with him being skeptical of mantras himself. He later did research himself, and found that our brain links certain sounds to certain emotions like tire screeches and crash sounds to accidents and fear. He says, ” This evocation is qualitative and subjective and is linked with interoception (inner body sensations) and emotional sense of self, both predominantly represented in the right hemisphere of the brain. Conversely, the narrative strand of sounds in which we give them meaning is done predominantly through the left hemisphere.” The sound resonates in different parts of our brains and bodies having different effects on us. The next section of the article breaks down the word “Aum” by letter, the way each letter should sound, and how it should make you feel.

The condition of the person both physically and mentally, will have an effect on how it effects them. He goes through the proper way to begin using mantras, and even includes scientific evidence about how repeating things in your head can be just as effective as saying them allowed. At then end of the article, Axel stresses that mantras can be used to bring out our inner energy and bring more of spirit into our everyday lives.

An article on the scientific aspects of Mantras: https://buddhaweekly.com/science-mantras-mantras-work-without-faith-research-supports-effectiveness-sanskrit-mantra-healing-even-environmental-transformation/

The first part of this article is just an introduction or forward as to some uses for mantras (mothers playing music to unborn babies, etc.). The first section titled “Some Buddhist Teachers Recommend Mantra Even Where There’s No Faith,” talks about the possible benefits of chanting around ill pets and the elderly. Nothing incredible will happen, but the words will provide some support through minor transformations.

The article sights in a drastic way,  but the next section, titled “Medical Treatment: Nurses and Doctors Recommend Mantra for Some Conditions,” says that mantras can be used to help people with PTSD and other stress related disorders. The article claims people experienced “lowered levels of tension; slower heart rate, decreased blood pressure, lower oxygen consumption, and increased alpha wave production,” and so, “The benefits experienced in 20 minutes of meditation exceed those of deep sleep, thus indicating the regenerative power of meditation and saving of wear and tear on the body.”

 

What I’m Looking For

I’m still looking for the specific way in which mantras or chanting would help raise ones self-esteem or make one feel more happy. A lot of what I find is opinion based and is more of a blog post by a wine-mom than an actual post by someone who knows what’s going on.

How It’s Going

My entire thesis and hypothesis have flipped. People are pretty polarized on the topic, but from people that I’ve talked to, my initial position was the popular opinion. I’m now doing research on the inverse of my original research. This class is very difficult, and at this point I’m just trying to pull out of this course with a passing grade.

Hypothesis 2nd Draft—pATricKStar

College students are at a high risk for mental health issues in the U.S

  1. They are prone to depression/ anxiety (social)
  2. The lack of sleep and workload adds to the vulnerability of this issue
  3. Many College student don’t even know the sign of the mental health and just think it’s simple stress.
  4. The negative effects of this can cause an abuse of drugs/ alcohol and even further neglect to their health
  5. Without help these students can have their conditions worsen and build life threatening habit for the future
  6. In college this is when kids are most vulnerable to their conditions because this is where they are on their own, living and preparing for the future, and trying to be independent young adults.

White Paper 2—dudeintheback

Proposal- I am trying to build the information to prove my hypothesis of Adderall being the same thing as methamphetamine. my research so far gives me examples of how it is, but I need more explaining why it is. I am trying to find the line of discussion. either I can talk about how it has meth like qualities, or I can talk about how it shoud not be prescribed in the first place.

Hypothesis-   Adderall should be viewed as a dangerous prescription

  1. Methamphetamine vs. Adderall | Science Says They’re Almost Identical

https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/meth-addiction/methamphetamine-vs-adderall/#gref

What Is the source?: this source is an article both describing what adderal is, and also in less depth describes what meth is. also giving practical examples of how Adderall is used, and how meth is used.

What will this source do?: this source explains how both of these drugs have very similar chemical makeups. only meth has a ” have more of something called methyl, which is important in this discussion because it lets the drug cross the blood-brain barrier more quickly. This leads to a more powerful effect.” showing that the only thing separating, and clarifying both to be different is one molecule that makes the effect instantaneous

2.  Adderall VS Crystal Methamphetamine – is meth really the more dangerous and addictive drug?

What is this source?: this source is a youtube video of a former meth addict explaining the differences in Adderall and in meth. this is a youtuber named Cg Kid, who makes videos on drug awareness, and addiction. having taken both drugs, and researching about the drugs, Cg has an extensive knowledge on the topic.

What will it prove?: the account of someone describing their view of the two drugs. explaining how Adderall is just a smaller dose of the same effect in a pill. describes the different ways of taking both drugs and how they work how they do. also saying one pipe/smoke/hit of methamphetamine will give you the same effect of taking 8 Adderall. saying how people are only addicted to meth because its cheapness, and instant results.

3. The Similarities of Adderall & Amphetamines

https://www.bewellbuzz.com/wellness-buzz/crystal-meth-and-adderall-are-same/

Meth-or-Adderallwhat is this source?: a picture of both chemical makeups of Adderall and meth

What does it prove?: that the chemical makeups of adderall and meth are almost identical… the article this picture is from also describes how we feel about meth because of the anti drug campaign.

4. Meth & Adderall are the same drug & other drug facts

What is this source?: youtube video interviewing Carl Hart talk about drugs and drug hysteria. Carl is a professor of neuroscience and psychology at Columbia University. Hart is known for his research in drug abuse and drug addiction .

