Raphael: SOC 203 Criminology Fieldwork Assignments Your fieldwork assignments constitutes 30% of your final grade. The assignment is completed in two stages. The first stage requires conducting three brief ethnographic observations (50%) and the second stage requires one comparative ethnographic analysis (50%), following the rubrics and writing composition processes provided. This assignment shows that students can critically observe, collect, synthesize, and interpret data using a variety of analytic frameworks. It is therefore the aim of this assignment to not only serve as the partial satisfaction of this course’s requirements but also the opportunity to write a quality writing sample that can be used for future employment or graduate study. While it is recognized that students have other life commitments, producing college-level writing is not something that ‘just happens.’ This assignment requires planning your time well and a focused effort. Stage One: Three Brief Ethnographies (50%) Based upon your readings of Goffman and Blackboard selections on writing field notes, your fieldwork assignment is to visit 2 different New York City courts and 1 Federal Court. Based upon your notes and class discussions, you are required to report back your observations in three 5-page papers; one for each court. You should plan to spend 2 to 3 hours on each observation – the approximate length of either a morning session or afternoon session. Also, keep in mind that all persons entering the courthouse must go through a magnetometer. Please arrive in time to allow for security screening. At anytime, the judge or other court officials might inquire about you observing. Remember to identify yourself as a student. Most court hearings are public but some are closed for the preservation of the rights of some parties. You can always slip into a different courtroom! Rubric for Each Observation:  Introduction (1/2 page; introduce the problem; make sure to specify which court, presiding Judge, type of hearings attending, etc.) (10 %)  Setting and Symbolism of the Court (1 page) (20 %)  The Ritualistic Elements of Interaction (1 page) (20 %)  The Story (2 pages; What happened/What is going on here?) (40 %)  Concluding Reflection (1/2 page; What do you think about this experience? / Bring it all together!!!) (10 %) Composition Process: 1. Perform Each Observation and Take Notes 2. Draft 1: Write Up Each Narrative Separately (Simply describe what happened!) 3. Draft 2: Perform Analysis (Apply relevant sociological concepts to your narrative!) 4. Visit Writing Center to Create Draft 3 5. Hand in Draft 3 Early to Receive Feedback (Optional) 6. Revise Draft 3 into Final Draft and Submit via SafeAssign! Stage Two: A Comparative Ethnographic Analysis (50%) Assess to what degree your own court observations are in line with Steve Bogira's observations as presented in his book, Courtroom 302. B ...

1. Raphael: SOC 203 Criminology
Fieldwork Assignments
Your fieldwork assignments constitutes 30% of your final
grade. The assignment is completed in
two stages. The first stage requires conducting three brief
ethnographic observations (50%) and
the second stage requires one comparative ethnographic analysis
(50%), following the rubrics
and writing composition processes provided. This assignment
shows that students can critically
observe, collect, synthesize, and interpret data using a variety
of analytic frameworks. It is
therefore the aim of this assignment to not only serve as the
partial satisfaction of this course’s
requirements but also the opportunity to write a quality writing
sample that can be used for
future employment or graduate study.
While it is recognized that students have other life
commitments, producing college-level writing
is not something that ‘just happens.’ This assignment requires
planning your time well and a

2. focused effort.
Stage One: Three Brief Ethnographies (50%)
Based upon your readings of Goffman and Blackboard
selections on writing field notes, your
fieldwork assignment is to visit 2 different New York City
courts and 1 Federal Court. Based
upon your notes and class discussions, you are required to
report back your observations in
three 5-page papers; one for each court. You should plan to
spend 2 to 3 hours on each
observation – the approximate length of either a morning
session or afternoon session. Also,
keep in mind that all persons entering the courthouse must go
through a magnetometer. Please
arrive in time to allow for security screening.
At anytime, the judge or other court officials might inquire
about you observing. Remember to
identify yourself as a student. Most court hearings are public
but some are closed for the
preservation of the rights of some parties. You can always slip
into a different courtroom!
Rubric for Each Observation:

