Weekly Learning Reflection (Deadline #10)

Analyzing other people's assignments and the readings, helped me achieve the program and class goals. I was able to achieve Program Goal #1, which is Rhetorical Awareness. I was able to achieve this goal since I changed my thesis statement and organization (because of my audience.) I was also able to achieve Program Goal #2 and #3 which is Critical Thinking/Composing and Reflection/Revision. Finally, I was also able to achieve Program Goal #4, which is Conventions. I was able to understand conventions "as related to purpose, audience, and genre, including such areas as mechanics, usage, citation practices, as well as structure, style, graphics, and design." (Rodrigo, 2015)

I was also able to achieve many of the Course Goals. I accomplished basically all of them but there are specific goals that stand out the most to me, The goals that I achieved (that stand out to me) include, "Read texts to assess how writers achieve their purposes with their intended audiences", "Develop an argument with persuasive appeals to your audience", "Locate and analyze evidence to develop an argument" and "Use the conventions of scholarly research, analysis, and documentation". (Rodrigo, 2015)



The blogs I commented on are as follows: Felicia Maldonado, Felicia Maldonado, Andrew Rocha, Andrew Rocha 

10.7 Considering Types

I will be using the "Position Argument" for my public argument. Using the Casual, Evaluative, Proposal, and Refutation Argument would also work but I decided that the Position Argument would work the best for my public argument.

The Position Argument would work the best for my public argument since I am defending a specific position/idea for my controversial debate. "In this argument, you would defend a specific policy, position, or idea in a controversial debate." (Minnix/Young, 2012) I chose to use this type for my public argument since this allows me to create my own defenses of this position. Not only that, but a Position Argument allows me to "defend either side of this issue with arguments that would work for a specific audience." (Minnix/Young, 2012)

10.5 Analyzing Context

1. What are the key perspectives or schools of thought on the debate that you are studying?

The key perspectives include...

-Women being the victims of sexual violence more often than men. This side believes that men are usually the perpetrators and women are the victims.

-Men are under-represented when it comes to being the victims of sexual violence. This side believes that "women being the only victims of sexual violence" is just a misconception. This side also believes that men are sexually assaulted just as much as women are (or men are sexually assaulted more often than women.)


2. What are the major points of contention or major disagreements among these perspectives?

The major disagreements for my public argument is whether or not men are victims of sexual violence. Some people believe that women are the victims of sexual violence and that men are the ones who commit the crimes. But obviously, there are also people who disagree with that statement and wants to prove that "women being the only victims of sexual violence" is just a misconception.


3. What are the possible points of agreement or the possible common ground between these perspectives?

Both sides tend to agree that both men and women face sexual violence. It's just that many people believe that women are more often the victims of sexual violence, which is not true!


4. What are the ideological differences, if any, between the perspectives?

There are many basic differences in opinion about what is right and what is wrong. One side believes that women are usually the victims  and that men are the perpetrators. The other side believes that both men and women face sexual violence (equally/or men face sexual violence more than women).


5. What specific actions do their perspectives or texts ask their audience to take?

The author does include some possible solutions for this controversy. The author suggests that men need to report the crimes so the statistics are more accurate. This would make men less under represented (when it comes to being the victims of sexual violence).


6. What perspectives are useful in supporting your own arguments about the issue? Why did you choose these?

The perspective that supports men being victims of sexual violence would be the most useful in supporting my argument about this issue. I chose this perspective because men are under- represented when it comes to them being the victims of sexual violence. It has been proven that men are also in danger of sexual violence just like women. Some researchers even claim that men encounter more sexual violence than women.


7. What perspectives do you think will be the greatest threat to your argument? Why so?

The perspective that supports women being the only victims of sexual violence would be the greatest threat to my argument. This perspective would be the greatest threat since researchers try to prove that women are sexually assaulted more often than men, which is not always the case. That is just a misconception.

10.4 Analyzing Purpose

1. The goal of my public argument is to be able to convince the audience that women being the only victims of sexual violence is just a misconception. As a result of my argument, I would like people's mindset to change and I would like them to have sympathy for men since they are under-represented when it comes to sexual violence.

