How instant cameras work

Instant or Polaroid cameras are known for developing and printing out photographs within a few minutes after pressing the shutter release button. But how does this seemingly magical process work? The secret simply lies in the film. In order to understand the physics behind instant camera films, it is essential to first become familiar with the basics of traditional photographic film. Traditional film is composed of a plastic base laminated with light-sensitive silver compound. While there is only one layer of silver compound in black-and-white films, color films contain three layers, the first being sensitive to blue light, the second to green and the third to red. Once the film is exposed to light, the individual layers react to the colors, which cause the formation of metallic silver and a chemical reaction. The image created on the film would then have to be further developed, whereas instant cameras already comprise all the necessary chemicals in their films to develop the photographs right away. These chemicals are found within additional layers. A developer layer that contains dye elements is placed underneath each color layer, all of which are underneath the image, the timing and the acid layer and above a black base layer. These several layers are all parts of a chemical chain reaction that becomes induced by a substance called reagent (see images). 

The reagent consists of a mix of opacifiers, alkali, white pigment and other elements and is situated right between the light-sensitive layers and the image layer. As soon as a picture is captured and exposed to light, the film is sent out through a pair of rollers which push the reagent on the white, plastic borders onto the silver compound. This process triggers the four layers to react which in turn causes the silver compound layers to process and produce blue, green and red light patterns. An image is then created and as the photograph starts to appear, a chemical reaction can be viewed.

[327 words]

Instructional/Group - How To Make a Camera Lucida

 

The instructional text How To Make a Camera Lucida by Tim Hunkin does not provide the reader with useful instructions. Even though the author complies with a number of rules for instructional texts, such as making use of the imperative as well as writing short and simple sentences, the way the instructions are presented is neither clear nor logical. Looking at the sentences, it is extremely confusing for the reader to figure out the order of the steps since they are not numbered. Most of the steps are not written down explicitly but need to be figured out with the help of the images. This, however, is not the purpose of illustrations in instructional texts, instead they should be used to support the individual steps rather than to do the explaining. Moreover, there is no list of the materials needed to build the camera, there are no warnings or helpful tips, nor does the text say anything about the estimated time required. The usage of the camera lucida for drawing is mentioned within the instructions. However, it would have been helpful to know more about the camera from the start and an introduction should have been provided at the beginning. To put it in a nutshell, this piece of instruction clearly lacks organisation and logic.

[215 words]

Descriptive/group: The Migrant Mother

The photo of the Migrant Mother is a black and white photograph, taken in 1936, during the Great Depression, by Dorothea Lange. It depicts a woman in her 30s with her three children, one baby and two toddlers. Taking a closer look at her face, you notice that her hair is unkempt and her brows are knit together. Her wrinkled, sun-tanned face looks careworn and sombre and her hunched posture seems to express her wish to protect her children. The mother’s right hand is propped up against her chin, while her left hand is cradling the baby which is swaddled in a dirty blanket and appears to be sleeping. The children lean against their mother’s shoulder, facing away from the camera. Their dishevelled pageboy hairstyles and their slight bodies exacerbate the already present melancholic atmosphere. The family is poor as can be seen by their dirty and threadbare clothes. The overall impression is one of desperation and the quiet determination to carry on living.

[163 words]

A day in the life of...Monika

Unlike most days, I find myself being not entirely reluctant to the idea of waking up at this early time in the morning, even though I know I have a long day ahead of me. I stay in bed for a few more minutes to soak in the warmth of the sun that shines through the windows before I finally get up and ready to leave for university. It is such a beautiful sunny day that I decide to pass on the tram and continue by foot instead. Luckily, I arrive just in time for my first class and cannot help but notice that most of my fellow students seem to be in a good mood this day as well. 

The nearly eight hours pass quicker than I thought and I am faced with two options: Either going back to an empty apartment and getting some work done or taking a friend up on his offer to give me a ride to my family home in Vienna. Spontaneously, I choose to go with the latter, head home and pack a few things to hit the road. 

