thlog 4

Thlog 4

In class this week we took some time to dissect the student pancake paper, we focused on the importance of staying on topic on each paragraph to help the reader have a clear idea of what is to be expected within that section of the paper. We then highlighted parts of our own papers in order to see if each topic sentence still connects with the thesis statement. This was very helpful because it's clarified where there was fuzziness and where i got off topic. By highlighting sources in green i've used made me realize that i wasn't using enough sources to back up my argument but i did use terms i just need to go back and pick quotes that are relevant and essentially makes my argument stronger.

On wednesday we started WP2 which focuses on analyzing and evaluating genres of scholarly pieces. The activity that we spent a bit a time on was writing in a role to different audiences. It really clarified to me that without thinking, we take roles in our writing defined by what is being asked. I find that i do this often when when writing for different classes. For example my latin american studies asks for weekly journals where we do not summarize but just reflect on the reading. Which gives students liberty to express themselves while interacting with the material. But on the other hand when i read all the sections on the sunday newspaper it clearly is divided by its context and purpose. For instances it would be bizarre to find a whole column on a car for sale in the classifieds section, only because it's not necessary. When thinking about the intended audiences, the structure of writing changes to accommodate the purpose and context properly. I'm looking forward to wp2 because academic classes and majors are a reoccurring topic with my friends, thus i think i can really connect with what i'm writing oppose to writing just for a grade.

PB2A

PB2A Scoping out scholarly sources

The research based lab report  I chose was Korean Children’s Evaluation of Parental Restrictions Regarding Gender Stereotypic Peer Activities by Park,Shiver, and Killen. This article focuses on 128 Korean students from grades third to sixth in order to test whether gender stereotypes have any affect in what extracurricular activities they participate in and what peer relationships they choose to develop. The exigence addresses counterarguments as well as contributing to additional information. This piece of writing begins by introducing the subject and past information that gives the reader more context on the subject, this is found in the Introduction clearly labeled, a traditional convention. It tries to inform the audience that children are highly influenced by their parents but as they enter adolescence they tend to reject parental authority jurisdiction regarding personal issues, which means that as children get older they are more likely to develop their own thoughts on gender stereotypes based society. This factual information  of past studies performed by highly skilled professionals builds credibility or ethos ultimately gaining the audience's trust.  What I found interesting was that in the introduction it contained past studies that were successful and others that have failed to recognize crucial aspects that alters the overall results. For example in this research paper they include outside resources that raises potential questions for the audience, such as “Whereas much research has examined children’s exclusion based in gender with US samples, very few studies have evaluated how non-US samples, particularly children from Asian cultures, evaluate this form of exclusion”. By informing audiences what areas past data has failed to show it gives this research paper a valid platform worth reading, potentially gaining a larger audience because it raises to prove something new and fresh. The research indicates that a new correlation between level of a parent's education and the gender roles that their children grow up recognizing as socially acceptable. To test their hypothesis, professionals designed a social reasoning assessment  to evaluate 128 participant’s judgment on gender roles. Performing test and experiments to prove a hypothesis is a convention that readers expect to find, because they provide evidence that specially corresponds to the topic. The lab report follows the form and structure conventions, which is displayed in the order of Introduction, methods, procedures, measures, results, discussion and lastly references.

What this lab report tries to answer is if Korean children support unconditional parental restrictions in children’s peer activities that were associated with gender norms. This hypothesis was operationalized by asking what sport the children would rather play choices included soccer or ballet, and then asking the same individuals what gender would they typically associate with the sport. After analyzing the data, they had staticians to calculate the average and standard deviation which can tell whether there is a strong or weak correlation between children and their parental gender influence. The results from the numbers indicated that the majority of children used moral reasoning to support their judgment rather than their gender bias. Questions left unanswered are directed towards the participants for example, “do children take into consideration issues of social isolation?”. By askinging questions, it makes the audience believe that since there are these no concrete answers that the data presented may not fully and effectively represent children's interview responses. When I read this lab report i found it crucial to read other sources that have done similar studies and are recognized for being helpful to further research or have failed to take into consideration other factors. I believe that it becomes very easy for professionals to only focus on their material because there is an unconscious level of being biased which does not provide the audience the whole truth. I also do think that when delivering data, lab reports need to use a formal and direct language in order to present the new information found most effectively and that is what this Korean study did. Because of language and visuals it was very easy to follow along and quickly understand the author's position and their purpose.

works cited 
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.ucsb.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=622bae2e-c963-490d-8302-024e5d58294a%40sessionmgr107&vid=7&hid=128

