leafyerin

[leafyerin]

Self Assessment Blog Post

1: Critically read and respond to materials from a variety of perspectives and genres.

 Over the course of the semester I have learned to read and analysis a variety of materials from different genres and types. These ranged from identifying and responding to music elements, reading and recognizing narrative aspects of games, and discerning then making my own arguments about transgender health care. These have each given me insight and perspective into the literature and writing style of different topics, aswell as how to properly approach them when forming an argument. Away from writing specific skills, I also learned how to rhetorically analysis imagery and video for later use in papers. An example of this can be seen in my analysis of the “DPN” protest images for writing project 3.

“In an image from mn.gov, a protester can be viewed with one of these signs tied to their back; listing each demand and its state as negotiable, and the speed at which it was to occur. In doing so, deaf protestors appealed to a viewer’s sense of logos via the clear organizing of their demands. Providing non-signing onlookers with a clear outline and the reasonability behind their asks.”

2: Write and revise persuasive, unified, and well-organized arguments.

During the class, I had to form several different types of arguments with different levels of revision. Included in these were arguments of music genre, the rhetoric of protests, the important of certain healthcare, and more. As I progressively made more thesis and arguments to back them, these skills began to improve through revision and proper organization. Allowing me to form a persuasive argument, before backing it up with evidence and analyzing its importance. An example of this can be seen in my argument about political narratives.

“Much of the stigma against the Queer community, and by proxy Transgender Americans, originates around ideas that those who falls away from the societal norm are a threat to society. Those who do not conform to the “ideal” cis man or woman, being considered to not align with preassigned social narratives, or going against religious beliefs. As shown by Beans Velocci in his article “The battle over trans rights is about power, not science,” this has been historically implemented in governmental and military positions to keep ideal candidates for political appearance and warfare. Velocci also demonstrates the consistent ignoring of research and evidence around intersex humans by Government officials; despite being commonplace among other species. Humanity as a species is near defined by its variation of race, religion, nations, and beliefs; the ignored variation among gender and sex being used deliberately in similar fashion to the highlighting of racial differences in politics. Leaving out or highlighting selected information in order to paint groups or individuals in negative light to the American populace. Transgender Americans being only the latest in strings of political misinformation and targeting in shows of power for political approval and protecting a so called “greater good.”

3: Reflect on individual writing, practices, and processes.

I am unsure what exactly this one means, but I am assuming it refers to the ability to reflect on my writings, practices and processes. If this is the correct assumption, I have learned to reflect on my writing and practices by adapting to different writing styles, and avoiding past mistakes. Also learning how to use past assignments as comparisons to more recent assignments to visibly see improvements. I additionally have used alternative forms of writing such as my midterm script which allow me to see subtle differences in writing styles I have used.

“E.R: Hi there, this is ---- Ruhe; and this is my midterm podcast. Video Games are the stories and fantasies from our childhood in a visualized and experienceable form. Today I will be talking about narrative and storytelling aspects implemented in games used to encapsulate and immerse players in seemingly living worlds. From how background information roots into players minds, the effects of perspectives on players, and even the considerations of scholars to including video games in writing courses.

Script Section 1:

Joining me to talk and ask questions is my friend {loud censoring noise for effect}, or as I will be calling them BT.

B.T: Hello. {short comment from B.T}

E.R: To start this off, is one of the key aspects I believe helps many video games, or more specifically most RPG’s in narrative storytelling. Background.”

4: Conduct research and evaluate multimedia sources for credibility.

A key skill taught and used during assignment research was identifying sources, as such I had to learn how to research various types of media, where to find them, what sites to avoid, and what makes something trustworthy. This included identifying credible or expert sources, checking authors credentials, and looking for clear bias. Additionally, learning where a source came from became something I needed to adapt to, not previously trying to avoid .com sites. One example of source credibility identification I did was checking the credentials of two medical workers behind an article.

