#rhetoric and composition

[rhet--compreadinglist]

001 // Two-Year College Writing Studies: Rationale and Praxis for Just Teaching, edited by Darin Jensen and Brett Griffiths.

Hi, friends. If you're reading this, you've stumbled upon the little blog I made to keep track of my thoughts during the reading year of my PhD in English Rhetoric and Composition. The plan is for there to be one hundred posts, each one corresponding to a book on my reading list. I'm starting this in January of 2024, and I hope to take my exams in September, so in theory, this project will be done by then. There's no real end goal with this beyond recording my own reading process, but it would be neat if anyone finds this interesting enough to follow along.

One of my primary areas on my reading list is focused on writing pedagogy at access-oriented institutions, so where better to start than Darin Jensen and Brett Griffiths' new book, Two-Year College Writing Studies: Rationale and Praxis for Just Teaching (Utah State University Press, 2023)? I was really hyped for this book to come out, and after racing through it in just a few days, I can confidently say that it does not disappoint. This feels very much like a "greatest hits" compilation from some of the most influential voices in the two-year college writing studies world right now. It's got Patrick Sullivan talking about the democratic mandate of community colleges, Emily Suh talking about supporting Gen. 1 learners' identities in the first-year writing classroom, Joanne Baird Giordano and Holly Hassel talking about the precarity of two-year college writing programs in an era of institutional and legislative austerity, and so much more, including the editors' introduction and conclusion, which are absolute bangers—the book is worth the cost of admission for these sections alone.

The writing is easy to read (no overwrought academic prose here!), even if you're not well-versed in the topics at hand, and there's a nice balance of theory and practical application (or rationale and praxis, as the title puts it) in each chapter. If I had read this book before my first term teaching at a community college, I would have found my footing a lot sooner, and even now, four years into it, I found something useful in every chapter. Even if you're not a two-year college person, I think you'd find a lot of value in this compact and accessible volume.

I have a feeling I'll be missing this book in a month or two when I'm wading through some dense theoretical texts. For now, I'm sticking with the friendly faces are recent books—Shane A. Wood's Teachers Talking Writing: Perspectives on Places, Pedagogies, and Programs is up next.

Until next time,

RCWY

[deanmarywinchester]

I hate that it took a podcast for me to start noticing a specific type of journalistic irresponsibility but anyway. another W for “if books could kill” with Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri for making me aware of what they call “horse race coverage,” which they use to refer to elections but I think has broader applicability

their definition of it is when journalists only bother to write about elections in terms of who’s ahead or behind and why, rather than evaluating the merits of their policy proposals. Like, “Smith is leading by X% because his proposal to decrease the price of eggs is popular with the middle class” ok but will it work? we have a huge body of information on consumer prices, you have a megaphone that puts your voice in front of thousands of people: can you use Google Scholar and evaluate whether his policy will be effective instead of just telling me how that puts him ahead?

anyway this post is brought to you by an article saying of andrew cuomo’s support of bail reform, “critics say that it led to increase in crime,” which is just empirically not true, and it is fucking inexcusable for a NYT journalist to not google “effect of bail reform on crime rates” and read a single peer reviewed study.

[tubrasko]

Skilltober 3 + 4. Drama took a lot of time, the tiny time manager on my shoulder is sobbing and crying. I’ll try to keep everything a bit more simple in the future

[dutyforged-archive]

Character Study: The Ancient Hero

Did the ancient hero know he would ultimately fail at sealing away Calamity Ganon?

Throughout Hyrule there are ancient texts, documents, and murals that detail the history of The Hero and Calamity Ganon. Many of these records mention the battle that had occurred before Link’s time and emphasize the idea of an ongoing struggle against Ganon. These texts seem to indicate that the ancient hero wasn’t simply battling Ganon for his lifetime; rather, he was taking part in an endless cycle of conflict that would eventually involve a successor. His actions -- from writing letters, recording prophecies, to leaving clues show a deep understanding that his successor would need to be equipped for a fight that would span generations.

But did he know that future hero would be a reincarnation of himself?

A quote from the quest line of The Hero's Cache in Breath of the Wild gives a lot of insight into the inner thoughts of the ancient hero: One day, I'll return to fight evil. My cache is at 17 24, this rock will point towards its retrieval. The ancient hero’s final words reflect an understanding that his time was coming to an end, but the battle with Calamity Ganon would not be over with his death. He essentially passed the torch to the next hero, someone who would rise when the time was right.

There’s also the sense of prophecy and fate surrounding the reincarnation of the hero. The people of Hyrule refer to the hero in almost mystical terms, as if his return was always written into the fabric of Hyrule’s future. This connection between the ancient hero’s actions and the rise of a new hero suggests a cyclical nature to the battle against Ganon ---and the ancient hero knew this.

The Shrine of Resurrection is a significant piece of evidence to support not only his awareness of his own cycle but the Shiekah's understanding of it.

The shrine is designed for one purpose: the resurrection of the hero. Its existence strongly suggests that the ancient hero’s fight against Calamity Ganon had been long anticipated to result in failure, and thus, a system had been put in place for the hero to return when the time was right. The fact that this technology existed, seemingly untouched for centuries, and was designed specifically to revive a hero to face Ganon again, points to a recognition that the battle with Ganon would be a cycle, one that wouldn't be resolved in the ancient hero’s lifetime.

The Master Sword also plays a key role in supporting the theory that the ancient hero knew he would not only fail but be reincarnated. The sword, often referred to as the Sword that Seals the Darkness, is specifically designed to combat Ganon. However, the sword is damaged and must be recharged before it can be used effectively against Ganon. This suggests that the sword, much like the hero, had gone dormant, waiting for the right moment to awaken once more.

I interpret this as yet another example of foresight. The Master Sword, having been used to seal Ganon previously, would need to recharge before it could face the Calamity once again. The fact that it wasn’t fully prepared at the time of the hero’s original failure indicates that the ancient hero was aware that this was only a temporary setback and that his reincarnation would need to come and reclaim the sword for a second battle.

Through these multiple layers of evidence, it becomes clear that the ancient hero did indeed know that he would ultimately fail in his quest to seal away Calamity Ganon. His foresight and preparations for his successor demonstrate his understanding that the battle would need to be fought by another generation. His actions -- hiding items, leaving records, and ensuring the legacy of the Master Sword -- were all done with the purpose of making sure that when Ganon would rise again, a new reincarnation of the hero would be ready to face him.

(Personal, fandom blogs, or fellow roleplayers are welcome to use this post.)

[dead-documentarians-society]

A Tech Writing Community of One’s Own

Documentarians, have a community.

Share ideas

Ask questions

Get extra eyes

Share tools

Rib product managers

Comisserate

Ideate

Incubate

Peer review

Share solutions

Grow a network

We are each others’ most reliable rubber duckies.

