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sethmnicholsengl1120-44 · 5 years ago

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Intro: My Portfolio

I have never truly enjoyed any of my English classes. All we did was read super old, boring books and do stupid projects that taught us to “evaluate” our writing pieces. I would put it off until the night before, not care at all and still get an A. This year however, that rapidly changed. This year I began to do interesting and important things in class, it was no longer about repeating the same important ideas over and over but instead focused on me. I had to create a multitude of different projects, presentations and papers that were about something inside of my future career field. By doing this, instead of learning unimportant material, I got to dive deep into subjects that I cared about and apply those ideas to important concepts I need for school and life. In the first MWA, we focused on genres and how they can be broken and twisted for a certain affect. For each project, we had to look at a piece in our potential career field that breaks and keeps conventions. For the second MWA, we were focused on the argumentative research paper/papers in general and our project was a paper about something in our field. We had to come up with provable argument involved in our job field of choice and this caused us to look deeply into our future jobs. Overall, each of these projects has assisted me to becoming a better writer, become even more interested in my future field and more knowledgeable about said field.

During our first unit this year, I finally decided on and began to pursue my future career. For a long time I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I had to choose soon for two reasons, One is because that I entered college as an undeclared major so deciding on a major was vital to decide as fast as possible. Two is because I wanted to begin my necessary classes for my degree program to get out of college in , hopefully, four years. Since I had decided it so recently, I was not very informed on how the business went and what was involved, and I learned that in the first unit. We went over genres, their conventions and how they can be broken for a specific purpose. This helped me to understand how to analyze a piece to see what it is and what kind of conventions I should expect from the piece. Also, I learned about the multitude of important and very convention heavy documents that are going to be involved in my future career. Not only did the material extremely help with the education of not only English but of my career, it was also from the multiple student feedback sessions. By receiving help from people in the same class, they helped me to make my points clearer, sound more professional and help catch random grammatical errors.

During the second unit, I believe that I learned the most about myself and my writing ability. We were focused on the research paper and we prepared for it in multiple ways. I had always struggled with research, so by doing this unit I believe that I know understand where to find all resources for a paper and how to use them effectively and correctly. Before the paper, we had to do research and find sources to agree with our points. By using the UNM library catalog search, I was able to find a giant field of sources to support me. To quote those sources correctly, we used MLA format and that format is extremely important because I will be using that for my entire writing career inside of many different papers. To collect all of the information correctly, we created an outline for the paper. I had never created an outline before because I usually just tried to write a paper from what is in my head, but the outline made the paper make way more sense and much more professional. I was also able to prove my points more effectively by having multiple direct quotes involved.

Thanks to this year, I feel that I have become the strongest I have ever been in writing and that is a skill that I will use forever. At every stage in life, writing is important. It could be a simple PowerPoint presentation or a super complex legal form for your business that needs to be filled out perfectly. In all writing, you need to know what you are writing about and in what genre because if I do not do so then the piece is basically worthless. Now that I can understand genres and their conventions, I will be able to create anything at any time with professional and correct research to back it. Another importance of writing is your formatting. If an argumentative research paper had very short, random points proving for or against scattered across its pages, it would be considered a poor paper. So, by gaining the ability to correctly format papers, websites and other pieces I will be able to create well made and well graded work.

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sethmnicholsengl1120-44 · 5 years ago

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SLO Reflections

1. Rhetorical Situation and Genre

a. We have analyzed many different genres already this semester. We began with story type genres like horror, comedy and thrillers with the first short stories. Then we continued to cover more business/document genres such as websites and license cards. Most of the genres were not chosen because had assigned them, however of the ones I chose they all had something to do with my future career field’s daily activities. I learned that on every single card that is used for medical marijuana use has certain elements that area always on it, even in different states.

b. My favorite genre that I researched was the Horro-comedy mix. This is a relatively knew genre of movies that most reviewers, like rotten tomatoes, aren’t huge fans of. I watched and did a paper of the movie Zombieland which is one of the very popular ones. The reason I like this genre so much is because of the absolute absurdity of the movies due to the comedic aspects. Like one second the main character could be almost eaten by a zombie, then turns around, cracks a one-liner and the feeling of the scene is changed so drastically.

