Inquiry 4

Kaleb Campbell

Ryan Ireland 

English 112

5/5/2013 

      Over the course of this semester I have become far more critical of the spaces that I pass through. Through the readings and discussions of the course, I have become more observant of the rhetorical propaganda thrown at us from every direction in our daily lives. I am more aware of the way that I affect space, and of the way that space affects me, both physically and emotionally. My unconscious  mind has always been aware of this spatial rhetoric, as it must interpret the complex sensory cues it obtains in order to make a mental picture of our physical location in space. I realized that all that we know of this world is really just an interpretation by our brain, manifesting as our five senses that we know and love. For example, colors don't exist, our brain tries to help us distinguish between different materials by making certain wavelengths of light recognizable to our conscious mind, in the form of colors. Through the course, I have become consciously aware of some of theses realities, as well as the rhetorical constructs imposed on us by fellow human beings for persuasion purposes. 

     During the first Inquiry, I did a close reading of the movie clip "A Touch of Evil." I went through the clip and described, in detail, the spatial rhetoric that produced the themes of time and suspense. I became more aware of how camera tricks, color schemes, plot details, physical locations, and sounds can affect the viewer's experience of a movie. Everything in this clip had a specific purpose, from the most subtle of details. It makes me wonder if this idea of spatial purpose in movies can be extended to our daily lives. I began to wonder if our world was set up for us, like the viewers of a movie clip, and rhetorical propaganda was placed in all of the places that we move through, unconsciously forcing us to behave a certain way. This idea was discussed in class and was defined as "Actor Theory," where physical variables, like weather and time, alter the path of the play (our lives), by changing the set. 

     For inquiry two, I researched the paranormal mirror space that exists in Peabody Hall. I described both the physical and mental spaces that exists in the hall, and how the two can influence one another. This inquiry extended the ideas that I developed in the first inquiry, but included some of the ideas in   Foucault's essay we read. For example, I mentioned that the paranormal space in Peabody Hall was like a "Mirror Space," or a mental manifestation of the real physical space of the hall. The ghosts didn't exist in the physical space of the hall, but in the minds of the hall's residence in the form of stories and myths.     It is the combination of the physical and mental spaces that make Peabody hall the place that it is.  

     In Inquiry three, I, along with Carson, used a media presentation to show an audience how a renovation of Peabody Hall could alter the paranormal space of the hall. We described how a physical renovation of the space could affect the paranormal mirror space in ways that could change the way residents view the place that they live. This inquiry tied on to the ideas of the other inquiries, but required that we present our findings in both a paper and a presentation to the class. This media requirement forced us to make rhetorical choices similar to the ones that we have been studying, in order to pursued an audience that our renovation makes logistical sense. 

     Although this class may not have taught me to read and write, it did teach me to think, a skill overlooked in many college classes. Some classes focus on memorization and fact regurgitation, which isn't helpful to the creativity and logical thinking required in some of the most important jobs. I have developed a greater sense of skepticism for public space, because I know that it is set up for a purpose, almost always benefiting the owner of the space monetarily, such as store layouts that we discussed in class. With this newfound knowledge, I find myself disobeying some of the norms of public space, such as facing the wrong way in elevators or finding my items in stores in a backward fashion. I have always been a rebel of societal norms, but some of the readings in this class provided reasoning to back up my actions. Even though this class isn't particularly relavent to my other classes, mostly physics and mathematics, it does provide a more subjective theory of space. For example, physics can be used to describe the precise angles and volume of a physical space, but it doesn't describe the rhetorical purpose behind the objects. This class starts us off on a path to begin learning about this subjective, emotional aspect of space, wich could be further studied in greater detail in advanced courses like philosophy. 

Writers Letter

In our Inquiry 3 we talked about a renovation of the space of Peabody Hall in order to make it less likely to be associated with paranormal sightings and happenings. We wanted to determine what aspects of the space itself were causing these ghost stories, and to propose changes that would combat the current situation. Since our group consisted of just two students, it was necessary for us to distribute the load of the project proportionally.

