Project 3 Reflection: Overwhelming

When I first heard we would be doing projects other than writing research papers, I was ecstatic.  I was particularly excited for project 3 because being a communications major, I love going out and talking to people and giving interviews and such. As this project began, I was surprised that I didn’t enjoy it more.

Throughout the entire year we have focused on arguing, making our argument clear and begging the so what question. As much as I hate admitting it, I am still unsure of how to make my point perfectly clear, at least up to the class’s standards. I hope that this time I did a decent job of putting my side of my argument perfectly clear in my thesis statement because each time I have done that so far, I haven’t done it as well as I should have.

My interviews were actually good in my opinion. I varied the types of people I spoke to to try and get many angles on one subject. They didn’t give simple, one sentence responses, in fact, most of their answers were paragraphs that needed to be broken up into multiple question and answer sections. They were informative with their responses and stuck to the question, rather than going off on tangents. So, in terms of what I did well, I would say the people I chose to interview were definitely a good choice on my end of things. Perhaps my questions could have been a little more guided, but I really do feel that I generally stuck to what I originally intended to write about.

My recording process was simple. Since I didn’t do any interviews with random bystanders, I was able to sit each person down one on one and get a clear interview. I used my microphone on my MacBook so I could easily upload and edit the audio in Garage Band. It was a challenge at first because I had never used recording software for a podcast. Luckily I had had previous experience in journalism with editing and recording, so it was easy to figure out.

In the future, I will take what this project taught me and apply it to my career. Working in the communication field, I will need to constantly be contacting and interviewing people, so the skills I learned for that will be useful. Every project that I have to interact with people is another way for me to practice for my future. I think it was a good idea to have a different style for each project this year. Each one gave a new skill to all of us. Also, each person had an opportunity to show his or her strengths at one point or another. 

Script Draft: Is Barrett Really Worth It?

Intro music

Emily Robertson:  Since its opening in 1988, Barrett, The Honors College has provided thousands of students each year with specialized classes and separate living spaces than the rest of the Arizona State University campus. Barrett students have to pay an exceptionally larger amount of money than the rest of the students at the university. Honors college students should realize that despite the fact that they receive special treatment, the extra money being poured into the school is not worth the money.

As far as residential benefits go, Barrett students have it made. The rooms come with bigger bathrooms, they get higher quality food, and they have their own rec center. These are undoubtedly the biggest areas the money is going towards. But the fact is that the students at Arizona State University stand divided. Interestingly enough, the two students living at home or in other residence halls look into the negatives of being in the honors college while the two inside perspectives stand divided.

Danika Orcilla: I live at home, but I think I have a good understanding of how student housing works on campus. I feel like students pay their way into Barrett. Anyone can get into it and say they are part of it but not really uphold the true meaning of being in an honors college. Students in Barrett are automatically thought of as being smarter than a student not in Barrett, so it is more of an image they use to their advantage. It separates the students in the honors college from the normal students to the point where they have to take separate classes, so they don’t really get the true college experience. It is similar to the strategies elementary schools use with reading groups where everyone knows who is in the higher levels versus the lower. It is a form of academic segregation. Not only is Barrett segregated academically, but also segregated physically, because they have their own gated off community that is secluded from the “average” students dormitory. Barrett kids eat, sleep, and essentially live with their equals instead of interacting with a mixture of types of people.

Emily Robertson: From an inside perspective, do you feel the same way?

Arianna Bradley: I think it is worth it in some respects like priority registration for classes each semester and my human event and honors classes, but the overcharging for the facilities that I use are not worth the price due to their quality. For instance the dorms in Barrett are not that different compared to other residence halls. I still share a bathroom with three other people just like hassayampa. We also have lounges and community kitchens just like the other halls as well. As far as the education goes I think Barrett could not be more worth it. I find my Human Events class is extremely useful and personal. I also think my cluster of people I am in multiple classes with has helped me too. I have gotten to form study groups with them because I know we are all learning the same thing, and since we all live in the same community I believe it is extremely beneficial to live in Barrett.

Emily Robertson: So you are split with if you think it is worth it or not?

Arianna Bradley: I’d say so. I think it is just a matter of opinion. I know I do not want to live in the Barrett dorms again next year, and I don’t like how they try to keep you here for longer than freshman year. Looking back, I am glad I applied, but I don’t think it is completely worth everything I am putting into it.

