– 8 to 10 slides PowerPoint.

– Presentation Script of Talking Points.

– Outline Notes used in building the presentation.

– More information about assignment will be in images provided below.

Write an essay on Swedish film during. Identify several ways in which this particular decade is important to Swedish cinema and how these films might even reflect Sweden during this 10-year period itself. In your essay, briefly cite and engage with at least two of our secondary authors from the readings assigned( three readings are uploaded down here). Roughly paraphrasing these scholars (versus reproducing exact quotations) is fine. Write the most fully-developed essay that you can, given the time allowed.

What is your take on Donald Trump as a presidential candidate? What do you think are his merits? What do you think are the cons of voting for him? Please present this in an essay form, college-level writing, and do include political science concepts that apply to your answer.

• F 14.1: THE PARANORMAL HYPOTHESIS

  The assigned Penn & Teller and YouTube videos introduce six phenomena that often attract paranormal explanations:

  1. Dowsing and Ouija Boards (autokinetic effect)
  2. Migraines
  3. Sleep Paralysis
  4. Out of Body Experiences
  5. Alien Abductions
  6. Near Death Experiences

  View the assigned Penn & Teller DVDs and YouTube videos. For the six experiences above, present two interpretations:

  1. A possible paranormal explanation, and
  2. A possible scientific / skeptical explanation (focusing on concepts from Chapter 12 as well as from the rest of the text).

  As with previous assignments, use the CAPCON system. Be concrete and specific, giving examples and quotes.

• 
  

  F 14.2: FORUM REPORT: ONLINE ARTICLE (DUE LAST WEEK OF CLASS)

  A 3 page 500 word report in which you find an article on the web related to this course and summarize it. Do not report on a topic that receives more than a half page of coverage in your text. Do not submit the article yourself. Make sure the article you read is at least two pages long. If you really like your report, and it is too short, do two articles.Select a 2-page article from one of the following sites:http://www.quackwatch.com
  http://www.skepticreport.com
  http://www.csicop.org/si

  Your report should include:

  1. The main points made.
  2. The arguments for or against any paranormal claim.
  3. The critical thinking tools displayed.
  4. Your reactions. What you think was most important about the report.

  VIEW FOR FORUM 14.1: THE PARANORMAL HYPOTHESIS

  • 

    PENN & TELLER BS: Season 1, Episode 3, “Alien Abductions.”

    DVD to be acquired or rented by student. See syllabus.

  • 

    PENN & TELLER BS: Season 1, Episode 12, “Ouija Boards, Near Death Experiences”

    DVD to be acquired or rented by student. See syllabus.

  • 

    DOWSING: James Randi Speaks: Dowsing, the Ideomotor Effect

    Watch Video

    James Randi Speaks: Dowsing, the Ideomotor Effect

    Duration: 6:43
    
    User: n/a –
    Added: 2/18/09
    

  • 

    MIGRAINES 1: Visual Migraine Animation

    Watch Video

    Visual Migraine Animation

    Duration: 0:50
    
    User: n/a –
    Added: 7/17/11
    

  • 

    MIGRAINE 2: Migraine Visual Aura – Office

    Watch Video

    Migraine Visual Aura – Office

    Duration: 0:59
    
    User: n/a –
    Added: 2/22/11
    

  • 

    SLEEP PARALYSIS 1: When sleep paralysis strikes

    Watch Video

    When sleep paralysis strikes

    Duration: 2:56
    
    User: n/a –
    Added: 1/27/18

    What is sleep paralysis like? This video provides a good illustration

  • 

    SLEEP PARALYSIS 2: Awake (Sleep Paralysis Documentary)

    Watch Video

    Awake (Sleep Paralysis Documentary)

    Duration: 5:52
    
    User: n/a –
    Added: 1/30/14

    This video goes deeper into the process underlying sleep paralysis.

