solved 1) Post a paragraph from any writing you have done

1) Post a paragraph from any writing you have done recently. Then identify one choice you made with regard to commas (either using a comma or not using a comma). Comment on the reasons for your choice. Are there other alternatives for punctuating the sentence that you might consider?
In response to another student’s paragraph, identify one choice the student writer made in regard to commas (either using a comma or not using a comma), and comment on the effects of that choice. Are there other alternatives for punctuating the sentence that the writer might consider?
Student 1
For my research project, I used the UMGC library to find sources. I decided to stick to a greater proportion of law reviews and academic journals as my topic, the rise of domestic terrorism and white nationalism, can often be politicized. To limit bias from the paper or political tilts, I am trying to find bipartisan or non-partisan sources which eliminate a lot of news media.
In my paragraph I used a comma in the sentence, “I decided to stick to a greater proportion of law reviews and academic journals as my topic, the rise of domestic terrorism and white nationalism, can often be politicized.” I used a comma to show that the phrase “the rise of domestic terrorism and white nationalism” is not a necessary part of the entire sentence. Rather, the clause clarifies the topic mentioned. Alternative punctuation that I could have used was em dashes. Using em dashes the sentence would look like, “journals as my topic?the rise of domestic terrorism and white nationalism?can often.” Em dashes can separate information in a sentence as an alternative to parenthesis or commas. The result is a more casual and softer sentence.
For this discussion topic, you will post four sources that you consider possible sources for your research project. At least two of these should be scholarly journal articles.
For each source, please post your answers to the following:

Provide an APA-style reference citation for the source. Remember that you can use CiteFast if you wish.
What type of document is the source (journal article, news article, government document, etc.), and how can you tell?
When considering the usefulness of this source for your research project, what positive and/or negative features can you identify? Factors you may wish to consider include focus, credibility, detail, and audience.
Optional question: Feel free to comment on what search strategies you employed to find your sources.

Guided response (by Sunday):
Consider the sources posted by one of your peers. Would you consider all of the sources to be credible if you encountered them in a research paper? Would you give more weight to one over another? Why or why not?
Student 2

Emm, D. (2006) Phishing update, and how to avoid getting hooked. ScienceDirect. Phishing update, and how to avoid getting hooked – ScienceDirect (umgc.edu) This is a scholarly journal. I know this because I used the library to search specifically for scholarly journals. I think this is a good start to my research it not only tells you how to avoid being a victim of phishing, as well as giving the latest details on thieves’ newest approach to phishing.
Vincent, L. (2021) Preventing identity theft: Don’t let thieves damage your credit or disrupt your life. American Nurse Today Preventing identity theft: Don’t let thieves damage your credit or disrupt …: UMGC Library OneSearch. This is also a scholarly journal. This journal consists of many prevention tactics and will help me develop my research statement. This article is for people who are interested in knowing more about identity theft and how to avoid it.
Avoiding identity theft. (2019, September 29). Consumer.gov. https://www.consumer.gov/articles/1015-avoiding-identity-theft This is a government article. I can tell by how it ends in “.Gov”. This article is about what identity theft is, how u can avoid it, basically everything to know about identity theft.
Glaser, Guy H. The IRS New fraud enforcement program. Journal of Tax Practice & Procedure The IRS’s New Fraud Enforcement Program: UMGC Library OneSearch This is a Scholarly journal as well. This article is about the new fraud enforcement program that the IRS has put into place to reduce the amount of identity theft claims.