Thlog #3

This week we heavily focused on WP1, I thought like always Zack’s activities were entertaining but most importantly informative. My writing process for this essay involved many hours of procrastination and first order thinking. Without the pressure of making it perfect, it allowed me to write my pure impulsive thought. In class we discussed the importance of forming an argument about genre and supporting it by evidence. But being able to pass the “arguability test” For me this was the most difficult part, to me it didn't seem too clear what we are trying to prove within our papers. Now that i look back on my paper i'm realizing that i tried to carry my argument throughout my paper but it might have gotten a little blurry towards the end. But most importantly it failed to incorporate possible counter arguments, which traditionally makes the argument stronger because one is thinking ahead rather than one sided. To me it left like I was more focused on the conventions of genre which is what we’ve been covering until this point rather than addressing a certain stand one chooses to write about. I think having something to work with, the first draft allows me to focus more on the flow and what the reader will grasp from it instead of quickly writing a paper without a chance to revise and turning it in.

I find the weekly writing tips to be very helpful, because they are simple mistakes that have the potential to improve the whole writing piece significantly. For example I never really knew how to properly use a dash but i know it's very versatile and can take the role of parentheses or commas depending on the context. So, yesterday morning i saw Mr Jones - who is usually watering his grass at 5am- disappear within a very odd car. I think this is properly using dashes.  

Thlog #2

In class this week we shared and discussed our genre analysis of choice. I chose how to write how informative adventure articles were, and if they did a sufficient job in encouraging people to embark on natural trips. As we were sharing the most interesting genres, my peer Beatrice wrote on Greeting Cards and i found that so fascinating. As she explained depending on the purpose greeting cards have different audiences and purposes. For example if i'm picking a card for my brother i would want it to have a sentimental message, and observation that Beatrice mentioned was that cards that far ment for family members have a larger space to write personal messages. As the audience changes one writes differently and apparently people tend to write less when it's not a friend or family member.

As class progressed we broke up into groups to search and summarize rhetorical vocabulary terms. What I learned that day was that we use rhetoric everyday all day long subconsciously. For instance when one wants to ask a buddy to grab lunch after class that is instantly exigence, which is the circumstances or condition that invites a response. When we use rhetoric it means that there is an incentive/ motive for the action, and rhetoric serves as a vehicle to channel this. Another important term that I utilize once i wake up is visual literacy, the moment i scroll down my instagram timeline and see what my friends have been up to by their most recent post. I have the ability to see the visual image presented on my small screen and give it meaning. Most things have purpose, and once we acknowledge that there are ways of getting our way by using rhetorical strategies the better we will become and accomplishing our goals. I more battle won.

PB1B: Inspecting Genre Generators 4/5/16

One might imagine reading comics on a sunday morning behind the classified ads. Perhaps with a warm cup of coffee by your side, mentally preparing yourself for a laugh. Comics have served many functions, my little brother used to collect multiple marvel comic books from SpiderMan to the Incredible Hulk all telling a fictional story in a visual image. Comics can contain wide ranges of information addressing anything and everything. Conventions of comics would be caption bubbles, cartoons, a message or story that contains a plot, a strip broken into blocks, and satire. In comics there is usually a sudden buildup to the climax but in the Random Comic Generator there is a change in mood and tone with no context why. The first slide includes a boy that invites a response from his “homeboy” which is the exigence, but the following slide does not include the friends response but how the same boy who asked how his friend is feeling is expressing that he is “so horny,” which leaves the audience very confused. The last sketch illustrates the friend pulling his skin off his face while saying “all life is pain.” Throughout this comic strip one can understand genre because it demonstrates how versatile literature can be when following the look of a comic strip. The context was a little dysfunctional but it ultimately contains the traditional color cartoon and form of the genre comic.

Scrolling down twitter I find myself constantly being amused by the memes that people create. These posts are items of pop culture that references the latest trends in a funny or ironic fashion. Conventions of a meme would include a cartoon character, text, trendy phrases and language, actors and actress from the entertainment industry, and perhaps popular viral videos of people doing idiotic things. In this selected meme of the iconic Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film, his image is being used to demonstrate how many others may feel to the text “You type ‘u’ instead of you?... What do you do with all that time you save.” It is obvious that this meme generated fits the typical description. Meme genre of writing helps understand that there is a targeted audience for all writing forms, in this case young adults and people that have social media is the audience that can identify and have more access to memes.

When I hear research paper I instantly think of references, statistics, reliable data, results, evidence, conclusions, lastly direct and straight to the point. These conventions are very basic but incredibly crucial to write a research paper that is easy to read. Because the the information is the most important aspect not the fluff it has to be easy to locate data and results. In the generated computer science research paper it contains six sections that details the their entire procedure with a separate bibliography. Providing references demonstrates evidence of credibility, by using ethos the information is trusted. In this type of genre it is important the recognize constraint, which is the third and final rhetorical context clues. One might be constrained to develop their own writing structure because there certainly is a traditional structure that makes it easier to read and includes all the necessary information required. With a certain guideline, it becomes difficult to add personal touches such as humor when there are high expectations.