After a fun ride with my good friend, I am happy to finally be home and to find my sister about to make one of my favorite desserts: pancakes with ice and fruits. 

The Council of Europe

by Muzek, Wallner and Toma

1. Original paragraph

The Council of Europe is the most important organisation beside the European Union in Europe. What makes this organisation so important is their aim to protect human rights, promote democracy and cultural diversity and fight social problems. Also, the Council supports issues like education, sports and youth mobility, apart from many others. The reason why they do all this is to guarantee the economic and social progress of their 47 member states. It was founded in 1949 by only ten European states. Because the membership is open to any “European” state which has the same beliefs, the amount of members is growing ever since. Not only European countries can join the Council but also non-European ones can do so as observers or partners. Observers are usually non-European democracies which want to support the Council of Europe when spreading democracy in developing countries. These countries have the status of partners and are supported in their democratisation process by them. To sum up, it is very important that we have a clear picture of everything the Council of Europe achieved and still is, in order to understand its importance in our everyday lives.

[191 words]

Our corrected version

The Council of Europe is the most important organisation beside the European Union in Europe. ( Besides/Apart from the European Union, the Council of Europe is the most important organization in Europe.) What makes this organisation so (omit, because rather informal register) important (repeated word; significant, essential) is their aim to protect human rights, promote democracy and cultural diversity and fight social problems. Also (Moreover would be better here, as it is more formal) , the Council supports issues like (encourages topics such as) education, sports and youth mobility, apart from many others (omit because of “such as....” it’s clear that there are other topics) The reason why they (it is the council who does all that and therefore “they” is incorrect) do all this is to guarantee the economic and social progress of their 47 member states. It was founded in 1949 by only ten European states (incoherent, should have come at the beginning of the paragraph). Because (usually you don’t begin a sentence with because; “Since” would be better here) the membership is open to any “European” state which has (shares) the same beliefs, the amount (number) of members is growing (has been increasing) ever since. Not only European countries can (can European countries) join the Council(,) but also non-European ones can do so as observers or partners. Observers are usually non-European democracies which want (rather informal register; tend to) to support the Council of Europe when (by) spreading democracy in developing countries. These countries have the status of partners and are supported in their democratisation process by them. To sum up, it is very important (crucial/essential) that we have a clear picture of (we are aware of) everything the Council of Europe achieved and still is, in order to understand its importance in our everyday lives.

2. Original paragraph

With a total of 47 member countries, including all of the present EU member states as well as several countries located beyond the EU borders, the Council of Europe bears great responsibility for the preservation of democracy in Europe. The Council was founded in 1949 by Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, essentially in order to establish democratic stability in all European states.  The Council further strives to promote awareness of Europe’s cultural identity and diversity as well as their development. The latest member to join was Montenegro in 2007, after it signed and ratified the 83 conventions of the Council of Europe. The general requirement for a country to join the Council of Europe is to be at least partially located in Europe and to share the same common values. These values range from the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms to pluralistic democracy, the rule of law as well as free and fair elections. Countries that are located beyond the EU borders are designated, provided they are willing to contribute to the democratic transitions in Europe, such as Japan and the USA for instance. Observer states are permitted to participate in the committee of ministers and in intergovernmental committees. Otherwise they may attain observer status with the Parliamentary Assembly, as do Canada and Israel, meaning that they are authorized to engage in Assembly sessions. In addition to its member and observer states, the Council of Europe partnered with the EU, the UN and a variety of international organizations, including the ALESCO (Arab League Educational, Cultural, Scientific Organization), the OSCE (Organization for Security and co-operation in Europe) and the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between cultures. In conclusion, the main function of the Council of Europe is to assure democracy in Europe and cooperation between all European states in terms of human rights.