Invite others with https://www.tumblr.com/join/bYNj2jMH.

[imyelling]

As a college English instructor, I am so happy about how seriously you take learning. Sometimes I think some (myself included) want to use this because we want to get it done so we can move onto the next thing. But good thinking, good writing, and good learning cannot be rushed.

Critical analysis is an essential part of literacy, even more now that the modes and methods of writing and communication are changing. That isn't to say I go in to grading thinking "They probably just used ChatGPT."

Instead of just banning it and not talking about it — putting you in the exact position you describe. Being stuck having to uphold an honor system you know that people aren't...well honoring. It isn't going to work.

Instead I think ChatGPT is a really handy research and writing tool! I would not use it to revise or check your grammar. I would not turn in unedited drafts made totally in chatGPT. It's fairly obvious, at least it is in a writing course.

But there has also been issues with the accuracy of AI detection systems. We cannot make a decision based on a scan alone. It's our responsibility as educators to learn and adopt this technology, even in its early stages, so we can teach how to incorporate AI into that critical analysis. (This isn't a demand or a moral judgement — just an observation. )

Like the earlier post, using it to answer quick questions can keep you focused on what you are writing instead of breaking your train of thought to go find the exact source where you originally learned that information. It is also a great way to develop research questions and get the early stages of research started. It's also an amazing thesaurus.

Just make sure to verify what you chose to build from!

it's so fucking frustrating to be in college and know everyone uses chatgpt and to be tempted by it constantly while also knowing intellectually that it doesn't work and it's a bad idea. like, i hang out in the library a lot, and i see people using chatgpt on assignments almost every day. and i know it isn't a good way to learn, because it's not really "artificial intelligence" so much as it is an auto text generator. and it gives you wrong information or badly worded sentences all the time. but every week i stare down assignments i don't want to do and i think man. if only i could type this prompt into a text generator and have it done in 10 minutes flat. and i know it wouldn't work. it wouldn't synthesize information from the text the way professors want, it wouldn't know how to answer questions, it just spits out vaguely related words for a couple paragraphs. but knowing my classmates get their work done in 10 minutes flat with it while i fight every ounce of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in my body is infuriating.

[thepolymathexcuse]

Weeklies: Stronger

Happy Monday to everyone!

Last week's new learnings:

Here's some general overview of what we learned this week. I'll be making separate articles on some of them once I've actually finished them, so be sure to check them out! In the mean time, here's the gist of this week's new knowledge:

A. Online Courses

We finished three courses of an ongoing project titled "Dr. Mendoza Series" which involves finishing four special courses in the DOST-PALMS website taught by Balik Scientist Dr. Guillermo Mendoza. Each course has its own certificate, and we've acquired three already! The first seminar introduced the basic principles of the Geographic Information System, which we finished a week earlier, but still had remaining activities for strengthening the learned principles. Last week, we finished two more, which delved into more specific applications of GIS in agriculture, and an introductory course on remote sensing and satellites. It was fun re-learning about the functional capabilities of GIS and which career tracks suit you if you decide to become an expert in geospatial technologies. Don't forget to check them out in case you're interested! [1, 2, 3]

We watched the first six videos of the Rhetoric and Composition course from YouTube, taught by Dr. Emily Zarka, in the hopes of improving my writing and composition skills. There's already been a long list of principles that we could use to enhance our writing skills and habits, including learning about the writing process, and introducing writing as a literacy which allows even the good writers to hone their craft deeper. I'm basically taking this course to pave way for a more structured and in-depth learning of an MIT OCW course I'll be taking next month. [4]

B. Scientific Articles

I'm currently trying to understand the concept of tipping elements in the Earth's climate system through a research by Lenton et al. (2008), and it discusses what particular subsystems of the Earth system as a whole could improve policy making in the field of climate science and in hopefully mitigating the effects of climate change. So far, I've learned how the tipping elements are small things that could affect big changes in the processes that happen in our planet. The team had devised a special mathematical criteria on how they consider a system to be a tipping element, and three more criteria to consider if they could potentially drive policy. I'm still in the early stages of understanding this topic, but I do hope I could talk about it more simply soon. [5]

I read about a scientific article that could potentially change our current science textbooks! A team by Dr. Joanne Stephenson (a geophysicist) from the Australian National University confirmed in a 2021 study the presence of an innermost inner layer of the Earth's inner core—it's a handful to say, I know. They used a search algorithm to "trawl through" previously-made models of the inner core and matched these models with decades-worth of observed data on seismic waves. Simply put, seismic waves are basically just vibrations that happen in the earth that transmit energy in waves caused either naturally by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, or artificially by man-made explosions. Here I also learned a new word, anisotropy, which in this context is how the differences in a material's composition affect certain properties of these seismic waves. The team found out that there were several "more likely" models that matched with the seismic wave activities and it could be due to the different structural configurations of iron crystals within the inner core (anisotropy of iron, whoosh). Although I still have to read the paper to fully understand this, the team concluded that their research might have revealed two separate cooling events in the Earth's formation and proved the inconsistencies in our current planetary models. Knowing full well during my younger schooling that the Earth only has three layers (the crust, the mantle, and the core), this discovery is shockingly awesome, since it means we're still learning a whole lot more about our own planet and it's exciting that the knowledge taught in schools is still evolving! Fun times! [6, 7]

A more recent study (published just this year) by Michinobu Kuwae and his colleagues from Ehime University in Osaka, Japan, have shed some light on the ongoing debate within the scientific community: are we already in the Anthropocene? Basically, the Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch characterized by how human impacts significantly changes the way Earth systems work. There was an earlier article from the New York Times that I could not read because it needs a subscription, but the headline says that some scientists do not believe we're already in the Anthropocene. The study, however, suggested that we may actually be in this epoch since the 1950s! Through their research, they listed three candidate points when the Anthropocene began, but concluded that the huge increase in the rates of human impacts between 1948 to 1953 may hold the greatest evidence to establish the 1950s as the origin point. During this brief time period, organic pollutants, microplastics, and byproducts of the nuclear age (i.e. plutonium and carbon-14) were first spotted. Moreover, these increased rates in 'anthropogenic fingerprints' uncovered in rock layers were found to be simultaneously occurring across the globe, which is indicative of a global scale shift. How is this finding relevant? Well, to this day, there still is no final agreement within the scientific community whether we're currently living in the Anthropocene, and this discovery clearly changes our perspective on the relationship between humans and the planet in the context of the long history of the Earth. With this knowledge, we can hopefully spread increased awareness to the public so we can develop policies that could reduce the impacts of human activities on the Earth system in order for the future generations to thrive in a safer environment. [8, 9]