  • 

    OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE 1: Michael Shermer Out of Body Experiment

    Watch Video

    Michael Shermer Out of Body Experiment

    Duration: 6:13
    
    User: n/a –
    Added: 6/19/07
    

  • 

    OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCER 2: My first REAL OBE (out of body experience)

    Watch Video

    My first REAL OBE (out of body experience)

    Duration: 3:29
    
    User: n/a –
    Added: 1/15/14
    

  

  REQUIRED DVD VIEWING: Penn & Teller, Season 1, Episode 12, “Ouija Boards, Near Death Experiences”

  answer to my classmates 14.1

  
  1 day ago

  Aleksandar Savic
  

  The Paranormal Hypothesis

  COLLAPSE

  1. Dowsing and Ouija Boards (autokinetic effect): After watching the video possible paranormal explanation could be SPIRIT who is actually moving the rods and communicate with them.A possible scientific/skeptical explanation is the IDEOMOTOR EFFECT, which in the book is explained as false thinking that an outside power is forcing your movement.
  2. Migraines: A possible paranormal explanation could be SPIRITS/GHOSTS or some other HEAVENLY POWERS. A possible scientific/skeptical explanation could be SCINTILLATING SCOTOMA or as we learn from the book is also called the bright neon zagged-lines. Another explanation is to be FORTIFICATION ILLUSION or as is explained in the book, brilliant abstract shapes of light.
  3. Sleep paralysis: A possible paranormal explanation is a visit from a demon who occasionally abuses victim. A possible scientific/skeptical explanation is HYPNOGOGIC HALLUCINATIONS, which includes faces, landscapes, and natural or social scenes and HYPNOPOMPIC HALLUCINATIONS occurred in the twilight state before waking up.
  4. Out-of-body Experience:A possible paranormal explanation could be a separation of body and soul, the experience of a new realm.A possible scientific/skeptical explanation is that this feeling of being abstract is a response which can be produced through the drugs. The feeling of being outside yourself is similar to the TUNNEL EXPERIENCE, where you have a sense of movement and floating.
  5. Alien Abductions:A possible paranormal explanation could be cases of alien abduction in order to experiment on them. A possible scientific/skeptical explanation could be as we learn from the video usually information obtained from other sources which are according to the book a SOURCE MONITORING ERROR. Also, these are cases of HALLUCINATIONS and DISSOCIATION.
  6. Near Death Experience:A possible paranormal explanation could be the belief in life after earth, the vision of heaven and hell. Travel to other realities briefly before returning to the presentA possible scientific/skeptical explanation from the book is a HALLUCINATION which creates in our experience vision of angels and other bodiless forces. This also could be OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE which is explained in the book as a situation where you can see one’s body.
  
  2 days ago
  Lexi Hernandez Paranormal Hypothesis
  COLLAPSE

  1. Dowsing and Ouija Boards (autokinetic effect)
  
  -The paranormal explanation is: Ouija boards are used as a channel to communicate between the “other side” and us. Witch presence is summoned more easily with gems, stones, symbols, candles, and quality of board (cryptique). -The skeptical/scientific explanation is: THE IDEOMOTOR EFFECT. This involuntary and unconscious movement is caused by suggestion and expectation. While using a ouija board, one is looking to talk to a passed loved one, so they use suggestion and spontaneous hand movements. Dowsing also shows THE IDEOMOTOR EFFECT by using suggestion to move his hands.
  2. Migraines
  
  -The paranormal explanation is: It can be a bloop in the space-time continuum, or something paranormal such as a religious and enlightening experience. “Seeing things as they truly are.”-The skeptical/scientific explanation is: PHOTOPSIA is flashes of light, SCINTILLATING SCOTOMA are neon zig-zag lines, and FORTIFICATION ILLUSION is abstract shapes or lights. Many of these aura’s can occur without headaches, which make others misinterpret it as a paranormal experience.
  3. Sleep Paralysis
  
  -The paranormal explanation is: People often think that demons or evil beings will take advantage of them in the paralyzed state. People often see vivid imagery of demons, scary beings, etc., but they are unable to speak, move, etc. -The skeptical/scientific explanation is: The brain wakes up from a neurophysiological state, but the body is still asleep. This causes one to experience HYPNOPOMPIC HALLUCINATIONS, which occur in the twilight stage of sleep, and one experiences fragments of previous dreams. One might also experience PSEUDOHALLUCINATIONS which occur in states of reduced stimulations, and one sees images that appear to be real.
  4. Out of Body Experiences
  