My main focus of the project was the 2,000 word essay, while Carson focussed on the movie and voice over. It was my job to go back and reiterate our presentation in words, and to describe the project in greater detail. Since the project was written about my Inquiry 2, I had most of the knowledge about Peabody Hall, and the paranormal space that exists between its walls. Even though we both worked on different aspects of the project, we both started at the same point. We walked through Peabody Hall, videotaping the spots that we thought would be appropriate for a movie, and recoding those spots from different angles. It was essential for me to be at the taping, because I have the key to the building so that we could tape the places that needed to be taped. The actual arranging of the photographs and movie clips was Carson's job, while I focussed on the  information behind the Inquiry. She had to put the visual aspects of the project together, and I had to put the informational aspects of the project together in an essay.

For the presentation itself, we both brought talking points and questions to ask the viewers. Even though the wrong movie was deleted, we still managed to procede through the presentation and talk about what kinds of things we would like to alter in the space.  It was also my job to go back and finish the 2,000 word essay after the presentation to take into account the viewers feedback and comments. Since there were only two people in the group, we were both were required to do a lot of work with the project. I feel that, overall, we both worked hard to complete the project to what it currently is. 

Box Town

It may seem like a simple task to put together a makeshift town of boxes, but that is not the case. There are so many variables that go into making a town that it is nearly impossible to account for them all. Therefore, it is vital to focus on the most important aspects. When we formed our groups, my focus was on preserving those important aspects so that the town would be inherently functional. We decided to structure the town around the physical landmarks that would be present in a fictional town. So, we created a city on one side of a curving river, and built a suburban community on the other side. In order for the city to be connected we placed a bridge over the river, allowing the residential areas to on one side to infiltrate the city on the other side. 

Then, it occurred to me that this city would need an independent power source to supply its massive electrical needs, or have a network of electrical lines coming from far away power stations. The first choice seemed like the most environmentally friendly choice, so I suggested that we dam up the river and create a lake. This lake could be used for recreation and as a source of power. The water falling over the dam would turn massive generators powering nearly all of the city's power needs. It must be assumed that this river has a large volume of flow per second in order to produce the intense current needed to meet the cities needs.

This started our trend toward making an environmentally friendly city. We decided to cover some of the roofs of buildings with soil to create rooftop gardens, allowing homeowners to grow their own organic foods on the roofs where they live. We also covered one building with solar panels, providing an alternative energy source to the hydrological energy from the dam. 

I was moderately active in my group and its discussions. I usually let people say their ideas and then critiqued them to determine the positives and negatives associated with that idea. However, I also took a leadership role at times to construct parts of the city and to orientate the buildings in a logical manner. The group worked together pretty well with very little disagreement on building placement or city design logic. 

Box Town

It may seem like a simple task to put together a makeshift town of boxes, but that is not the case. There are so many variables that go into making a town that it is nearly impossible to account for them all. Therefore, it is vital to focus on the most important aspects. When we formed our groups, my focus was on preserving those important aspects so that the town would be inherently functional. We decided to structure the town around the physical landmarks that would be present in a fictional town. So, we created a city on one side of a curving river, and built a suburban community on the other side. In order for the city to be connected we placed a bridge over the river, allowing the residential areas to on one side to infiltrate the city on the other side.
Then, it occurred to me that this city would need an independent power source to supply its massive electrical needs, or have a network of electrical lines coming from far away power stations. The first choice seemed like the most environmentally friendly choice, so I suggested that we dam up the river and create a lake. This lake could be used for recreation and as a source of power. The water falling over the dam would turn massive generators powering nearly all of the city's electrical needs. It must be assumed that this river has a large volume of flow per second in order to produce the intense current needed to meet the cities needs.
This started our trend toward making an environmentally friendly city. We decided to cover some of the roofs of buildings with soil to create rooftop gardens, allowing homeowners to grow their own organic foods on the roofs where they live. We also covered one building with solar panels, providing an alternative energy source to the hydrological energy from the dam.
I was moderately active in my group and its discussions. I usually let people say their ideas and then critiqued them to determine the positives and negatives associated with that idea. However, I also took a leadership role at times to construct parts of the city and to orientate the buildings in a logical manner. The group worked together pretty well with very little disagreement on building placement or city design logic.

