Group 3: Amanda Medina, Genesis Batista-Cepeda, Sarah Ramirez
In his essay “The Problem of Land”, Jose Mariategui touched upon the different ways that colonialism exploited indigenous people. For example, systems like feudalism and the latifundium were oppressive towards the Incas and bound them to a life of servitude which then prevented them from owning land. Mariategui speaks about eliminating these systems so that the Incas can be liberated. It makes us think of oppressive systems that exist nowadays to make land/home ownership difficult for various people groups. We know that home ownership is important for many reasons, a major one being building generational wealth for one’s family. However, things like housing discrimination and the racial wealth gap serve as barriers in the way of this pursuit.
This video (from 6:36 – 9:27) explains redlining– a discriminatory practice that has historically denied mortgage loans to Black Americans, who have already been set back by inequality in other areas of life. Redlining also purposely controls the neighborhoods that they can buy property in because they are seen as a “threat” to property value. It is not a coincidence that these neighborhoods do not have the same kinds of opportunities and resources as white neighborhoods do. This in turn contributes to the struggle of building generational wealth. However, the video shows what can happen when a Black family is able to buy property in a white neighborhood. In the case of Cory Booker, his family was able to build wealth “incredibly” and then go on to buy another property in the same town, solidifying their place in middle class America
Events and Opportunities July 1-31Talks Spoken Word, Bespoke Music Spoken Word, Bespoke Music is the culmination of an innovative class sponsored by the Teaching and […]
When Research Claims Don't Match Reality The cartoon’s bold claim—”OBVIOUSLY OUR HUGE COMMITMENT TO RESEARCH DRIVES UP DRUG COSTS!”—with its intentional misspellings and questionable statistics perfectly illustrates Chapter 6’s discussion of research validity (p. 18) and motivational factors in communication research (p. 22). The exaggerated confidence mirrors how research findings can be distorted when agendas override academic rigor. I witnessed this during a psychology class experiment where students were asked to analyze anti-drug PSA effectiveness. One group—echoing the cartoon’s overstatement—claimed their survey “proved” scare tactics reduced teen drug use by 80%. However, when we examined their methodology (p. 15), we found they’d only surveyed 10 classmates and ignored questions about sample diversity. The textbook’s warning about convenience sampling (p. 16) came alive: their “obvious” conclusion collapsed under scrutiny, much like the cartoon’s dubious drug price claim. This connects to the chapter’s ideological criticism section (p. 30) about how research can serve agendas. Last semester, a pharmaceutical company rep visited campus citing “definitive research” that their ADHD medication was superior. Yet when we checked the peer-reviewed studies (p. 25), we found the research was company-funded and excluded patients with side effects. The cartoon’s garbled “Huge Commmitment” (government?) hints at this tension between public interest and […]” When Research Claims Don’t Match Reality”
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