My Final Summative Blog

• Age?
  21
• Sex?
  Female
• What is your degree subject (both if joint)?
  Psycholohgy and Philosophy.
• Does ‘Being Bad’ relate well to the other modules you are taking?
  Yes it has.
• If so, how? And if not, why not?
  Because some of the topics covered in this module have helped me with the psychology side of my degree.
• Have you found ‘Being Bad’ too demanding, too easy, or at an appropriate level?
  In my opinion the module hasn't been too demanding at all.
• Do you think the list of topics covered on the module was appropriate?
  I think that there is a wide range of different topics that could have been covered in this module, but the topics that were covered in the time we had to study this module were appropriate to the subject of Being Bad.
• Are there any topics not included in the module that you would like to see included?
  There are a lot of topics that could have been taught in 'being bad' so it would be difficult for me to choose any that we haven't already been taught.
• Do you think that the format for classes has worked well?
  I think that it was really inconvenient at which the time the lectures went on until.
• What did you think of the module team?
  It was better that we had a different lecturer each week as I think this stopped people loosing interest in the lectures.

Do you think it would have been better to have had more:

• Small group discussions?
  I think that we did, because we talked in the lectures anyway.
• Discussion and debate among the class as a whole?
  No because if we had an opinion about someting that we were being told then we would talk about it with each other.
• Information and talk from lecturers?
  I think that the lecturers taught us what they could in the time that they had to give the lecture.
• The approach taken in the module is interdisciplinary (drawing on perspectives from English Literature, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Media Studies and Politics): do you think this a useful way of approaching the topics covered in the module?
  Yes because it stopped me loosing interest as I got to learn about something from a different perspective each week.
• Do you think that interdisciplinary modules are a good idea?
  Yes I think that these sort of modules are a good idea.
• Do you think you have benefited from the interdisciplinary approach taken in the module?
  I dont know if I have benefited especially but I have found the module interesting.
• Would you like to see more modules that cover this kind of subject matter?
  It has been quite an interesting module so yes.
• Are you planning to take the follow-up module PH2004 ‘It Shouldn’t Be Allowed’ at level 2?
  Im not sure what modules I am going to study at level 2 yet, but it is more than likely that I will, yes.
• Would you recommend ‘Being Bad’ to a friend?
  If they wanted to study Philosophy then yes.
• Do you think that the blogs (web logs) were a good idea?
  They weren't a bad idea but I do think that they were rather inconvenient and time consuming.
• What did you think of the other assessments (e.g. would it be better to have one longer assessment rather than two shorter ones?)?
  For me personally I think that it has been better to have two shorter assignment, as this has given me more time to complete other work that I needed to do.
• What have you learned from the module?
  About different people, how they live, what they like, etc.
• What parts of the module have you found most useful and why?
  To be honest, I haven't really found that much of the module 'usefull', but I have found it interesting, and some parts of what I have learned in the module will be usefull to me at some point.
• What parts do you think were a waste of time and why?
  I think that the week we did bad cinema was a waste of time, but that was down to the fact that I thought the film we had to watch in the lecture was disgusting.
• Are there any other comments you wish to make regarding ‘Being Bad’?
  None that I can think of, no.

Response to Nicolas G20 blog!

I agree with Nicola, the media should focus more on the abuse that the police officers were suffering rather than one person who got hurt, and helped to cause all of the trouble in the first place. Obviously it is wrong for a man to hit a woman in any circumstances, especially a police officer. But why shouldn’t he be entitled to the right to defend himself.

The police do not get enough respect off the public, yet the public are always the first to complain that the police aren’t doing enough to help them.


Link to Nicolas blog:
http://www.talktonic.blogspot.com/

Reply to Ruth's Reality T.V. Blog!

I’m sorry Ruth but I would have to disagree with you when you say that “we all love” reality T.V. Ok I can see why some people might want to watch it but personally I can’t stand it, sorry if I sound a bit harsh but reality T.V really annoys me. I do agree with you that it is bad and it brings out the worst in people.

What I hate most about reality T.V. is its contestants, they seem to think that because they’ve been on T.V they are entitled to star status, and why should they be when most of them are boring, talentless morons!

I make a point never to watch reality T.V (Big Brother, I’m a Celebrity, X-factor etc.), because if I wanted to sit and watch a load of people I don’t know go about their everyday lives, then I would go and sit on a bench in Walsall Town Centre...And I won’t be doing that!