3. specify which court,
presiding Judge, type of hearings attending, etc.) (10 %)
(40 %)
ng Reflection (1/2 page; What do you think about
this experience? / Bring it all
together!!!) (10 %)
Composition Process:
1. Perform Each Observation and Take Notes
2. Draft 1: Write Up Each Narrative Separately (Simply
describe what happened!)
3. Draft 2: Perform Analysis (Apply relevant sociological
concepts to your narrative!)
4. Visit Writing Center to Create Draft 3
5. Hand in Draft 3 Early to Receive Feedback (Optional)
6. Revise Draft 3 into Final Draft and Submit via SafeAssign!
Stage Two: A Comparative Ethnographic Analysis (50%)
Assess to what degree your own court observations are in line
with Steve Bogira's observations
as presented in his book, Courtroom 302. Be sure to attend to
the ritualistic elements that sustain
1

4. Raphael: SOC 203 Criminology
social organization as discussed by Goffman. Keep in mind this
it is this organization that
sustains social reality and the production of social order in
everyday life. Then, with class
discussions in mind on the role of criminology in relation to the
sociology of law, make sure to
reflect on how your experiences in the legal institution (as a
realization of the philosophy of law)
relate to the organization of your own experience of social life.
Remember that the word
"experience" used here has a specific sociological meaning, not
that one time with your friends
by the lake, but rather the manner in which one can speak of
and be understood to be referring to
that one time with your friends by the lake.
Rubric for the Comparative Analysis:
Since this analysis is cumulative, your response should
approximate 10 to 11 pages (double
spaced/ 12 point font), containing the following:

5. ½
Page) (15%)
Page) (15%)
Page) (15%)
criminology, the legal institution and
the experience of social life (3-4 Pages) (45%)
Composition Process:
1. Perform Analysis for Three Brief Ethnographies
2. Read Courtroom 302
3. Analyze Prompt
4. Create Outline
5. Compose Draft 1 following Rubric
6. Visit Writing Center to Create Draft 2
7. Hand in Draft 2 Early to Receive Feedback (Optional)
8. Revise Draft 2 into Final Draft and Submit via SafeAssign!
Where to Observe
The New York State Unified Court System
The New York State Unified Court System has many different
courts. Since we are in New York
City, we have access to many different levels of legal action.
While most legal work is done

6. behind the scenes in the production of documentation, the
courtroom is where the public stake is
defended (i.e. criminal cases), private concerns require public
intervention (i.e. civil cases) or the
dispute of public-private stakes (i.e. civil rights cases). In New
York City, there are five different
types of courts that are part of the New York State Unified
Court System:
1. The Supreme Court is the trial court of unlimited original
jurisdiction, but it generally
only hears cases that are outside the jurisdiction of other trial
courts of more limited
jurisdiction. It exercises civil jurisdiction and jurisdiction over
felony charges.
2. The Family Court hears matters involving children and
families. Its jurisdiction
includes: custody and visitation, support, family offense
(domestic violence), persons in
need of supervision, delinquency, child protective proceedings
(abuse and neglect), foster
care approval and review, termination of parental rights,
adoption and guardianship.
2

7. Raphael: SOC 203 Criminology
3. The Surrogate’s Court hears cases involving the affairs of
decedents, including the
probate of wills and the administration of estates, and
adoptions.
4. The Civil Court of the City of New York has jurisdiction over
civil cases involving
amounts up to $25,000 and other civil matters referred to it by
the Supreme Court. It
includes a small claims part for informal dispositions of matters
not exceeding $5,000
and a housing part for landlord-tenant matters and housing code
violations.
5. The Criminal Court of the City of New York has jurisdiction
over misdemeanors and
violations. Judges of the Criminal Court also act as arraigning
magistrates and conduct
preliminary hearings in felony cases.
The United States Federal Court System
The United States Federal Court System can be split into three
levels: the district courts, court of
appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.
1. The United States District Courts are the trial courts of the
federal court system. Within
limits set by Congress and the Constitution, the district courts
have jurisdiction to hear