What does it prove?: carl describes that Adderall and meth are virtually the same drug, and describes meth as the “new crack”

also describes the same issue in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOCsIyIGNls  explains how they produce the same effects.

5. The Surprising History Of Adderall

https://www.attn.com/stories/2000/history-amphetamines-united-states

What is this source?: article describing the history of amphetamine, then going in to history of Adderall

What does it prove?: proves the first origins of the uses of methamphetamines. one being the on the Nazis for extremely long marches.

6. Is Adderall Safe? | Safe for Adults and Children?

https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/adderall/adderall-safe/#gref

website article by the recovery village, which specializes in addiction awareness/education

this source describes Adderall’s effect in kids, and adults. also talks about how much of it is safe, and if its safe in general.

“It’s not meant to be a long-term treatment because symptoms of ADHD often get better in children as they get older.”

also says how for adults there are options to help reduce symptoms of ADHD, such as therapy.

“When someone takes a stimulant drug like Adderall, it changes their brain chemistry, and it also impacts their motivation and reward pathways. This changes how people feel emotions and pleasure, and if Adderall is taken over the long-term, these changes and this brain rewiring can become permanent.”

using these quotes will help me describe how getting people hooked to Adderall, and reliant on using Adderall because its something they have been programmed to keep doing will effect them in the long term

7. The real effects of Adderall: a personal testimony

https://search.proquest.com/docview/1715703263?pq-origsite=summon

Publication: The Washburn Review, Washburn University, Topeka KS.

this article gives a first person experience on what Adderall did for her. it talks about her addiction, and why she was addicted. also how she knew she did not have ADHD.

”Evans compared taking Adderall to “being superwoman.” She could get all of her homework done, write papers longer than the required length, clean her house until it was spotless and still pick up extra hours at work. No one knew she was staying up three days in a row to get all of her work done.”

”As time went on, Evans started accomplishing less at school and work and shifted her main focus to finding more pills. This disrupted both her studies and home life.”

this article gives a look at the terrible addiction path someone can go down. being addicted changes everything a person does in their lives by making their lives revolve around their addiction. talks about how she was taking more than 10 times the highest prescribed dosage of amphetamines per day

8. ADHD drugs are as dangerous as street meth – and Americans are getting hooked
Alexander Zaitchik

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/25/adhd-dangerous-street-meth-americans-are-getting-hooked

”new-gen daily regimen speeds”

article describing how more and more people are starting to get addicted to medications like vyvans, and Adderall. describes his first times using speed and how he and all the people around him used it. also saying how these medication drugs have turned away from their use to treat adhd, but rather to help people in classrooms, party longer and harder, and all of the uses that makes it seem like a street drug.

”During our recent industry-guided speed renaissance, “speed” has been turned into “meds”, reflecting the idea that amphetamine for most people remains some kind of safe treatment or routine performance-booster, rather than a highly addictive drug with some nasty talons in its tail.”

9.

in this youtube video, Dr. Thomas Szasz, Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus describes the connotation an illness or disease has now. He believes that any disease cannot be not based on behavior, its something in the body that malfunctions. the stigma and connotation ADHD has around it is socially constructed. by diagnosing a child with ADHD and classifying it as a disease, or disorder stigmatizes a child, and puts them in a category that they should not be in. children are precious, and should not be exposed to prescription drugs. parents should not think that their kid has an ilnesss based on behavior, and should not jump to try to treat it.

10. Psychiatrists Are Drug-pushers

http://behaviorismandmentalhealth.com/2011/03/16/psychiatrists-are-drug-pushers/

this article explains how easy it is to get a prescription, and the many ways why it is so easy. the diagnosis and prescription of medicine is what people see psychologists for nowadays.  psychiatrists no longer engage in talk therapy anywhere near how they used to. instead, they prescribe medication to alternte behavior. the pills become what keeps the person going throught her day as if it was a normal day, just drug induced. gives the example of A psychiatrist can earn $150 for three 15-minute medication visits compared with $90 for a 45-minute talk therapy session to show why a psych might just resort to a prescription, and getting paid for it. a dentist doesn’t make his money by having a patient with healthy teeth.

“You have to have a diagnosis to get paid,” he said with a shrug. “I play the game.”

“I don’t need a half-hour or an hour to talk,” said a stone mason who has panic attacks and depression and is prescribed an antidepressant. “Just give me some medication, and that’s it. I’m O.K.”

 

White Paper-Dohertyk9

Dohertyk9’s Proposal:

I set out to attempt to prove that consent is a social and legal construct rather than simply “common knowledge”. Consent has never been clear, but as it is defined today, consent is the constant expression of agreement. The constant expression of agreement is actually impossible, and therefore, every sexual act is rape.

However, after reviewing my sources and attempting to make causal claims about it, it became clear to me that data was extremely scarce and lacked uniformity. As Prof. found in his own research of the topic, the FBI recorded 85,593 rapes in 2010, yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 1.3 million incidents. Both had differing definitions of rape that made an enormous difference in how many rape cases are believed to have occurred. Based on prof.’s suggestion and my own speculation, I have decided to adjust my argument.