Link to Ruth’s blog:

http://i-wish-philosophy-was-pink.blogspot.com/

Response to Jordan

I agree with Jordan. Homosexuality is not wrong. Ok, in all honesty I wouldn’t describe it as something completely normal, as men are meant to be with women to reproduce etc. but if homosexuality is something that is considered so wrong, why do so many people, they do it because it is something that feels natural to them. So I have come to the conclusion that if something feels natural to a person then how can it be classed as wrong?

Link to Jordans blog:
http://writingfromdesolationrow.blogspot.com/

The Internet is bad!

Even though this might make me sound like a bit of a hypocrite as I am using the internet to create this blog, I hate the internet. I think that it has a bad influence over people’s lives, and that too many people rely on it to help them with their everyday lives, which in my opinion is just laziness! If I wasn’t required to use the internet to do work on then I wouldn’t use it at all.
The person who created the following website obviously shares the same opinions on the internet as I do:

http://www.internetisshit.org/

Skinny Celebs!

I think that many celebrities have a bad influence over today’s culture, every time I read a magazine there’s usually at least one article about how some celebrity has gained or lost weight, or what “amazing” new diet they are on this week. It’s wrong that these people are praised for being super skinny; especially when they have so much influence impressionable young girls who may decide to copy what they are seeing.

The following website shows just how influential skinny celebs are to young girls:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/children_shealth/5193807/Skinny-celebrities-drive-one-in-five-11-year-olds-to-diet.html

TV Chefs and Bad Language.

After reading an article about Gordon Ramsey in the newspaper I have decided to write a blog about celebrity chefs and why they feel the need to use bad language. So we’ve all seen these chefs on TV shouting and swearing at and demeaning their staff and even customers over the slightest things.

Swearing at people just for the sake of it is disgusting and disrespectful, and it is wrong that these people who are in the public eye abuse their power, instead of setting a good example. It has now got to the point where some chefs are now just as well known for their bad language as they are for their cooking.

However, it seems that some people are now deciding to take action by refusing to eat in the chefs restaurants, forcing some of the chefs to reconsider their attitudes concerning swearing. Gordon Ramsey has even said to have enforced fines on staff and guests in one of his restaurants after he was turned down to open a new restaurant in Sydney on the grounds of decency. To read more about this click on the following link:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/ramsay-vows-to-forswear-bad-language-after-he-gets-the-brushoff-from-australia-803097.html

Lying, is it always wrong?

Lying is probably something that we all do at some point in our life in one form or another. Most people see lying as something that is wrong, but is it always wrong to lie? Sometimes people believe that they should lie to people to protect them; other people just lie for the sake of it, because they think that they can get away with lying to people.

Even though I think that it is wrong to lie to people, and that people should be honest whenever possible, I do think that sometimes it is necessary to tell small lies to people. This is only my own opinion though; I can’t say whether it is right or wrong for other people to tell lies because I think that whether a person chooses to tell a lie or not is down to their own moral judgement.

To read more on ethical issues on whether it is right or wrong to lie, click on the following link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/lying/lying_1.shtml

Binge Drinking!

Binge drinking is obviously something that is bad for your health (yet it is something I probably do nearly every time I go out somewhere for the night)! So why do people do it and what effects can binge drinking has on the body?

Some might say that binge drinking is just drinking of alcohol just for the sake of it, a lot of people binge drink when they go out because the alcohol gives them confidence, although the next day when they wake up they usually have little recollection of the night before, once you’ve had a few drinks its usually hard to stop. Apart from the embarrassment that a persons actions through binge drinking can cause, there are also serious side effects to a person’s health. Alcohol is now causing more deaths than heroin, speed, cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis, as it is one of the most highly addictive substances out there. According to the following website on binge drinking: http://www.thesite.org/drinkanddrugs/drinking/problems/bingedrinking , over 50% of 15 to 16 year-olds binge drink and 44% of 18 to 24-year-olds are regular binge drinkers.

Tabloid newspapers.

I’m writing a blog about tabloid newspapers because I think that the tabloids are a subject that has a lot to do with the module ‘being bad’. Everyone knows that tabloid newspapers don’t always tell the exact truth in the articles that they publish, yet people still continue to buy them! Even though people know that the tabloids don’t always tell the truth and that the things they are reading are sometimes blatant lies, somehow they are influenced by the stories that are featured in the tabloids.
So why do the tabloids exaggerate in a lot of the articles that they publish? Well I think that the reason journalists exaggerate some of the stories that they write and that are published in the tabloids is for shock value and to increase sales. If these stories shock people or people are interested in what they are reading then they will be intrigued and want to buy the newspaper again to read more of the same sort of thing!

