The Innately Self-Interested Human Being

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allison jagger, human nature, robert solomon, Self-interest, self-preservation, Thomas Hobbes, thomas locke

Philosophers and theorists throughout the ages have postulated that humans have an inherent state of nature.  Thomas Hobbes, a seventeenth-century philosopher, claimed that in this natural state human beings are self-interested.  He reasons that the motivation that drives humans is the desire for gain, and the want to garner the largest possible share of the available resources (Jagger, pg. 30).  Hobbes’ philosophy may seem materialistic and selfish, but I reason that the “resources” he refers to are more than just tangible material objects. Similar to what John Rawls explains, this can include “rights and liberties, opportunities and powers, income and wealth.” (Jagger, pg. 31).   I will demonstrate that the innateness of self-preservation and self-interest have biological sources and are supported by the environment and society through our senses, language, and relationships.  I believe that Hobbes’ philosophy extends to various realms of life and accurately describes the innate character of man.

Current Western Media Coverage of Africa, Specifically on the Darfur Region of Sudan

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africa, news coverage of africa, nicholas kristof, negativism, media coverage of africa

This is from June of last year, 2009.



Africa has largely failed; this cynicism is the driving force behind many of the pessimistic attitudes towards Africa.  Western media[1] portrays the image that Africa is broken and it is the Western world’s duty to help fix it.  New York Times writer, and two-time Pulitzer winning author, Nicholas Kristof received a Pulitzer for “his graphic deeply reported columns, that, at personal risk, focused on genocide in Darfur and that gave voice to the voiceless in other parts of the world.”  (New York Times1).  Despite his achievements, Kristof has portrayed Africa as “the continent where nothing, or almost nothing, works.” (Hagos).  This theme is recurrent throughout the West’s media coverage of Africa.  Both present and past reporting on Africa is often ethnocentric and condescending, devaluing, distorted, and even at times, completely fabricated.  The tone and language used, the length of research and final printed articles, frequency of the reporting, the author’s viewpoint, and the topics covered differ when comparing the Western media’s coverage to Africa’s media coverage.   Both media’s coverage on the “crisis of Darfur” will be used to provide a case study on current reporting.

Hypocrisy and False Empowerment as Discussed by Ariel Levy in Female Chauvinist Pigs and the Rise of Raunch Culture

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ariel levy, female chauvanist pigs, girls gone wild, hugh hefner, raunch culture

A new brand of the “empowered woman” has been plastered throughout every media outlet recently.  This woman, described by Ariel Levy in Female Chauvinist Pigs, Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture, is supposedly in charge of her own sexuality.  Levy asserts that this is a false power and,  in reality, women are making themselves, and other women, sex objects (pg. 4).  This new culture will be discussed highlighting the problems with its claim of feminism and sexual power, and identifying specific cases, such as Girls Gone Wild and Playboy, and the exploitation of females under the new regime of female chauvinist pigs.

Howard Hughes, a Theoretical Case Study

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howard hughes, obsessive compulsive disorder, obsessive-compulsive, ocd, ocpd, the aviator

This is what I’ve been doing…mostly yesterday…

The way of the future.  The way of the future.  The way of the future.  These words, echoed by Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of Howard Hughes in the movie The Aviator, highlight the true story of Hughes’s battle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).  Although Hughes was an aviator, engineer, industrialist, film producer and director, and philanthropist he is often regarded by the media as the “eccentric millionaire” whose OCD produced behavior that ultimately led to his demise.  OCD, which was not medically known or diagnosable at that time, was established post-mortem based on interactions with Hughes, recorded behaviors, and stories.  A brief history of Hughes’s life and the criteria met for a diagnosis will be provided highlighting potential causes, influences, and treatments (identifying those currently available for cases similar to Hughes’s).

Women Prisoners

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female prisoners, incarcerated women, injustices in prison, women in prison, women inmates

Quick paper for class, a little poorly written if you would ask me!  The funny thing is at this point I really don’t care, I can redo it for extra credit and I just needed to get it done.  I’m getting sick of school.  I have to work 10+ hours tomorrow, 7am-noon, 2-3, and 8-12/close.  There goes my day!  I have a test on Monday on neurobiology of mental health disorders (this one is on schizophrenia, GAD, anti-social conduct disorder, ADHD, and sex differences), wish me luck!