Wilderness Downtown

The two interactive movies, The Wilderness Downtown and Pine Point, tried to get the reader/audience involved in the action. In the Wilderness Downtown, the interaction was personal. We were required to put in our home address, so that the film could obtain images from google maps. If the film was about some random house it would't have made much sense or have made as much of an impact. Most people have a feeling of attachement to the place that they call home, wich induces emotional feelings. This film tried to play on those feelings to give the reader a more moving experience.

Pine point was different, but was similar in its goals. The interactive film was not as personal, but still ignited feelings from the audience. Since the film was about someone else's home, Pine Point, people still feel like it is a sacred place. They feel the pain people must have felt when the town was abandoned, and their old lives lost. The film was interactive because the audience was able to click on the various links to open pictures and things about the old town. This may remind people of a scrap book, something else personal in many people's lives.

The spaces represented in Pine Point a The Wilderness Downtown are technically real spaces. The space that we observed the movies from was a reflection of the real space, like the reflection of a person in a mirror. It is a representation of a real space, a hologram. In the case of Pine point, the space has undergone a drastic change since it has been abandoned. The space is less inhabited, and is becoming overgrown by nature and natural spaces. The actual amount of physical space is about the same as before, but the space has been transformed into new things. For example, old buildings may rot and turn into dirt, but the essence of the space does not disappear, only to be recycled as organic matter for plant growth etc. On the old photographs Pine Point is preserved in its original form. Since photographs are a reflection of light off of a real space, the essence of the original space is captured in the pictures. So, a reflection of Pine Point lives on in the photographic records of the original space, allowing the audience to understand what it is truly like.

Ethnographic notes

Field Notes

Peabody Hall is a residence hall at Miami University. The original building was built in 1855, but two fires have burned the building, prompting structural repairs, After the first fire in 1860, the building was destroyed and a new building was constructed in the same location.  It is located on the far eastern side of campus, farther than any other dorm or college building. It is home to mostly freshman and a few sophomores. The first and second floors are mainly composed of classrooms, with a few offices and apartments. The Western Program office is housed in the second floor, wich is the office for the individualized studies major. 

The building is five stories tall, if you count the ground floor as the first. It is surrounded by woods on the back side, and faces the Molyneax-Western Bell Tower on the front, a historical bell tower built in 1884. 

The students of the building do not live on the first floor or the ground floor, but on the second and third floor. The fourth floor consists of a large classroom, and an attic, a scary one I might add. The female students live in on the second floor of the building, counting the first floor as the ground floor, and the male students live on the third floor. The floor plan is basically the same for the male and female floors and is outlined in the picture above. 

Prior to 1974, Peabody hall was a separate college from Miami University. It was a women's college, along with some of the nearby residence halls. Peabody was the central building of the college, with all classroom activity and much of the offices residing there. 

Some Questions For The Residents Of The Hall

I did a series of interviews to understand the perspectives  of some of the residents of the hall. I asked three people, John, my roommate Matt, and Connor some basic questions to understand more about the space. I asked a question about the inquiry center, wich is a place where students can go for tutoring and peer mentoring. Usually there is a hired mentor there to help you with anything thats in their power. 

Me- What do you like the most about Peabody Hall?

John- The rooms are relatively large compared to most dorms. Also, the hallways are big, allowing room for people to meet and talk. 

Matt-I like the small community feel that a western campus building offers. 

Connor- I like the study rooms and the large dorm rooms. 

Me-How often do you study in the inquiry center?