8. nearly all categories of federal cases, including both civil and
criminal matters.
2. The United States Circuit Courts (also referred to as the
United States Courts of
Appeals) hears appeals from the district courts located within
its circuit, as well as
appeals from decisions of federal administrative agencies. There
are 94 U.S. judicial
districts which are organized into 12 regional circuits, each of
which has a United States
court of appeals.
3. The United States Supreme Court consists of the Chief
Justice of the United States and
eight associate justices. At its discretion, and within certain
guidelines established by
Congress, the Supreme Court each year hears a limited number
of the cases it is asked to
decide. Those cases may begin in the federal or state courts, and
they usually involve
important questions about the Constitution or federal law.
In New York City, we have:
1. The United States District Court for the Southern District of
New York has
jurisdiction over and summons jurors from the counties of New
York, Bronx,

9. Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, and
Sullivan. The Court for the
Southern District of New York hears cases in Manhattan, White
Plains, and Middletown,
New York.
2. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals sits in New York City
at the Thurgood Marshall
U.S. Courthouse in lower Manhattan. Three appellate court
judges sit on each case panel,
except for en banc appeals on which the full court sits. The
appellate court hears appeals
from the district courts within the circuit. The United States
District Courts for the
Second Circuit exercise federal jurisdiction in six districts
within the states of
Connecticut, New York, and Vermont. These are the trial courts
for the circuit. Each
district has multiple seats of court:
1) District of Connecticut (New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport)
2) Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn, Central Islip)
3) Northern District of New York (Albany, Binghamton,
Plattsburgh, Syracuse,
Utica)
4) Southern District of New York (Manhattan, White Plains)

10. 5) Western District of New York (Buffalo)
3
Raphael: SOC 203 Criminology
6) District of Vermont (Burlington, Rutland, Brattleboro)
The List of New York City Courts of the New York State
Unified Court System
1. Supreme Court, Civil & Criminal Terms
1) For New York City Supreme Court, Civil & Criminal Terms,
see
http://www.nycourts.gov/courts/cts-NYC-SUPREME.shtml and
search for
locations.
2. New York City Family Court
1) Bronx County
o Location: 900 Sheridan Ave, Bronx NY 10451 (corner of 161
Street)
o Public Transportation Directions: Take the B, D, or 4 trains to
the 161st
Street-Yankee Stadium station; or the #1, 2, 6, or 32 buses; we
are just a short
walk from Yankee Stadium.
2) Kings County

11. o Location: 330 Jay Street, Brooklyn 11201, in downtown
Brooklyn.
o Public Transportation Directions: Take the R or M train to the
Lawrence
Street Station; the G train to the Hoyt Street & Schermerhorn
Street Station;
the A, F or C train to the Jay Street Station; the 2, 3, 4 or 5
train to the
Borough Hall Station. Or take the B67, B41 or B45 bus line to
Livingston
Street & Smith Street; the B63 or B65 bus line to Atlantic
Avenue & Smith
Street; B61 to Jay St. (Metro Tech).
3) New York County
o Location: 60 Lafayette Street, NY 10013; in lower Manhattan,
between
Franklin and Leonard Streets.
o Public Transportation Directions: Take the # 4 or 5 train to
the Brooklyn
Bridge Station; the C, N, R, 6 train to Canal Street; the 1 train
to Franklin
Street. Or take the 1, 6 or 15 bus line.
4) Queens County
o Location: 151-20 Jamaica Ave. Jamaica, NY 11432, across
from the Rufus

12. King Park
5) Richmond County
o Location: 100 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island 10301; two
blocks west of St.
George Terminal.
o Public Transportation Directions: Staten Island Rapid Transit
or any City
bus to the St. George Terminal.
3. The Surrogate’s Court
1) New York County (Manhattan)
31 Chambers Street
New York, NY 10007
2) Bronx County
851 Grand Concourse
Bronx, NY 10451
3) Queens County
88-11 Sutphin Blvd.
Jamaica, NY 11435
4) Kings County (Brooklyn)
4
http://www.nycourts.gov/courts/cts-NYC-SUPREME.shtml