  -The paranormal explanation is: People think this is the opportunity to travel between worlds (ASTRAL PROJECTION). They often see angels or spiritual beings, as well as seeing oneself outside the body. -The skeptical/scientific explanation is: There are many factors that can inhibit OEB’s such as near death experiences, stroke, epilepsy, drug use, and HYPNAGOGIC STATES. Brain stimulation as well as relaxed visualization and meditation can make things seem more real, beyond a dream or fantasy.
  5. Alien Abductions
  
  -The paranormal explanation is: Some paranormal explanations include how people get probed, have foreign objects inserted into their bodies, having their memories wiped and time passes, and more. -The skeptical/scientific explanation is: DISSOCIATION. People may experience an out of this world experience, and forget moments or the whole experience. People who claim they have been abducted are experiencing the POSSESSION FORM, which manifests that a supernatural being has taken over the person. Also, DISSOCIATION can cause one to experience pseudomemories, mediated by fantasies, suggestibility, and cognitive failures. SCHIZOPHRENIA can also impair one to experience frightening and mysterious alterations and perceptions. A SCHIZOPHRENIC could experience these types of hallucinations and cognitive distortions.
  6. Near Death Experiences
  
  -The paranormal explanation is: When one visits so close to death (the after life), they experience OBE’s, visits with once loved ones, visits with past memories, visits with spirits or religious beings, and more. -The skeptical/scientific explanation is: OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCES. OBE can invoke direct brain stimulation and makes things seem like a dream or fantasy, by their souls and/or minds leaving their body. One might also REALITY CHECK when coming close to death, often experiencing STIMULUS OVERLOAD and rethinking past memories. This is all due to the lack of oxygen to the brain, which can cause all the previously mentioned factors.
  
  14.2
  1 day ago
  Kathleen Golly Forum Report: Online Article
  COLLAPSE

  The online article I chose was from the
  Skeptical Inquirer, called “Murder by Darkness: Does Mammoth Cave’s Specter Harbor a Secret?” by Joe Nickell.
  
  https://skepticalinquirer.org/2017/07/murder_by_da…This article discusses the sounds of a woman calling out from the darkness in the Echo River area of Mammoth Cave. The PARANORMAL CLAIM to explain this is that the cavern is haunted by a spirit named Melissa. Our TEXT classifies ghosts and spirits to be a HIGHER-LEVEL PARANORMAL CLAIM of AFTERLIFE ENTITIES. (Our TEXT explains this as an intelligent force that does not require the assistance of someone with a paranormal power and exist in this word and the world after death). The PARANORMAL EXPLANATION is understood through the legend says that Melissa led her tutor, William, into the cave and abandoned him in there without a lamp. Melissa left William to die, wandering in the darkness, because he did not reciprocate the love she had for her tutor. Fifteen years later, on the brink of her own death, Melissa wrote a confession about murdering her love. She claimed that she would re-enter the cave so that her spirit could be reunited with his. To this day, her spirit is still searching for him, which explains why many people have reported hearing a woman call out from within the cave.The author utilized a REFLECTIVE THINKING STYLE, and applied CRITICAL THINKING in order to evaluate the claim of a haunting. Just as our TEXT suggests, APPROPRIATE SOURCES, UTILIZED LOGIC AND CLEAR LANGUAGE, and SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATION were utilized in the investigation. The author located some SOURCES that support the claims, and others that deny the claims. The author also investigated the source of the story, which is a story written in 1858. An evaluation of this published story revealed that it is a work of fiction, by applying a standard readability scale to the writing, and noting language devices such as “characterization, description, foreshadowing, suspense, and verisimilitude,” and the original author was indeed a fiction writer.In the application of LOGIC, the author notes that the story has been repeated over time and led to the creation of different versions of the same story, which he refers to as VARIANTS. This is somewhat akin to the TEXT’s concept of the ARGUMENT FROM REPETITION and also reminds me of the section of the TEXT on CONSPIRACY THEORIES. Specifically, the notion that the variants are multiple, contradictory claims. (e.g. In one version, Melissa dies from consumption and she can be heard coughing in the caves). To explain the phenomena of the sounds heard in the cave, the author discusses the SCIENCE of how the sounds of water dripping and trickling in the background may cause the neurological-psychological effect of PAREIDOLIA in which our brain interprets ambiguous sights or sounds as recognizable ones (even the calls of a woman who isn’t actually there).Overall, I think this article was a good example of how to appropriately apply CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS to a PARANORMAL CLAIM. I appreciated that the author presented the information in a clear and respectful manner. He considered reasons both for and against the claim and maintained a sense of OPEN-MINDEDNESS while presenting appropriate support for explanations that disprove the theory that a ghost is haunting Kentucky’s famous cavern system.
  21 hours ago
  Jackie Landeros Online article
  COLLAPSE