Finally, the last article I've read was actually related to one of the training courses I took this week (Dr. Mendoza's Introduction to Satellites and Remote Sensing). Dr. Olly Bartlett, a remote sensing specialist from the University of Hertfordshire, together with his colleagues, used satellite imagery taken by Landsat from 1986-2021 to reveal a rapid change in land cover across the Antarctic peninsula. From less than a square kilometer of vegetal cover in 1986 to almost 12 km^2 in 2021, the region experienced an alarming rate of plant growth, particularly moss, during the four-decade time frame used in the study. What's more surprising is that the rate is significantly higher between the years 2016 and 2021. Further spread of moss would actually lead to a buildup of a soil layer that would provide a habitat for non-native (and potentially invasive) species of more complex plant life that would compete with the native species that are more adapted to the colder conditions of the region. It is to be emphasized that higher amounts of vegetation was caused potentially by the increasing global temperatures, with the Antarctic region experiencing the biggest increase in temperature (3°C) compared to what was observed across other parts of the planet since 1950 (which is oddly related to the previous article suggesting that the Anthropocene might have started during this time period). As native and non-native species compete for space and resources, most of the native plants would eventually be lost due to rapid changes in the Antarctic ecosystem, thereby implying species and biodiversity loss in the region. The authors suggested that the main driver of this landscape shift is most definitely the changes in the Antarctic climate. There are several opportunities for this research area, as this was actually the first study that looks at a regional scale. This study provides a 'baseline data' to further investigate the land cover change across the Antarctic region. It must be an exciting time for polar scientists! [10, 11]

C. Other areas of learning

I just finished last Monday (October 7) my I-don't-know-how-many-times-already re-watching of the Haikyuu!! anime, and I am still in awe with the many values portrayed within the different episodes. Values are generally the core principles by which we should live by, and the anime holds in its episodes values of passion, perseverance, determination, teamwork, and even how healthy competition could lead to immense growth (which is actually a concept of Darwinian evolution). I can't even begin to list down all the notes I took because of the shocking facets of my life that I see within the series.

I bought a secondhand MacBook Air (2015 model) from a friend and it's my first week of familiarizing myself with the Apple ecosystem. It was fun, and a little bit challenging in the first night and the next day, but eventually I got the hang of it. There are still several features I haven't encountered, but when I switched to a Windows platform yesterday (Sunday), my fingers were trying to adjust again due to some small differences in the positioning of keys. Switching between environments is one thing I have to get used to, but at least now we get to practice in case we decide to buy a newer model of the Mac in the near future.

Although this did not happen last week, but rather last October 6, I still would like to include how a friend who literally ghosted the entire friend group for five long years taught me about the true meaning of independence and how she actually embodied the word. I mean, she still had other groups of friends, but she was one of my closest friend during college (and I'd like to believe she considers us that way, too—hi Mai!), so I just got really shocked that that Sunday was her last day in the country! She moved to Japan the following day and I'm glad we've been in contact since. Talk about surprises, though, but really her story during the past five years really taught me a lot about independent life, and how you shouldn't really depend on others for your decisions, really. It's inspiring how she was just really set on doing things, and she accomplished it. I hope she's having a fun time there, though. She got a nice view of her apartment, after all!

I won't elaborate on this one but there is this video by Stephen Antonioni in YouTube about how the world is in the middle of something big, like a major global event (yes, the pandemic is just the beginning). Using three books, he discussed how the Earth in general is just stuck in cycles of 80-year periods, if I remember correctly, whereafter a major shift occurs, in the form of wars or economic depression. It was mind-boggling to say the least. [12]

Finally, one of the highlights of this week: the Nobel Prize [13] announced this year's winners! A lot of really well-deserved wins. Here's a succinct list:

Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine: Viktor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their discovery of the micro-RNA, a type of RNA involved in the regulation of gene expression.

Nobel Prize in Physics: John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks"

Nobel Prize in Chemistry: divided into 2, first to David Baker “for computational protein design” and the other half to both Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper for their research on protein folding which has its applications in the medical field!

South Korea gets their first Nobel Prize in Literature as Han Kang bags the award for her poetic prose that "confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life." I'll be sure to add her to my reading list!

Finally, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo for their advocacy on completely ridding the world of nuclear weapons.

Here are some of the music that kept me sane throughout the week:

Alat & Tupa, both by Munimuni

Nang Makita Kang Muli, a really short song by Unniko Ijo but got me thinking about the moon

The Fray's comeback EP! I mean, the entire EP is fire!

Multo by Cup of Joe

Kung Sino Man by Benj Pangilinan

Soup by Amiel Sol (I'm blushing!)

Hirap Kalimutan, a recent release from a new therapy artist: Jan Roberts

Satisfy Me by Anderson East: This was in my liked songs since college and the instrumentals and East's gritty voice still impresses me to this day!

Crying Season by UDD, just because! Note: I might release playlists soon in this blog!

Lastly, here are some realizations I've had this week from my captured thoughts:

You are capable of change—simple words that hold significant weight in my life right now. My gratitude journal entry last Tuesday read: "new day, new opportunities, new challenges, new you." Although the idea of novelty might scare some people, I am instead kept excited by it. Every day gives you a chance to live a completely different life than before if only you choose to, not that it requires you to (that would be exhausting!), and create a life you really want for yourself. There's this notion that because you were previously known by people around you as this and that, it means that you're eventually going to be like that all your life, unless of course, you leave the place or the people. But that, to me, is a lie. Everyday, new circumstances arise and you're being asked to respond differently depending on what that particular circumstance requires you to. But it's also a choice. You are capable of change, but you have to choose to change. Being aware of this allows you to explore opportunities you never thought possible, and plants within you an idea of how you are infinite, boundless; that you are capable of accomplishing great things regardless of your past. This eventually destroys the notion that you have to be perfect on the first try; it rejects perfectionism in such a way that you can actually revise your life over and over again, if you think that the current situation is not working. Yes, it is absolutely helpful to have a vision and values to guide how you live your life, but that doesn't mean that you can't adjust along the way. Our current circumstances require different things, and it is completely okay to modify your life track along the way, because simply, you are capable of it. It's scary and comforting and nerve-wracking all at once, but if you do not resist these changes, it might lead you to heights you never thought possible.

I am still in a healing phase, and that involves learning new things, re-learning old ways, and unlearning bad habits. Last Tuesday, I wasn't productive, really, so I assessed myself what was the primary reason for this reduced interest in doing productive work. What stood out was that I was so sleepy which points out to my lack of sleep the night before and the fact that I opened social media first thing that morning which added to more energy lost in things I do not enjoy. So I listened to myself that day, and actually took an afternoon nap, because what else can I do but rest? It's really important to find the right balance between being stern to yourself about the things you need to improve and being gentle when the situation requires you to. It doesn't hurt that a day wasn't spent on productive activities, but it certainly helps that you listen to how you feel when you're in a stage of transition within your life, especially coming from a place of burnout.

