Writing for a Real World A multidisciplinary anthology by USF students Program in Rhetoric and Composition 2004-2005 Writing for a Real World 2004 - 2005 a multidisciplinary anthology by usf students Published by the University of San Francisco Program in Rhetoric and CompositionWRW - 1 Writing for a Real World Table of Contents Acknowledgments 4 Honorable Mention 7 Essays LATIN AMERICAN STREET CHILDREN: A TRAGIC RESULT OF AN AMORAL SOCIETY Cassidy Condit 8 SEX SELLS: A MARXIST CRITICISM OF SEX AND THE CITY Dave Rinehart 21 WOMEN IN JOURNALISM Crystal Roberts 28 GENDER EXPECTATIONS AND FAMILIAL ROLES WITHIN ASIAN AMERICAN CULTURE Amy Truong 42 THE HAMITIC HYPOTHESIS: A PSEUDO-HISTORICAL JUSTIFICATION FOR WHITE SUPERIORITY Travis Sharp 52 LIBERTY: A CLARIFICATION OF DEFINITION Kathryn Cantrell 73 A NATION UNITED Faye Por 80 WITH THE CLOUDS Tran Nguyen 88 WRW - 2 University of San Francisco ARGUMENT PAPER Marisa Keller 94 A QUENCHED THIRST, A CLEAR CONSCIENCE—THE BEST PART OF WAKING UP: THE UNITED STATES AND THE GLOBAL COFFEE CRISIS Katy Kreitler 102 SEX-PISSED PUNKS Miles Braten 117 FOREVER HUNGRY John Dea 125 Science, Technical and Business Writing MAKING WAVES: FINDING KEYS TO SUCCESS IN THE FAILURES OF THE FISH INDUSTRY Andrew Skogrand 137 EVALUATION MEMO Karin Conrad 149 SINGLE MOTHERS IN MALAYSIA: THE INTERLOCKING SYSTEMS OF DOMINATION Puspa Melati Wan 161 W Cover for WRW by David Holler and Andrew Daniel WRW - 3 Writing for a Real World Acknowledgments ur third annual issue of Writing for a Real World continues to showcase excellent undergraduate writing and celebrate Ooutstanding undergraduate instruction at the University of San Francisco. Our special anthology offers two distinct sections: the first devoted to remarkable examples of the traditional academic essay; the second provide a forum for worthy models of scientific, business and technical report writing. Preceding these essays and reports are introductions from the writers and their teachers. For the first time, the tyranny of production deadlines created some difficult circumstances for faculty who were far from campus or away from their emails; consequently, some teachers were unable to respond to our requests for personal introductions. Alternatively, we asked two of our referees to provide some reader- based commentary. Overall, the commentaries and introductions help elucidate the intentions behind the assignments and give insight into the responses of the students. In last year’s issue, a production error created a misprint of Puspa Melati Wan’s name. To remedy this error, we happily reprint her essay in its entirety. Continuing a project like Writing for a Real World requires the selfless efforts of many people, and we acknowledge the contributions of those who continue to make this publication possible. We are deeply grateful to Jennifer Turpin, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Dean Rader, Associate Dean of Arts and Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, for their generous financial support and remarkable commitment to reinvigorating undergraduate writing at USF. A large debt, as well, goes to Freddie Wiant, Coordinator of the Program in Rhetoric and Composition, for her generous support. Our gratitude extends to David Holler for designing this year’s cover. Publication committee members Brian Komei Dempster, Devon Christina Holmes and Mark Meritt earn special distinctions for shepherding another edition of this anthology by providing astute editorial support and great and inspiring conversations related to this WRW - 4 University of San Francisco publication. Without their support, this publication of WRW would be unthinkable. Choosing the winning entries is a reading-intensive, day-long task that requires the purely voluntary efforts of already busy USF faculty members. Our judges reviewed carefully more than 144 submissions (from which the students’ names had been removed). Every submission was read by at least two readers, and every winning submission had to pass the review of at least four readers. For performing this task with unfailing grace and patience, we humbly thank the superb efforts of our volunteer readers: Brian Komei Dempster, Leslie Dennen, Evan Elliot, Johnnie Johnson Hafernik, Devon Christina Holmes, Leslie King, Mark Meritt, Maureen O’ Sullivan, Darrell g.h. Schramm, Kern Trembath, Sally Vance-Trembath and Freddie Wiant. Our production assistant, Kathryn Cantrell, deserves special mention for managing our submissions and helping us in ways too numerous to describe. Thanks, as always, to John Pinelli and Norma Washington for balancing the budget, and to Johnnie Johnson Hafernik, Chair of Communication Studies, for her encouragement and for helping us get the word out to students and faculty. Finally, our deepest gratitude is reserved for those teachers who encouraged their students to submit their papers and for those many students for daring to accept their