Final Reflection

Common Place Reflection

This idea of common placing at the start of this semester was new to me in concept.  I've had blogs where I pump out links and articles but never on a specific topic.  My research was helped a considerable amount due to this commonplace blog, and I can see the benefits of actively searching for articles on the web.  Eventually, the commonplace blog shifted my focus towards the MPAA and the ratings system more so than simply trying to prove films do not cause children to commit violent acts. 

My research process was driven mainly by the links to articles, videos and studies I found.  As I stated before, early on in my research, I was simply trying to show that films do not cause deviant behavior in children, and as a result, the MPAA shouldn't be so strict on film ratings.  What ended up happening was that I found that the MPAA appears to have ulterior motives.  I don't believe they are evil, and they truly do want to help families make better decisions for their children; however, the side effects of being so closely linked with the big six studios have made this simple task more difficult than it needs to be.

With all the links, I had found, I quickly shifting my writing towards separating the MPAA from the big six studios.  I thought this was a more honorable and practical solution than simply stating, “do away with the rating system and the MPAA.”  Obviously, that mentality would not have helped my research in the slightest.  Once I had a solid foundation in my mind, due to the commonplace blog, I was able to refine my ideas and ultimately begin writing my paper.

The one area I found frustrating was trying to find differing sources of information.  Many times, the articles I had found came up more than once.  For instance, the entry about the film Bully came up many times, and I found myself having a difficult time finding recent articles about the MPAA after April 10.  Another frustrating area was finding decent scholarly articles about the MPAA and censorship.  I found a few articles, which had quotes and experiences from Wes Craven, the director of A Nightmare On Elm.  Unfortunately, most of the other articles I had found simply spoke about violence in films, and the studies involved in proving films did or did not cause deviant behavior.  After seeing how much easier it would have been to keep to my original topic, I almost decided to shift back, but I thought against it after collected all the data that I had for the commonplace blog.

I would like to keep up with common-placing, but not for this assignment as I feel I’ve had enough of the MPAA for one semester.  I will, however, attempt to do this for my senior seminar next semester.  I can truly see the benefits of common-placing and how it can improve a person’s knowledge in one area, especially for a research paper.

 NOTE: I am provided this copy as well as a hard copy!