Considering Genre

There are multiple genres for which an author can convey their opinions. The ones focused on in this course are Quick Reference Guide, Video Essay, Podcast, and Standard College Essay.

PublicDomainPictures, "Shelf Interior Bookshelf", 4/4/2014, CC0 Public Domain

 

1. What genre are you going to commit to for Project 1? Why?

 For the first project I am going to commit to the genre of Quick Reference Guide. I am choosing this one because I think it will allow me to show different graphs of the disasters. Since this controversy is fact heavy and can be easily written cronologicaly with commentary about it under it.

 

2. What genre conventions from your chosen genre are you planning on developing during next week's Production phase? What do you plan to do with the genre conventions that will help you accomplish the purpose of the project most effectively?

I plan on developing an outline for the QRG that includes short, information heavy sections. I also plan on using a timeline on the QRG to show the process of the meltdown. The illustrations allowed for this genre allows a better visual representation of the arguements concerned with the meltdown and what happened.

 

3. How are you feeling about Project 1 going in to the Production phase? What challenges do you anticipate next week as you create content for the project?

 I think the hardest part of the project will be organizing the QRG. There is more than enough information on the topic but finding a way to organizing them is difficult. Other than that I feel like the production phase will go well.

 

Cluster of Stakeholders

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1BIz4YqHf-02rrc3jGlTFCVYPfucgZb6vKaeFmnX5rU8/edit?usp=sharing

In the cluster, I separated the "winners" (those who gained from the disaster) and the "losers" (those who suffered). In these categories I listed general gains and losses by the different groups.

Evaluation of General Sources

It is important, when writing an essay or reading an article, to understand the credibility of the source at hand. If the source is not credible then the information in it might be completely false. This is why it is important to look at an article's URL, Author, Relevency, Purpose, Graphics, Position, and Links.



 

John I. Honderson, "Reliable Sources", 1/12/2016, CC0 Public Domain

URL: What is the URL? Does it end with .com, .edu, .org, .gov, .biz, .name, .info, or .net? What does each of these domain names imply? Which would indicate that the source is credible?

Source 1: The URL for the website is http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-of-Plants/Fukushima-Accident/. The Website ends with .org which means that it is made by some type of organization, either non-profit, governmental, or non-governmental.

Source 2: The URL for the website is http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/22/japan-nuclear-power-plant-checks-missed. The Website ends with .com which means that it can be made by anyone and may or may not be credible.

Out of all the website endings, the ones at suggest credibility are .edu (made through a university/college), .gov (a government run website), or .info (a website that is purely form informing).

Author: Can you identify an author for the information? Can you verify the author's qualifications?

Source 1: There is no author information on the website and no way to verify the author.

Source 2: The author for this website is Justin McCurry. There is a link to the author's verification which shows him to be a major contributor for the guardian in Japan since 1999.

Last Updated: Does the Web page provide information about when it was last updated? Is there any way of determining whether the material is out of date? What sorts of links are on the page? Where do these links lead you? Are the links still working?

Source 1: The source was recently updated in October 2015. There are multiple links in the article that are still working and lead to more information on certain parts of the disaster or nuclear power in general.

Source 2: The article is four years old and could be potentially out of date. The links on the page on the other hand are still working but also lead to other out of date articles.

Purpose: What is the text trying to accomplish? Is its purpose to inform, entertain, or persuade the reader? Does it appear to be promoting a commercial product, an idea, a philosophy, or some other way of seeing something?

Source 1: The purpose of the text is to inform. The article is information heavy and gives highly detailed accounts of what happened during the fukushima meltdown.

Source 2: The purpose of the article is to inform the reader of how the Japanese failed to allow safety inspections. The article seemed to be promoting the idea that the Japanese handled the situation poorly.

Graphics: Are there graphics? If so, what do they illustrate and why?

Source 1: There are graphics in the article and are mainly there to illustrate what happened during the nuclear meltdown. There are also graphics that show where everything was during the meltdown.

Source 2: This source only has a picture of the aftermath and no other illustrations.

Position on Subject: Does the source seem biased, one-sided, incomplete, or erroneous? Who profits if viewers of the website believe its information to be true? Can you verify the information with other online or print sources?

Source 1: The information in this website seems to be unbiased and very fact-based. No one profits if the readers believe the information. All the information can be supported with other online sources

Source 2: The information in this article seems to be slightly biased against the nuclear power firm that ran the power plant. If the information is believed, the groups against nuclear power will profit. The information can be verified by outside sources.

Links: Does the source suggest avenues for further inquiry such as possible readings, research, or links? Does it cite reputable sources or note the extent to which claims in the text are connected to recognized authorities in the field?

Source 1: This article has links for further reading and research. The website cites articles with respectable and recognized authorities in the field.

