Friday, March 26, 2004
Research Paper!
Recently, I have been working very dilligently on my research paper for English 1102. As a class we were told to choose a cultural text or media that we would like to work with (such as a TV show, movie, or novel) and a topic with which to discuss. The assignment is to discuss how the technology used in the text affects Americans today. My thesis basically states that CSI and CSI: Miami use technology to distort Americans' perception of forensics and crime solving. While these are two of my favorite shows, and also the line of work which I am tentatively pursuing, I do feel like both shows are providing citizens with a false sense of security. Yes, I agree that with the new technology, forensics is becoming more accurate and trustworthy, yet at the same time we as Americans should not have the wool pulled over our eyes about the crime situation in America.
One source in particular I found to be very resourceful is that of a Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper article written by John Kieswetter. The article (which can be found here) is intended to promote the shows, particularly the Miami-based version. I, however, found the article very informative and very beneficial to my argument. The article included many quotations from some of the show's big-wigs. For instance, the show's technical advisor Elizabeth Devine states, "We cheat time on our show. We do DNA in 15 minutes. . . . it's not accurate, but it's a television show, and we have to do it." Also, the article details some of the finances necessary to maintain a lab as elaborate as the one on Miami. This assists with my argument in the fact that very few crime labs across the United States have the budget or the manpower to develop the type of lab seen on the shows, and also the amount of time spent on a crime in the shows is also unrealistic. The review is a very useful source for my purpose.
Recently, I have been working very dilligently on my research paper for English 1102. As a class we were told to choose a cultural text or media that we would like to work with (such as a TV show, movie, or novel) and a topic with which to discuss. The assignment is to discuss how the technology used in the text affects Americans today. My thesis basically states that CSI and CSI: Miami use technology to distort Americans' perception of forensics and crime solving. While these are two of my favorite shows, and also the line of work which I am tentatively pursuing, I do feel like both shows are providing citizens with a false sense of security. Yes, I agree that with the new technology, forensics is becoming more accurate and trustworthy, yet at the same time we as Americans should not have the wool pulled over our eyes about the crime situation in America.
One source in particular I found to be very resourceful is that of a Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper article written by John Kieswetter. The article (which can be found here) is intended to promote the shows, particularly the Miami-based version. I, however, found the article very informative and very beneficial to my argument. The article included many quotations from some of the show's big-wigs. For instance, the show's technical advisor Elizabeth Devine states, "We cheat time on our show. We do DNA in 15 minutes. . . . it's not accurate, but it's a television show, and we have to do it." Also, the article details some of the finances necessary to maintain a lab as elaborate as the one on Miami. This assists with my argument in the fact that very few crime labs across the United States have the budget or the manpower to develop the type of lab seen on the shows, and also the amount of time spent on a crime in the shows is also unrealistic. The review is a very useful source for my purpose.