…You could identify the disagreement about rape’s definition as the cause of the wide disparity in rape statistics (DEFINITION, CAUSATION), leading to the inevitable problem that nobody’s numbers can be used to draw any general conclusions (REFUTATION). Then you use the test case of the BJS numbers to prove your point: THERE ARE WAY MORE RAPES than can be counted by the “forcible penetration” definition, so we shouldn’t be impressed by the BJS chart that forces the narrative of a radical reduction in rape over time.

-Prof. Hodges

This is precisely what I plan to argue: No one’s number’s can be used to draw accurate conclusions about how many rape cases actually occur within a given year. This is due to the incredible disparity in rape statistics. In particular, the numbers used by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, which report that there has been an overall decrease in rape cases  since 1973, should not be given any weight because it is likely that there are way more cases of rape than the Bureau reports. If you use a broader definition than the “forcible penetration” one, the number of rape cases in a given year skyrockets from the number reported by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. This is evident when reviewing the sheer difference in number between the cases reported by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and those reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

1. Negotiating Sex: The Legal Construct of Consent in Cases of Wife Rape in Ontario, Canada

Helpful quotes for my argument: “Based on my analysis, I argue that wife/partner rape is informed by societal and cultural beliefs about sexuality, intimate relationships and marriage, and rape myths. Although my study reveals that rape mythology and stereotypes are not as explicit as they have been historically, a little digging under the surface and some unpacking of the views and arguments presented by my interview group reveal the extent to which myths and sexism continue to inform the legal prosecution of wife/partner rape as well as the failure to prosecute it in many cases.”

-Ruthy Lazar (author)

The Essential Content of the Article: The author essentially argues that few studies have actually looked at how rape cases are processed in court. She notes that the arguments used in court for these cases are fueled by underlying themes of sexism and myths about sexuality and rape.

What it Proves: This article contributes to my argument by proposing that societal views affect the legal interpretation of rape. This will be useful to prove that the definition of rape is actually constructed by society and is not universal.

2. The Discursive Reconstruction of Sexual Consent

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0957926598009002002

The Essential Content of the Paper: This paper argues that in legal settings, although the complainant has the opportunity to tell their side of the story, the complainant often feels as though he/she has not truly had the opportunity to explain the situation in his/her terms. The paper argues that this is because the case is always framed by the people asking the questions in the debate. The paper further argues that the case is framed in a favorable way for the defendant because of societal views that a misinterpretation of verbal and nonverbal cues between women and men is not intentional rape on the man’s part, and therefore, the defendant is innocent.

What it Proves: This proves that the legal definition of consent varies depending on the courtroom. Even if an agreement has been reached on what the legal definition of consent actually is, it is very difficult to decide whether or not that definition has been met in the case (whether or not that legally defined consent was actually given.)

3. Re-examining the issue of nonconsent in acquaintance rape

(By Donat, Patricia L. N and White, Jacquelyn W)

The Essential Content of the Book: This book examines consent as a social construct. It explains in detail the effect of cultural attitudes, cultural metaphors, societal myths, sexual scripts, and the legal system on the definition of consent and rape.

What it Proves: The book proves that relationships are defined by those same cultural attitudes, cultural metaphors, societal myths, sexual scripts, and legal systems and therefore they define consent and rape.

4. Understanding the Unacknowledged Rape Victim

(by Kahn, Arnold S and Mathie, Virginia Andreoli)

The Essential Content of the Book: This book seeks to explain how some victims of rape do not consider themselves to be rape victims even though they experienced what would legally be considered rape. It argues that personalities, sexual attitudes and experience, affective reactions, reactions of peers, use of alcohol or drugs, and counterfactual thinking affect whether or not a victim will consider him or her self to be a victim.

What it Proves: This book proves that certain circumstances of rape are not considered rape even by the victim himself/herself. The person’s personality and experiences can alter what he/she considers to be rape. A person’s interpretation of the definition of rape can be altered by the legal or social definition and therefore even when a person has been victimized, he/she may not even consider it to be a victimization. This helps to prove that rape’s definition is relative and not universal.

5. Rape culture is normalized across college campuses

http://www.statepress.com/article/2017/02/spopinion-rape-culture-is-normalized-on-campuses

The Essential Content of the Article: This article argues that college students are desensitized to rape and therefore perpetuate rape culture. It states that “rape is about power, control and dominance.”

What it Proves: This article proves only that the author feels very strongly about rape and defines it much differently than others do. The author blatantly makes the statement that all rape cases are caused by “power, control and dominance”, but offers no factual proof of this statement. This article aides my argument solely because it proves that the definition of rape varies greatly from person to person.

Additional 5 sources:

1. Intimacy Without Consent: Lynching as Sexual Violence

https://search.proquest.com/docview/1034589333?pq-origsite=summon

The Essential Content of the Book: This book seeks to show that lynching has a tendency to involve not only violence, but also sexual violation of the victim, regardless of the victim’s gender. In addition, the race of the victim plays a large role; if the victim is black and male, the case is treated very differently than if the victim is white and male.

What it Proves: This proves that because cases of sexual assault are taken more seriously if they involve the violation of a female, especially a white female, legitimacy of rape is defined by a person’s gender and race. This will help prove my point that consent is socially constructed because factors such as race and gender should not matter if every person is equally capable of giving consent.