[315 words]

Our corrected version

With a total of 47 member countries, including all of the present EU member states as well as several countries located beyond the EU borders, the Council of Europe bears great responsibility (good expression+ good TS) for the preservation of democracy in Europe. The Council was founded in 1949 by Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, essentially (omit, because in order to is enough here) in order to establish democratic stability in all European states.  The Council further strives to promote awareness of Europe’s cultural identity and diversity as well as their development. The latest member to join was Montenegro in 2007, after it signed and ratified the 83 conventions of the Council of Europe. The general requirement for a country to join the Council of Europe is to be at least partially located in Europe and to share the same common values. These values range from the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms to pluralistic democracy, the rule of law as well as free and fair elections. Countries that are located beyond the EU borders are designated, provided they are willing to contribute to the democratic transitions in Europe, such as Japan and the USA for instance. Observer states are permitted to participate in the committee of ministers and in intergovernmental committees. Otherwise (comma required) they may attain observer status with the Parliamentary Assembly, as do Canada and Israel, meaning that they are authorized to engage in Assembly sessions. In addition to its member and observer states, the Council of Europe partnered with the EU, the UN and a variety of international organizations, including the ALESCO (Arab League Educational, Cultural, Scientific Organization), the OSCE (Organization for Security and co-operation in Europe) and the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between cultures. In conclusion, the main function of the Council of Europe is to assure democracy in Europe and cooperation between all European states in terms of human rights. (good CS)

Final version (incorporate good qualities from the two paragraphs)

With a total of 47 member countries, including all of the present EU member states as well as several countries located beyond the EU borders, the Council of Europe bears great responsibility for the preservation of democracy in Europe. The Council was founded in 1949 by Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom in order to establish democratic stability in all European states. The Council strives to promote awareness of Europe’s cultural identity and diversity as well as economic development. The latest member to join was Montenegro in 2007, after having signed and ratified the 83 conventions of the Council of Europe. The general requirement for a country to join the Council of Europe is to be at least partially located in Europe and to share the same common values. These values range from respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms to pluralistic democracy as well as maintaining the rule of law and guaranteeing fair elections. Countries that are located beyond the EU borders, such as the USA and Japan, are designated to the democratic transitions in Europe, provided they are willing to contribute. These so-called observer states are permitted to participate in the committee of ministers and in intergovernmental committees. They may also attain observer status with the Parliamentary Assembly, meaning that they are authorized to engage in Assembly sessions. In conclusion, the main function of the Council of Europe is to assure democracy in Europe and cooperation between all European states.

[249 words]

Why Bosnia should join the EU

by Emina Ribo, Carola Ponjevic and Monika Toma

Original text:

When driving through the scattered regions in the Republic of Bosnia, a country on the Balkan peninsula of South Eastern Europe, you might observe that the Yugoslavian war had clearly left its marks. 12 years after the Dayton Agreement, which ended the tragic Yugoslavian war, Bosnia has been starting to reconstruct and repair the remaining war damages. Since Bosnia is located in the heart of Europe, the question arises: Why is the country not yet a member state of the EU? The prospect of EU membership exists, however, the country needs to improve its standards of living and politics as well as other areas. The accession of Bosnia to the EU would definitely grant the country a great deal of benefits and vice versa. The EU could derive a benefit from Bosnia in terms of agriculture and cultural diversity. If the Republic of Bosnia became a member state of the Union, both sides could extract advantages from each other.

As for Bosnia, an accession to the EU could help prevent corruption, since it is, in fact, a big issue there. The level of unemployment is rising and the citizen’s living conditions are getting worse while the officials and politics are getting richer. The Justice is mostly corrupt and even the schools and hospitals are trying to benefit from the corrupt system. The unfairness the Bosnians are confronted with every day has led to a tension between the citizens and the government. Not only the government causes discontent though but also the strained relationship between the three ethnics living in Bosnia, namely the Bosnians themselves, the Croatians and the Serbs. The relationship between them is strained due to the fact that they obviously still suffer the consequences of the war 20 years ago. Time has shown that the Bosnian government cannot solve these kind of issues on its own. An EU accession would therefore help to improve the social, political and economical situation in Bosnia. The EU could interfere in politics and economics and try to mediate between the ethnical groups in order to bring peace within the country.