challenge. The competition was stiff, and, as our Honorable Mention list illustrates, we received many more commendable essays and reports than we were able to include. Congratulations to those who earned honorable mention—we hope to hear from you again next year. And, of course, congratulations to this year’s winners. Our newest authors bravely enter the realm of published authors writing for a real world. This journal belongs to them. —David Ryan, Editor University of San Francisco WRW - 5 Writing for a Real World Writing for a Real World 2004 - 2005 Editor David Ryan Publication Assistant Kathryn Cantrell Publication Committee Brian Komei Dempster Devon Christina Holmes Mark Meritt Cover Art David Holler Cover Image Andrew Daniel Journal Referees Leslie Dennen Evan Elliot Johnnie Johnson Hafernik Leslie King Maureen O’Sullivan Darrell g.h. Schramm Kern Trembath Sally Vance-Trembath Freddie Wiant Writing for a Real World University of San Francisco Cowell Hall, 4th Floor 2130 Fulton Street SF, CA 94117 on the web at www.usfca.edu/rhetcomp/journal/ WRW - 6 University of San Francisco Honorable Mention Kathryn Cantrell Cowards or Heroes: Standing Up for Conscience Chris Doherty American Intervention Irene Feliciano Enforced Heterosexism Sells in the Gaming Market Elizabeth Greenwood The Human Mirror and Recovering an Existentialist Ethic Amir Karimabadi Beauty: A Western Standard Marisa Keller Free Will in Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife Elizabeth Moyer Smoke and Mirrors Dave Rinehart In Defense of Depravity: The Work of Director Takashi Miike Alejandra Serret Extreme Makeover: Promoting a Healthier, More Beautiful, New America Andrew Skogrand The Electric Word WRW - 7 Latin American Street Children: A Tragic Consequence of an Amoral Society Cassidy Condit Writer’s comment: On the last day of Professor Darrell Schramm’s Writing Seminar, we discussed the assignments we had completed throughout the semester, and one by one, explained which assignment we most enjoyed. I distinctly remember saying that I loved writing this paper, yet hated it at the same time. This paper marked the culmination of a semester of intensive writing. Throughout the semester, I acquired many skills, which allowed me not only to communicate my thoughts effectively, but also to fine-tune and customize my style of writing. I was eager to write this final paper, eager to show Professor Schramm all I had learned. However, this assignment proved to be challenging in a way I could not have anticipated. I found it very difficult to read about the horrors, the cruelty, that Latin American street children are forced to endure. The human rights of millions of street children are violated daily, and very few people try to help. As fascinated as I was with this topic, at times the information was just too devastating for me to face. However, Professor Schramm encouraged me to continue, and although it was difficult, I was able to write, using not only my mind but my heart as well. —Cassidy Condit Instructor’s comment: When Cassidy first enrolled in my Writing Seminar, her writing was intelligent but dense and abstract, given to sesquipedalianism. In short, she invariably chose a multi- syllabic, Latinate word when a one or two-syllable Anglo-Saxon word would have been more appropriate. But because she clearly showed herself to be open to becoming a better writer, I kept challenging her. Like a true scholar, she met my every challenge. This essay on street children is the crown jewel of her accomplishments in the class. I am enormously proud of her essay here, both in style and content. It is indeed a moving essay. —Darrell g.h. Schramm, Rhetoric and Composition WRW - 8 Latin American Street Children: A Tragic Consequence of an Amoral Society s I sit down to write this paper, Halloween has just passed. Even though the day is over, the aura of the Halloween Aseason can still be felt. It is a time when images of ghouls and goblins fill the air and horror films abound. Each year, it seems, one film promises to be the scariest yet, infused with gruesome, chilling scenes, guaranteed to give nightmares for weeks. I too have felt my hair stand on end and chills run down my spine. However, my terror is not the result of a frightening movie or a spooky ghost story. My terror is caused by something much more serious than a Hollywood blockbuster or an urban legend. In the process of researching my topic, I read a passage from the book, Brazil: War on Children by Gilberto Dimenstein. It chilled me to the bones. Patrício Hilário da Silva…was nine years old. He went to church every day…On May 1, he failed to appear, and his body was found on the beach soon afterwards. He had been strangled and a note left on his body, ‘I killed you because you didn’t go to school and had no future.’ (31) The more I read, the more I came to realize that Patrício’s tragic story is not unique in Brazil and other Latin American countries.