2. Party Rape, Nonconsensual sex, and Affirmative Consent Policies

https://search.proquest.com/docview/1807962270?pq-origsite=summon

The Essential Content of the article: This article shows that many college age men do not consider forcing a woman to have sex to be rape. 32% of college age men said that they would force a woman to have sex, while only 13% said that they would rape a woman. It also shows that the law tends to favor these often otherwise successful young men over their victims.

What it Proves: This proves that rape is defined differently depending on how you ask. Men view forcing a woman to have sex to be different from rape, when in reality, they are the same thing.

3. Concubinage and Consent

https://search.proquest.com/docview/1860064133?pq-origsite=summon

The Essential Content of the text: The text explains that wives and slaves in Islamic history had very different rights, even though slaves could be married off without their consent. Slaves could be treated far worse than wives and it would be perfectly permissible. However, their husbands needed to treat them better than their owners did.

What it Proves: This shows that what was considered acceptable in some situations was completely unacceptable in others. The law allowed for owners to rape their slaves, yet their husbands could not perform the same act under the same circumstances, or it would be considered illegal.

4. ‘Talk, Listen, Think’: Discourses of Agency and Unintentional Violence in Consent Guidance For Gay, Bisexual and Trans Men

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0957926516634549

Helpful quotes: “You don’t have to say no in words. Many people who are threatened, frightened, tricked or stopped from escaping feel so scared that they choose not to say anything and not to ‘fight back’. This is a way people survive sexual attack. The law says that your consent has to be given /freely/.” (Galop, Help & Advice, Your Rights & the Law, Consenting To Sex, Some Questions About What Consent Means)

The Essential Content of the article: This article explains the focus on men in the explanations of sexual assault and consent made by Galop. It helps to put into words the traumatic experiences people in the LGBT community have.

What it Proves: This article proves that there is always a neglected race, gender or sexual orientation when it comes to defining rape and consent. Because one type of person is always left out, the definition of consent always falls short of its intended meaning. In this way, the definition of consent is not universal. This helps my argument because it proves that for certain types of people, legal consent cannot be given.

5. R.v.A. (J.) And the Risks of Advance Consent to Unconscious Sex

https://search.proquest.com/docview/747126169/abstract/762991F7B5BE41C4PQ/1?accountid=13605

The Essential Content of the Article: This article describes the risk of agreeing to sex before one of the partners becomes unconscious. It explains that any misunderstandings in the advance consent or mistreatment of the partner during the unconscious sex could result in rape and therefore unconscious sex should be automatically considered rape.

What it Proves: This proves that consent is impossible to define in exact terms. The partner could agree to the unconscious sex before the act and yet it could still be defined as rape.

White Paper—TheNaturalist

Proposal

For my research essay, I will be arguing that multiracial people of a lighter skin color, in fact, do not have “White Privilege” and that they are put down for their skin color by races that they are actually part of. I will be using the example of Brazil as their skin color is completely different and their beliefs are different from what a race is considered. For years these people struggle with identifying with others because they are a different “race” (color). This is a major social problem around the world and really shouldn’t be considering how far we as people have had to come to believe that people are “equal”, but because of this stigma of color people are unable to really be equal.

I am here to prove that color is not the definition of race and that in this day and age people can’t judge a person based on their skin color, not just race. This goes for all races, not just African American, Spanish, “white” this includes everyone.

Sources

  1. http://affinitymagazine.us/2017/07/10/being-biracialmulticultural-an-identity-crisis/

The content of the article: In this article, the author discusses their own personal struggle of being multiracial with her social life as well as how she is treated by her own family.

Proves: that multiracial people have problems just as much as a one race person

  1. https://www.tolerance.org/professional-development/on-racism-and-white-privilege

Content of the article: Explains the idea of white privilege and that anyone of white color has these privileges

Proves: not all multiracial have these privileges and even if they have a lighter skin color they don’t always have these privileges

  1. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/brazils-colour-bind/article25779474/

Content of the article: interviews with Brazil’s residents as well as the history of the background of their “races”

Proves: the definition of race versus skin color is a problem. It proves that everyone has this idea that the shade of your skin has a level of privilege.

4.http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=167b3a9c-1ecb-4535-a917-474e20210dcd%40sessionmgr4009&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=2011-17045-001&db=pdh

The content of the article: research on the challenges of multiracial people. a study conducted to show the treatment of multiracial people in urban areas.

Proves: that a high percentage has been discriminated against because they are multiracial and that they are not receiving the best of both worlds. this can also prove that they receive the same amount of challenges that monoracial people endure

5. http://societyforpsychotherapy.org/understanding-the-stressors-and-types-of-discrimination-that-can-affect-multiracial-individuals-things-to-address-and-avoid-in-psychotherapy-practice/

Content of the article: discusses the wellbeing of multiracial people and how they should b treated when receiving therapy

Prooves

 

 

White Paper 2—AmongOthers

Proposal

For my research essay, I will be focusing on the lack of education throughout the world and the detrimental effects it causes. Overall, the rich children are more benefited than the poor when it comes to education for the rich families can provide more resources and money into education than the poor families can. Due to this, there is a major catastrophic learning gap between poor and rich students. This is a huge step backwards considering education was once a tool that neutralized education and brought people from different areas together to learn efficiently.

