3909 Reserve Dr. #1725Tallahassee, FL 32311September 2, 2011Professor Lynn PetersonXXX XXX CollegeDivision of Communications and Humanities444 Appleyard DriveTallahassee, FL 32304-2895Dear Professor Peterson:My name is XXXXX, and I am a returning international student. I graduated college in graphic design in 2004 and began to work at food company and publishing company in Seoul for two years each. Soon after getting married, I moved to New York City in 2008 and entered a custom jewelry company in Manhattan. Since it was small company, I often needed to do something outside of my area of expertise such as promotion planning or making marketing strategies. Then, one day, my husband asked to move to Tallahassee for his studying at XXX graduate school. I thought it could be good chance to me as well for studying something what I've always been considering to learn, Business Management.My academic goal is, first and foremost, to learn both business management and English perfectly. As I mentioned above, I’ve always wanted to study Business to figure out the economy and market trends to do better design. Also, Since English is really important to be a competent professional in my country, using English fluently is very important to me, too. I hope, one day in near future, to become a capable bilingual art director.I believe being at XXX College will benefit me for my future plans if I do my best. On the other hand, as English is my second language, I am a little nervous at the same time. I might misunderstood or miss what you say and need to spent over twice or thrice as much time to catch other American students up. However it is consoling that at least I know this idiom. “There is no royal road to learning.”I always like to read books and write about them, and I think it is my best strength which broadens my width of thought. Yet when it comes to reading and writing in English, the story becomes different. I often doubt whether what I’m writing makes sense to English speakers or using word-for-word translation from my original language. To develop my sense of English, I started to read novels in English and subscribe some magazines about fashion and fitness, which are my interests. I, moreover, am positively going to use the Smartthinking E-tutoring system and English center at Learning Commons to improve my writing and grammar skills.There is no doubt that every single class I attend will upgrade my English. I am ready to meet various sides of American culture and embrace different ideas. Also, I hope my chronic Korean-English grammar errors will be reviewed through this course. I sincerely appreciate to have this opportunity to learn from you at XXX College.Truly,XXXXX(Name)
Marketing ProjectNameDr. Brenda AnthonyBusiness ManagementDec 2, 2011XXX CollegeMarketing ProjectExecutive SummaryOur company, Pentabreed, Inc.,will analyze the market trend, products or services our clients want to sell, and suggest to them keen marketing strategies. From naming of the products to establishing promotion plans, we will help our clients by providing insightful support. Pentabreed’s unique plan for our clients will make them strong competitors in the industry and focus on creating corporate identity and profitability.Mission StatementTo help our clients achieve their goals with strong marketing strategies and affection.”Vision Statement“The power of branding and design – We believe we can change the world by inspiring people.”Form of Business OwnershipPentabreed can be categorized as a small business and run by sole proprietorship. This form of company has many advantages. It is easy to form and dissolve, and be flexibly managed. The owner will have right to all profits d is a service-oriented company. The facilities I need at first are a few computers, computer related goods and basic office furniture such as desks and chairs. For producing graphic designs for logos, promotion stuffs, website, interactive web applications and etc, I need high specification computers. Although I will use print shop service for high-quality outputs, I also need some basic printers and scanners for daily uses.Management / PersonnelAt the early stage of my business, I plan to do business in partial partnership with my friend whose majors are public relations and graphic design. By having occasional partial partnership, I will be able to reduce one of the disadvantages of sole proprietorship - a wide range of management and operational responsibilities. We will work all the projects together, and when it becomes busy, I will hire part-time employees or freelance designers temporarily. I don’t want to incur too much fixed cost from the start.Also, I will borrow the conceptd the company itself. We, then, analyze the beer market situation, current state of competition, and target market. Based on the research and analysis, we establish new marketing concept for upgrading the image of individual beer products and corporate image, and achieving long-term success. Finally, we design logos, emblems, package and advertisements. In addition, the brewing company’s