I wrote this last Friday, but I thought I was becoming too comfortable with the idea of platonic relationships and maybe I was losing the feeling of magic of romantic relationships. I don't know if it's a bad thing or a good thing, but it might be stemming from the fact that romance isn't in my list of priorities right now. It might be, in the future, but as of now, I am more entranced by the beauty I find in nature and the banal moments of daily living. That doesn't mean I don't get infatuated; in fact, I still do--the simplest thing could make my heart skip a beat. Like a reaction from an Instagram story, or a common ground in music taste, or the tiniest bit of attention given to me at the right moment. I'm not a robot, it's just dating might not be a central tenet of my life right now, and it's okay.

Lots of novel realizations with the Building a Second Brain (BASB) book, which I'll be making multiple separate articles soon! [14]

Finally, I started building my career portfolio through compiling my previous records, and systematizing an inbox of non-digital files which reflects my current PARA setup introduced by Tiago Forte in his BASB book to maintain uniformity with my workflow.

It's a long read, I know, but I'll try to keep it succinct in the future entries, or maybe I won't. This is basically my way of keeping track of my weeks in my life, summarized in journal-like entries.

That's it for the previous week, and this might just be my tagline: keep wandering and chase what excites you!

---

Footnotes

Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (Link)

GIS and Its Application to Agriculture (Link)

Introduction to Satellite and Remote Sensing: Basic Concepts and Applications (Link)

Rhetoric and Composition: College Foundations (Link)

Tipping elements in the Earth's climate system by Lenton et al. (2008) (Link)

Scientists detected signs of a hidden structure inside Earth's core (Link)

Innermost inner core from the ANU website (Link)

Toward defining the Anthropocene onset using a rapid increase in anthropogenic fingerprints in global geological archives (Link)

Geological Fingerprints Suggest The Anthropocene Started In The 1950s (Link)

Believe it or not, this lush landscape is Antarctica (Link)

Sustained greening of the Antarctic Peninsula observed from satellites (Link)

Does Anyone Else Feel Like Everything Has Changed? - Stephen Antonioni (Link)

The Nobel Prize YouTube channel

Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential (Tiago Forte, 2022)

[barebon35]

she let me hit because my egregious use of metaphors entertained her

[mrmichael55]

Examining a Changing Academy

Hello from my upstairs office, As I move into my last month of teaching during the academic year, and there is an additional four week summer course to manage, I find myself stepping back to reflect on what being involved in some kind of teaching since 1992 has shown. When I took that first position at Suomi College, a Finnish Lutheran Junior College in Hancock, Michigan, I was naive believing…

[museenkuss]

“How I transformed my body in 90 days” type video but I’m becoming a Renaissance Woman. Vlog footage of me reading the classics for hours on end, writing vocabulary lists, drawing in my sketch book to epic music. On day 15 I talk about how I’m slowly adjusting to my elaborate home cooked meals and how I struggle with the genealogy of the Borgias. There are montages of me educating myself on history, astrology, astronomy and dressing well, I take horseback riding lessons and go to museums. Erasmus, Machiavelli and Lucretius are stacked on my bedside table.

There’s a segment where I say “it’s day 53 and I’m really struggling… I can’t even write a sonnet. I don’t see any improvement in myself. Is this even worth it?!” The stakes are rising. I’m shown ripping up pages of rhymes in calligraphy. I swear as I rush around the kitchen, trying to prepare my oysters. I sit at my desk and sigh, head in hands, my desk covered in stacks of notes, huge volumes on art history and printed out articles. The dramatic moment comes when I for the nth time try to walk and gesture with sprezzatura while balancing books on my head for better posture. I fall. The books topple to the floor. I’ve reached rock bottom.

Black screen. Voice over: “It was really hard. I felt like Dante, in the dark forest, having lost my way. And then, I realised what I needed: I had to go on a grand tour.”

Music swells again, there’s a montage of me packing and travelling in busses and trains. Landscape rushes past. I read Goethe’s Italienische Reise on the journey. Finally, there are snippets of me in Munich, in Vienna. I take a selfie in front of Parmigianino’s self portrait in a convex mirror, showing off my own elegantly contorted hand. I’m in Florence, breathing heavily with excitement as I walk along the outside walls of the Galleria degli Uffizi. “Oh my god, there he is—“ I film the Petrarch statue, the phone visibly shaking. “I can’t believe I get to meet him…” I whisper with awe. Cut. I’m blowing a kiss at the right Grace in Botticelli’s Spring (I have a crush on her). I’m in the Loggia di Psiche in Rome, I’m kneeling on a bridge in Venice to touch it, “Tintoretto walked on these very stones..”, I’m filming the ceiling of the Camera Degli Sposi in Mantua. I’m in the streets of Grasse showing off a bottle of Fragonard perfume I bought, I’m teary eyed in front of the Concerto Campestre in the Louvre. Cut.

I’m back home. “It’s now day…79. Those were the most unrealistic two weeks of my life. And the most expensive. But now I’m back on track. I feel like I can really do this.” With newfound vigour I get back to my battered Reclam German/Latin edition of Ovid’s Metamorphosis. Day 81, 85, 89. Emotional/hopeful music. I show a Shakespeare sonnet written in beautiful calligraphy. I’m in the museum sketching the composition of an annunciation and taking notes on a Venus by Cranach. I practice a speech I’ve written following Cicero’s rules on rhetoric. I’m back on horseback. I present a cake of some sort.

DAY 90. I’m at my desk. “Wow, what a journey. Now let’s see the transformation I underwent in those 90 days.” I show side by side footage of me from day 1 and day 90. I look the same, except day 90 me is wearing all black, Castiglione style, and has better posture. Back to the desk. “I changed so much. I learned so much about myself and my limits. I’m still not fluent in Latin or Italian. But what I learned is that beauty is everywhere, especially in the struggle, and it’s worth cherishing. And now, I’m back and stronger and more curious than ever. If you haven’t followed me on tumblr @Museenkuss at this point, what are you doing? Click the follow button and give this post a like because NOW, the fun really begins. A renaissance woman never stops learning.” From under the desk, I grab two books and put them on my desk. The Tale of Genji and Sei Shōnagon’s pillow book. “It’s time to expand my horizon.” Black screen.

[soul-controller]

Selfish Top Bottom

When it came to distinguishing whether a man was a top or a bottom, there was no way that anyone could look at Ryan Thompson and know that he was an absolute top. With the bulky and imposing physique of a powerlifter and an obscenely large cock that was instantly noticeable that no matter how loose or tight his pants were, the man could absolutely be the perfect individual to represent what a power top was.