2. I believe that there are many likely and unlikely results of reading my analysis. Some likely results include, people changing their perception of men (understanding that they are also victims of sexual violence) and people doing further research to prove this claim even more.  One of the main unlikely results is people not changing their perception of men.


3. One possible result/consequence for my public argument is "changing how men are portrayed when it comes to sexual violence." This would make people aware of the controversy and this would change how men are portrayed on social media. Men are portrayed as the ones who commit the crimes when really that is not always the case. Men are just under-represented when it comes to being the victims of sexual violence. This would motivate people to change how men are portrayed on social media. Some possible actions people might take include, spreading the word (informing their friends that men are also victims of sexual violence) and doing further research to support the claim even more.


4. I believe that my audience would be individuals who are interested in the field of study (psychology) and have a general understanding of the topic/controversy. Definitely the people who already know that women are not the only victims of sexual violence are more likely to advance my cause. However, I believe that my public argument will be strong enough to get more people to understand that men are also victims of sexual violence. This will be beneficial because the people who thought women were the only victims would also advance my cause (after reading my public argument).

10.3 Learning for Project #3

I actually learned a lot from reading both the assignment prompt and the readings . I learned the steps I have to take in order to successfully complete this Project #3. This includes, "deciding on an ongoing public argument to participate in, finding more sources, thinking about the audience & genre , thinking about the purpose & context, planning & creating a project draft , reviewing, reflecting & revising, and finally publishing & reflecting." (Rodrigo, 2015) 

Weekly Learning Reflections (Deadline #9)

I was able to accomplish many class goals especially "Devise writing strategies suited to various rhetorical situations" and "Develop an argument with persuasive appeals to your audience." I was able to use multiple rhetorical strategies to back up my argument/claim such as credibility, emotion, and logic. Also, I was able to come up with an argument with persuasive appeals. I think I was persuasive enough. I also accomplished some of the program goals (Especially Goal 1). I was able to accomplish Goal 1 since I learned various strategies for analyzing texts' purposes/audiences. The most important part was learning about the rhetorical strategies (credibility,emotion, logic) and applying them to my essay.


The blogs I commented on are as follows: Cindy Ramirez, Deb Ortega, Andrew Rocha, Felicia Maldonado

Extended Annotated Bibliography

Sivakumaran, Sandesh. "European Journal of International Law." Sexual Violence Against Men in Armed Conflict. Oxford Journals, 2007. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://ejil.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/2/253.short>.

This source is about how men are victims of sexual violence in armed conflicts. This source helped me answer one of my focusing questions, which was "What are the main/key arguments for both sides?" This source made me understand how men are sexually assaulted in armed conflict (military). 


Hunter, John A., Jr., Lenard J. Lexier, Dennis W. Goodwin, Patsy A. Browne, and Christine Dennis. "Psychosexual, Attitudinal, and Developmental Characteristics of Juveni." Le Female Sexual Perpetrators in a Residential Treatment Setting. Kluwer Academic Publishers-Human Sciences Press, 1993. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01321228>.

This source is about female sexual perpetrators. A survey was conducted on 10 juvenile sexual offenders (in a residential treatment program). This source helped me answer one of my focusing questions which was "What are the main/key arguments for both sides?" From reading this article, I learned more about female sexual perpetrators and how men are also victims of sexual violence. 


Russell, Wynne. "Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys." Research Gate. Forced Migration Review, 3 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.<http://www.researchgate.net/publication/260002638_Conflict-related_sexual_violence_against_men_and_boys>.

This source is about sexual violence against men and boys. This article is about how women are not the only victims of sexual violence. This source helped me answer one of my focusing questions which was "What can people do to resolve this controversy?" I learned that "systematic collection of data is vital." (Russell, 2015) I learned that men/boys need to report being sexually assaulted so that the statistics would be more accurate (and men wouldn't be under-represented). 


Gershon, Livia. "When Women Sexually Assault Men." Pacific Standard, 9 Oct. 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://www.psmag.com/politics-and-law/women-sexually-assault-men-92099>.