To read more on the influence that the tabloid newspapers have on thier readers, click on the link below:
http://www.ukgermanconnection.org/cms/?location_id=1088

Adultery!

What is it that makes a person cheat on their partner? As I have never cheated on anyone and never would I find it hard to understand why a person would cheat on anyone. Although I don’t think that there is ever an acceptable excuse for cheating on a person, I suppose for some people there are some circumstances where it would be acceptable if they did cheat! For example, if a person were in a violent or unhappy relationship then it would make sense that they would want to go out and find someone who would be nice to them. Whereas, if a person were to continually go out and commit adultery just for the sake of it, I would say that their behaviour is wrong and totally unacceptable.

People are always coming up with excuses for why they cheat, they were drunk, they didn’t think they’d get caught, etc., (some people even claim it is in their genes to commit adultery). I think whether a person is in a good or a bad relationship if they are not capable of being faithful to the person who they are with, and then they shouldn’t be in a relationship at all!

To take the test to see if you would ever be an adulterer, click on the following link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/adultery/

Political Correctness and politicians!

I’m writing this blog about political correctness because this is a subject that really annoys me. According to one website on political correctness only 60% of people bother to vote these days. I think that one of the reasons many people no longer vote is because they believe that whoever they vote for and whatever party they vote for their opinions and rights are ignored due to political correctness.

I think that politicians are scared to have their own opinions and express opinions on things that some people might be offended by because they don’t want to risk losing votes by being seen as Politically Incorrect. This is what winds me up; so many people involved in politics are too concerned with saying what they think people want to hear and getting people to conform to their rules and regulations, rather than focusing their attentions on things that really matter!
To read more about Political Correctness, click on the following link:

http://www.politicallyincorrect.me.uk/

Why I think Plastic Surgery is bad!

I have been wondering why people get plastic surgery, and whether it is a good thing that people can drastically alter themselves and change their image for cosmetic purposes. As somebody who is totally against Plastic Surgery I can’t understand why people would want to go against nature and put themselves at risk by changing who they are. Plastic surgery can also look exactly what it is, fake! People should make the best of the way they look and work with what God gave them. I think that if people are unhappy with the way they look then they should find other ways of dealing with their insecurities before resorting to surgery, the results of which they may not like either.

The following website displays pictures that show exactly why I disagree with people having plastic surgery just for cosmetic reasons and vanity:

http://www.onlinenursingdegrees.org/medical/plastic-surgery-fail.htm

To what extent does music affect our mood?

Are certain types of music responsible for the way that we behave? I do think that to a certain extent, yes, music can have some sort of influence on our behaviour. The type of music that a person chooses to listen to can say a lot about their personality, the way they like to dress, the way they have their hair, the people they like to socialize with etc. Some songs whether they are happy or sad can have personal meanings to people so I think it is true that music can affect the way we behave, to a certain extent.

I do disagree however that particular genres of music should be blamed for peoples actions, for example, if a fan of Country music had listened to a song by a Girls Aloud and then a few hours later committed suicide, I doubt that many people would make a connection between the music that the person had listened to and the person committing suicide. Whereas if the person had listened to Marilyn Manson or MCR instead of Girls Aloud and the committed suicide, people would be far more likely to blame the type of music that the person had listened to before they committed suicide.

The following Website contains more information on how music is believed by some to affect a person’s mood!

http://www.sciencenews.net.au/silence-not-music-affects-mood/

Jade Goody

The recent death of Jade Goody has got me thinking about whether all of the media attention that she received due to her illness was justified. On one hand it is a positive thing that she has received so much attention, as this has raised more awareness about cancer, particularly amongst young women. Also the money that she has earned through interviews, T.V shows etc will ensure that her sons are going to be well cared for (financially) in the future.

On the other hand there are hundreds of thousands of people who suffer from cancer each year who do not have the luxury of being able to know that they could receive top class treatment in private hospitals if they so wanted, and being able to know that their family will be well looked after if the worst should happen to them.

I have found the following article on the internet which shows just how big a deal that the media has made out of Jades illness and her death.

http://www.dailysquib.co.uk/?c=122&a=1492

We should be bad in week 12 by...

Avoiding the lecture altogether and staying in bed!

Or possibly a field trip to the pub!!!

Either one sounds good to me!