Due to living in a relatively small urban town (at least in comparison to a huge city like Los Angeles or New York City), word seemed to travel fast around queer circles to the point where if you didn’t know who Ryan was, you at least knew of his reputation. He was a perpetual manwhore, constantly hooking up with anyone he wanted and discarding them immediately after they fulfilled his needs. Although most people understood that that was just the way that things worked in their community, the same could not be said about Mitchell. Although he had never actually met Ryan or been intimate with him, the young twink knew that it was someone he had no desire of ever interacting with. 

However, all of that changed once Mitchell found out that the hunk had hooked up with his best friend Shane and mistreated him once Ryan had came. As Shane recollected how the stud ridiculed the “pale” and “pathetic” man and told him to leave his apartment as soon as possible before threatening to beat his “weak pansy ass” up, Mitchell could only see red at the other man’s behavior. There was certainly no problem with hookup culture if that was how Ryan wanted to live his life, but Mitchell drew the line at blatant disrespect and homophobic rhetoric. So with that in mind, he decided to put a plan into action – one of complete revenge to teach a lesson to the asshole meathead. 

To Mitchell’s amusement, it didn’t take much for him to catch Ryan’s eye. All he had to do was show up to the same club where Ryan had met Shane and sneak peeks at the ginger-haired hunk’s beefy body and playfully avert his gaze once Ryan realized that someone was staring. After a good 30 minutes of this back and forth, the beefy stud and twink finally met before heading off to Ryan’s place to “have some fun”.

Once they were walking up the stairs to the apartment, Mitchell wasted no time giving a performance of a lifetime by pretending to be fully infatuated as he felt up the man’s thick muscles and remarked about how hot and sexy the stud was. As a result, the duo couldn’t even make it into the bedroom before they ducked into the first bathroom they saw to get more intimate. Upon undressing himself and helping Ryan take off his clothes as well, Mitchell’s right hand began to traverse down the man’s pectoral shelf and cobblestone abs as he quietly whispered under his breath. As the twink’s dainty fingers finally began to graze along Ryan’s impressive and girthy manhood, Mitchell then grit his teeth and smirked as he forcefully wrapped around the man’s cock and balls and tugged.

The immediate tension caused Ryan to gasp and scream in shock, but rather than intense pain, the tugging was soundtracked by a resounding POP that echoed through the spacious bathroom. As he looked down at himself, a guttural scream escaped his lips as he noticed two things – his crotch was completely flat reminiscent of a Ken doll and Mitchell’s frail hand was still holding onto his real cock and balls.

As Ryan desperately asked what was going on, he watched in pure horror as he watched the man whisper more words under his breath which led to a chain reaction onto his detached genitalia. Before his eyes, his cock and balls were losing its realistic organic composition and shifting to gain an artificial shimmer – his cock was turning into a rubber dildo (with a suction cup even added onto the end to fully seal the deal).

While the hunk was acting absolutely manic at the transformation that had befallen him, Mitchell was completely calm and even joyful as he savored the other’s utter helplessness. Revenge felt oh so sweet… and he still had one more thing planned to make it even sweeter! As he continued to recite the words underneath his breath, the young warlock couldn’t help but smirk as he watched his magic going to work immediately. In an instant, the man’s firm muscular butt had been replaced with an insanely large and flabby ass that would wobble with every step he took. 

Despite wanting to wring out the pathetic twink’s neck, Ryan realized that there was something preventing him from either speaking to the man or physically attacking him. So instead, he could only watch in disbelief as the twink cockily stared at the man before turning and exiting the apartment.

Now alone with his new body and desires, Ryan stood at the sink and looked back at the dildo that still hung from a nearby wall. Despite how eager his mind was in regards to getting fucked, the perpetual top had no practice bottoming and thus knew what he needed to do before he got on Grindr and searched for a man to fill his needy hole…

Eager to read more stories like this? Head over to my Patreon to discover tons of hot transformation fiction including monthly mini-stories like this one!

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: The Rhetorical Triangle

Rhetorical Triangle - a simple, useful tool that can help you develop a strong and well thought-out essay, especially in persuasive writing and speeches.

Each side of the triangle represents one of the three classical rhetorical approaches used to build informative, persuasive arguments that influence audiences in specific, powerful ways.

There are many visual representations of the Rhetorical Triangle available online, such as the following:

The 3 Classical Appeals: Ethos, Pathos and Logos

Each of the three approaches attempts to prove arguments and persuade readers by emphasizing a specific type of appeal.

These appeals are not mutually exclusive, and you will often find elements of all three working together in effective writing.

Ethos: Appeals to Credibility and Authority

To use this appeal, you might emphasize experience or educational background, your own or those of your sources, as the reason the reader should believe you.

By citing credentials, the argument is being built on the word of experts.

Your reader expects to acknowledge the qualifications of the individuals or organizations presented as capable of supporting an argument with valid, factual, and credible information.

Pathos: Appeals to Emotions

Although this appeal is not as commonly used in academic writing as the other two, it does appear regularly in literary work.

Recognizing and using pathos appeals to personal values and emotions, which are some of the most powerful appeals.

Logos: Appeals to Logic and Reasoning

When you think about academic writing, you probably think of logic-based writing, which targets a reader’s intellect and often includes facts that build upon each other to support complex arguments.

Because this appeal relies on a reader being able to follow well-constructed arguments, it is critical this writing is clear, organized, and focused.

Extra information that does not directly support the logic of the arguments can distract and confuse a reader, and ultimately weaken an argument.

Identifying and Using Rhetorical Appeals

Now that you are familiar with each of the three rhetorical appeals, you can consider how you might use them in your writing, based on the specific rhetorical situation you are working with.

ETHOS

If your paper is discussing the effects of drinking and driving, you might include an interview with a veteran DPS Trooper who can discuss his fifteen years of experience working New Year’s Eve patrols. His professional credentials help your readers believe his observations and ideas are informed, relevant, and appropriate to the topic. By citing them, you are presenting your source’s DPS training, certifications, and experience as the reason your readers should accept your argument.

Incorporating topic information from reliable, well-informed sources strengthens your argument and makes it easier for your reader to accept.

Writers present their source’s credentials through in-text citations as well as through their Works Cited listings.

These citations provide your readers with the background and information they need to evaluate the quality and credibility of your sources.

PATHOS

If your goal is to get your reader to feel something, or to take a certain action, you may find this appeal highly effective.

Think about the popular TV commercials that raise money for abused animals. Those commercials are designed to make viewers feel sadness by showing images of pain and suffering. By the end, they switch to hopeful images and dialogue to inspire viewers to take a specific action and become supporters of their cause.