2) Censorship in film has played an important role in commercial movie making. Do you think the film you watched for this week’s first discussion question would have been allowed to release with the same exact content under the Hays Code? Why or why not? Be explicit and support your claim with verbiage from the Hays Code itself.
Respond to at least two of your classmates.
Student 1
As much as I would love to believe that this unique and light-hearted sci-fi movie that is Arrival (2016) would have been allowed to release with the same exact content under Hays Code, I do not believe it would have for a few reasons. Profanity was mildly used to include the use of “God” and “Fuck” which breaks the first rule, “1. Pointed profanity-by either title or lip-this includes the words “God,” “Lord,” “Jesus,” “Christ” (unless they be used reverently in connection with proper religious ceremonies), “hell,” ” damn,” “Gawd,” and every other profane and vulgar expression however it may be spelled;” (Filmaker I.Q., 2013). Additionally, it portrayed China not only as violent, but influential in the negative sense as they nicknamed Chinese General Shang as Big Domino because at least four other countries would follow suit, thus breaking the 11th rule. “11. Willful offense to any nation, race or creed;” (Filmaker I.Q., 2013) Lastly, I believe this thought provoking film would have been considered a threat to the church as the alien life was not a subject to be conquered, but a higher life form that was here to help us.
Student 2
The Hay’s Code may have been right for the time but the movie I watched would not survive even 5 minutes before the critics would run out screaming from the theater. I think that it pretty common for the movies I watch and most modern films. In Ghosts of War, the characters are WWII soldiers with a habit of cursing and shooting Nazi soldiers. These characters are then posted at night in a haunted house where someone was burned alive, kids died brutally, and there is no shortage of maiming and violence against the main characters as well. I don’t this that watching a character get burned alive narrowly squeezes within the confine of The Hays Code which strictly prohibits realistic violence.
Although, there were some notable exceptions made to The Hays Code, in all of them, they were remembered because they dared to tell the story unapologetically. “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a Damn.” This was a phrase used in the movie Gone with the Wind that is more remembered to this day the most of the movies we have seen in the last 20 years. This was a line that was clearly designed to be remembered and it sure was. I can imagine the teens coming out of the movie saying “Oh golly, he said damn!” They repeated the phrase at school the next day despite the scoffs of their parents. In reality, the swear only stayed in due to the fact that the line was ripped straight out from the novel by the same name. “You can’t blame me, Motion Picture Production Code, it’s right here in the book!” the director probably said.
Modern horror movies would not exist under the The Hays Code. The movie I watch has graphic hangings, struggled drownings, bomb mangled bodies, severed arms, crushed fingers, endless ways of gunned downed Nazis and all of that with all sorts of foul language thrown about. And that not even the craziest horror movie I have seen recently! I Spit on Your Grave series grotesque violent, and sexually violent behavior. It’s not just a part of the story telling, it’s nearly the whole story. The premise of that movie doesn’t exactly meet the “Revenge shall not be justified” mantra that The Hays Code demanded.
Of course, the straw that broke the camel’s back was in 1968 (or rather the late 60s as whole) where The Hays Code was a little too strict about interracial couples where America was at the highest racial tension it had ever been with The Civil Rights movement. Now we have rating for movies based on violence, sexual themes, drug use, and profanity, that way, at least you know what kind of movie you let your kids watch when you don’t want to deal with them for a few hours.
3) Watch a film made in the last 25 years from one of the following genres – Melodrama, Science Fiction/Fantasy, or Horror. It cannot be from the genre that your favorite movie is from (the film you told us was your favorite in week one).
What does it have in common with the films of that genre in the week three content? How is the film different?
How does sound play a part in the film you watched? Identify at least three places that sound stood out in the film.
Respond to at least two of your classmates.
Student 1
In the film Suicide Squad does have a few sci-fi iconographies common to Metropolis film. For example, both have hologram of electrical rays and halos when the Enchantress and Rotwang were creating their masterpieces. Ironically both the Enchantress and Rotwang creations were in a way robotic. Both takes places in a futuristic and fantasy world. The difference between the Metropolis and Suicide Squad is that Suicide Squad is a group of assemble villains ordered to save the world from abnormal activities. In exchange of having some sort of privilege back in prison. Whereas Metropolis was based on society change between the workers living below and the rich living above ground.
The sound in the film helps to emphasize certain scenes and create feelings towards the plot. As well as create suspense in what will happen next. With this technique, the film creators have their audience at the edge of their seat. Without sound I would have look at the scenes and said, “another fight is happening”, without knowing the differences/meaning between each one.