Emily Robertson: Isabel, Looking solely at residence halls, do you feel your money going to Barrett is benefitting you?

Isabel Anderson: It is absolutely worth it. In my opinion, we aren’t that different than the kids living in any other residence halls. The students in San Pablo or Best hall are probably just as close as we are in our halls. My friends are always coming over to Barrett too; I don’t think they would if it were just the same as Hassayampa. The food is better because we pay more, so we deserve higher quality food. I chose to apply here because I thought it would be a better environment for me to focus on school and it feels like that is true so far. The people in my classes all know what it takes to be an honors student, so it’s nice to have similar people to you with common goals around.

Emily Robertson: What about education?

Isabel Anderson: Not as worth it as the housing. Yes, I get to eat better but that isn’t really a huge factor on whether or not I need to pay more tuition. My professors are as great as the others and people outside of Barrett have my major and are taking some of the same classes as me.

Emily Robertson: So by living in Hassayampa do you think it is worth it to pay additional tuition to be in Barrett?

Brianna Quintero: It is hard to say that paying that money would be worth it because I already feel like I am getting everything I need to succeed without being an honors student. Being a Biochemistry major, I already feel as though my classes are challenging enough without piling a thesis onto it or a Human Events class. My professors are just as good as the other ones and the people I live around are willing to form study groups as well. I live in Hassayampa. The food is decent, along with things like the student rec center. I feel like having to live like everyone else is a part of the whole experience of being here. We always heard of stories about college growing up and I think that their experience is completely different than mine or anyone’s that is not in Barrett.

Emily Robertson: The general consensus is that it is only worth paying extra money for partial benefits. Other than that, Barrett really is not that different from the typical college student’s lifestyle. This shows that despite the fact that they get special treatment, The Honors College is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Outro music

ASU Reacts: What Earthquakes Can Teach Us About Elections

Emily Robertson: New research shows that presidential election outcomes can be determined the same way scientists predict earthquakes. When the country is in upheaval, it is likely that the country will chose the new candidate. On the opposite side, when everything is stable, the one in power tends to remain in power. Where there is stability, there is no earthquake. These studies were sure to get interesting reactions, so I talked to a fellow student of Arizona State University, Brianna Quintero, and here is what she had to say.

Emily Robertson: Were you surprised when you heard that these two subjects could be related?

Brianna Quintero: Yes, I thought it was interesting because we usually don’t hear those two subjects being compared to each other.

Emily Robertson: Do you think this method will work during the next election?

Brianna Quintero: I don’t see how this method could work because President Obama will have already completed his second term. How will geophysicists be able to measure the stability of the country when there will be two new candidates?

Emily Robertson: is it possible that this way of thinking was really scientific, or could it have been by chance that he predicted this?

Brianna Quintero: I fell like it was a lucky guess, although this method does seem to make sense.

Emily Robertson: Brianna brought up thought-provoking points, such as the election happening in four years. It is difficult to say how this method will contribute to the years to come. I feel that a lot of people would come to the same conclusion, feeling that this is chance. Although this method may not be foolproof, it is interesting to see new ways to predict the future leaders of the country. 

Genre Analysis: What Earthquakes can Teach us About Elections

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I listened to a story entitled, "What Earthquakes can Teach us About Elections". This title grabbed my attention because the two topics were things I would have never associated with each other. I feel as though every title should have something to draw focus to that story rather than the ones it is posted next to, and I think this story did a very good job at that.  Timing is also important because if there is a trend in what people want to see, it will be more likely that that story will be viewed opposed to others. This story also came out at a popular time considering the elections were being held that week.

This story began by introducing the topic briefly, so they didn’t lose listeners due to boredom, and they put in another attention grabber: “A blogger for The New York Times was fiercely criticized during the campaign for forecasting overwhelming odds of President Obama’s reelection.” Instantly the listeners want to know the facts that this man has to back up his bold statement.  This story then goes on to talk about how people can and have been predicting election turn outs without even looking at statistics. A man then comes on and mentions that he spoke with one of the self proclaimed experts. The next part was a really good idea in my opinion. The way it was formatted was so he could play an older conversation about the topic without having that person live and in the studio. He introduced it by saying that he had a conversation with the man last week and that he wanted to play part of the conversation. It flowed well, and made perfect sense as to why they were using it.