This source is about women sexually assaulting men. This source helped me answer one of my focusing questions which was "What are the main/key arguments for both sides?" I learned that
women being the only victims of sexual violence is just a misconception. 


Rosin, Hanna. "Men Are Raped Almost as Often as Women in America. We Need to Talk About This. ." When Men Are Raped. The Slate Group, 29 Apr. 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2014/04/male_rape_in_america_a_new_study_reveals_that_men_are_sexually_assaulted.html>.

This source is about how men are raped almost as often as women in America. This source helped me answer one of my focusing questions which was "What are the main/key arguments for both sides?" I learned that men are also victims of sexual violence (rape), NOT JUST WOMEN!


Penn, Nathaniel. ""Son, Men Don't Get Raped"" GQ. GQ Longform, 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://www.gq.com/long-form/male-military-rape>.

This source is about how men are victims of sexual violence even though they are perceived as the ones who do it to females. This article talks about men being victims of sexual violence in the military. This source helped me answer one of my focusing questions which was "How does the media react to sexual violence in general?" I learned that men are under-represented when it comes to being sexually assaulted because men are usually perceived as the ones who do it.


Kassie, Emily. "Male Victims Of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out‘We're Up Against A System That's Not Designed To Help Us'" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 2 Feb. 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/27/male-victims-sexual-assault_n_6535730.html>.

This source is about male victims who were sexually assaulted on campus. This source helped me answer one of my focusing questions which was "How does the media react to sexual violence in general?" I learned that there are cases where men are sexually assaulted on campus. Also, I learned how there are people who are trying to speak up about this issue and make a difference in the world. 


Munro, Kali. "Male Sexual Abuse Victims of Female Perpetrators." KaliMunrocom. Kali Munro, 2002. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://kalimunro.com/wp/articles-info/sexual-emotional-abuse/male-sexual-abuse-victims-of-female-perpetrators>.

This source is about men being sexually abused by female perpetrators. This source helped me answer one of my focusing questions which was "What are the main/key arguments for both sides?" I learned about male victims who were sexually abused by female perpetrators. This helped me understand more about how men are also victims of sexual violence. 


Carlson, Eric Stener. "THE HIDDEN PREVALENCE OF MALE SEXUAL ASSAULT DURING WAR: Observations on Blunt Trauma to the Male Genitals." The British Journal of Criminology 46.1 (2006): 16-25. Female Perpetrators and Male Victims of Sexual Assault: Why They Are so Invisible. Forge, Jan. 2009. Web. 24 Oct. 2015. <http://forge-forward.org/wp-content/docs/Female-perpetrators-and-male-victims-why-they-are-invisible_mjw.pdf>.

This source is about female perpetrators and how men are victims of sexual assault. This source explains how men are often seen as "invisible" since many people think women are the victims of sexual assault. This source helped me answer one of my focusing questions which was "What are the main/key arguments for both sides?"


Kingkade, Tyler. "Males Are More Likely To Suffer Sexual Assault Than To Be Falsely Accused Of It." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 8 Dec. 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2015. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/08/false-rape-accusations_n_6290380.html>.

This source is about how men are more likely to be victims of sexual assault rather than being falsely accused of the crime. This source helped me answer one of my focusing questions which was "How does the media react to sexual violence in general?" This source was actually one of the most interesting ones out of all of them. I never knew that males were more likely to be victims of sexual assault compared to being falsely accused of it! I thought it was the complete opposite!

9.5 Narrowing My Focus

The questions I found to be the most important are....


1. What are the main/key arguments for both sides? 

This question is very important because everyone needs to know the main arguments for both sides. It wouldn't be controversial if both sides didn't have arguments. It is important to answer this question before writing my own public argument because it is impossible to write anything without knowing the main arguments for both sides. 


2. How does the media react to sexual violence in general?

I really like this question because it is important to know what other people think about this controversy. It is important to answer this question because it would allow others to see what other people think. 


3. What can people do to resolve this controversy? 

I really like this question since there is always a cause and effect for everything. It is important to answer this question because this would continue to be a problem in our society if this controversy was never resolved.