The first scene I will say that sound stood out was when Deadshot had an encounter with Batman. It was rush of adrenaline during the face off but then it switches over to a piano playing when Deadshot’s daughter came in between the aiming gun to Batman.
The second place is when Enchantress was building her weapon to wipe human being. You can hear all of the metals and electrical components coming together to create the machine.
The third place will be when the Suicide Squad was battling Enchantress. Especially when Katana was slicing Enchantress’s men. You can hear the mass of the flesh falling on the ground and the steel slicing away.

Student 2
The film I chose was The Great Gatsby (2013) which was a melodrama that was based off of a novel by F Scott Fitzgerald and also a remake of the 1974 film. This film is set in the roaring 20s and features main character Jay Gatsby, who journeys from rags to riches. Gatsby is known for hosting lavish parties in his mansion in West Egg, which is the island where people with “new money” reside. The other side, East Egg, is where people with “old money” reside. The movie is narrated by Gatsby’s neighbor Nick Carraway, who hails from the Midwest but went to Yale for college and moved to New York for work. Nick goes over to his cousin Daisy’s house on East Egg. Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, who like Nick, is also a Midwesterner who went to Yale. Nick meets Jordan Baker at their house and the two become romantically involved. Later, Nick sees Gatsby on his own dock staring and reaching towards a green light that was across the harbor. Nick had still not met Gatsby. However, Gatsby personally invited Nick to his next party. At this time, Nick did not realize that no one was ever invited to Gatsby’s parties and they would all just show up. Once Nick realized this, he was somewhat embarrassed and proceeded to get belligerently drunk. Gatsby finally made his appearance and Nick met him personally. Later, Gatsby introduced Nick to one of his business partners. From there, Gatsby asked Nick to set up a meeting with him and Daisy. Upon their meeting, Gatsby gives Daisy a tour of his mansion and they begin an affair. Jordan explained to Nick that Gatsby first fell for Daisy when they met before the war. Nick later learns that Gatsby was born in North Dakota as James Gatz but legally changed his name at 17 to Jay Gatsby. Tom and Daisy went to Gatsby’s next party. However, Tom is very rude because he looks down on the residents of West Egg and their “new money.” In an attempt to make Tom jealous for his affair, Daisy invites Gatsby, Jordan, and Nick over for lunch at their home and tells Gatsby she loves him. Tom was furious and demanded the group go into New York City so that he could show Daisy that Gatsby made his riches through illegal ventures. Gatsby then begged Daisy to say she did not love Tom, but she refused. Tom allows Gatsby to drive home with Daisy, with Daisy behind the wheel. Daisy swerved to avoid another car and ended up hitting Myrtle, Tom’s mistress, who instantly dies. George wanted to know who killed Myrtle and Tom told him it was Gatsby. From here, George shoots Gatsby to death and then kills himself. After this, the Buchanans skip town. This leave Nick to organize Gatsby’s funeral. In the process, he realizes that very few people actually cared for Gatsby. Nick brings Gatsby’s father to New York for the small funeral. Nick is disgusted with New York so he returns to the Midwest. Nick realized that Gatsby was only trying to turn his dreams into a reality. Nick is fed up with the greed and corruption that thrives in the city that he believes is crippling the American dream. He believes Gatsby’s dreamer’s mentality is what made him so great.
This film is similar to other melodrama films from this weeks learning resources in the sense that it deals with plenty of conflict as well as events that seem larger in life. For example, the aura of Jay Gatsby was very much larger than life and could be considered melodramatic. Additionally, there is a lot of infidelity in this movie which adds a lot of drama to the film.
Sound played a huge part in this film. For one of the places in the movie, the soundtrack was very fitting for all of the scenes that it was fit into. One scene that stuck out to me was when everyone was arriving at Gatsby’s first party. The music was very fitting for the craziness that was going on. Another scene that stuck out was when Nick saw Gatsby standing on the dock looking across the bay at the green light. There was a very dramatic and thrilling sound playing that was fitting for such a suspenseful moment.