This issue worries me tremendously since I am currently in school to become a teacher. I have heard stories of children not being able to attend school because the prices are too high in their area. In my research, I hope to find the reasons why the system has shifted so greatly, ways to prevent the lack of education from happening even more,and most importantly, how to get back to where education once was- an education all children deserve to have and have a right to attain.

Sources

  1. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/08/property-taxes-and-unequal-schools/497333/     

The Essential Content of the Article: Even in a wealthy state, some children still attend poor schools. Students are in need of extra help, yet are offered less than what is efficient. The system is “inadequately funded” and needs a change. Opportunity is not given to each student evenly due to the economical differences. Poor students show a lower success rate. This article in particular is talking about Connecticut and how perhaps the problem there is how education was founded in the country and how it is structured. It used to be efficient for students back then, but it no longer provides enough today. This article goes back hundreds of years to how education used to be distributed and that is why I have chosen this article.

What it Proves: There is a dramatic difference with schooling back then and schooling today, perhaps we need to reflect on the past to improve the present. Also, this proves even more how poor schools influence children and their success.

2. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/education/education-gap-grows-between-rich-and-poor-studies-show.html

The Essential Content of the Article: This article dives further into the idea that the education gap is not only just in black and white students,but is now affecting the rich and the poor children. Studies have shown that the gap between rich and poor children and their test scores has increased by 40% since the 1960’s, an era that focused primarily on skin tone and not how much income your family made. People are saying that perhaps the recession widened the gap even more than it was already, and due to the decreasing economy, it may increase even more, while others are saying the difference comes from a variety of different things.

What it Proves: This article has solid statistics and numbers and ideas that will help people understand the dramatic increase in the gap and the inequality of learning due to income.

3. http://education.seattlepi.com/disadvantages-facing-poor-community-public-schools-2182.html    

The Essential Content of the Article: This article covers the disadvantages that poor communities face due to their schooling system and will help me in arguing that children from low income families deserve more. Children coming from these schools are often less prepared and struggle with family connections.

What it Proves: The many disadvantages listed in the article and the background info on each of them will provide me with more reasons why education needs to be equal. Poor community schooling does not offer enough to children.

4. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201709/mend-the-gap-between-rich-and-poor-in-school-achievement   

Essential Content of Article: Reasons why there is such a huge gap between poor and rich communities and how different “solutions” people thought would work are not working. It provides insight as to ideas on how to truly eliminate the issue.

What it Proves: One of my main ideas for the paper was to figure out how the education system has changed so much over the years. This article provides some good topics and information that lead to the decline of the system and helps me figure out what produced such a great divide.  

5. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/upshot/why-american-schools-are-even-more-unequal-than-we-thought.html   

Essential Content of Article: More of an insight as to why American schools are even more unequal than we may think already. Students are performing at lower levels than ever before,  and the economic disadvantage has the most significant role in a child’s schooling success. Scores end up to be even lower than predicted.  The gap is about a third larger than a typical gap. There are linear relationships to the failing economy and math scores, and more and more children are falling behind. There are statistics that even go back as far as the children’s parents and their education.

What it Proves: Schools need a change and more resources.

6. https://cepa.stanford.edu/content/widening-academic-achievement-gap-between-rich-and-poor-new-evidence-and-possible

Essential Content of Article: Discusses family socioeconomic characteristics and the difference in academic success over the last 50 years. Income achievement gap is the “Average achievement difference between a child from a family at the 90th percentile of the family income distribution and a child from a family at the 10th percentile”. It is now double the black-white gap, a gap that used to be one and a half to two times larger than the income achievement gap.

What it Proves: The relationship between income and achievement has grown tremendously and income is now a deciding factor for children’s success.

7.  https://www.brookings.edu/research/income-and-education-as-predictors-of-childrens-school-readiness/

Essential Content of Article: Studies have shown huge gaps when testing school readiness in young children due to income of their families and also material education. Most children from a poor, low-income family perform poorer than those from a high-income family. A test is being conducted to test how children perform and why- what causes the poor performance>

What it Proves: Income plays a huge role in the success of young children.

8. https://www.childfund.org/about-us/education/

Essential Content of Article : The lack of education could lead to a lifetime full of struggles, hardships, and difficulties. It is hard for children to accomplish more things when they lack a full education. A program called ChildFund India raises money for children’s needs for schooling. In most areas where ChildFund is, schooling itself is free, but the uniforms, books, buses, are often too expensive for families to pay.

What it Proves: The significance of a good education and what it can do for children in the long run.

9. http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/3049-how-one-school-is-fighting-poverty

Essential Content of Article: One in six students live in poverty. A middle school in North Carolina is taking a stand against poverty. People are working together to ensure that the children have a better life by being in a classroom. The school hangs inspirational signs throughout the halls to make the students know that they have a future and that they can achieve it. This article lists ways to fight back against school poverty.

What it Proves: There is hope! We must fight back and encourage students to have faith.

10. https://edsource.org/2014/community-schools-can-help-break-the-cycle-of-poverty/57633

Essential Content of Article: The Local Control Funding Formula has a goal to improve the outcome of successful students and to give local schools more of a say as to how they spend their education dollars. Investment is another thing we need to focus on- where all the money goes. If it does not go towards the children, it is going to the wrong place. Community schools are bringing food clinics, health clinics, and extra curricular activities onto school grounds in hopes to create the school the children deserve. There are community based services as well, for the kids are often struggling with something. Their needs are addressed so that they can learn, and the teachers can teach.