new brand and design will be monitored by us whether it is well applied.As our business is B2B, word of mouth marketing will be more efficient than advertisement through media. Usually, once one client has satisfying result from the project, he or she recommends our firm to other business owners. Also, when our final work displays in the public, other competitors will see it and contact us. Advertising via local media will be effective and I will be able to gather lots of customers in the short period time. However, since Pentabreed is basically managed by only few employees, it will be out of our capaod business sense.Market SegmentationTo specify our future clients, customer-based segmentation will be used as an appropriate method. The number of companies in Korea is too many to enumerate and I will focus on certain types of companies among them. The potential customers of Pentabreed will be mostly midsize manufacturers in South Korea rather than major companies or small-scale local businesses.Market StrategyMost of Korean midsize companies are currently trying to expand their business globally. In my opinion, South Korea has good economic position in global market. We have advantages in terms of high technology and relatively inexpensive costs in the U.S. and European markets. In Southeast Asian countries and Central Asian countries, the Korean wave is very popular and it is creating synergistic effects to promote Korean products, services and culture.Actually, many of them already have been exporting their goods and services abroad from China and South East Asian countries to theat skills and ability, but at the same time, their consulting prices are too high. Meanwhile, hundreds of small branding and design companies are competing and offering low price, but I’ve heard many company owners said not many of them have suitable abilities such as global point of views or good business sense.Fundraising strategyI don’t have much money right now, but as I mentioned above many times, my business is service-oriented. I don’t need a large amount of capital to establish facilities or stock products to begin with. So, I will start business with a small capital and raise it by myself at first. Then, luckily, from the start, I’m going to work with a big client which is my husband. He and his father run a non-profit global boxing organization, PABA(Pan Asian Boxing Association) and I have been working with PABA as a graphic designer and brand consultant as a freelancer for 4 years. Once I go back to my country and knuckle down to work, I will be able to raise enough money 2
J.H.B(NAME)L. PetersonEnglish Composition14 Nov 2011The Mummy: American Hero in Bad Arab“Axis of Evil” is a term which former president George W. Bush initially used when he designated some Arab countries as public enemies of United States, after 9/11, 2001. Not only U.S. citizens but also all the people around the world were shocked about the terrible carnage by Taliban, Islamist militant and political group, and this gruesome image of the terrorists are being stamped on people’s memories as “Muslims equal evil.” Even though it was executed by a minor extremist party, from that moment, having open hostilities and outright discrimination of Muslims were justified and it aggravated the stereotypes of the Arab which had been already entrenched in the society. To the west, Arabs has long been considered as threatening figures even before 9/11 or the gulf war. Like Dr. Shaheen mentioned in his documentary film Real Bad Arabs, Muslims have been shown as savage tribes in mass media from the he superiority of America over the world in the Hollywood movies. As any typical Hollywood protagonists the main character O'Connell is a brave and strong man. On the contrary, the main supporting character Beni is a sneaky opportunist Muslim who always put O’connell into troubles. He is a not terrorist, whom is a common and typical Muslim figure in Hollywood movies, but he still has all the negative stereotypes of notorious Arab merchants, whom have been continuously regarded as greedy and wily people in the West. Also, although the Mummy tries to be free from criticism of stereotypes by putting a few good Egyptian guys in the plot, it still represents numerous biased views of the Arab world under the justified settings.The first problem of The Mummy is that this movie adroitly implants negative stereotypes about Arabs, by continuously making antagonistic relationships between America and Arab. And, for this, The Mummy uses historical inaccuracies without hesitation to create unavoidato the group of Arabs, but there is no specific reason that Americans had to fight against anybody. And, it makes audience spontaneously think Egyptians are the enemy of good Americans from the beginning. And after that the movie continues to allow that Americans abuse Arabs. Three years after the war scene, the movie shows that a group of Americans and O’connell’s companies go find their own treasures. It is showed as natural, but isn’t it stealing to dig up other independent country’s ancient