“Written by Tordoff and Collin, this article addresses research and the effects of gender affirming hormones and blockers on teen-young adult transgender mental health over the course of a year. Using the statistics of over 100 tested individuals, the research shows improvements to self esteem describing its usefulness in tandem. Additionally included is mention of the low dwindling access to this care, and the negative effects of delayed prescription by medical providers. This studies information will support my argument of gender-affirming care’s benefit through the positive mental health effects, and statistics of those who saw improvement. The article can be considered credible due to the Studies shown, supporting links to similar studies or information, and the authors credentials in medical fields.”

5: Purposefully integrate credible research material from a variety of sources into writing using appropriate documentation.

One of the primary skills taught in class was the proper way to implement and evaluate different credible sources into body paragraphs. During my assignments I have analyzed and used a variety of different sources as evidence, not limited to but including; Published books, medical research, graph information, imagery, and interviews. While each had to be analyzed in different ways, I was prepared to apply each into my writing while citing the information properly.

“This increased hostility carries dramatic effects towards the medical health and lives of transgender Americans; often occurring through policies, laws, and legislations aimed towards restricting healthcare and rights. Although many of these policies have purposes not outlined to specifically harm, their side effects may do so indirectly. This can be seen recently in several states such as Utah, Florida, and Texas. One interview with Amber Chevrier, “Utah hospital system cancels adult gender-affirming surgery appointments,” shows this in action. Amber Chevrier, a citizen in Utah, was one of many patients who recently had appointments canceled due to policy change. Despite effecting policies claiming to only affect minors, Amber and other adults lost their appointments due to the statewide hospitals decisions to cancel all surgeries. Albeit not directly said to restrict adults themselves, many policies intentional broad scopes allow hospitals or political groups the ability to deny healthcare to transgender or queer individuals at their leisure.”

Although I have filled each requirement, and believer I meet the standard for a A, I am personally unsure I would give myself higher than a B. While my writing skills have improved, I still feel they are heavily sloppy and uncoordinated. Additionally at times my work can be careless and without much effort, not always feeling like it has met a college level.

[leafyerin]

Writing Sample - Blog Post (In Class) 11/22

Much of the stigma against the Queer community, and by proxy Transgender Americans; originates around the idea of anyone who falls away from the societal norm being a threat to society. Those who do not conform to the “ideal” man or woman, believed to not fit into the preassigned social narratives, or going against religious beliefs. As shown by Beans Velocci in his article “The battle over trans rights is about power, not science,” this has been historically applied to governmental or military requirements to keep ideal candidates for these positions. Velocci also demonstrates research related to intersex humans being periodically ignored, despite being commonplace among other species. Humanity is near defined by its variation of race, religion, nation, etc. The ignoring of variation among gender, being deliberate in the same way race is often highlighted among other issues. Transgender Americans only being the latest in this show of power for political gain.

While I am not fully confident it is complete, this is the paragraph I have revised most so far. Trying to emphasize the exploitation aspect of the argument while keeping the variation section. Additionally I have adjusted my grammar twice.

[leafyerin]

Writing Sample - Blog Post (In Class)

At birth, we are assigned a designated sex and gender based on our outward sexual characteristics. In certain cases however, this does not always end cut and dry. There are many exceptions to this rule, including but not limited to Intersex, non-binary, and Transgender. While each is distinct from male and female and has related circumstances, it is important to outline what they entail. Someone born Intersex has a mix of both male and female primary characteristics, Non-Binaries identify with no gender, and Transgenders are those who believe to have been born in the incorrect body and gender. Similarly to those born Intersex, a Transgender person may undergo a series of medical procedures to become their preferred gender; this process is known as transitioning.

[leafyerin]

Annotated bib example

Tordoff, Diana, and Arin Collin. "Transgender Youth on Puberty Blockers and Gender-Affirming Hormones Have Lower Rates of Depression and Suicidal Thoughts, a New Study Finds." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2023. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,link.gale.com/apps/doc/VOVUMK412587690/OVIC?u=cclc_sequoias&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=61301b8c. Accessed 30 Oct. 2023. Originally published as "Transgender youth on puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones have lower rates of depression and suicidal thoughts, a new study finds," The Conversation, 25 Feb. 2022.