What it Proves: Poverty creates learning blockades for children. We need to find a way around those blockades to ensure these children have the education they need.

White Paper 3 – picklerick

My research essay will be delving into the deception of one of the healthiest pastimes we believe to have. I’m going to prove why reading young-adult fiction novels is a terrible habit for adults to acquire. It didn’t surprise me to find out that the majority of Young adult and teen fiction novels are read by grown adults. According to a study done in 2012, “55% of readers in the YA market are not young adults” (Howlett, 2015). People enjoy the appeal of YA fiction because it gives them the opportunity to escape their lives, to temporarily forget about their stresses and obligations. What these people are unaware of, though, is that this distraction isn’t the slightest bit beneficial for them. “History reveals fiction’s ability to change our values at the societal level” (Wilkinson, 2016). An example of this in television is with the show, “Modern Family”. There’s a homosexual couple treated without judgement in this program, which moves the viewers to become more accepting of the LGBT community. This is a good-hearted example, but if our views can be swayed so easily by a television show, imagine how easily a novel (with deep storylines and characters you strongly connect with) can rewire your brain.

Not only do these stories change the way we think, they also trick us into expecting many more positive outcomes than reality is willing give us. It’s no secret that YA fiction novels are almost sure to give you a happy ending; it’s part of the appeal. All this does, though, is lead us to have greater expectations for life and little knowledge of how go and achieve these aspirations. If you want to find true love, don’t go and read “The Fault in Our Stars”. Instead, pick up a book like “The Ladybird Book of Dating” and learn how to become a better partner.

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/feb/24/why-are-so-many-adults-reading-ya-teen-fiction

Content of the Article: This article shows that many adults still read young adult fiction novels. It includes a study which concluded the majority of YA readers (55%) are adults. States how YA books provide an escapists appeal.

What it proves: It proves that adults love YA novels and read them more than their targeted audience.

http://bigthink.com/the-moral-sciences-club/fiction-isnt-good-for-you

Content of the Article: This article debates the counterargument that reading fiction makes you more empathetic.

What it proves: This proves that my original claim is true and falsifies the popular notion that reading fiction will make you more empathetic.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2013/dec/06/literary-fiction-happy-endings

Content of the Article: This article points out one of the flaws in YA faction, the facts that there are too many happy endings.

What it proves: It proves that happy endings are detrimental to our outlook on life.

https://examinedexistence.com/why-reading-literary-fiction-is-good-for-you/

Content of Article: This article gives me great examples of popular counterarguments to my hypothesis such as, “It helps your brain stay in shape”.

What it proves: It proves that reading fiction is beneficial. It also proves that this is a highly debated topic which I can take a strong side on.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160719131334.htm

Content of Article: This article is full of psychological studies which test how reading fiction effects different parts of our brain compared to reading nonfiction. This is important because it will give my hypothesis solid backing.

What it proves: It uses a study involving an FMRI machine to conclude that fiction’s use of exhaustive descriptions is unnecessary. Instead, it suggests that all an author needs to do to activate one’s imagination is suggest a scene.

 

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0055341

Content of Article: This article describes a series of studies that were done to test how reading fiction literature affects people’s levels of empathy. There are two studies; one which tests how reading fiction affects levels of empathy over time, and one which tests how one’s level of transportation (how immersed you are in the story) whilst reading affects their empathy.

What it proves: It proves that there are multiple factors to consider when making the claim that reading fiction improves empathy. Your level of transportation matters a lot. The studies in this article show that people who are less immersed in a story will actually receive reduced levels of empathy after reading.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/beth-bartlett/4-bad-side-effects-of-rea_b_5513451.html

Content of Article: This article provides four main claims which support the argument that reading fiction has negative side effects. These claims are: Fiction makes your mind flabby, stories can leave you dissatisfied with reality, novels stoke the emotions, and sensational works can numb the mind to tragedy. Each of these claims is supported with evidence that includes real novels as examples.

What it proves: It gives me more ideas for claims to support my thesis. It overall proves that reading fiction does give people negative side effects.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec12/vol70/num04/Nonfiction-Reading-Promotes-Student-Success.aspx

Content of Article: This article includes a study which shows that the average child in the U.S. spends only four minutes per day reading nonfiction. It then goes on to describe how reading nonfiction is important for students because it positively influences student success.

What is proves: It proves that children are not reading nearly enough nonfiction. It shows that if students were to start reading more nonfiction, it would improve their levels of success and make them smarter.

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14175229

Content of the Article: This article gives reasons why women read more than men. It says that men only account for 20 percent of the fiction market. It explains that psychological studies show that women are on average more empatheic than men.

What it proves: It helps me disprove the claim that reading fiction makes people more empathetic. There is a positive correlation between levels of empathy and the amount of fiction people read because of the fact that women are naturally more empathetic than men.

https://thepatronsaintofsuperheroes.wordpress.com/2017/10/30/science-fiction-makes-you-stupid/

Content of the Article: This article explains why reading science fiction is bad for you. It claims that the way people usually read science fiction is flawed because they often have very low levels of transportation. It also says that science fiction readers have less comprehension of a plot than narrative realism readers.