13. Raphael: SOC 203 Criminology
2 Johnson Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
5) Richmond County (Staten Island)
18 Richmond Terrace
Staten Island, NY 10301
4. New York City Civil Court
6) Harlem Community Court
o Location: 170 East 121st Street, New York, NY 10035
o Public Transportation Directions: 4, 5 or 6 Train - To 125th
Street station;
M101 or M98 bus to 121st Street; M100 crosstown bus to 3rd
Avenue
7) Bronx County Civil Court
o Location: 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx NY 10451
o Public Transportation Directions: B or D train to 161st St.,
Yankee
Stadium; 4 train to 161st St., Yankee Stadium; Bx1 bus to 161st
St. & Grand
Concourse; Bx6 bus or #55 bus to River Avenue & 161st St.
8) Bronx Housing Court
o Location: 1118 Grand Concourse (at 166th Street), Bronx, NY
10456
o Public Transportation Directions: 4 train to 167th Street; B or

14. D train to
167th Street; Bx1 bus to 166th St. & the Grand Concourse; Bx2
bus to 165th
St. & the Grand Concourse
9) Kings County
o Location: 141 Livingston Street (Corner of Smith Street),
Fulton Street Mall
Brooklyn, NY 11201
o Public Transportation Directions: 2, 3, 4, or 5 train to
Borough Hall station;
A, C or F train to Jay Street/Borough Hall station; M, N or R
train to
Lawrence Street/Metro Tech station; B25, B26, B37, B38, or
B52 bus to
Fulton & Jay Street; B41, B45, or B67 bus to Livingston &
Smith Street
10) New York County
o Location: 111 Centre Street, New York, NY 10013 (75
Lafayette
Street)(Between White and Franklin Streets)
o Public Transportation Directions: 1 or 9 train to Franklin
Street station; 4 or
5 train to Brooklyn Bridge station; 6 train to Canal Street
station; A, C, E, J,
M, N, R or Z train to Canal Street station; M101 or M102 down

15. Lexington
Avenue to City Hall; M15 down Second Avenue
11) Queens County
o Location: 89-17 Sutphin Boulevard (at 89th Avenue), Jamaica,
NY 11435
o Public Transportation Directions: E, F or J train to Sutphin
Blvd. station;
Q40, Q43 or Q44 bus to Sutphin Boulevard Q9, Q24, Q30, Q31,
Q54, Q56
bus to Jamaica Avenue; LIRR to Jamaica Station, courthouse is
3-4 blocks
north.
12) Redhook Community Justice Center
o Location: 88 Visitation Place, Brooklyn NY 11231
o Public Transportation Directions: B61 to Visitation Place; A,
C or F train to
Jay Street/Borough Hall and transfer for the B61 bus. The B61
bus stops one
half block from the Justice Center.
13) Richmond County
5
Raphael: SOC 203 Criminology

16. o Location: 927 Castleton Avenue (Corner of Bement Avenue),
Staten Island,
NY 10310
o Public Transportation Directions: At the Staten Island Ferry
bus ramp take
either S44 (Staten Island Mall) or S46 (Castleton Avenue) bus.
Get off at the
corner of Castleton Avenue and Bement Avenue.
5. New York City Criminal Court
14) Bronx County (Criminal Division)
o Location: The Bronx Criminal Court is located at 215 East
161st Street,
between Sherman & Sheridan Avenues and 265 East 161st
Street, between
Morris & Sherman Avenues.
o Public Transportation Directions: Take the C, D or 4 train to
Yankee
Stadium/161st Street Station. Take the BX 6 or BX 13 to East
161st Street &
Sheridan Avenue; the BX 1 to East 161st Street & Grand
Concourse.
o General Information: (718) 618-2460
15) Kings County (Brooklyn)
o Location: Kings (Brooklyn) Criminal Court is located at 120
Schermerhorn
Street, Brooklyn near Livingston Street & Smith Street.

17. o Public Transportation Directions: Take the N, R or M train to
the Lawrence
Street Station; the G train to the Hoyt Street & Schermerhorn
Street Station;
the A, F or C train to the Jay Street Station; the 2, 3, 4 or 5
train to the
Borough Hall Station. Take the B67, B41 or B45 bus line to
Livingston Street
& Smith Street; the B63 or B65 bus line to Atlantic Avenue &
Smith Street.
o General Info: (347) 404-9400
16) Midtown Community Court
o Location: The Midtown Community Court is located at 314
West 54th Street.
o Public Transportation Directions: Take the N or R train to the
57th Street
Station; the A, C , D, 1, 9 train to the Columbus Circle Station.
o General Info: 646-264-1300
17) New York County (Manhattan)
o Location: The New York (Manhattan) Criminal Court has 2
Locations
approximately three blocks south of Canal Street. The Criminal
Court
building at 100 Centre Street is one block from Worth Street
near Leonard