John- I study there a couple time a month. 

Matt- Never, I study in my room. 

Connor-I study there all the time, nearly every day. 

Me How big of a convenience is it to live on the third floor (technically the fourth)? 

John- Not to much of a hinderance, however, the elevator should go to the living floors. 

Matt- Not very much since you can usually take the elevator to the fourth floor and walk down one. 

Connor- Not at all. I always take the stars since I don't mind the exercise. 

Paranormal Activity 

Now we get to the main points of my research. I want to learn more about some of the odd happenings of the hall. Supposedly there are lots of paranormal things that have happened in Peabody. Since the building has burn't down twice, and the dorm was once a women's home, the ghost stories have always been numerous. I asked the interviewees about some of their experiences with paranormal activity in the building. 

Me- Have you ever seen anything supernatural in the building, such as ghosts or spirits? 

John-No, I have never experienced anything supernatural in my life. 

Matt- No I have never seen any ghosts. 

Connor- Nope

Me Do you know anyone who has experienced anything supernatural. 

John- Yes, a girl on the second floor claimed that all of the stuff on her desk randomly flew off onto the ground. 

Matt-No. 

Connor- Yes, I have heard about a guy that saw a ghost behind him on the stairs. 

Nobody from the interviews had ever saw a ghost, but two of the three had heard of someone who had. Was it just a few select people in the building who were getting the paranormal activity, or was it all just rumors, with nobody actually experiencing anything?

So, to help answer this question, I did a survey of ten people, different from the ones that did the interviews, asking them a simple yes or no question. The question was "Have you ever seen anything paranormal in Peabody." Surprisingly all of the people answered with a no. This is evidence, but not proof of any kind, that paranormal activities are rarely, or never, observed in the building. 

Probably the main reasoning behind the buildings ghost stories are its rich history. 

This is a picture of the first headmaster of the school for women, Helen Peabody. She was known to be a formidable woman, very strict and and authoritative. Many of the ghost stories of the hall have originated from her. From rumors I have heard personally, Helen hates the boys of the hall since they are invading her school, wich was originally just for women.

To put a personal spin on the paranormal activity of the hall, I stayed awake most of the night one time and took notes on the things that I saw. I sat in the study room on the ground floor, on the east side of the building. The weather was chilly with a slight breeze. Some random snowflakes were falling periodically as well. The log went as follows.
11:00 Pm- students are still studying in rooms. Lots of activity in the hallway and up the stairs.

12:00 Am- About half the students in the study room have left. There is less activity in the hallways but still a significant amount.

1:00 Am- There is only one student remaining in the study room, and no noticeable audio coming from the hallway.

2:25 Am- The last student has left the room and I am alone in complete silence.

2:58 Am- An odd sound is coming from outside the window, but after investigating, I find out it is only tree limbs blowing in the wind.

3:15- There is nearly dead silence. I can hear the faint creaks of the old building, and the low hissing of the wind outside.

At 3:30 I went to bed, unable to experience anything paranormal whatsoever. However, when you are alone on the ground floor things can get somewhat scary. For instance, a random creak may make you take a quick look behind you. 

data

Much of the time data and technology are viewed in a negative connotation.  While this may be true sometimes, technology has empowered the human species to do great things. We live longer, have better health care, and are more connected than we used to be. For example, the children in India who put their town on the map used data and technology to persuade people to increase medical care and other benefits. The comment about us being in contact with more data in a day than our ancestors did in their lifetime is debatable for me. I'm not sure what they consider data because the brain takes in massive amounts of information whether or not we are on a computer, or other form of technology. It takes much more information to walk than it does to read a computer or billboard screen, and our ancestors did plenty of walking. Data definitely shapes space in a variety of ways. It makes different spaces, some far apart, seem close and connected. For example, on Skype, we may see a video of a person on the computer screen and associate that picture with a space. Just like the mirror in the paper we read, the screen is just a reflection of a real space.