Pathos is often used in literature. Think about stories that seem to come alive in some way. Perhaps it is a character to whom readers can genuinely relate or stories that make readers feel happy, sad, or angry.

Writing that evokes emotion often uses Pathos. It is also commonly used in spoken word compositions like speeches, poetry, and theater.

When possible, including thoughtfully chosen images and music is another way you can use pathos through sensory details to connect with your audience’s emotions.

LOGOS

To create logical support in your work, you might include data, case studies, statistics, lab reports, and other similar information.

This is a popular appeal, and if you watch for it, you will find it used to support claims in everything from scientific reports to advertising, such as the familiar “Nine out of ten dentists recommend using an automatic toothbrush over regular brushing.”

COMBINING RHETORICAL APPEALS

As you start planning your essay, you may find that a combination of appeals works best.

Example: You might decide that case studies and lab reports will provide the best data to support your claims, focusing on only highly-qualified sources that are well known in your field.

By making these choices, you are employing the power of both Logos and Ethos into your essay, a combination that will result in a clear, organized, credible, and effective argument that conveys your message.

Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References

[democracyunderground]

BREAKING: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unleashes a historic speech scorching Donald Trump's idiocy over his disastrous new tariffs: "This is a very dumb thing to do."

This is what an actual world leader sounds like...

"The United States launched a trade war against Canada, their closest partner and ally, their closest friend. At the same time, they're talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying murderous dictator," began Trudeau.

"Make that make sense."

Trump's 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico took effect today and the markets are in free fall. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has already plummeted 662 points after plunging 650 points on Monday. The S&P 500 lost 1.3% and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.9%

The gullible fools who thought that Trump would be "good for the economy" have had the rug pulled out from under them in record time.

"Canadians are reasonable and we are polite," Trudeau continued. "But we will not back down from a fight, not when our country and the well-being of everyone in it is at stake. At the moment, the U.S. tariffs came into effect in the early hours of this morning and so did the Canadian response."

"Canada will be implementing 25% tariffs against $155 billion worth of American goods starting with tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods immediately and tariffs on the remaining $125 billion of American products in twenty-one days time," said Trudeau. "Our tariffs will remain in place until the U.S. tariffs are withdrawn and not a moment sooner."

"And should these tariffs not cease, we are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures, measures which will demonstrate that there are no winners in a trade war," he threatened.

"Now just like I did a month ago, I want to speak first directly to the American people. We don't want this," said Trudeau. "We want to work with you as a friend and ally and we don't want to see you hurt either."

"But your government has chosen to do this to you," he stated bluntly. "As of this morning, markets are down and inflation is set to rise dramatically all across your country."

"Your government has chosen to put American jobs at risk at the thousands of workplaces that succeed because of materials from Canada or because of consumers in Canada or both," he went on.

"They've chosen to raise costs for American consumers on everyday essential items like groceries and gas, on major purchases like cars and homes, and everything in between," he continued.

"They've chosen to harm American national security, impeding access to the abundant critical minerals, energy, building materials, and fertilizers that we have and that the United States needs to grow and prosper," he explained.

"They've chosen to launch a trade war that will first and foremost harm American families. They've chosen to sabotage their own agenda that was supposed to usher in a new 'Golden Age' for the United States," said Trudeau, taking a direct shot at MAGA's latest inane rhetoric.

"And they've chosen to undermine the incredible work that we've done together to tackle the scourge that is fentanyl, a drug that must be wiped from the face of the Earth," he added. "So on that point, let me be crystal clear. There is absolutely no justification or need whatsoever for these tariffs today."

Trudeau then shifted gears to go after Donald Trump directly, the clueless mastermind behind this entire disaster—

"Now I want to speak directly to one specific American: Donald. In the over eight years you and I have worked together, we've done big things," said Trudeau, appealing to Trump's ego.

"We signed a historic deal that has created record jobs and growth in both of our countries. We've done big things together on the world stage as Canada and the U.S. have done together for decades, for generations," he continued. "And now we should be working together to ensure even greater prosperity for North Americans in a very uncertain and challenging world."

"Now, it's not in my habit to agree with The Wall Street Journal but Donald, they point out that even though you're a very smart guy this is a very dumb thing to do. We two friends fighting is exactly what our opponents around the world want to see," said Trudeau.

"And now to my fellow Canadians: I won't sugarcoat it. This is going to be tough even though we're all going to pull together because that's what we do," he added. "We will use every tool at our disposal so Canadian workers and businesses can weather this storm."

Canadians are lucky to have someone like Trudeau steering the ship of state through the geopolitical waters of Hurricane Donald. The Canadian Prime Minister is sane, thoughtful, and well-intentioned, all of the things that Trump is not.

The worst part about this economic nosedive is that it's absolutely pointless and completely avoidable. Trump's demands make absolutely no sense. He's just trying to look tough to appease his MAGA base and dragging all of us along for the ride.

Buckle up. The Trump economy might soon be the worst in American history.

Please like and share!

[probablyasocialecologist]

Harris stretched her coalition into incoherence. Inhumanly—as well as fruitlessly—she attempted to score points from the right on immigration, accusing Trump of insufficient dedication to building the wall. Her cack-handed performances of sympathy with Palestinians accompanied an evident commitment to follow Benjamin Netanyahu into a regional war. The Harris campaign featured a grab bag of policies, some good, some bad, but sharing no clear thematic unity or vision. She almost always offered evasive answers to challenging questions. And she adopted a generally aristocratic rather than demotic manner, which placed the candidate and her elite friends and allies at the center rather than the people they sought to represent. In these ways, Harris repeated not only Hillary Clinton’s errors but many of the same ones that she herself had made in her ill-starred 2019 presidential campaign, which opportunistically tacked left rather than right, but with equal insincerity and incoherence. Who remembers that campaign’s biggest moment, when she attacked Biden for his opposition to busing and what it would have implied for a younger version of herself, only to reveal when questioned that she also opposed busing? Or when she endorsed Medicare for All, raising her hand in a debate for the idea of private insurance abolition, only to later claim she hadn’t understood the question? Voters, then as now, found her vacuous and unintelligible, a politician of pure artifice seemingly without ideological depths she could draw from and externalize. She often gave the sense of a student caught without having done her homework, trying to work out what she was supposed to say rather than expressing any underlying, decided position. Even abortion rights, her strongest issue, felt at times like a rhetorical prop, given her own and her party’s inaction in the years prior to Dobbs. How many times before had Democrats promised to institutionalize and expand the protections of Roe, only to drop the matter after November?

[...]