Our classmates' feedback:

When driving through the scattered regions in the Republic of Bosnia, you might observe that the Yugoslavian war had clearly left its marks.

I can't tell the the text is going to be about the advantages that Bosnia would have with the accession to the EU. If this is your focus, consider mentioning it in the topic sentence

12

If you want to start a sentence with a number, you have to write it out..

Submitted version:

When driving through the scattered regions of the Republic of Bosnia, a country located on the Balkan peninsula of South Eastern Europe, you might observe that the Yugoslavian war had clearly left its marks. Twelve years after the Dayton Agreement, which ended the tragic war of former Yugoslavia, Bosnia started to reconstruct and repair the remaining war damages to become stable again. Since Bosnia is, in fact, located in the heart of Europe, this raises an inescapable question: Why is the country not yet a member state of the EU? Although the prospect of EU membership exists, as negotiations started in 2005, the country will have to first improve its standards of living and politics as well as other areas. Once the Republic is somewhat stable enough to become a member state of the Union, there is no doubt that not only could Bosnia benefit from the accession, but that the EU would also derive great benefits from the Republic, for instance, in terms of agriculture and cultural diversity.

Since corruption is a major issue in Bosnia, an accession to the EU would undoubtedly prevent its negative impact on the citizens and consequently help to foster Bosnia’s stability and economic reform. The level of unemployment continues to rise and the citizen’s living conditions are becoming worse each day, while officials and politicians are living in prosperity. The justice system is mostly corrupt as well and even schools and hospitals attempt to benefit from the corrupt system. As a result of this unfairness that Bosnians are currently being confronted with, a certain tension has developed not only between the citizens and the government, but also between the three ethnics living in Bosnia, namely the Bosnians themselves, the Croatians and the Serbs. The relationship between them is strained due to the fact that they apparently still suffer from the consequences of the war which came about as a result of the breakup of Yugoslavia 20 years ago. Time has clearly shown that the Bosnian government is not capable of solving these numerous issues on its own; and this is where the EU’s support could come into play. The Union could assist in improving the social as well as the political and economic situation in Bosnia by implementing effective EU regulations and policies in order to establish a well-functioning legal and governmental system. As far as the relationship between the inhabitants is concerned, the EU could also try to mediate between the ethnical groups by providing specific programs to promote a unity in order to restore peace within the country. It goes without saying that Bosnian citizens will be able to benefit from a wide range of EU programs and will be free to reside, work and study freely within the EU. Essentially, the membership is the only way to build up a social cohesion within the country and eventually make Bosnia an essential member in international businesses.

There are almost as many benefits for the EU to reap from this diverse country, as the numerous advantages Bosnia could receive from joining the EU. Since the EU respects and encourages cultural differences and views this as an essential sector of social and human development, it can certainly make enormous use of the Bosnian treasure house. The Union could take advantage of the country’s cultural diversity which is marked by regional differences where different ethnic groups live, each with traditions of their own.  Moreover, the vibrant country with its friendly inhabitants and lively atmosphere is characterized by a sublime, mountainous landscape and old historical buildings and monuments, all of which could contribute to promoting sustainable tourism. In other words, Bosnia could be one of the EU’s principal magnets of tourism. Apart from that, agriculture is a valuable source to invest in as well. Bosnia is famous for having extremely fertile soil, corn fields and plum trees which are usually used in the preparation of quality wine. These resources could be of great advantage to the EU as it would contribute to the Union’s profit.

Although Bosnia’s prospect of membership seems to lie in the distant future as the country is still in need of further development, the EU could definitely profit from Bosnia’s agriculture, cultural diversity, and much more. Just as the EU could gain a great deal from Bosnia’s accession, there is no doubt that Bosnia would improve in nearly every aspect and shine in new splendor.