The following part of the story is where the earthquake aspect of the title comes into play and where everything begins to connect. Yet another person is brought up in this conversation. This time it is a geophysicist that happened to be explaining the science behind earthquakes. He said to think of politics in terms of earthquakes rather than conservative versus liberal. Again, this leaves the listener wondering what the speaker means. Eventually, the point they wanted to get across was that elections could be determined by stability versus upheaval. If there is no scandal or big event that happens, the country remains with its stability, therefore keeping the president the same.

Something I was surprised this story did not have that many others did was the intro/outro music. I think it gives a more polished and professional feel when done correctly.  They also used two people as the focus of the interview, but brought in clips of other conversations to tie into the story. That was the part I liked the best considering I would not have thought to do it on my own. 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/11/09/164711093/what-earthquakes-can-teach-us-about-elections

For my story I was planning on talking about students in Barrett. They get the better food, separate gym, bigger bathrooms, etc, and they also get a lot of fun poked at them for living there. I think it would be interesting to see their take on things opposed to someone who lives in another residence hall.

Project 2 Reflection: Accomplished

This project went well for me in my opinion. Compared to Project 1, I felt more confident that I could finish this project knowing I fulfilled the requirements as best I could. I think I crafted a good argument, especially compared to last time because my ultimate personal goal is to improve with each new thing I write. Project one was a struggle for me, in fact I think I even titled it with that word, but this time around I knew what I wanted the end result to be, so I wrote with a purpose this time.

The thing I think I did well was incorporating sources. I wanted to have a balance of educational sources and in-person ones. By living around my topic every day, it was fairly easy to do so. The quotes were definitely easier to incorporate into my paper while I had to come up with new things to say about my educational ones. In the end I do feel like it was a strong-suit of mine though. Also, I think the grammar side of writing is something I don't tend to really struggle with either. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there were a few things I could probably have improved on. One being bringing criteria to the foregrounds and making it obvious. I feel like I still don't have a clear vision of what that really means. Also, I wish that all of my visuals were my own. I think I could have given this project more of a personal look at sorority life if I had done that.

I learned that despite the fact that I learned a lot from project one, I still could stand to improve on many aspects of my writing. I also learned that I could benefit from attending more workshops. The one on how to make an interactive map was the only way I was able to accomplish this project, so I can see how going to more of them will be beneficial in the future. Outside of this class I can see myself using the skills I have developed thus far in other classes and in my job once I graduate. Being a communications major, I will constantly be writing and having to use things such as professional rhetoric, along with being able to get my point across concisely and quickly.

For the next big assignment I think I will go to more workshops and get more people to peer edit my work so I can have multiple views at once. To me, peer review is one of the most important steps in the writing process because it is the audience that is critiquing my work. I think this project gave me new skills to use in the future as well as strengthened the skills I already had.

Research Sources: Sorority Life

     The topic I chose to research came easily to me considering I interact with people in sororities for a large portion of each day. Initially I thought that following someone in a fraternity would be interesting to me but convinced myself out of it in fear of being creepy. I want to research this not only because it is familiar, but because I hope it will teach me something about myself and the people I am constantly around. This way, I do not need to find a person to follow around,  or sit in one spot and stare at an animal, but I can just observe the people I am with in a new light. The places I have chosen to further investigate are Adelphi Commons, which are the complexes the sororities live in, the "fratio" outside of the MU, classrooms, dorms, and the SRC fields. Those places are generally the common grounds for gathering with each other, and will therefore provide the most information for me to gather.
     One of my sources will be a set of a few interviews with fellow members, along with interviews with girls in another panhellenic sorority here at Arizona State. This will provide a broader view to my paper instead of me focusing on one specific sorority. For my scholarly article, I am deciding between two, or I may just use both, but the first is titled: Bound by a Mighty Vow: Sisterhood and Women's Fraternities, 1870-1920, and provides the background information of sorority life needed to understand where the values and principles come from. This article is about three pages long. The other is one is by Ashley Evans and is titled: Inside the "Sorority Girl" and gives more of a cultural look at the women in sororities and how they interact with each other day to day, which perfectly back up my paper's intentions. It is a few pages long. The book I am using is titled: The origin of the Greek Alphabet, by William Nickerson Bates. It is 863 pages long, but is conveniently split up into 15 sections of narrowed down topics. Since the entirety of Greek life is based around Greek letters, I found that this book would be useful in writing about more history.
     If i need more information for my research, I have already begun finding websites to help fill in any gaps I may have. Hopefully, though, it wont be too difficult for me considering this project won't require me to go too out of my way for information. I hope to learn something in the process, as well as teach my peers something about sorority life rather than the stereotypes that constantly surround it.