18. Street & Franklin Street. The Criminal Court building at 346
Broadway is
between Worth Street & Leonard Street.
o Public Transportation Directions: Take the No. 4 or 5 train to
the Brooklyn
Bridge Station; the C, N, R, 6 train to Canal Street; the 1 train
to Franklin
Street. Take the 1, 6 or 15 bus line.
o General Info: (646) 386-4511
18) Queens County
o Location: The Queens Criminal Court is located at 125-01
Queens Blvd. near
Hoover Avenue & 82nd Avenue. The Summons Part is located
across the
street in the Borough Hall Building.
o Public Transportation Directions: Take the E or F train to the
Union
Turnpike Station. The Q60, Q37, Q74 and Q46 buses all have
stops in close
proximity to the Courthouse.
o General Info: (718) 298-0792
6
Raphael: SOC 203 Criminology

19. 19) Red Hook Community Justice Center
o Location: The Red Hook Community Justice Center is located
at 88-94
Visitation Place, Brooklyn.
o Public Transportation Directions: The B61 bus stops a half
block from the
Justice Center, you may take the A,C or F subways to Jay
St/Borough Hall
and transfer to the B61.
o General Info: (718) 923-8200
20) Richmond County (Staten Island)
o Location: The Richmond (Staten Island) Criminal Court
Building is located
at 67 Targee Street between Frean & Purroy Streets.
o Public Transportation Directions: From the Ferry Terminal
take the S74
bus to Broad Street & Gordon Street or the S78 bus to Broad
Street &
Thompkins Avenue. The Courthouse is located approximately
four blocks
from either bus stop.
o General Info: (718) 675-8558
The List of New York City Courts in the United States Federal
Court System

20. 6. United States District Court, Southern District of New York
o Location: Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse,
500 Pearl
Street, New York, NY 10007-1312
o Public Transportation Directions: Take a #4, 5 or 6 subway
downtown to
Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall Station. Exit at the rear of the
platform, towards
the last car of the subway train. When you come up above
ground you will be
standing in Foley Square. Pearl Street will be across the square.
The
courthouse is located 1/2 block down Pearl Street in a new high-
rise building.
However, for security purposes, you must use the WORTH
STREET
entrance. Worth Street is at the top, or north end, of Foley
Square, on the left
side of the two large courthouses. Go right on Worth Street for
1 block to the
courthouse.
7. The U. S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
o Location: 40 Centre Street (40 Foley Square), New York, NY
10007.
o Public Transportation Directions: 40 Centre Street (40 Foley

21. Square) is
located two blocks east of Broadway and one block north of
Chambers Street,
at the Brooklyn Bridge 4, 5, and 6 subway stop, and two blocks
east of Church
Street, near the A and C subway stop. OR Take the #4, 5 or 6
Subway to
Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall Station. If headed south, exit at the
rear of the
platform, toward the last car of the subway train. If headed
north, exit at the
front of the platform, toward the first car of the subway train.
You will exit the
subway station at Foley Square. OR Take the A or C Subway, to
the
Chambers Street Station. Walk east on Chambers Street for four
blocks. Make
a left on Centre Street to Foley Square. OR Take the #1, 2 or 3
Subway to
Chambers Street. Walk east on Chambers Street for three
blocks. Make a left
on Centre Street to Foley Square.
7

22. 1
Running Head: Sleep Deprived
Sleep Deprived
Name
Woodbury University
Professor: Bridgewater
WRIT 112
October 26, 2014
Sleep Deprived
When it comes to the amount of sleep the average human
should get on a daily basis there tends to be a bit of
disagreement. It is commonly accepted that we should be
getting at least eight hours of sleep but the reality is that most
people fail to do so. Some of us can go to work or school with
less sleep than others but what exactly does a lack of sleep do
to our health? Sleep deprivation can be described as simply the
lack of sleep and recent studies claim that this can have a
serious effect on an individual’s cognitive and physical
functions while performing daily tasks. Despite the fact that
many people proudly claim that they can get by on 6, 5, or even
fewer hours of sleep, not getting enough sleep can affect an
individual’s health both physically and mentally.
The first significant findings on sleep deprivation were
researched by an individual named Nathaniel Kleitman (2013)
who is also known as the “father of sleep research” 2013.
Before Kleitman ventured off into the field of sleep there