[734 words]

Corrected version:

When driving through the scattered regions of the Republic of Bosnia, a country located on the Balkan peninsula of South Eastern Europe, you can observe that the Yugoslavian war clearly left its marks. Twelve years after the Dayton Agreement, which ended the tragic war of former Yugoslavia, Bosnia started to reconstruct damaged buildings and monuments in order to stabilize the country’s economic situation. Since Bosnia has, in fact, improved in many aspects, this raises an inescapable question: Why is the country not yet a member state of the EU? Although the prospect of EU membership exists, as negotiations started in 2005, the country will have to first improve its standards of living and politics as well as other areas. Once the republic meets most of EU’s requirements to become a Member State of the Union, there is no doubt that not only could Bosnia benefit from the accession, but that the EU would also derive great benefits from the country, for instance, in terms of agriculture and cultural diversity.

Since corruption is a major issue in Bosnia, accession to the EU would not only foster Bosnia’s stability and economic reform, but also make it easier for Bosnia’s citizens to lead a fair life. In addition, the level of unemployment continues to rise and the citizens’ living conditions are becoming worse each day, while officials and politicians are living in prosperity. The justice system is mostly corrupt as well and even schools and hospitals attempt to benefit from the corrupt system. As a result of the unfairness that Bosnia’s citizens are currently facing, a certain tension has developed not only between the citizens and the government, but also between the three ethnic groups themselves living in Bosnia, namely the Bosnians, the Croatians and the Serbs. The relationship between them is strained due to the fact that they are obviously still suffering from the consequences of the war which was caused as a result of the breakup of Yugoslavia 20 years ago. Time has clearly shown that the Bosnian government is not capable of solving these numerous issues on its own; and this is where the EU’s support could come into play. The Union could assist in improving the social as well as the political and economic situation in Bosnia by implementing effective EU regulations and policies in order to establish a well-functioning legal and governmental system. As far as the relationship between the inhabitants is concerned, the EU could also try to mediate between the ethnic groups by providing specific programs to promote a unity in order to restore peace within the country. It goes without saying that Bosnian citizens would be able to benefit from a wide range of EU programs and would be free to reside, work and study freely within the EU. Basically, EU membership is the only way to build social cohesion within the country and eventually make Bosnia an essential contributor in international affairs.

There are almost as many benefits for the EU to reap from this diverse country as the numerous advantages Bosnia could derive from joining the EU. Since the EU respects and encourages cultural differences, and perceives this as an essential sector of social and human development, it can certainly make full use of the Bosnian culture. The Union could take advantage of the country’s cultural diversity, which is marked by regional differences where different ethnic groups live, each with traditions of their own. Moreover, the vibrant countryside, with its inhabitants and lively atmosphere, is characterized by a mountainous landscape and old historical buildings and monuments, all of which could contribute to promoting sustainable tourism. In other words, Bosnia could be one of the EU’s principal magnets of tourism. Apart from these advantages, agriculture is a valuable resource to invest in as well, because of Bosnia’s extremely fertile soil and corn fields. These resources could be of great advantage to the EU as it would contribute to the Union’s success.

Although the prospect of Bosnia’s membership seems to lie in the distant future as the country is still in need of further development, the EU could definitely profit from Bosnia’s agriculture, cultural diversity, and much more. Just as the EU could gain a great deal from Bosnia’s accession, there is no doubt that Bosnia would improve in nearly every area and begin to flourish.