c. �� Well my first writing assignment was a paper about Zombieland, showing the horro-comedy combo that is so special for the movie and how the convention breaking helps with that and then we created a field guide of different genres in our career field.

d. One of the documents I wanted to explore but didn’t because each company keeps theirs private was that for ever type of marijuana grown by a dispensary has tons of paperwork that shows the terpene levels and based on those can help different people with different issues.

e. Everything is extremely regulated due to the fact of legality when it comes to marijuana so conventions being broken are mostly illegal.

2. Writing as a Social Act

a. To me, writing as a social act is an extremely obvious idea. Whenever a writer creates any kind of writing piece, electronic or not, someone is going to read it, and for that fact it is a mode of transmitting information between said people. In English 1110 we focused more on what a Rhetorical Situation was than how it applies and connects to other people socially.

b. Thinking about a marijuana dispensary as a discourse community, its genres are all about sales. Any kind of writing piece that is connected to a business focused on selling a product is either used to attract new customers, appreciate loyal customers or it is more for the business side and all of that documentation will only be seen by the government and/or law enforcement if necessary.

c. Depending on your meaning of interacting with a published piece of literature, by reading it alone you are being communicated to by the said writer. Sharing the ideas of the actual piece with your friends is another way of interaction by bringing the ideas and thoughts from the written piece into real life. By writing about another piece of literature, you can either bring a fresh new perspective to a piece or make more people read/ think about it as well.

3. Writing as a Process

a. The SWA’s perfectly built up to the MWA by making me personally think about genres and about their conventions, including the breaking of said conventions. In SWA 1, we simply relearned about genres and their conventions and had to point them out. In SWA 2, we were given the task to give a short 250-word description of multiple written pieces in our future job field or desired field. The MWA combined those two ideas by having us choose one of the said genres from SWA 2 and create a paper about its uses, its conventions and how it breaks conventions compared to other pieces of the genre.

b. The easiest part of the writing process for me is the writing of the paper itself. I love getting to use my voice to try and prove something because it is my perspective. Researching for a project is stupidly stressful because of citations and respectable sources, brainstorming is super-fast and simple because we usually already have a purpose to the writing, revising and editing is a horrible process part that is super difficult because I wrote it and I understand everything and lastly, proofreading is just an extension of revising and it is just as boring/horrible. For MWA 2 which is a research paper, I’m if the researching aspect of the paper is going to be the longest part, especially because I will have to use UNM libraries for said topic. To streamline the process a little, I will try to start working on it as quickly as possible and spend multiple days on it.

c. Peer reviewing and Instructor feedback are probably some of the most helpful feedback in the world because it can help you realize some things that made sense to the writer but nobody else, it can help you with any spelling/grammar mistakes that word and or the writer didn’t catch and it can help with simply making the paper have a better flow or framework. Outside perspective is a serious help to a final draft, either by pointing out flaws or simply assisting with understanding. Nothing surprised me personally about the edits created to my paper, it was all about grammar and common-sense stuff that I simply didn’t understand or do.

4. Grammar and Usage

a. In SWA 1, there are many different grammatical errors and the organization is not extremely good. Many sentences are extremely choppy and have a lot of information in them that should have been made into longer, more clear sentences. Also, the structure is extremely obvious and bland, I had to show two things and so I created 2 long paragraphs that proved my point and the arguments are all over the place. In SWA 2 I completely forgot to put intext citations for a few of my references. For example, I had the exact size of the average license card which is 3.375” by 2.125” and did not put the website or anything for the place I found that information at. In MWA 1, my only real issues brought up by my peers was the occasional wrong word or confusing sentence, but I also had an extreme number of the “/”. I meant to put the word procure in reference to getting a card, but I typed the word occur, which me and Word didn’t pick up. I used many slashes because when I first wrote it, I didn’t know if I should call them ID’s or Licenses, so I had both. My peers said that was dumb and I should call the Medical Marijuana license a license. In SWA 1, there was a very rushed and almost immature feel to it because I had not written in a long time, I feel that MWA 1 was much more professional and phrased much better.