When tuning in to the radio, one can't escape those love songs. Love is very important and can affect everyone in a own unique way. When someone begins to construct conventions of love songs, one thinks of emotion, passion, heartbreak, significant other, acoustic, personal characteristics, and perhaps memories once experienced. In this love song generator I found it interesting that is would ask for a sum of previous relationships and how long does one expect the relationship to last and why. These sort of questions makes love seem spectacular and for the most part a temporary feeling than everlasting passion for something or someone. When understanding genre one must consider different perspectives and have an idea of real life  encounters so the audience can connect with what they are reading. This love song lyric generator demonstrates that writing does not have to be complete senses and still have a powerful message that moves individuals. 

PB1A zion utah

PB1A 4/3/16

Summer is fast approaching, and everything is up in the air. I have many ideas what I would like to do but timing, money and where I would stay become big factors that conflict each other. Leaving me utterly unsure of my plans. But aside from taking summer session I certainly want to plan a camping trip to Zion National park located in Utah. I love the liberty that hiking up a canyon brings, the feeling of empowerment and achievement. Because Zion is eight hours away there is preparation that need to be done. So when I need a break from studying I read National Geographic articles concerning possible hikes, camping sites, and possible weather conditions one might encounter.

Hike the Zion Narrows, Utah by Kate Siber discusses the inspirational location that attracts many knee hikers, nationally. The intended audience is whoever is interested in taking a natural excursion in Utah. It appeals to people who want to challenge themselves because Sider describes the hike as not “necessarily a cakewalk” but a 16 mile hike that involves walking multiple miles in knee high water levels. Indicating that the potential hikers might need some prior experience to handle this challenging day trip. The context includes the author’s personal experience that she shares in an informative relatively short article. She firmly speaks upon the difficulty of the hike by including the length, the overnight expectancy, and possible misconceptions. Sider perhaps assumes that her potential reader has been on hikes before because she references some backpacking terms such as “gap year, tourist trail, and visa run.” In her context Sider also fails to address the best time to go on this adventure and other potential safety hazards that one may encounter. This writing piece has a direct and tranquil tone that makes the audience feel confident they can trust the author’s outlook. Sider provides this security by writing in an informative form as well as encouraging people that this is a hike worth taking.

I would classify this article as a travel description, when one think of vacation or a weekend getaway, gathering information becomes crucial in order to be well prepared. Conventions of a general travel description might include: access to the location, possible scenery, rocks and plants that can be a challenge to overcome, equipment required, shortcuts, and finally the best time of the year to visit. Sider’s articles addresses many of the basic facts that people can expect, she also adds a very beneficial “Need to Know” section that gives more detail on transportation that one might need. Lastly I feel as she genuinely cares for the readers because she provides phone numbers about permits, which shows she wants people to get the best experience with little difficulty. Overall this article does the job it’s supposed to do which is to educate people, it is very direct sharing just the facts not too personal, she could have detailed her favorite moment of the hike or how she felt afterwards. This additional information that is missing, would help the audience connect with the author because one wants to feel like “if she can do it, I feel capable of undertaking this hike as well.”

Weekly Thlog#1 Saturday 4/2/16

This week we focused on genres and how they can defined by their conventions, genre is term that is changing constantly and is has become more that just a structured form. According to Kerry Dirk in Navigating Genres, one must understand that genre is a response to something new happens. I found it very interesting that Dirk relates genre with daily life. I agree that we approach situations with a goal and knowing what is appropriate for example will give you the results you may be looking for. To prove this, I went to work today and i had to write a note asking for a day off, because i am aware of the professional situation i will write in a formal manner that is characterized with proper language. I think that we subconsciously live according to the genre that are presented to us.

In class we spent a little time reading and analyzing Peter Elbow’s Teaching two Kinds of Thinking by Teaching Writing. I discovered that the reason why it has always taken me so long to write papers in the past was because I only used second order thinking. I find myself in a process of writing and deleting which gets me nowhere. I will definitely start practicing the first order thinking because I think writing knowing its not suppose to be perfect will allow for more natural ideas to arise.

From the journal entries, i noticed that we didn't really understand how specific genre conventions could be because until we discussed it became apparent that some conventions do not apply for all subjects. Journal 7 discusses how “Romance novels are simple and redundant in their conventions” this can be further examined by noting what kind of love story, who is involved etc.