9.4 Questions About Controversy

• Write 5 questions in which you identify things you still need to learn about WHO is involved in the controversy.

-How many people agree with this article?

-How would both sides react to this article?

-How would both sides defend their claims/arguments (when one side counter argues)? 

-How would someone officially know if the sources are credible? 

-How does someone know which side is actually correct? 

• Write 5 questions in which you identify things you still need to learn about about WHAT is up for debate in this controversy.

-What are the main arguments for both sides?

-What can people do to resolve this controversy? 

-What is the author's main purpose for writing this article?

-What is an idea one side can counter argue? 

-What is the deeper message both sides are trying to get across? 

• Write 5 questions in which you identify things you still need to learn about WHEN this controversy has unfolded (and the larger contextual details of that time period that may be relevant).

-When did supporters begin to speak out about this controversy? 

-When did opposing supporters speak out about this controversy? 

-When did the author conduct this research?

-When did people start to realize that men were also victims of sexual violence?

-When was the first time a male actually reported being sexually assaulted? 

• Write 5 questions in which you identify things you still need to learn about WHERE this controversy has unfolded - and I mean both physical spaces and cultural spaces.

-Where do most males get sexually assaulted? 

-Where do most victims go when trying to seek help (report being sexually assaulted)? 

-Where did the author conduct his research?

-Where did the author get his information from?

-Where in the world do most people support this article? 

• Write 5 questions in which you identify things you still need to learn about HOW this controversy has unfolded in the media (including general popular media, scholarly media and social media)

-How come it took a long time for people to realize that women are not the only victims of sexual violence? 

-How does the media favor one side over the other? 

-How does the media react to sexual violence in general? 

-How does the media influence and change other people's opinions about this controversy? 

-How does the media respond to a controversy like this one? 

9.3 Final Submission and Reflection on Project 2

                                                                                                                Anthony Saito

                                                                                                                English 102

                                                                                                           October 22, 2015

    Men Too Are Victims of Sexual Violence

         It is a misconception when people say that women are known to be the only victims of sexual violence. Wynne Russell published the article “Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys” to prove that women are not the only victims of sexual violence. Russell uses multiple rhetorical strategies such as credibility, logic, and emotion to prove his overall message to the audience. This article is targeted toward individuals who are aware of the controversy and are interested in psychology, which is the field of study.

          Russell argues and informs his audience that women are not the only victims of sexual violence. He uses credible sources, examples, and multiple rhetorical strategies, to prove that men are also in danger of sexual violence. In his article, Russell describes how “the limited statistics that exist almost certainly vastly under-represent the number of male victims.” (Russell, 2015) This quote shows that men are victims of sexual violence but males tend to not report the crime unlike most women.  The author is trying to prove his message that men/boys are also in danger of sexual violence and are victims just like women. He then goes on to talk about multiple examples of where males face sexual violence. The author explains that males often encounter sexual violence when they are in jails (detention) or in the military. One of the most important aspects of his article is how he writes about a possible solution to this controversy. The author believes that “systematic collection of data is vital” (Russell, 2015) because this would help men and boys report being sexually assaulted, which is beneficial for researchers since they would get a precise and accurate statistic. Men and boys would not be under-represented if more males reported being sexually assaulted.

          Russell’s audience is comprised of individuals who have a general understanding of the controversy and are interested in psychology, which is the field of study. He uses statistics, examples, and credible sources, which strengthens his arguments. Also, the author uses multiple rhetorical strategies in his article including a very important one, which is credibility. He uses many credible sources such as INGOs, UN agencies, governmental & intergovernmental organizations, and international criminal courts. The author uses statistics and examples that truly help the audience understand more about men and boys being victims of sexual violence.  “Many international organizations – UN agencies, governmental and intergovernmental organizations, INGOs, international criminal courts – have acknowledged the issue in their publications and their staff members show a high degree of individual sensitization and concern.” (Russell, 2015) The author uses these international organizations to prove that male-directed sexual violence is still undocumented.