What it proves: It proves that science fiction is worse to read than narrative fiction. People who are looking to achieve higher levels of empathy from reading are better off reading narrative fiction than science fiction.

White Paper 3—lbirch141

Proposal

For my research essay, I will examine how battery-powered smoke detectors are as reliable as wired smoke detectors, eliminating the hazards wired detectors may bring.

Smoke detectors are commonly known to alert someone if smoke is in their household or room. But there can be some hazards of these round plastic pieces that beep every time there is smoke. Wired detectors are what their name infers; they are hardwired into the ceiling and requires little attention until they start to go bad. These are often used because of how little you need to check them compared to battery-powered detectors. With the detectors directly wired into the ceiling, there could possibly be a risk of electrical hazards, which could be catastrophic.

Sources

1. “Smoke Detectors To Blame For Two Fires”

The Essential Content of the Article: This article published by Daily Mail provides two cases in the United Kingdom where the smoke detectors caught fire. Fire investigators on the case say they are on the side of caution because of these incidents and are taking the situation very seriously. These detectors were installed by fire services for a fire prevention safety campaign.

What it Proves: This article proves to me that there are cases of faulty detectors that do have the potential to start a fire and can cause harm. This also provides an example of an incident where smoke detectors do the complete opposite of what they are made to do.

 

2. “Pros and Cons of Hard-Wired Detectors” 

The Essential Content of the Article: This article contains both the positives and negatives behind hard-wired smoke detectors. Some advantages are that when one alarm is activated, all are activated. Also a hard-wired detector is powered through the houses main electrical system, meaning you will have power to the at all times. The negatives of hard-wired detectors are that when the power goes out, they run solely on a battery. Also another negative is how much wiring is needed, which does have the possibility to short out.

What it Proves: With the information in this article, hard-wired detectors do have negatives that may outweigh their positives at times. Sure, there are positives, such as the little attention they do need, but in an emergency situation, they still need to run off a battery. Battery-powered smoke detectors are the cheaper option, and a battery in one has the lifespan of up to 10 years, which is the same as a hard-wired detector.

 

3. “Smoke Alarms Related To Fatal Fires”

The Essential Content of the Article: This report focuses on the statistics of fatalities in fires and their relation to smoke detectors. This report by the National Fire Protection Association states “smoke alarms were present in slightly less than three-quarters (73%) of reported home fires and operated in roughly half (53%)” (Ahrens, 2). It also states that about three out of five respondents of a survey still use battery operated smoke detectors. Lastly, a main piece of evidence that can be used is that a power-failure, shut-off or disconnect was the leading failure reason for failures of hardwired only smoke alarms (46%) (Ahrens, 5).

What it Proves: This report provides useful information that can relate fire alarms and their connection to fatalities in fires. This report makes it easy to understand the statistics of fatal household fires and proves that any alarm will make the difference between life and death.

4. “Smoke Alarms In Houses Today”

The Essential Content of the Article: This report covers the facts of smoke detector in houses today. There may be a problem reflected in battery-only alarms because if one alarm detects smoke, only that one will sound. If there is a fire in a remote section of the house, the alarm may not be heard if you are far away from the alarm. One statement in this report shows that some fires start due to overheated wires in detectors from an overload on its current.

What it Proves: This report proves that there can be some hazardous things in detectors we may not even think of. This can be the fact that with battery-operated detectors, only one detector will go off in an event of fire while hard-wired fires all will activate. But one hazard a hard-wired detector may possess is the problem of overheated wires with can lead to electrical fires.

With the information I gained about electrical fires due to overheated wires, I researched more about this topic and will add below.

5. “Short Circuits”

The Essential Content of the Article: Short circuits can be caused by faulty installation of wires. When one wire carrying a current touches another wire, heat and fire can be made. This is from an overload of current which the wire may not be able to handle.

What it Proves: There can be many reasons why a short circuit may happen due to a detector. Wires may be faulty and can produce extreme heat, which can result in a fire. This proves that detectors do have the potential threat of a fire and can be harmful in some cases.

6. “Electrical Fires In Homes”

The Essential Content of the Article: This report by the National Fire Protection Agency gives us a vast amount of information gives us facts about electrical fires in houses across the country. Electrical fires may be the route of detector failures and fires because of the wiring involved. Fire departments responded to over 45,000 reported structure fires which involved electrical failure or malfunction from 2010-2014.  Wiring and related equipment accounted for the great majority of home fires and losses involving electrical distribution and lighting equipment, which was 69% of fires. 56% of civilian deaths were due to electrical distribution, such as how hardwired detectors are powered.

What it Proves: This report proves that electrical fires are very common to be the cause of structure fires. With this said, the chance of a detector starting a fire may increase because of the wiring involved. If there is a short in the wiring of the detector, there will be heat, just like in other electrical fires.

7. “9-Volt Battery Fire”

The Essential Content of the Article: This article written by Fire Protection Team gives is information about 9-volt batteries and how they can cause a fire. 9-volt batteries are used in some detectors, but also as backups in hard-wired detectors. If a metal object, which can be as simple as a pen or paper clip touches a post of the battery, it may short the battery causing heat or fire. There have been fires due to batteries reported across the country and cause a concern to many.

