3A Berkeley and Oakland

1. Contains a title using the format listed above .25 points

3a Berkeley and Oakland

2. Contains a web link to your locations. (eg you can use the tools in your blog where you paste your work; there is a little icon that looks3 like a link) .25 points

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc9nns6QOGs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrMBMJ2VlnY
http://berkeley.edu/news/
http://oaklandnews.com/

3. Contains an explanation regarding how this component (any aspect of it; eg content of videos, content of websites) connects to your study of humanities. .25 point

In my study I chose to look at news videos on both Oakland and Berkeley. Even though both cities are right next to each other and geographically very close to each other, they vary dramatically in news and issues. While the news cast on Berkeley I witnessed was mainly on protesting, Oakland's news cast was on a drive-by shooting at a local mall. I also looked at a news paper from both cities. News papers as well as the news from both cities are the way that people receive their information. That is how people find out what is going on in their cities as well as in the world. This relates to our study of humanities in that these communities depend on news to inform them of important issues or events.

4. Contains the following elements that will be used in upcoming projects for analytical purposes:
a. What are some assumptions/stereotypes you think people have of each location: 1 point

There are many assumptions when it comes to both cities. For example when watching the news video on a drive-by shooting in Oakland, I imagined that this is a regular occurrence for Oakland residents. The assumptions that surround the city of Oakland are that it is a dangerous and volatile city. I watch the news every night and it seems like more often than not, Oakland is portrayed in a negative way, mainly because of the amount of crime in the city. For Berkeley most of the news tends to have to do with their infamous California University of Berkeley. When you think of Berkeley that is the first thing you think of. You assume that everyone in the city is either educated or working to get educated. But we forget about the others in the city which have lived their for many generations and for whom the school is just a part of the scenery. The stereotypes regarding both cities are dramatically different even though both cities are really close to each other. The people of Berkeley are educated and the people of Oakland are dangerous.

b. List 3 things that make each location similar: 1 point

1. For starters the cities are only separated only by about five miles of road. They are so close that I was once lost in Berkeley and before I knew it i was in Oakland.

2. Both cities are very culturally diverse. They both have a number of different cultures that inhabit and thrive in them.

3. Both cities are some of the largest cities within our California. Underneath San Francisco and Los Angeles both Oakland and Berkeley are relatively large well known cities.

c. List 3 things that make each location so different: 1 point

1. Crime rates are drastically different between both cities. While Oakland has already reached its one hundredth murder, Berkeley is at about fifteen and varies according to different sources.

2. Berkeley and Oakland have many events that work to bring their residents together, one event is the annual Berkeley Kite festival. Oakland has its annual Fine arts festival.

3.In August 2008 Oakland's unemployment rate was 10.5% and Berkeley's was 2.3%. This difference is huge when you take into consideration the population of both of these cities.

d. Questioning: What else would you like to know about these places? When completing the question section, lead your audience into the question by stating a fact you do know, yet you still have the related question. This way, both your audience and you will have an educational experience. .5 point

During the 2006-2007 school year an estimated eleven percent of Oakland's high school students dropped out, that is the highest in the whole state of California. I would like to know why the high school drop out rate is so much higher in the city of Oakland than any other city?

5. Using your classmates work from last week, tell us one thing you learned from 1 student. Is this one thing some common experience you share or some experience that is completely different than what you experienced? Is this one thing related to our class theoretical foundation and if so, how? Is that one thing related to historical or cultural context of this country or a different one? Link that persons blog to this entry (eg cut paste that blog entry here) . .5 point

I chose to look at Samantha Patterson's 2c project. She chose to look at the subject of different languages used within the state of California. This is something I can completely relate to because I grew up in a home where we spoke Spanish as a primary language. I chose to study French extensively in high school and college because I have always had a personal interest in languages. I believe that the diversity of languages used in California are very important and very interrelated to our study of humanities. The diversity of all the different languages used in California represents the collaboration of all the cultures in California. All the cultures in California makes California what it is.

http://pattersons64.blogspot.com/2008/10/2c-california-language.html