Inhabiting Media: An Anthropology of Life in Digital Speed

Vincent Duclos
Cultural Anthropology
February 2017

The article begins with a short quote by Blaise Pascal, which reads- The eternal silence of these
infinite spaces terrifies me. Pascal was essentially saying that he was mortified of being alone with his
thoughts. The rest of the article goes on to explain that the Journalist Alexander Nazaryan, in an essay
on anxiety, theorizes that today this issue isn't quite as prevalent, and the drug that treated it was
technology. We dont have to be alone with our thoughts because Youtube, Facebook, CNN,
Entertainment etc. provides us a disconnect from reality. Thus, ridding oneself of their existential
anxiety(Duclos 1).
Part B.

Student Personality and Online Course Experiences

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global
Tatyana Rios
2017

In this study, it was being examined wether or not personality can have an effect on how a
student perceives his or her online course. Rios begins by stating that the place of said study was at a
Christian university in the Southwest region of the united states, and the traits under the microscope
were agreeableness, extraversion, neuroticism, openness, and conscientiousness. Then she goes on to
explain that these traits have the possibility of having a positive, negative, and possible significant
outcome on how students perceive the cognitive, social, and teaching presence of their online
courses.Four out of five of these personality traits showed a positive correlation with students
perceptions of cognitive, social, and teaching presence. Finally, because the majority of variables
showed a positive correlation which was fairly significant, the study found that students personality
types may play a big roll in how they perceive their online courses, and I.E. How well they perform in
them.` This information could be used in the future to better personalize courses for students
according to their traits, and prevent people from being predisposed to failure.
Part C.

Tying Locally
Magazine Articles
Michael Zeugin
2008

Zeugin begins the article by explaining the familiar concept of eating locally. He says that you
can do this buy eating seasonal foods grown or produced near you, and although he is not fanatical
about it, he says that it just feels right to do so (Zeugin, 1). He then goes on to explain that after some
thought, found the practice transferable to a hobby of his- fly fishing (more specifically fly-tying). Fly
tying is the practice of tying ones own flies to fish with materials generally bought. However, as Zeugian
explains, the materials he started to use were a little unconventional. Through a short anecdote about
tying flies with his daughter, he says that it all started when his 10 year old daughter suggested using
some feathers she had found in the woods of the Adirondacks (where their home is). Shortly after, he
found a tuft of black bear fur, and wandered what he might tie with it- and thus beginning his hobby of
foraging for his own fur and feathers and local fly tying materials. The payoff, he says, of catching that
trophy trout on a locally tied fly is what makes it all worth it.