Injustices towards Incarcerated Women

The current state of the treatment of women inmates in the prison system is deplorable.  Women inmates face many hardships including administrators’ general abuses of power[1], sexual assault, rape, and inadequate reproductive, mental, and general healthcare[2].  An increased pressure is placed upon the state to mandate proper treatment of inmates because of the recent tripling of women prisoner population in the United States1.  Due to a need for an influx in awareness and action, a general overview of current troubles, as well as possible causes, will be discussed.

The Fashion Industry’s Obsession with Youth and Weight

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2010, america, cfda, cfdahi, coco rocha, council, crystal renn, designers, fashion, fashion industry, health, initiative, january, meeting, obsession, of, weight, youth

Here’s something to look over while I finish my post all about men’s bodies.  I love when my homework involves learning about scrotums and testes; aren’t you jealous?

I wrote this earlier this week for my women studies course.  I love the fashion industry and I love the models.  I’m not for a complete overhaul because I realize that some girls really are naturally that thin but there are many who are not and do radical things that harm themselves.  All the information gathered from this paper is from Jezebel’s post.

Dear Professors, Teacher’s Assistantss, and Graduate Assistants

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advice, big ten, dos and don'ts, graduate assistants, office hours, powerpoint, professors, syllabus, teacher's assistants, tips for professors, youtube

I’ve finished my fifth (full) semester at one of the Big Ten schools (btw, in case you didn’t know it there are 11 schools in the Big Ten, their new logo incorporates it well too).  There are several things I have learned, not from the actual class but from the people that taught them.

DO’s

• Provide a syllabus.  I cannot stress this enough.  MAKE A DAMN SYLLABUS.  This not only gives the students guidelines as to what to expect but it also gives you some credibility, like you know what you’re doing.  If there’s no syllabus that automatically makes us think “this will be easy” or “this might require many omsbudsman complaints”.
• Provide the required textbooks BEFORE the first day of class.  Not everyone can afford the bookstores and many students order online so they don’t want to be a week behind the first week of class!
• Use technology well.
  • Powerpoint.  If you make a Powerpoint presentation that does not mean you are a good teacher or lecturer.  Put some effort into it and post the abridged version online (if your school has something like that).  The abridged version makes it so students still have to come to class and pay attention but they won’t be stressing out about writing everything down and you won’t have to wait for studnets to finish writing/typing. Include interesting pictures and graphs.
  • Youtube.  If you have the link that doesn’t guarantee it will work.  The internet connection may be bad, the sound may not be set up, or the video may have been taken down due to copyright problems.  Think about these problems beforehand.  Make a Youtube account where you can save the videos beforehand  for quick and reliable access (also, the students can always rewatch the clips if they have any questions about it or if there are questions about the clips on tests.) Also preload the video and make sure the sound is set up beforehand.
  • E-mail: Check your e-mail and respond more than just during your office hours (especially right before tests).
• Get to class a MINIMUM of ten minutes early.  People have questions and also want to make impressions on you.  Be open to meeting your students and possibly getting to know them.
• Have office hours.  Sure, it might be a waste of your time but it comforts students when they know if they have a problem they don’t have to go out of their way to fix it.  Our lives are more stressful and busy than you think, don’t make things harder for us.

DON’Ts

• Read the whole syllabus aloud in class.  If we got into college we can read by ourselves.  Point out the important parts or say “subject to change” to certain items and move on.
  • If you’re going to put the University’s policies in the syllabus make it fit to whole pages so (if we really want to) we don’t have to print it.  Also, if you’re going to provide the obligatory paragraph on cheating actually check the papers for that.
• Provide a grading scale that will end up being NOTHING like what happens in the class.  Don’t give a “I hope to accomplish this much” syllabus; make it realistic.
• This is one I will NEVER understand…Why do you think it’s okay if the class average is a 2.5 or below?  There is a problem!  Don’t think this is normal!  Ask the students what happened and what the problem areas are and look over your tests.
• Technology.
  • Powerpoint.  Clip-art does not suffice for images.  Don’t use clipart! Don’t use the same theme all semester.  Don’t waste your time on slide transitions.  When making your Powerpoints don’t put EVERYTHING that you say on there, then why should we come to class?
  • Youtube.  If they’re gross images or slightly inappropriate (nudity, language, etc.) warn the class so they don’t think they’ll be watching keyboard cat.  Also, there are more conservatives out there than you think.
  • E-mail.  Don’t send a fake e-mail at the end of the semester telling everyone how much fun you had (unless you are on letter-of-recommendation status with at least 3/4 of your students)