b. The assignment that I am the proudest of in terms of organization would have to be my SWA 1. Even though I criticized it earlier, it is the simplest and still super effective compared to the SWA 2 and MWA 1. SWA 2 we were told how to format it as well because we were supposed to create the field guide and MWA 1 I just kind of followed the list of requirements order of needs in the paper, therefore the only one I really formatted was SWA 1. For all the journals I always organize them simply based on questions so I in no way am proud of that. One skill or technique that could strengthen my organization for next time are creating an outline before I write, which can show me a good order to write in. Then I can also look at other people’s papers that have been made for the same topic/ reason and then base my organization on theirs, not copy but simply be inspired by. I would have to cite any paper I used though for safety.

E. analyze and describe the value of incorporating various languages, dialects and registers in your own and others’ texts.

• “Languages” does not necessarily have to mean French, Spanish, English, Bulgarian. This can also include other forms of English, whether it is academic styles of English or colloquial or slang forms.

• I feel that in most pieces there can be a different kind of language depending on the pieces’ content itself. For example, In Zombieland which I looked at this in SWA 1 of MWA 1. The main character always talked about rules to keep you alive. The average person probably does not have to think about that and talk about “zombies” and an apocalypse.

• There is an almost uncountable amount of words about marijuana and its legal purchasing that I have learned. The sizes when you purchase, legally or not, are basically the same. Done by using different amounts of a once, 28 grams, as increment sales like “an eighth” is 1/8th of one once which is 3.5g. There are also “3” strain types you can choose from. You can either have Sativa, a whole body high, Indica, with an intense head high that spreads to your body, or a hybrid which is a mix of the two. The part of the weed that gives it part of its taste is the terpenes and the THCA/THC % determines how expensive it will be.

• I read 3 different academic journal/research studies and they gave me a small difficulty to read. Academic writing is always difficult to read, especially for me who is not the strongest reader. However, once you learn the words and ideas they are talking about and re-read it a couple of times than you can understand it and apply it to the real world.

• Register is about the level of formality of your writing.

• I wrote in a high register for the research paper and for the formal academic paper about the medical cards and such. This was because high register speech is for more formal and professional writing. Obviously for my research paper I am trying to sound as smart and dignified as possible to hopefully create more credible speech. Then in the other pieces I needed to be formal as well but that was also because it was a very serious topic.

• Any time we did a free write for the most part I would say, we did not do much of creative writing in the class so I would say for most assignments I wrote in more formal speech.

• Writing in less formal or low register speech is easier because you can basically say whatever you want. You can be more creative, break rules of normal writing ideas to be even more creative and you can also be very funny which is hard when you must be professional.

F. evaluate your development as a writer over the course of the semester and describe how composing in multiple genres and mediums using various technologies can be applied in other contexts to advance your goals

· Has writing in different genres helped you to become a stronger writer?

· I feel that whenever I write, and it is for project it always makes me improve. I always must prove a new point or use new sources to create an argument which makes me look for good, quality sources as well. I also receive feedback about my overall writing and the different aspects of it from my piers and from my teacher and that also helps me to expand my skill. I think my word choice has improved because I used to use a very small amount of word repeatedly and it made my writing seem very repetitive while making me seem a little unintelligent.

· I feel that my best assignment was my argumentative research paper about the legalization of marijuana. I had multiple different strong arguments that showed that the legalization of weed would be helpful to more than just peoples direct health but also to that of people in jail and addicted to other more harmful opioids. I also showed the counter argument extremely fairly and then showed how it was also complete garbage. Those combined with a perfectly formula MLA format made that paper extremely strong and showing of how far my writing has come.

· I will be using a multitude of genres in my future career, 100’s of pages is going to be processed by my business daily. The knowledge that I have learned about these genres is going to help me create extremely correct and well-made creations that will help attract business, help my employees to work effectively and keep me legally safe.