23. appeared to be huge blind spot in the science of physiology. The
reason for this is simply because the human body was thought to
be in the same state while it was asleep as it was when an
individual was dead. There is little information on why exactly
Kleitman decided to challenge this position but it is highly
suggested that his motivation stemmed from his experiences
with pogroms during the First World War that eventually forced
him to move to New York. One of his first research experiments
consisted of keeping a dozen subjects awake for days and then
forced them to perform physical and psychological tests. He
even went as far as to use himself as a subject and stayed up for
one hundred and fifteen hours straight (1). Although no
significant findings resulted from this, this work would
eventually result in him being granted a sponsor to continue
researching this field. This sponsor was a meatpacking company
that was interested in determining whether or not a rich diet in
protein would cause babies to fall asleep more soundly. With
the help of one of his graduate students, Kleitman was able to
discover what is known as “rapid eye movement” or REM sleep.
The two became pioneers in the study of sleep, which had
become a true scientific field thanks to their work. The
discovery of REM introduced the different stages of sleep. For
example, during stage 1 of the sleep cycle an individual can be
woken up by a slight noise but during stage 3 he could remain
asleep during a loud crash. Elizabeth Kolbert mentions that in
2003 an expert in this field claimed that we were entering the
golden age of sleep research as a result of technology for
studying sleep becoming cheaper, easier, and less intrusive (1).
Despite his efforts, Kleitman did not have the technologies of
today so it is fair to say that his findings were limited. Thanks
to his interest in sleep, we are barely beginning to understand
the science of sleep and the effects that sleep deprivation have
on the human body and mind. Let us continue by examining
some recent studies that support the idea that a diet of little
sleep can result in a body that is deprived of its mental and
physical capabilities.

24. While many people think that getting by on a few hours of
sleep each night make them more productive at work, one study
found that overall sleep deprivation strongly impairs human
function. June J. Pilcher and Allen I. Huffcut (2006), from the
department of psychology at Bradley University conducted a
meta-analysis to summarize the work of 19 original studies on
sleep deprivation. Using mathematics the research analyzed
1,932 samples and 143 coefficients in order to summarize these
findings. At the time of the study, approaching this subject
using meta-analysis, which can best be described as statistical
analysis of a large collection of analysis, was relatively new in
this field of research. For decades researchers focused merely
on studies based on a combination of personal feeling, tastes,
and opinions. The meta-analysis approach presented new
information that was deemed useful. It was concluded that sleep
deprivation did in fact result in decreased reaction times, less
vigilance, and also an increase in perceptual and cognitive
distortion. To arrive at this conclusion, the research compared
the performance of sleep-deprived subjects to non-sleep-
deprived subjects. Time and time again it was found that the
sleep-deprived subjects scored less in terms of levels of
performance. In summary, the study confirmed that sleep
deprivation did in fact have a significant effect on human
function. Despite these findings, there were still a number of
scientists that feel as if sleep deprivation does not have a
profound effect on performance but it does seem to have this
effect when it comes to a person’s mood.
Another study published in the Journal of the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics analyzed the long-term and short-term
effects of sleep deprivation. It was found that after one night of
skimping out on sleep, people were more likely to become
hungrier and eat more (2013). What was found is that when the
body fails to get sleep, it becomes more likely to crave high-
calorie and high-carb foods. This in turns causes the individual
to begin eating unhealthy food, which results in an unhealthy
diet (1). One night of sleep deprivation also increased the

