Questionnaire

Age? 19
Sex? Female
What is your degree subject (both if joint)? Religious Studies and Philosophy
Does ‘Being Bad’ relate well to the other modules you are taking? Not really
If so, how? And if not, why not? Other than the session “Being Too Religious,” I didn’t really think the lectures were relevant to the courses I’m taking, although the thinking aspect of philosophy was obviously there.
Have you found ‘Being Bad’ too demanding, too easy, or at an appropriate level? Too easy, although I found it was hard to decide what the assignments required of me
Do you think the list of topics covered on the module was appropriate? Yes
Are there any topics not included in the module that you would like to see included? Obviously there are topics like murder which are bad, but they are un-debatably bad, so no
Do you think that the format for classes has worked well? No
What did you think of the module team? I thought the lectures were a little impersonal and disengaging
Do you think it would have been better to have had more:
Small group discussions? Yes definitely
Discussion and debate among the class as a whole? Yes
Information and talk from lecturers? Yes, this was what was lacking the most
The approach taken in the module is interdisciplinary (drawing on perspectives from English Literature, Film Studies, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Media Studies and Politics): do you think this a useful way of approaching the topics covered in the module? Yes
Do you think that interdisciplinary modules are a good idea? I suppose so
Do you think you have benefited from the interdisciplinary approach taken in the module? A little, yes
Would you like to see more modules that cover this kind of subject matter? Yes, possibly
Are you planning to take the follow-up module PH2004 ‘It Shouldn’t Be Allowed’ at level 2? Yes
Would you recommend ‘Being Bad’ to a friend? Maybe
Do you think that the blogs (web logs) were a good idea? Yes
What did you think of the other assessments (e.g. would it be better to have one longer assessment rather than two shorter ones?)? They were too short and the criteria was unclear, particularly with the rationale. I think in future, there should only be one assignment, and that should be one set essay question that everyone does
What have you learned from the module? Other people’s views
What parts of the module have you found most useful and why? Blogging
What parts do you think were a waste of time and why? The sessions!
Are there any other comments you wish to make regarding ‘Being Bad’? No

Graffitti

Comments On Other People's Blogs:
http://markprestonsmind.blogspot.com/
I personally agree with the points Mark has put across here. Wherever you go you see in graffitti - on the sides of buildings, in public toilets, canal tunnels, bus shelters etc. The majority of the time, it is just mindless vandalism, which is often vulgar and offensive, but sometimes it can carry a message, and can be quite powerful in doing so.

www.graffiti.org

Bullying

Bullying doesn't just have to be physical, it can be mental and emotional too; often mental taunting can be the worst.

"Bullying can mean many different things. These are some ways children and young people have described bullying:
- being called names
- being teased
- being pushed or pulled about
- being hit or attacked
- having your bag and other possessions taken and thrown around
- having rumours spread about you
- being ignored and left out
- being forced to hand over money or possessions
- being attacked or teased or called names because of your religion or colour
- being attacked or teased or called names because of your sexuality." (http://www.childline.org.uk/Bullying.asp)

When most people think of the word "bullying," they usually associate it with the stereotypical scenario of a school boy with freckles, glasses and braces getting picked on in a playground by a group of older, bigger, rough kids. However, bullying can happen throughout life, victims and the bullies themselves can be any age. People get bullied at home by their own families, at school, and in the workplace. Whether minor or major, it happens all around is in our everyday life, and quite often, we are even unaware of it's occurance.

Although I disagree very much with bullying, often the bullies used to be bullied themselves or generally have an unhappy life, and so take their anger out on those more vulnerable. This does not justify such behaviour, but for nearly all bullies, there are deep-lying issues and reasons behind their behaviour.

Recently, an eleven-year-old boy killed himself not just because he was getting bullied by other children his age, but also because an adult joined in with the taunting, calling him explicit names, which led him to take his life due to being extremely unhappy. This was a tragic case of bullying, where the school did not intervene, and now the damage is done, and a life has been lost because of it. http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=61953

Abortion

The new abortion law allows abortions to be carried-out up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, but in reality, many babies are born and survive at the same age.

Does a foetus become a person when fertilized, when it’s heart first beats, when it develops a nervous system to sense the world around it, or when it takes it’s first breath when it’s born? All of these stages in the creation of life suggest that abortion is never anything but murder.




Personally, the only reason why I would ever have an abortion would be if I was raped, or if carrying on with the pregnancy could risk the life of both myself and the unborn child. Even though killing a foetus due to being raped is still a form of murder, it would not be a baby conceived out of love or affection, and I would probably end up resenting it because it would be a constant reminder of my rapist. Although an unborn child is not given equal human rights to that of it's mother, it still has SOME rights, and one person shouldn't be able to decide if another life can live or die for reasons such as the mother wanting to pursue a career, or it being unplanned as a result of not using birth control. The actual act of aborting the foetus can be done in a number of ways, depending on the stage of the pregnancy, but all of which I think are inhumane.

Comments On Other Blogs:
I agree with the comments on abortion on the blog http://sharni-tc.blogspot.com/2007/04/abortion.html, because life IS a gift, and if people feel they would have an abortion if they got pregnant by accident, then one solution to prevent the destroying of innocent lives would be to just not have sex at all.