· I have mastered the UNM libraries catalog search that helps me to find very reliable and correct sources that can help to assist me in many things, it will help me in my future English classes next semester and on, it will assist me in my future classes dealing with documents and genres in business and it will even be able to help me when I am simply looking at a pamphlet, seeing if it is worth of my gaze.

· Absolutely, whenever I have a writing assignment due of any kind, I know that I will be able to complete it well. It will have perfect grammar, correct word count and an amazing piece with no plagiarism involved.

Research SLOs

G. use writing and research as a means of discovery, to examine your personal beliefs in the context of multiple perspectives and to explore focused research questions through various mediums and technologies

1. What was your process for researching for your argumentative research paper? What role did technology play?

a. It began with thinking of a topic in my field of interest. I personally wish to sell medical marijuana from a dispensary in the future, therefore I thought about the most popular topics about it. That in mind, I decided that the best topic I could choose would be the legal aspect because technically it is legal to smoke it in some states, but not in others or with special rules. I then went onto the UNM library website and I used the catalog search to find sources that backed my topic. This obviously was affected by my use of technology because I had to use a computer to find these sources. I used keywords and the advanced search and found 4 book/academic journals that backed up my claims. While doing the sources I also began on one of our journals in class which was a pre-draft intro/conclusion paragraph. Then the next class, I also had a small draft of two of the body paragraphs I would be using. These two pre-writes helped to create a well thought out and proofread paper. Once I had the 4 sources and multiple pre-draft paragraphs, I created the annotated bibliography with the MLA citation style for each source. They also had a small paragraph that described what it was and how it related to the topic I was trying to argue about. These all combined, I had enough evidence about my topic and about the counter/counter to the counter argument to create the paper. I began to create the first draft for my paper by combining the edited intro/conclusion I had turned in previously then added the edited body paragraphs. After that I began to create the counter argument and place all the paragraphs in order. I didn’t receive much student reviews back that had an issue with my paper, most were just grammatical issues which I fixed before creating the final paper.

2. Did researching and addressing counterarguments make you think differently about your topic?

a. Fortunately for me I have personal experience with the topic as I personally have experience in the field. I know that the medical benefits are extremely substantial and the fact that it is not legal astounds me. In my research, I read exactly what I was expecting to see. There are multiple health benefits and there are slight health deficits as well. However, they can be avoided by living a healthy lifestyle and by not abusing the product but unfortunately many possible deficits that could be caused by smoking are yet to be determined exactly. Fortunately, these studies also show how many false hoods, aka the counter argument, are proven as such by new studies. Many anti-drug posters and such over blow the damage on the lungs and a person’s overall health. My research on their origin of these came back from the “War on Drugs” with extremely overprotective laws created based on bogus studies.

3. What questions do you still have about your argumentative research paper topic that require more research? In what ways did your paper serve as a springboard for further lines of inquiry?

a. I want to investigate where new states are going to be legalizing the product soon because that would be the perfect opportunity to create a dispensary of my own. It’s kind of helps me to truly justify why I believe in the product that I want to sell in the future.

4. Did you discover anything new about your personal beliefs through your writing this semester?

a. I justified what I believed in and strengthened my idea of my future.

H. integrate others’ positions and perspectives into your writing ethically, appropriately, and effectively in various mediums and technologies

1. Describe how you used outside ideas in your research paper or genre analyses?

a. I used MLA format in order to show the sources that I referenced. This formatting is traditional of research paper and is in the 8th edition. I used studies that were done by professional labs with good merit and cited each one of the 5 labs involved. One super difficult part about the research process is that it is super hard to find the stuff that supports your topic sometimes. Especially when they are a weird type of text such as academic journal collection, but the online machines make it much easier. It is important to reference those who you got your information from because if you did not it would be counted as plagiarism and you could then be expelled from school as well as it would make all of the facts used seem untrue and not backed by actual sources.