What it Proves: The information gained from this article proves that even batteries can play a role in causing fires in detectors. If one small piece of metal touches the posts of the battery, extreme heat will be created, which can cause a fire. Not only do hardwired detectors have the risk of faulty wiring, but also the risk of the back-up battery causing a fire.

8. “Safety Concerns with Li-ion Batteries”

The Essential Content of the Article: The article by Battery University gives the reader information about the hazards of Lithium Ion batteries and why they start fires. The author of this article describes battery failure and how they start the fires. These batteries catch fire because of either deign flaws or by random, which is said to be comparable to being hit by a meteor. A few examples of Lithium Ion failures was the hoverboard fire inncidents and the Samsung phone battery fires. These were caused by manufacturing defects. A battery can experience overheating or may become unstable if used in the wrong ways.

What it Proves: This article proves that there are some previous safety malfunctions that have to do with Lithium Ion batteries. The same types of batteries that caught fire in Samsung phones and hoverboards are used in smoke detectors. This information also proves that sometimes a fire may start for no apparent reason, which may be why some of these batteries catch fire. The most common problems are manufactural errors, which leads to possible fires.

9. “Wrong Batteries Leads To Explosive Results”

The Essential Content of the Article: This article focuses on one cause where a battery started to “buldge” and “overheat.” This was caused by the wrong battery being used in the detector and the electricity from the house can charge the battery to an amount the battery cannot handle. The detectors were made before October of 2000, but have never been recalled.

What it Proves: This article proves another example of a battery in a smoke detector overheating, and this time battery acid leaking. This is just another example of a detector malfunctioning and injuring a man. Because of the use of a battery not designed for a certain detector, overheating occured, and luckly no fire.

 

What I’m Still Looking For:

The facts I am still looking for that supports my hypothesis are sources that could give me more information about detectors and how they cause fire. I do have articles about them causing fires, but not actual statistics. I can say it would be far too hard to conclude a detector causes a structure fire, especially if it is a major fire. But, there may be some facts and some more information about detectors being the main cause of a fire.

Current State of my Research:

With the research so far, I can conclude I am on a very good path and I am gaining much more knowledge on this subject. The research is coming very well, but with some information that cannot be found (stated above). If I can find more information about detectors, I may be able to successfully prove my hypothesis. This information will make me more confident and will help my research even further.

White Paper- Morty39

I am researching and writing about how pit bulls can be used as police dogs, this will also prove that pit bulls are not dangerous dogs, and all they need is some good training. The issue of whether pit bulls are dangerous or not, has been a big one for some time now. They mainly get a bad rap because of all the dog fighting rings and the fact that once pit bulls jaws lock down on something, they stay locked. Combing training of a pit bull to fight and their jaw is a bad mix, But these animals are loveable and adorable creatures, when they are trained right. The same goes for any other dog. Because of this bad rep pit bulls have, the shelters are full of them. Shelters are trying to find ways to get these dogs out of there and into forever homes. But with some cities and places completely banning pit bulls, it is very hard to do so. That is where the police dogs come into play, these dogs are very easily trained and all they want to do is please their owners, which is very useful for the canine units. It is a win-win situation, the dogs get forever homes and the police have great working buddies.

 

Sources:

1.https://www.aspca.org/animal-cruelty/dog-fighting/what-breed-specific-legislation

Essential content of article: The article is from the ASPCA and it talks about Breed specific legislation. Breed specific legislation, BSL, is when certain breeds of dogs are banned or have more restrictions than other breeds just because they are a pit bull or a mastiff. It is a discrimination law against dogs, and it has not have any success since the first ones were established in the 1980s. The article talks about how it is ineffective and how it actually hurts more things than it helps.

What it proves: It proves that BSL is not a good law and should not be a law. It his hurting animals and owners and even public safety. Which is counterintuitive because the whole point of BSL is to prevent people getting hurt from quote on quote dangerous dogs.

2.https://www.animallaw.info/article/overview-dog-fighting

Essential content of article: In the article from animal law it talks about the overview dog fighting. The article does not go in depth into how dogfighting is done and what goes on, but it gives a description of what the animals go through, what the police look for and why it is happening and continues to go from generation to generation.

What it proves: It proves that dogfighting is a nasty sport and it gives the readers of my essay an idea into what is happening to these dogs and why this could lead to giving them a bad rap.

3.https://web.archive.org/web/20111024001344/http://www.cbp.gov/xp/CustomsToday/2002/October/k9.xml

Essential content of article: In this article it talks about how a pit bull named popsicle became an amazing police dog. The article describes how popsicle was found, where he was trained, and all of the drugs he sniffed out during his career.

What it proves: This article proves that pit bulls can be amazing police dogs and do an amazing job.

4.  http://www.news9.com/global/story.asp?s=9494086

Essential content of article: In the news story it is about a dog who saved his family from an intruder and the pit bull was shot three times and survived.

What it proves: The article proves that pit bulls are great family dogs and great protectors.

5. http://pitbulls.org/article/brief-history-american-pit-bull-terrier

Essentials of the article: In this article from pitbull.org it describes where the pit bull came from, how it was bred, how to train them. The article explains what the pit bull is like, how friendly they are and different things like that.

What it proves: The article proves that pit bulls were bred to be great family dogs, but also fierce protectors. The article even says that they are great family dogs.