  The article I chose is called The Energy Fields of Life. They discuss how many different people and culture believe in another force of life that cannot be associated by science. These people who claim there is another living force in our lives say that there is a separation between the body compare to the mind, soul and spirit. The PARANORMAL CLAIM is that there is a psychic force that allows mediums and others to their powers hence being about to talk to ghost and even read peoples minds. Our text says that the mind, soul would be SIMPLE ENERGIES (Chi) while the spirit would be INTELLIGENT FORCES/ENTITIES. The claim of being able to talk to the dead and to be able to read the minds of others (telepathy) are considered to be PARANORMAL POWERS that are described as being capacities that would violate the laws of physics. The PARANORMAL EXPLANATION for the abilities that psychic have is that they believed that they are connected to the electromagnetic “aether waves” acting as a sort of wireless connection to allow others into people’s minds hearing them. However, this was later disproven to not be true as they found evidence that the “wireless signals” were being carried by photons thus disproven that this ability was connected to science. Many of the believers of this theory, like Stefanatos and Patterson, try to associate their beliefs using the quantum mechanics from Albert Einstein. By giving their audience this description to validate their “powers” many people may believe them because Einstein is known to be a well-respected scientist who provided many discoveries in his time. This would be using TECHNOBBABLE which is using and incorporating scientific sounding words to further their argument that powers are real and explainable to the people. The author uses CRITICAL THINKING to explain the faults that are created by those who believe in the paranormal. He also uses REFLECTIVE THINKING in the sense that he questioned the explanation that were provided from psychic and those who believed in them to see the other explanations that can be seen in their “powers”. The use of OBSERVATION was used in how he saw how these psychics were selling their explanation to the people to make them seem more believable. Also, using APPROPRIATE SOURCES and CLEAR LANGUAGE to make the reader understand that they are just using TECHNOBBABLE to lure the people into their delusions of believing the paranormal world is real. He used sources to give explanation to psychic but rebutted them by giving the facts that have been provided by real scientist showing them that there is a variety of evidence against them yet they still believe in what they claim to do (which would be a delusion since they are so set in their ways of thinking that not even real evidence can change them). “Despite complete scientific rejection, the concept of a special biological fields within living things remains deeply engraved in human thinking”. People only tend to care about their beliefs and nothing more than that. I was overall intrigued by this article and am fascinated at how people can still believe in something even after many scientific tests have proven them wrong. This article indeed shows that more people should be CRITICAL THINKERS and use REFLECTIVE THINKING when observing everything around them. There are so many movies and tv shows that create the perfect image of the paranormal, giving them interest and creativity that many are drawn to. These false perceptions can make people believe that they are real and not use any questioning as to what the reality may be. I enjoyed the fact that the author used evidence that has been used to validate them in the past and how science has evolved and showed what they have missed. Even if something may not be able to be explained now does not mean that there will not be a way that science can solve the “mystery” over time. Everything should be question because that leads to the truth and not some story we may want to hear. Even though the author was against the paranormal and the belief that they can read minds and have energy connect them, he showed the argument for both the science and paranormal sides. This allows the readers to be OPEN-MINDED but also know that these psychics have treats that can be explained with the help of science. Article:
  https://skepticalinquirer.org/newsletter/energy_fields_of_life/