[721 words]

Basic information on the European Union

Original Paragraph
As we started talking about the EU in this week’s class, I realized, there are a few facts every EU citizen needs to know about the European Union, if only vaguely. The EU was established after the Second World War, in 1958, under the name of “European Economic Community” (EEC), aiming to create an economic interdependence between Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in order to steer clear of future conflicts. Over the years, the EEC grew into more than being just an economic union between the founding six countries, and thus the name change in 1993, from EEC to EU. The EU currently comprises 28 European countries (Austria joining in 1995), with its political center in Brussels, and has 24 official and working languages. These member states are all united economically as well as politically, and for some countries the EU membership meant a great economic transformation, such as for Ireland when joining in 1973. There are five main organizations managing the EU, namely European Commission, European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the Council of the European Union, and the European Council, each responsible for certain tasks, e.g. legislation. In conclusion, there is considerably more to say and know about the EU; however, that should be sufficient to begin with. 
[210 words]   

Feedback summary 1
I (almost) always like receiving feedback on my writing, because you can see which areas need improvement and which errors can be easily avoided in future writings. In spite of some errors, my group-mates liked my paragraph and how it was organized (good topic sentence, supporting sentences and concluding sentence). One thing they thought would be better to write is "...and thus the name change from EEC to EU in 1993.". They also suggested to find out if 'European Commission' and 'European Parliament' is written with or without an article, and perhaps to shorten the paragraph slightly.

Rewritten Paragraph
As we started talking about the EU in this week’s class, I realized, there are a few facts every EU citizen needs to know about the European Union, if only vaguely. The EU was established after the Second World War, in 1958, under the name of “European Economic Community” (EEC), aiming to create an economic interdependence between Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in order to steer clear of future conflicts. Over the years, the EEC grew into more than being just an economic union between the founding six countries, and thus the name change from EEC to EU in 1993. The EU currently comprises 28 European countries (Austria joining in 1995), with its political center in Brussels, and has 24 official and working languages. These member states are all united economically as well as politically, and for some countries the EU membership meant a great economic transformation, such as for Ireland when joining in 1973. There are five main organizations managing the EU, namely European Commission, European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the Council of the European Union, and the European Council, each responsible for certain tasks, e.g. legislation. In conclusion, there is considerably more to know about the EU; however, that should be sufficient to begin with. 
[208 words]

Feedback summary 2 
This time, two other classmates looked at my paragraph and they liked my use of vocabulary and thought it was cohesive as well. The problem with whether to put the article "the" before every single organizations also became clear: You put it either before the first or before every single one, and I decided to place only one "the" before the first organization so as not to sound too repetitive. 

Final draft 
As we started talking about the EU in this week’s class, I realized, there are a few facts every EU citizen needs to know about the European Union, if only vaguely. The EU was established after the Second World War, in 1958, under the name of “European Economic Community” (EEC), aiming to create an economic interdependence between Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in order to steer clear of future conflicts. Over the years, the EEC grew into more than being just an economic union between the founding six countries, and thus the name change from EEC to EU in 1993. The EU currently comprises 28 European countries (Austria joining in 1995), with its political center in Brussels, and has 24 official and working languages. These member states are all united economically as well as politically, and for some countries the EU membership meant a great economic transformation, such as for Ireland when joining in 1973. There are five main organizations managing the EU, namely the European Commission, European Parliament, Council of Europe, Council of the European Union, and European Council, each responsible for certain tasks, e.g. legislation. In conclusion, there is considerably more to know about the EU; however, that should be sufficient to begin with.
[206 words]

Final draft 2
As we started talking about the European Union (EU) in this week’s class, I realized there are a few facts every EU citizen needs to know about the European Union, if only vaguely. The EU was established after the Second World War, in 1958, as the “European Economic Community” (EEC), with the aim of creating an economic interdependence between Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in order to steer clear of future conflicts. Over the years, the EEC grew to be more than simply an economic union between the founding six countries, and thus the name change from EEC to European Union in 1993. The EU currently comprises 28 European countries, with its political center in Brussels, and has 24 official and working languages. These member states are all united economically as well as politically, and for some countries EU membership has meant a great economic transformation. Some of the main organizations which are managing the EU are the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, and the European Council, each responsible for certain tasks, e.g. legislation and setting the EU’s political direction. There is considerably more to know about the EU; however, every person living within the EU should have a basic knowledge of it.

[210 words]