The Democrats, in other words, comprehensively failed to set the terms of ideological debate in any respect. Their defensiveness and hypocrisy served only to give encouragement to Trump while demobilizing their own voters, whom they will no doubt now blame—as though millions of disaggregated, disorganized individuals can constitute a culpable agent in the same way a political party’s leadership can. But the party’s leaders are to blame, not that many in the center have cared or even seemed willing to reflect on a decade of catastrophe. Has anyone who complained that the 2020 George Floyd rebellion would cost Democrats votes due to the extremism of its associated demands reckoned with the empirical finding that the opposite proved true? That the narrow victory of Biden in 2020 was likely attributable to noisy protests that liberals wished would be quieter and calmer? Has anyone acknowledged the unique popularity of Sanders with Latinx voters, a once-core constituency that the Democrats are now on the verge of losing outright? The pathologies of the Democrats, though, are in a sense not the result of errors. It is the structural role and composition of the party that produces its duplicitous and incoherent orientation. It is the mainstream party of globalized neoliberal capitalism, and at the same time, by tradition anyway, the party of the working class. As the organized power of the latter has been washed away, the commitment has become somewhat more aspirational: Harris notably cleaned up with the richest income bracket of voters. The only issues on which Harris hinted of a break with Biden concerned more favorable treatment of the billionaires who surrounded her, and her closest advisers included figures like David Plouffe, former senior vice president of Uber, and Harris’s brother-in-law Tony West, formerly the chief legal officer of Uber, who successfully urged her to drop Biden-era populism and cultivate relations with corporate allies.

8 November 2024

[accio-victuuri]

March 2025 CPNs round-up ❤️💛💚

• a compilation post i translated of assorted fake stories from the past

• same calloused hands lol

• xz vacation pics on ig seem to cue mermaid/intercross

• the fact that wyb was supposed to fly out friday night 3/7 but no one saw him. we only got a clue from a stylist. which made us all think that if he doesn’t want to be seen he won’t be. so it kinda gives some weight to all our speculation that he goes to some places when he wants to — specifically, when he wants to be with xz and vice versa. i think even his flight details were not leaked. good for him. i really love how he goes out of his way to be private and at the same time not cause commotion at the airport. i know usually brands encourage this for exposure, but i’m glad that wyb said no. now that i think about it, something similar happened to xz. no more crowds and mob at the airport. i love how they are aligned with how they approach their status & influence. always making sure to not cause some disturbance.

• lacoste pfw clowning 🐊 - mostly about their same hair and photo composition from their studios & other coincidences

• loewe clowning - mushrooms and carrots! 😂😂😂

lemme just add here that i don’t understand the fixation with the carrots. it’s even on the caption, both yibo-official and over at instagram. i can’t help but think that it has something to do with our bunny xiao.

i think if it’s relevant, we will see it again 👀 there are other vegetables there, so why fixate on it? and the fact that they bought the carrots. fans saw it on oliverjune’s post, he had a shopping cart and you can see the baguette and the carrots among other things.

also look at them with their leica 📸

there is also some conversation about the theme they got going on for their photos. even if they both wear shades and some photography/editing choices are similar ( take note yibo’s is by oliverjune-warmstudio ) — the overall feel is different. yibo was leaning more towards the cactus, vegetable and greens. while gg was more of the colors and roses. i think it totally represents their personalities.

not to go into the whole “gg is the girl” mindset. not at all. it’s just their personality and their preference. it is what they are drawn too. we love to it! tho they have a lot of similarities, you can still their individuality.

• matching tulips 🌷 - this is a lot to handle. they are so loud. 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ why? why? why tulips and that close? you would think yibo will avoid it cause he knows he will be accused of copying gg or whatever but he still did it.

WORLD DOMINATION FOR OUR BOYS 💕🙌🏼

• YIBO GOING TO SPAIN after his PFW excursion. Take note, XZ also went to spain after MFW. Lol. they went to the same place! I wish they could go together someday 💕 this is up for debate cause some say it’s just an IP linked to Loewe weibo.

• 3/14/2025 candies! a puppy with his bone necklace and all the red, green and yellow

• there was a video that was never seen before of xz explaining some paintings and it includes van gogh’s sunflowers. people are saying it appears to be 2019 xz during OOL time. and some are saying it aligns with the whole yibo visiting the national portrait gallery to look at the same painting during this time.

• WX shirt logo

• some xzs vlog in europe episode 1 candies

• 3/21 tarot card reading

• a cute snowman in yibo’s glacier documentary looks similar to something xz made

• i’ll just add this here cause i briefly reacted to it on my blog then deleted cause i didn’t want that energy on main. so basically, a “paparazzi” who does blind item comics posted one that said there was an A list star in his 30s that was in a relationship with his female manager. Netizens guessed XZ. and shrimps were putting the blame on WYB who was not even in his 30s. lol. then the clarification account related to XZS posted that it’s not true and that XZ is single.

this has always been an anti rhetoric, that XZ is dating his manager. i guess, even if it was male, there will still be a relationship rumor. it’s a common rumor to pass around. as a cpf, i just roll my eyes at that. i know it’s easy to question things cause antis really do make a convincing argument with their bullshit “clues” but if you are a rational human being you will know better.

• oranges!!!!! xz’s is a ralph lauren ad released 0323 and bobo’s is jeanswest 0324 🍊🍊🍊

• yibo official leaves a cpf flag and then edits it

i guess it depends on who is looking and what they want people to see. because spotted in evisu’s short film docu, you can see a cpf’s bjyx phone case 😋

• a zhanbi-bobo umbrella during the race lol

and that’s it! i try my best to pack in as much as i can — with candies that are largely talked about and makes sense. anything can be “cpn” if you clown hard enough so i only include what i personally see as significant ones. 💛 see you next month!

<< previous post

[reyaint]

the classes | mandatory

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date: march 23, 2025. 3:01 am. (starting). i fell asleep. lmao. 10:30

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✧˖*°࿐ The Mandatory Classes

𓂃༊veltrius Lumos Academy's mandatory curriculum blends rigorous academics with cultural and artistic exploration. these courses ensure students develop critical thinking, research skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities, preparing them for higher education and global careers.

✧˖*°࿐ Language Studies

𓂃༊students are required to take Haiqinian, Greek, and English throughout their academic journey.

*ೃ༄Haiqinian Language and Composition (3 years, Pre-AP & AP Available)

𓂃༊ Year 1 (Pre-AP or Regular Haiqinian Language & Composition I):

✧ 𓂃 › grammar & sentence structure: verb conjugations, syntax, and advanced sentence formation.

✧ 𓂃 › composition: essay writing, formal letters, and literary analysis.

✧ 𓂃 › literary study: introduction to Haiqinian classical and modern literature.

𓂃༊ Year 2 (AP or Regular Haiqinian Language & Composition II):

✧ 𓂃 › advanced grammar & writing: rhetorical devices, argumentation, and structured compositions.