Evaluation: Modern Family

Wednesday nights on ABC consist of airing one of television's most popular comedies. Modern Family proves to be one of the funniest, feel-good shows that currently run on tv according to critics, and fans across the country. This multiple-season series keeps viewers coming back year after year with its witty humor and relatable characters that make the show so enticing.

The show does a phenomenal job at creating a character for almost everybody to relate to. There is the clueless dad, the strict mom, the gay couple, the angst-y teenage daughter, the Latina woman everyone loves, and many more. By showcasing such a wide variety of personalities, the writers can grasp twice as many viewers as if they had not included some of these people.

Aside from the personalities of each character, the controversy surrounding this show brings viewers as well. One of the main families on the show consists of two fathers and an adopted baby. Clearly, people have problems with this in terms of what is right and wrong. Another extremely touchy topic was surrounding an episode where a young girl (around three years old, I'm assuming), uses a profanity. Of course, most people do not take the time to understand that they did not actually make the girls say the word, they simply had her say a word similar, and proceeded to beep over it anyway. Personally, I see no problem with these topics, as they are all a part of everyday occurrences. I think it is a positive thing that popular shows are beginning to push the boundaries with their content. It not only makes it more interesting, but teaches lessons on important topics.

Project 1 Reflection: Intensity

The mere mention of having a four page paper due to a college student is similar to death. Needless to say, i was not thrilled. However, once i found out that it was on a fairly simple subject, and that the class would be taking it one step at a time, the project seemed a little less daunting. I really appreciated the fact that we had a certain amount of time to do each task. One week, the notes were due, another, a first draft was. The smaller pieces make the bigger one seem more attainable. I enjoyed the fact that we were able to do peer review with multiple other people. They gave me multiple ideas and branches that I would never have even though of it weren't for them, because they encouraged me to keep asking 'so what?' I appreciated it a lot because I got my paper looked at from multiple angles which is something I haven't had too often. As far as my own personal strengths and weaknesses, I feel I had more weaknesses. My notes lacked anything to do with a lens, which in turn made incorporating a lens the hardest part of the entire paper. I think my biggest strength wasn't even something I wrote. It was the place I chose. The Memorial Union building luckily has enough activity for a four page paper. Not only could I write about the people in groups, but also the individual. Along the same lines, i could not only talk about the entertainment value I got from sitting and observing, but also I now know to find a deeper meaning in the basic aspects of human behavior.  For future papers, I now know how important it is to pick a topic that not only interests me, but one that I have too much to say about. For me, it is easier to edit the unimportant, frivolous things out than to struggle to find more important ones. I also need to plan better. As I mentioned, my notes were inadequate and greatly affected my writing process. I am honestly not sure if i analyzed with enough depth. I feel as if I found some aspects of the MU patio that some people may not pick up on, and I tried to focus in more on those parts. Overall, I think this project could have been much worse. It was nice having guided points along the way. I think I am much better prepared now than I was when I began this project. I felt pretty much blind going into it and can now come away from it with more knowledge on how to dig below the surface and of course to always ask the so what question.