2. How did you incorporate other’s perspectives into your writing?

a. I used the perspective of multiple health agencies that all agreed on my exact topic. This gave me an extreme amount of ethos due to them being health professionals. I also used the real-life example of Portugal using its extreme “pro” drug policies which also gave me logos proving a side health benefit. Then I used the real-life example of the War on Drugs which gave me ethos from a large, important figure being the leader of untrue stance that won him office.

3. Besides citing your evidence to avoid plagiarism, what other purpose(s) does incorporating (and citing) outside sources serve? Think about the MWA #2 prompt here: “... you’re expected to build off the arguments of other experts and practice joining the conversation.”

a. Using other arguments as well as studies inside of your argument gives it a lot of strength. If professionals agree with you than you gain a lot of ethos, as well as “bandwagon”-ing if you have multiple supporting sources. Also, by citing them in your piece they also get the credit they deserve for their piece because using their material and not citing them isn’t just plagiarism, it’s rude.

I. Compose a research-based academic argument in one of various mediums and technologies by identifying, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing sources, which must include secondary sources

1. How did you go about finding relevant sources for your paper?

a. I used two places to look for sources, UNM libraries catalog search and Google. I simply used Google to go to YouTube so I could reference Ronald Reagan’s quote about Marijuana. I used library catalog search in order to find credible and reliable sources. These sources were the one by the National Academies of Science, and 4 more medical companies. Then I had the record and a journal of the Portugal’s policies decriminalizing all drugs and how it assisted majorly in addiction, death and arrest rates.

2. How did you evaluate your source?

a. I knew that my sources would be of high quality and credible if they were from a catalog of academic and official documents like the UNM libraries. Looking at the people involved with the studies and the companies you can see their professionalism and correctness. Therefore, you can trust that source. There was a source I used in the annotated bibliography that I didn’t use. It was a book that had a bunch of “pro” and “anti” marijuana points and how the “anti” were wrong. Unfortunately, it was only available as a real copy book and because I waited until the last possible second to rent it out, I couldn’t use it in my final version of the paper. Dang coronavirus!

3. How did you narrow down what information to include from your secondary sources?

a. I specifically looked for the important overall topics that helped to prove my point the best. I used rational to find inside the papers, books and journals on my topics and then took down the information that helped to support the topic I wanted.

4. What sources did you end up using in your paper?

a. I used multiple different kinds of sources. I used two academic journals, live footage, a record of a direct study taken in America and a record of Portugal laws. This helped to strengthen my argument because it shows that in multiple ways and multiple perspectives, my point is still true.

J. Analyze and describe the writing and research conventions of an academic field in order to understand the different ways of creating and communicating knowledge

1. Think back to Sequence 1. What did you learn about genres in your area of interest?

a. In the medical marijuana field, the medical card is the most important document because that is how you are legally allowed to be there and purchase at all. Also, legal documents for the business itself including information about the multiple kinds of marijuana, concerning new client sign-ups and the menu for the items themselves. Well, if I was ever asked about the medical marijuana business, I could write about it for hours. I also could write about the wrongful War on Drugs and how it was not backed by true evidence and was even influenced by racist ideals. I could also write about academic journals and there very official structure. SO overall I would say it would heavily assist me in writing in multiple fields. Looking at a genre that breaks genre conventions shows that you can be not constrained when you are writing and create something that is completely individual. Due to the fact that writing in different genres is not only possible but considered creative makes me feel extremely confident when I am writing because it means that I can combine multiple ideas and different perspectives to try and make the best story or written piece possible.

2. Now think about Sequence 2. What did you learn about research conventions in your area of interest?

a. I was very invested in academic journals, official documents and real-life experiments supporting my argument. These would be typical when assessing the legality of a substance that is currently illegal. If there was a proposal to make it legal, which there is, studies being done currently can help to assist in that. However, I am assuming I will deal more with the Sequence 1 materials like the med card and menu then that of the journals I used for research. I learned that using official search catalogs like Gale in Context and UNM libraries personal one makes it extremely easy to locate extremely professional useful sources for a paper. I also learned the best way to cite sources is using machine and then the list at Purdue Owl’s example.

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