✧ 𓂃 › comparative literature: study of Haiqinian texts alongside global literature.

✧ 𓂃 › research & analysis: writing research papers and learning source evaluation.

𓂃༊ Year 3 (AP or Regular Haiqinian Literature & Composition III):

✧ 𓂃 › critical literary analysis: deep dive into Haiqinian poetry, novels, and plays.

✧ 𓂃 › creative writing & public speaking: writing short stories, poetry, and persuasive speeches.

✧ 𓂃 › capstone research paper: a long-form thesis-style paper analyzing a Haiqinian literary work.

*ೃ༄Greek Language & Literature (3 years, required for all students)

𓂃༊ Year 1 (Greek I – Basic Grammar & Conversation):

✧ 𓂃 › introduction to the greek alphabet & pronunciation.

✧ 𓂃 › basic sentence structure: verb forms, nouns, and adjectives.

✧ 𓂃 › conversational skills: daily interactions, greetings, and essential expressions.

𓂃༊ Year 2 (Greek II – Intermediate Grammar, Translation & History):

✧ 𓂃 › complex sentence structures: subjunctive, conditional, and imperative verb forms.

✧ 𓂃 › translation practice: excerpts from Homer, Aesop, and historical texts.

✧ 𓂃 › greek culture & history: myths, political systems, and philosophy.

𓂃༊ Year 3 (Greek III – Advanced Reading, Writing & Translation):

✧ 𓂃 › advanced text analysis: works of Plato, Sophocles, and Aristophanes.

✧ 𓂃 › academic writing & discussion: essays on Greek mythology, ethics, and politics.

✧ 𓂃 › capstone project: a final presentation translating and analyzing a classical Greek work.

*ೃ༄English Language & Composition (2 years, English III is an elective)

𓂃༊ Year 1 (English I – General English Skills, Literature & Creative Writing):

✧ 𓂃 › grammar & vocabulary: structure, syntax, and advanced composition skills.

✧ 𓂃 › literature study: analysis of classic and modern English literature.

✧ 𓂃 › creative writing: poetry, short stories, and personal narratives.

𓂃༊ Year 2 (English II – Critical Thinking & Analytical Writing):

✧ 𓂃 › advanced literature study: British and American literature from different eras.

✧ 𓂃 › essay writing & rhetoric: persuasive essays, literary analysis, and argument development.

✧ 𓂃 › public speaking: presentations, debates, and discussions on literary themes.

𓂃༊ Year 3 (English III – Elective, Optional for Advanced Study):

✧ 𓂃 › world literature focus: exploring literature from South America, Asia, and Europe.

✧ 𓂃 › research & thesis writing: students write and defend a long-form literary thesis.

✧ 𓂃 › experimental writing styles: creative non-fiction, stream-of-consciousness, and hybrid prose.

✧˖*°࿐ Mathematics (3 years, AP Available)

*ೃ༄Core Math Progression:

𓂃༊ Year 1 (Algebra I w/ Probability – Pre-AP or Regular):

✧ 𓂃 › linear & quadratic equations: graphing, inequalities, and polynomials.

✧ 𓂃 › probability & statistics: basic probability theory, combinatorics, and statistics.

✧ 𓂃 › real-world applications: business forecasting, data analysis, and logical reasoning.

𓂃༊ Year 2 (Algebra II w/ Statistics + Precalculus – AP or Regular):

✧ 𓂃 › advanced algebra concepts: exponential/logarithmic functions, matrices, and conic sections.

✧ 𓂃 › statistics & data science: regression analysis, probability distributions, and data visualization.

✧ 𓂃 › pre-calculus introduction: trigonometric functions, sequences, and limits.

𓂃༊ Year 3 (AP Calculus + Finance or Regular Finance):

✧ 𓂃 › differential & integral calculus: derivatives, integrals, and applications in physics/economics.

✧ 𓂃 › financial mathematics: investments, banking, risk analysis, and economic modeling.

✧ 𓂃 › capstone project: using calculus and finance principles to analyze a real-world financial trend.

✧˖*°࿐ History & Social Sciences (3 years, AP Available)

*ೃ༄Year 1 (AP or Regular Haiqin History):

𓂃༊ linear & quadratic equations: graphing, inequalities, and polynomials.

𓂃༊ probability & statistics: basic probability theory, combinatorics, and statistics.

𓂃༊ real-world applications: business forecasting, data analysis, and logical reasoning.

*ೃ༄Year 2 (AP or Regular World History):

𓂃༊ advanced algebra concepts: exponential/logarithmic functions, matrices, and conic sections.

𓂃༊ statistics & data science: regression analysis, probability distributions, and data visualization.

𓂃༊ pre-calculus introduction: trigonometric functions, sequences, and limits.

*ೃ༄Year 3 (AP or Regular Government & Economics):

𓂃༊ differential & integral calculus: derivatives, integrals, and applications in physics/economics.

𓂃༊ financial mathematics: investments, banking, risk analysis, and economic modeling.

𓂃༊ capstone project: using calculus and finance principles to analyze a real-world financial trend.

✧˖*°࿐ Science Studies (3 years, AP Available for Some Courses)

*ೃ༄Year 1 (AP or Regular Chemistry):

𓂃༊ atomic theory & molecular structure: periodic trends and chemical bonding.

𓂃༊ thermodynamics & reaction kinetics: understanding physical and chemical reactions.

𓂃༊ lab work: hands-on chemical experiments, titration, and organic synthesis.

*ೃ༄Year 2 & 3 (Choice of Science, Must Take at Least One More):

𓂃༊ environmental science: climate change, ecosystems, and sustainable development.

𓂃༊ forensics: DNA analysis, fingerprinting, toxicology, and forensic anthropology.

𓂃༊ anatomy & physiology: human body systems, genetics, and medical applications.

𓂃༊ physics: classical mechanics, electromagnetism, and astrophysics.

𓂃༊ marine biology: ocean ecosystems, marine conservation, and field research.

✧˖*°࿐ Specialized & Cultural Studies

*ೃ༄AP or Regular Myths & Legends:

𓂃༊ greek & roman mythology: The Iliad, The Odyssey, Aeneid.

𓂃༊ comparative mythology: Norse, Celtic, Japanese, and Mesopotamian myths.

𓂃༊ symbolism & influence: how mythology influences modern media and storytelling.

*ೃ༄Astrology I (AP or Regular):

𓂃༊ foundations of astrology: birth charts, planetary movements, zodiac signs.

𓂃༊ cultural perspectives: astrology in Greek, Chinese, and Vedic traditions.

𓂃༊ scientific & spiritual debate: skepticism vs. belief, practical applications.