          The author uses another rhetorical strategy in his article, which is logic. The use of logic is very effective when an author wants to back up their argument. Russell uses examples, statistics, and credible sources to support his claim and argument. In his article, he not only uses the international organizations, which are credible sources, but he also uses statistics from the Human Security Report. The Human Security Report stated, “If one expands this tally to include cases of sexual exploitation of boys displaced by violent conflict, the not “boys being boys” but an exercise in power and humiliation list encompasses the majority of the 59 armed conflicts identified in the recent Human Security Report.” (Russell, 2015) This proves how men are sexually violated but not enough males actually report the crimes.  The author also explains another statistic that truly shows how most men in prisons face many different types of sexual violence. “In some places over 50% of detainees reportedly experience sexualized torture.” (Russell, 2015) This is a reliable statistic since it is coming from a credible source.  It is very sad because males in both the military and in prisons face many different types of sexual violence. This includes “rape, sexual torture, mutilation of the genitals, sexual humiliation, sexual enslavement, forced incest and forced rape.” (Russell, 2015)

          The use of emotion is used throughout his article.  The topic he writes about, which is sexual violence, is a very controversial topic that can make people emotional. It is obvious that the author wants the audience to have sympathy for men since they are under-represented when it comes to sexual violence.  “Nevertheless, in the last decade, sexualized violence against men and boys – including rape, sexual torture, mutilation of the genitals, sexual humiliation, sexual enslavement, forced incest and forced rape – has been reported in 25 armed conflicts across the world.” (Russell, 2015) This quote shows that even men face rape and other sexual violence that women often experience. Even just reading that one quote, would make someone feel emotional since being a victim of sexual violence is something that is taken seriously and it is not something to laugh about. The use of emotion is a key part of this article since the author is trying to inform the audience that woman being the only victims of sexual violence is just a misconception.

          "Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys" written by Wynne Russell, proves how men are under represented when it comes to sexual violence. The author uses many credible sources, examples, and statistics to show that woman being the only victims of sexual violence is just a misconception. Russell also uses multiple rhetorical strategies including credibility, emotion, and logic, which strengthen his arguments. I personally believe that the author successfully proved his overall message that women are not the only victims of sexual violence. 

                                               References:

Russell, Wynne. "Sexual Violence Against Men and Boys." Research Gate. Forced Migration Review, 3 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Oct. 2015. <http://www.researchgate.net/publication/260002638_Conflict-related_sexual_violence_against_men_and_boys>.

      “Think girls and women are the only ones sexually assaulted? Think again!” via Carbonated.TV. 2012. All Rights Reserved. 

            “Domestic Violence and the role of Big Money” via conflictresearchgroupintl.com. February 20, 2014. All Rights Reserved.

                                       “Rape: The Male Perspective” via bdnews24.com. July 27, 2014. All Rights Reserved.

Reflection: 

1. I made many changes when revising one draft to another. At first, I did not mention any rhetorical strategies (credibility, emotion, logic) which is one of the most important parts of the essay! 

2. I reconsidered changing my thesis statement and organization since I felt like it was not up to my standards. Writing and choosing my thesis statement was very difficult to do but I feel like I chose the best thesis statement for my project. Also, I felt like my organization needed improvement which is the reason why I dedicated a whole paragraph for each topic. For example, I dedicated a whole paragraph for each of the rhetorical strategies I covered in my project (credibility, emotion, and logic). 

3. There were many factors that led me to making these changes. I forgot to keep the audience in mind (reconsideration of audience) and I also had a shift in purpose. I needed to persuade the audience that men are also victims of sexual violence and I did just that by making a few changes. Changing my thesis statement and organization was a big part of that. 

4. I don't think that these changes affected my credibility as an author. I believe that it made my essay much more persuasive and meaningful. 

5. The changes I made will definitely better address the audience. A thesis statement is very important and I incorporated a well written and very strong one in my essay. Just that thesis statement already made a huge difference. The organization also helped improve my essay because it makes my essay more concise and organized. Dedicating a whole paragraph for each topic allows me to explain the topic in greater detail, which is obviously a good thing. I believe that dedicating a whole paragraph for each topic including the rhetorical strategies (credibility, logic, emotion) made my essay a lot better and more meaningful!