Project 1: Observations of the MU Patio

-time of day: 11:40-1:00
-the separate groups (age, gender, sorority, fraternity)
-lunch time
-woman sketching at the fountain
-longboarder waved at the girl sitting to my right
-Lambda Chi fraternity sitting together for lunch on the "fratio"
-also sororities in separate groups
-girls in different groups look over at others and talk about them
-some of them are friends
-i got interviewed about politics for a local radio station
-many people studying/reading
-a few skyping
-texting
-starbucks at 70% of the tables of people
-excitement over fraternity rush
-got surveyed about the meaning of life for a philosophy class
-new bids sitting on patio
-lots of people trying to get in a quick meal before class
-meeting up with friends before class
-religious groups wandering about, handing out cards
-political people by hayden library
-down towards palm walk there is some sort of protestors
--one with a giant cross
--one with a bullhorn
-chick fil a seemed to be the most popular food for the day
-certain times of day (specifically 1:00 range) people head out for their 1:30 class
-many times a biker or skateboarder narrowly missed hitting a walker
--they also nearly hit each other often too
-bells ring on the hour
-professors wheeling their briefcases
-scooters are rarely used, but still pass by occasionally
-many couples holding hands
-each time the door opens the air conditioning blasts the hot outside air
--some gave a sigh of relief when this happened
-the annoyingly loud chairs scoot back and forth with each new group of people
-people getting relief from either going inside or sitting under the umbrellas
-one couple talking about how excited they are to get the iphone5
-more familiar faces as the day goes on
-many people (primarily girls) condescendingly glance up and down at other girls walking by, most likely judging themselves against them

An Analysis of an Image: Time Magazine

[source: TIME Magazine]

• Surface Details: An older child, breastfeeding from an empowered-looking mother. They both are simply casually standing there as if it is completely natural.

• Explanation: A risky cover brings more readers. Since the controversial topic has surfaced, many people are curious to know just why some people continue this trend for so long. This cover also suggests that the magazine is taking the accepting side of the argument and portraying it in a good light.

• Question: Why did the director of the shoot position the models in this manner, and what does it say about them specifically?

• Answer: Time Magazine is trying to portray one side of the argument in showing that it is not a big deal. The mother is simply standing there with her hand on her hip while the child is nonchalantly looking around. 

• So What? This cover reveals a whole world of controversy between when a mother should stop breastfeeding her child. The media has taken this issue to another level by even proposing the idea for a television show. The series would have consisted of topics such as the benefits of nursing past infantry, the cons to that approach, slowly weening a child off of it, and so on and so forth. Some parents think that it should be the child's choice when to stop, but many disagree. TIME could have taken the opposite approach for the cover with something along the lines of a child reaching for the mother, but have her turning away. The effects of switching to that story may have caused a bigger spark than this, though. It is likely that when one says something is wrong or bad, it will cause a bigger splash than simply accepting it. The story then could have had interviews from parents that are against breastfeeding at any age, or ones that are only against it past a certain age. My personal views on whether to put that something is right versus something is wrong is to stick with the positives and be generally accepting. 

Analysis of a Writing Situation: In Bike-Friendly Copenhagen, Highways For Cyclists

In Bike-Friendly Copenhagen, Highways For Cyclists

Copenhagen has finally transitioned into the eco-friendly world. The city has decided to pave highways specifically for cyclists to get from place to place. This change will surprisingly do much more than solely removing some of Denmark's carbon footprint. It is estimated that fifteen thousand more people will make the switch to a bike from a car after the highways are completed. The goal is to have this change positively impact the air, public health, and finances, supposedly hoping to save Copenhagen roughly sixty million dollars a year.

This article gathered information from a variety of sources such as pedestrians, cyclists, and city officials within the Copenhagen region. While stopped at a red light, commuter Cona Endelgo says, "It gives you more exercise and motion, and it's more free, and it's quicker. When I pass the harbor, I wave to the cars." Another biker, eighty-three year old Soulva Jensen was also stopped on the highway, saying that bikes have lasted through the ages, which has clearly proven to be true to this day.

The content seems to be targeted at any person that commutes, drives a car, or even uses public transportation. The common goal of this project is to inform as many people as possible that there are other ways to go about getting to a destination. Any person that is interested in "going green" may also enjoy this article as it is greatly targeting the sustainability aspect if the future. Not only does riding a bike reduce air pollution, but it would reduce noise pollution. Living in a heavily populated area can be overbearing and disliked, but reducing those unnatural noises such as car honks and engines can make the space that much more enjoyable. Additionally, the space cars take up is extremely inconvenient for crowded places.

The elements that helped shape this article came from the author's personal experiences. He physically got on a bike and headed to the highway to test the process himself. Although the article does not specifically state that he is an advocate for all things green, he may be attempting to take a step in that direction with this project. The subject clearly interests him, so perhaps he wants to continue on in  the path of sustainability.

As Copenhagen starts the journey into making the world a better place, they hope to obtain a substantial amount of people that will take the journey with them. This project may spark an interest in many other places across the continent, or ideally the world.