Written by Tordoff and Collin, this article addresses research and the effects of gender affirming hormones and blockers on teen-young adult transgender mental health over the course of a year. Using the statistics of over 100 tested individuals, the research shows improvements to self esteem describing its usefulness in tandem. Additionally included is mention of the low dwindling access to this care, and the negative effects of delayed prescription by medical providers. This studies information will support my argument of gender-affirming care’s benefit through the positive mental health effects, and statistics of those who saw improvement. The article can be considered credible due to the studies shown, supporting links to similar studies and information, and the authors credentials in medical fields.

[leafyerin]

Midterm reflection

1: My main difficulty this semester has been timing and commitment. Mostly due to issues of procrastination, and dedication. 2: The easiest thing for me this semester has been wording. Ive mostly been able to be atleast passably happy with an assignment after only 1-2 revisions on wording.

3: I haven't been surprised by much during class, other than the occasional pop culture reference I was not expecting. 4: If I could start the semester over, my main change would be putting better effort into my checking of sources for my DPN (Deaf pres now) essay. As the unclear source, caused me to need to rewrite an entire half. Additionally coming out much worse than I had hoped. 5: I am currently unsure what I am looking forwards to, as I mostly focus on the present. Take care of the hole infront of me, rather than the turn 10 feet forwards. 6: I've noticed myself using formal language a lot more than (some) of my peers than I expected, which I did not expect due to my personal belief in my own lack of writing quality.

[leafyerin]

AFOYFT college blog entry

I embarrassingly, am an expert on certain video game and tv show lore. (Lore in video game terms meaning, backstory, history, and worldbuilding elements of a fictional universe.) I love finding hidden texts or information out of common sight that wouldn't be common knowledge. Often hinting to future content (or seasons if its a show) through bits of information that can be placed together almost like a puzzle. In many cases revealing plot points or characters years before they are set to appear. I would likely begin by talking about the various aspects of where to find background information, and how to identify which ones are worthwhile. Possibly using lorebooks, RPG game paperscraps, or tie in novels, while explaining identifying information that can tie into the larger story. And pointing out types of information can be disregarded as useless. (Untrustworthy recounts or visuals, secondary characters, and information purely supplied as filler.)

[leafyerin]

college Writing process thing.

I picked my topic (Indie pop/Alternative Rock) for the simple reason of not knowing what else to pick. I'm not good at analyzing film, making that not worth the time spent for how it would turn out. Musically, I have pretty generic tastes, but do know that Indie pop and alternative rock have unconventional aspects, which applies to a few bands I listen to. Such as AJR or Mystery skulls. It overall is unimportant, and admitedly a means to an end, while also using a topic I enjoy enough to keep my attention. So far in the little research i've done, I have learned Indie pop infact evolved from subgenre's of Alternative and indie rock. I plan to research more on the types and examples of unconventional techniques used in Indie pop, as I find it intriguing how the instruments are used. It was very difficult deciding on a topic for the writing, but once I narrowed it down, it was easy to find both a band, and a song that fit the genre in question. Not much has changed since highschool, other than minor formatting and grammar adjustments. Mostly consisting of changes to schedule and working speed. The college work is a lot more general focused, and works on helpful skill, compared to the simple reading and summary or review writing of high school. My next steps consist of relisting to the songs ive picked, and narrowing down which best fits my listed criteria, then beginning to write a short introduction to the band, as an introduction to start off the essay. Then flowing through the notes I will have at the time, using them as needed to create the assignment. The most difficult steps of the writing process for me are most certainly the gathering ideas/forming thesis, and the revision stage. Often struggling in the choosing of topics, over worrying about the difficulty of different options, or having a hard time coming up with ideas without a idea to stimulate thought and build off of. Additionally being overly lazy with revising, option to often keep similar to the first draft, and only adjusting grammar, punctuation, and sentence layout. Quote: A working thesis is different from the thesis found in a final draft: it will not be specific nor as narrowed. I considered a thesis as a central idea, and will now consider it more akin to a base idea.