artifacts without permission? Moreover, the Mummy even justifies Americans massacre Arabs. When groups of Egyptians turn into slaves of Imhotep, O’connell and his companies ruthlessly kill them. In this situation, the audience may not be aware of it, but if you put yourself in their position, it is obvious carnage by external intruders.Also, The Mummy consolidates the stereotypes of Arabs. Many Egyptians are depicted as sly, selfish and greedy people in the plot and Beni, the main supporting rolep and leads his former fellow American travelers to death. And, another example of how this movie depicts Muslims as greedy and stupid people is the Cairo Prison warder. When Evelyn tries to save O’connell’s life, he begins to negotiate with her for the profit sharing after treasure hunting. But right after Evelyn proposes 30% for his share of the whole profit, he excitedly yelled 25% and immediately regrets it. In addition, he becomes the first victim, which is normally the least sympathetic character in the plot, in Hamunaptra because of his greed.Actually, not all the Egyptians are stereotypically depicted as coward, barbaric and greedy people in this movie. The leader of the guardians of Hamunaptra and the librarian of Cairo museum are quite similar to American Heroes brave, strong, wise and righteous. When O’connell and other people tries to escape from the slaves of Imhotep, the Egyptian librarian willingly sacrifice himself to save other’s lives. Also, when O’connell and his coFrom Clint Eastwood’s Western movies to Indiana Jones, the pioneer and frontier spirit have long been heroized in the movies and the counterforce, such as Native Americans, have been unfairly illustrated as villains. Emphasizing certain negative sides such as scalping and cutting off limbs, Hollywood movies makes one-sided portrayal of the Native and branded them as absolute evil. And, it is just same as how Arabs now are illustrated and accused of being criminals in the Hollywood movies. But, what is more serious is that not only in the movies but also in the press and public broadcasting, which people believe as objective media, the Arab is still represented as the public enemy or the countries need to be rescued by outside forces for the political and economical reasons. Arab men discriminatingly depicted as terrorists are beloved fathers in their home. Arabs are benevolent people who minimize the pain of animals as possible as they can by their law ‘Halal’ when they slaughter anima
J. H. B(Name)L. PetersonEnglish 110126 Sept 2011SummaryIn “Disney’s Dolls,” Kathi Maio argues that Disney’s animated films have underlying themes such as the suppression of female independence, cultural racism, ethnic stereotypes and historical inaccuracies in movie plots. Since Disney’s first animated film in 1937, Disney’s patriarchal and sexist view of gender establishes young, beautiful and obedient female figures as its standard heroine. Even though times have changed, women in Disney’s world still seem to cling to their old beliefs of Cinderella complex. Moreover, by setting old and empowered women as young heroines’ foes, Disney solidifies the uncomfortable saying, “The enemy of women is itself” (qtd. in “Enemy of Women”).Kathi Maio also criticizes Disney’s biased view of race and ethnicity. Depicting an American looking character as a good guy and an Arabian looking guy as a villain in Aladdin, and using white Americans’ voices for righteous heroes and African Americans’ voicesney, as she finally gets married and lives happily ever after, just like another of Disney’s average heroines.ResponseDisney’s animated films make children unknowingly learn wrong conceptions of society before they recognize it by their own experience, and negative concepts initially formed in childhood – such as sexism, racial stereotypes and wrong views of history – can have lasting effects into adulthood. Many would agree that, Disney’s customer base is children all over the world, and I was one of them, too. When I was 9 years old, I watched The Little Mermaid, which was the first Disney’s animated film released in theater in my life. Vibrant colors, entertaining music, lively characters in the marvelous sea world were all pure fantasy to me. I instantly became a big fan of Disney and began to await its annually-released films. Did I become aware of its notions and determine to follow Disney’s gender roles at that time? My answer is ‘No.’ However, in my subconscious, Disney’s beauton about the self, social groups, and experiences. (Rouner et al 435). In Disney’s movies, women are usually illustrated as “natural-born happy homemakers who lie in a state of suspended animation until a man gives them a life” (236). All the subordinated and weak female characters in the films are basically adapted from popular stories in the middle ages in Europe, which was royal and patriarchal. In that era, women were not allowed to have power over men and they had to be obedient, whereas, in modern society, women are different. Women have powers and are confidently beautiful at the same time. Women are not beings made for the sexual gratification of men and should not suppress feelings anymore. So, I believe the old fashioned female figure and gender roles which Disney still adhere to should be suitably changed to the present.Disney’s negative effects on children are not only making wrong notions of gender roles but also implanting biased view of races and ethnicities before they And, in my opinion, we call it culture. What’s ironic is that, far from correcting wrong cognitions, Walt Disney’s so-called cultural enterprise repeats the same mistakes of “the obvious racism and ethnic stereotyping in the story” (238).Lastly, I agree with Maio’s point about Disney’s way of presenting history. As mentioned in her essay, many historical facts have been distorted for beautifying Disney’s stories which are originally sad and tragic. Disney may say they had to change the endings because their audiences want happy endings. Parents may be satisfied to show their children how this world will be lovely and perfect in the future. But many historical inaccuracies in Disney’s animated films would make children have a lack of historical awareness and not be able to realize the importance of historical problems.There is happy news, though. It seems like Disney’s success story, once considered never-ending, is finished. Three years after Mulan, another American film studio, DreamWness to see outdated stories and infuse old-fashioned ideas into their children.The influence of media on children is powerful, and false concepts formed in childhood are more stable and lasting than those formed later in life. Media such as movies and television programs can be useful entertainment and education tools, but at the same time, it can easily manipulate our minds to the way media thinks we should act or feel. And this is why we should be conscious of any media from creating wrong notions. Despite that people’s way of thinking has changed, we can still find many advertisements depicting women as sexual objects and TV programs portraying ethnic minorities stereotypically. Before laughing at funny stories and enjoying dazzling images on the screen, we need to think first what is in popular culture through media.Works CitedEnemy of Women. Alfred Zeisler. 1944. Goldwyn Pictures, 2005. DVD.Maio, Kathi. “Disney’s Dolls” The Pop Culture Zone: Writing Critically about Popular Cultu 1
STATEMENT OF PURPOSEName of applicant : KIM JI SUNDepartment : COMMUNICATION DESIGNThe word ‘New York City’ was everywhere. From the bakery signage and a newspaper to a fashion ad that said to “wear a NY Style.” The more I learnt about and exposed to the city as a young girl, the stronger my desire for the city became.More than two decades have passed since then. I have become a graphic designer - something I’ve always wanted to become all my life - and the aspiration for New York City that I had as a little girl was still there. I finally got a chance to visit the city a few years ago. I have taken journeys to over 30 countries such as India, Turkey, Egypt and European countries, just to name a few, yet never have I seen this kind of city that contained every race, color, culture, fashion, language, sound, scent and event. It was a real cosmopolitan city I have only dreamt about. Eventually, I decided to study in New York – although the city wasn’t the only reason, of course.My basis is a graphic design. From college days and throughout my career as a graphic designer in Seoul, I learnt a lot of values with firsthand experience. The most important thing that I realized is that graphic designer is not only a trend creator but also a person who makes connections between people. When I worked as a package designer, I connected the company with customers. And as a book cover designer, I connected writers and readers alike, just like a bridge. I let customers know what producers want to tell and let producers know what people want in graphic. Four years of career taught me good lessons and also gave me a lot of fun. But at the same time, I felt that I’ve lost something during the course of learning to make a compromise. I wanted to study again. I wanted to get a new start. And Pratt Institute was the school to make a new start.After moving into the city, I have attended a several graduate school sessions. Among them, I realized that M.S. in Communications Design program at Pratt Institute was the perfect fit for me. Pratt Institute, to my understanding, is a school with the most innovative and creative minds with a strong scholastic programs. Also, I appreciate the history over than 100 years and numorous graduates who work in various fields. I would like to have an opportunity to develop my abilities and experience new values with talented students and great faculties.So far, my dominant interest has been the story. I have always found better way to tell the story about the object what I designed. If chance allows, I’d like to enhance my ability and study more about communications, especially on publication design including new media publication like an E-Book in Pratt institute.