Problems accessing Turnitin.com

Posted by on September 18, 2008 
Filed Under Announcements, Writing Assignments | 40 Comments

Several students have reported that they are asked for a class ID and password when submitting their reaction papers to turnitin.com via E-Learning. You should not need this information.

The campus E-Learning specialists recommend that all students should log on to E-Learning and try to submit a test paper before tomorrow’s deadline to make sure turnitin.com is working properly. If you are asked for a class ID and password, please call the UF Computing Help Desk at 392-HELP, and they should be able to help you resolve the issue.

Update, 3:35 p.m.: Many students continued to have problems and weren’t getting help from the Help Desk. We’ve been in touch with the Help Desk and E-Learning specialists and have posted a new link on the E-Learning site to submit your paper. So far, this new link appears to be working (for reasons no one understands). Please try to submit your paper again and leave a comment to let us know about any problems you encounter. Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for your patience.

Update, 9:52 p.m.: Unfortunately, the problem persists. See my comment below for the latest.

Research paper guidelines online

Posted by on September 14, 2008 
Filed Under Writing Assignments | 2 Comments

As you know, your first reaction paper is due this Friday, Sept. 19. And in case you missed it the first time, see my earlier blog post about what’s expected for the reaction papers.

It’s also not too early to be thinking about your research paper. I’ve just posted full guidelines on what’s expected for that assignment, which you can find on the syllabus page (scroll down to the section on research papers). Or jump straight to the PDF here.

You’ll also notice that we’ve reorganized the categories on the right side of all pages on this website to make it easier for you to find information related to the course. You can find all posts about the reaction and research papers by following the link to writing assignments.

Sexy Song of the Week: I just want to make love to you

Posted by on September 14, 2008 
Filed Under Sexy Song of the Week | 3 Comments

waters Sometimes love gives you the blues. Growing out of regional traditions of African-American slave music, the blues has greatly impacted musical sound in the last century. With a minor tone and heavy guitar, blues tunes just stir something deep down in your gut. Blues harmonies can make you mournful or fire you up and turn you on.

This week we focus on a classic: I just want to make love to you. The song was first performed in 1954 by Muddy Waters. (Here is a later video made of the song featuring the very sexy Kate Moss.) It has since been covered by numerous artists. My favorite version is by the untouchable Etta James. She recorded the song in 1961 for her very first album and still performs it today. You can read about her tumultuous career and private life in Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story.

Both James and Waters worked with the famous Chicago-based company Chess Records and both are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The history of Chess will be depicted in an upcoming film, Cadillac Records, starring Beyonce Knowles. I encourage you to check out these featured artists and other greats of the post-war blues era. Maybe you have some suggestions for your classmates. What are your impressions of this song and the sex appeal of the blues?

For further discussion, from last week’s comments on Britney’s video there appears to be some disparity in the class concerning exactly what is sexy. And some of you have offered suggestions of sexy songs, but you haven’t explained why you chose them. This is your time to speak up and clarify. What is really sexy to you and why? Is sex appeal something tantalizing left to the imagination or does it need to be more overt? Do you need explicit lyrics to get the idea? Or can a song like “I just want to make love to you” grab you?

Teenage pregnancy and sex ed

Posted by on September 14, 2008 
Filed Under In the news | 6 Comments

With the news that the 17-year old daughter of Sarah Palin, the Republican Vice Presidential candidate, is five months pregnant, there has been a surge of media attention on teen pregnancy and sex education in the US. But the discussion has been going on for some time. Here’s what NPR had to say in 2004 about a study that had just been published:

The debate over whether to have sex education in American schools is over. A new poll by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government finds that only 7 percent of Americans say sex education should not be taught in schools… Nearly three-quarters of the principals (74 percent) say there have been no recent discussions or debate in PTA, school board or other public meetings about what to teach in sex ed. Likewise, few principals report being contacted by elected officials, religious leaders or other people in their communities about sex education.

Although there may broad agreement that sex ed should be taught, there remains plenty of debate over how to teach it.  Palin, for instance, is a proponent of abstinence-only education. She does not support teaching children about safe sexual practices, including the use of condoms.  Others believe that children should be provided all the tools necessary to make the most informed decision possible.

The message provided to teenagers is important. According to some estimates, each year approximately 750,000 teens get pregnant.  That’s one-third of all teen girls. Teen pregnancy obviously has a major impact on the lives of people directly affected, but it also has broader implications for society. For example, by one estimate, more than two-thirds of teen parents do no complete high school, costing the US economy some $7 billion annually.

Sexuality news roundup

Posted by on September 11, 2008 
Filed Under In the news | 4 Comments

If you have any doubt about the relevance of this class to the real world, just pick up a newspaper. Sexuality has been all over the news lately. The “Mommy Wars” inspired by Sarah Palin’s VP nomination, which we discussed in class, is just one example. Other stories appear faster than we can keep up with them on the blog, so here’s a roundup of some recent news about sex around the world.