A friend of mine had an abortion a couple of weeks ago, and although I told her my personal opinion on the matter and what I would do in her situation, I accept that it was still her decision to make, despite disagreeing with it. So many people have trouble conceiving, whereas others have several abortions in their lifetime, using them as a form of birth control and thinking nothing more of it. However, having an abortion can seriously affect a woman's life, both mentally and physically, because it can make some people unable to conceive again.


http://www.abortionfacts.com/
http://www.pregnancy.mb.ca/cpc-abo.htm

Swearing

Personally, I hate hearing people swearing constantly, as I think it can be very vulgar. I'm not trying to be sexist, but I dso think that women and girls swearing does sound particularly bad and "common," but its often the female sex that swear more nowadays. However, I do think there are occasions when only swearing can portray certain powerful messages and emotions, and can also aid in comedy.

Admittedly, I swear, but not excessively, and I don't think I first started swearing until I was about 12 or 13 years old. Although I say the odd swearword in front of my parents, I would never say the "F" word or anything as bad as this when in their presence, mainly as a sign of respect. My parents don't say things like this in front of me, despit the fact that I'm a grown adult, so I don't either. There's a time and a place for swearing, and when you're younger, you often find it "cool" to swear, as it's a form of rebellion and a its also part of growing-up; part of the path to maturity. However, I do generally disagree with swearing, as it's impolite and rude, and is not an acceptable form of behaviour in public, especially if there are young children or elderly people in earshot.

Body Modification

"One controversial objective of body modification is the attempt to resemble another race, such as Asians having their epicanthal folds modified supposedly to resemble non-Asian eyes or skin lightened with dyes (or even surgically), or suntanning," (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_modification).

The subject of body modification is often frowned upon in religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam, who believe that God is the creator, and so one should be blessed with what one has, not destroy it by changing what God intended for us to have.

Body modification does not just include piercings and tattoos, but also plastic surgery such as breast enlargements and teeth veneers. Personally, I do not think there is anything "wrong" with tattoos and body piercings, but I do think there is a point when one can have too many, and then I disagree with them, because they are taken to the extreme. Other than reconstructive surgery if for example someone has been burnt or lost a limb in an accident or through illness, I don't really agree with plastic surgery, because I think people should just accept themselves and worry about more impostant issues than their appearance. One problem that often occurs when people have plastic surgery is getting addicted to altering oneself, because it not only changes one physically, but also mentally and emotionally, and people often spend thousands of pounds changing how they look, and still not being happy with the outcome, because more is never enough.

However, there are significant risks involved in body modification, some of which include infection, nerve damage, keloids and dental risks. Therefore, body modification is a subject which should always be explored and researched thoroughly before making a decision to do so, as it can be a lifetime decision. http://ezinearticles.com/?What-are-the-Real-Risks-of-Body-Piercing?----Advice-for-Parents-and-Teens&id=2961

Masturbation

I don't personally think that this is a subject matter that is either right or wrong, it's up to the individual whether or not they wish to do it. It's not an unnatural act, but in the past, it caused a lot of controversy and was very frowned upon, because when society was more religious as a whole, it was considered a grave sin, and religions such as Christianity still hold that view.
I was admittedly shocked to see pictures of the type of restraints people used to use to stop themselves from masturbating, and all involved equipment which would inflict pain if they tried. Notably, most of these restraints were designed for men, but it has been accepted in recent years than women masturbate too.
I don't think there is any harm in gaining personal pleasure, as long as it doesn't cause harm for anyone else, and generally, masturbation is an act purely for self-satisfaction.


Comments On Other Blogs:

http://donnie22.blogspot.com/
"The act of masturbation is one that in my opinion is down to personal choice. I don't believe that personal sexual exploration should be prohibited by religious organizations or other peoples opinions. Masturbation is a natural and pleasurable act which introduces one to sexual maturity and the thought of one not been able to act in such away seems to me silly. For a male it is very easy to become stimulated and to avoid masturbating is only depriving your body of what it wants to do. If we were not supposed to masturbate, like many animals, humans would have sex or 'mate' in seasons, but instead humans are easily sexually simulated through their lifetime; babies, not aware of what they are doing receive pleasure from playing with themselves. One may contend this statement saying that humans being able to reason and use self control shouldn't masturbate as it is not necessary, but at the same time being so easily sexually stimulated all the time is not necessary either!! Although masturbation is taboo in the UK; it seems that unlike sex, masturbation was not liberated in the 60's and onward, many countries in Europe accept masturbation as a natural act. Religion has a big impact on the religious when it comes to masturbation, 'they'll burn in hell' if they condone such an act!! I think this is wrong, there are some places religion doesn't belong and and when it comes between a man/woman and their hand it shouldn't be considered!!"

I think Adonis has some good points here, like it being a, "natural and pleasurable act that introduces one to sexual maturity." Freud's Oedipus Complex states that awareness of one's sexuality and sexual pleasure begins during infancy, and this develops through life until one is mature enough to identify themselves as a being with sexual needs.