25. likelihood of getting in an accident. According to the National
Sleep Foundation’s website Drowsydriving.org, you chances of
getting into an accident triple when you fail to get at least six
hours of sleep (1). The idea of beauty sleep was also supported
by this study on short-term effects of sleep deprivation. Not
getting enough snooze time resulted in an individual not looking
his or her best and therefore made them less approachable.
Apparently you begin to appear sadder and less attractive with
merely one hour of minimal sleep (1). If these sleep patterns
persist for over a month, your chance of having a stroke
quadruples (1). According to Laura Schocker, “Research
presented at the SLEEP 2012 conference suggested that getting
fewer than six hours a night can ratchet up stroke risk for
middle-and-older aged people. These people sleeping less than
six hours had a four times increased risk of experiencing these
stroke symptoms compared to their normal weight counterparts
that were getting seven to eight hours.” Stroke was not the only
problem that would eventually result in the long run. Your
chances of becoming obese also increase dramatically.
Considering the things we mentioned about diet in the short
term, this path of increased caloric consumption increases the
chance of obesity over time. In fact, a study in 2012 by Penn
State found that, “sleeping fewer than six hours a night was
linked with changes in levels of the appetite hormones
gherlinleptin” (1). This hormone regulates your appetite and
when it fluctuates in this manner it can make someone want to
eat even more when he or she is not hungry. Overall, getting
only a few hours of sleep has numerous insidious effects on the
body.
Of course there are those who firmly believe that minimal
sleep can be a good thing. David Dinges (2011) who is the head
of the sleep and chronobiology department at the hospital at the
University of Pennsylvania is one of those. Dinges conducted a
study that placed subjects in groups of four, five, six, seven,
and eight hours of sleep for two weeks. The subjects were tested
for their ability to sustain attention using a method called

26. psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). Basically they were asked to
press the space bar on a computer as soon as a flash was noticed
on the screen. What was found in the study was that there was
not a major difference between four hours of sleep and six hours
of sleep. In Maggie Jones’ (2011) own words, “Though the four
hours subjects performed far worse, the six-hour group also
consistently fell off task. By the sixth day, 25 percent of the
six-hour group was falling asleep at the computer (1)”. But even
in this situation, there was a difference (albeit not major)
between those who had 6 hours of sleep and those who had 4.
Also, an activity such as pressing a space bar is not nearly as
complicated as driving a motor vehicle, or putting together a
PowerPoint presentation at an important meeting.
It is obvious that there is no clear formula for the
necessary sleep to perform an individual’s daily task. What we
do know is that eight hours of sleep is the recommended amount
and individuals who do this tend to perform far better in sleep
deprivation studies. The evidence shows that falling behind on
your sleep schedule can in fact affect you physically and proof
of this is shown in dieting patterns after losing out on sleep.
There is also evidence that a lack of sleep can affect your mood
therefore you are also being affected mentally. In order to
perform our best both mentally and physically, we must each
find a sleep schedule that fulfills both of these to their full
potential but doing so in a way that we are able to fulfill each of
our individual schedules.
Reference Page
Huffcut, A., Pilcher, J. (1996). Effect of Sleep Deprivation on
Performance: A Meta-
Analysis. SLEEP. 318-326.

27. Jones, M. (May 1, 2011) How Little Sleep Can You Get Away
With. The New York
Times.
Kolbert, Elizabeth. (March 2013) Up All Night: The science of
sleeplessness.The New
Yorker.
Sleep Deprivation Could Spur Hormonal Changes Linked With
Obesity, Review Finds.
(2012). Huffington Post.
Reflective Essay
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Due: 4.27.15 Length: 1-2 pages, or ½ page
of footnote commentary on a paper
The Reflective Essay is mean to have you look back on your
writing ability. You shouldn’t be cheerleading for yourself, but
instead give an honest assessment on how you’ve improved and
what weaknesses you still have that you want to work on in
WRIT 112. You have two options to do this.
Option 1: Craft a 1-2 page essay discussing your ability to
introduce and develop a topic, develop an argument, respond to
counterarguments, and use proper APA documentation. You
could devote a full paragraph to each one of these topics, or just
focus on 3, 2, or even just one of these. The fewer the sections
the more in depth your Reflective Essay will be on that topic.
Option 2: Select one of the papers you’ve written for your class.
Then, go through the paper and add footnote commentary by
explaining what you’ve done and why you’ve done it. The total
amount of footnotes should be about ½ a page. Try to relate
your footnote commentary to developing and introducing a
topic, developing an argument, responding to counterarguments,
and using proper APA documentation.