Source 2: The article has two links for further reading but no citations.

Reddit and What I Found There

Reddit is the weirdest place I have ever been on the internet. Its a mixture of news feeds, comedy pages, and social networking. I have alwats seen Reddit as a comedy site, thanks to my friends that have only showed me that side, but thanks to this assignment I now know there is more to Reddit.

kpgolfpro, "Reddit", 11/5/2015

1. What kinds of things do people in the Reddit forums seem to be arguing about, debating, disagreeing about or otherwise engaging in meaningful exhanges of ideas about? Give us a descriptive and clear sense of the kinds of stories you're seeing in the Reddit forums.
The two Reddit forums mainly focused on projects that the authors are working on or current events in the engineering and, more specifically, chemical engineering worlds. Both forums also had feeds about job postings related to chemical engineering and feeds on people looking for jobs were they could post their resumes for employers to glimpse or give feedback.

2. In your opinion, what are the two most interesting debates/disagreements you found in the Reddit forums? Hyperlink us to the two different Reddit threads and explain why you found those debates interesting. Be specific and honest and be yourself. I don't want you to blah-blah-blah this. I want you to really engage.
Surprisingly, I found the resumee feed to be the most interesting because it gave me an idea of what I need to have on my resume when I go to apply for a job. Lots of Redditors posted comments on resumes and tips on how to make the resume stand out to employers. The second feed I found interesting was the article on conductive concrete that melts snow. Even though it isn't a chemical engineering related feed it I find that they have created a concrete that uses heating coils to melt concrete instead of using salt or snow plows to clear the snow. The debate on the feed focuses on the large amount of energy required to melt the snow and how inificient it is.

3. Overall, what impression do you get of your discipline based on what you saw happening in the Reddit forums? Were the people in those forums talking in ways you expected or did not expect, about things you anticipated they'd be talking aboput or things you had no idea they'd be discussing? Explain in concise specific detail.
I got the impression from these Reddit feeds that Chemical Engineering is how I imagined it to be. The surprising part was the feeds on resume help and job postings. I didn't expect a place like Reddit to have something as serious as job postings on it. All I have ever heard about Reddit is from people who spend their time on the comedy side. They have only ever told me about the funny cat page or the pranks page. So it was a big surprise to even find out that my field of study had its own feed.

Links:
https://www.reddit.com/r/engineering/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ChemicalEngineering

Evaluation of News Magizine Stories

Online news websites are the modern newspaper. They are more easily accessible than newspaper and offer more real time news stories and information. The articles can also be from all over the world and on any topic that they want.

ScarletJohns23 "Metal Tubes", 7/25/2014, CC0 Public Domain

Magazine: Time Article: California Gas Leak

1. What is the debate, disagreement or argument in the story about? Explain concisely, but with specificity and precision. Name specific people, places, things, events, dates, times and/or other identifying details.
The debate of the story is the methane leaking from Porter Ranch in Los Angeles, California and how it could increase global warming. The Porter Ranch in California has been leaking methane for months and leaks about 1.6 million lbs. of methane every day. The article said that the amount of methane produced is the equivalent of 6 coal plants every day, 4.5 million cars running constantly for a day.

2. Who is the most sympathetic character in the story? Who are they? How are they involved? Why do they evoke feelings of sympathy from you?
There isn't really any sympathetic character in this story. I guess everyone in the world could be the sympathetic characters because they are in danger of the effects of Global warming. The leak will cause temperatures to rise and therefore affect crops and animals negatively. The people of the world evoke more empathy than sympathy because I am one of them, so it directly affects me as well.

3. Who is the least sympathetic character in the story? Who are they? How are they involved? Why can't you easily sympathize with them?
The least sympathetic character in the story would have to be the owners of the farm or whatever caused the leak. The article isn't very clear on why the leak happened but they mention that it has been going on for quite some time now. I can't sympathize with them because they caused the problem and therefore should be responsible for fixing it.



Magazine: Wired Article: General Relativity and Black Holes

1. What is the debate, disagreement or argument in the story about? Explain concisely, but with specificity and precision. Name specific people, places, things, events, dates, times and/or other identifying details.
The debate of this article is whether black holes are the key to connecting the theory of General Relativity to the theory of Quantum mechanics. Scientists have created a telescope, called the Event Horizon Telescope, to determine the shadow produced by black holes. Since black holes suck in all protons once they pass a certain point, the event horizon, there is no way to have a picture of the black hole itself. But due to all the matter being sucked into the black hole, heat is generated around the event horizon and some of it doesn't get absorbed and leaves a cloud behind. The telescope plans on viewing the black hole at the center of the Milky Way called Sgr. A* and they estimate its shadow to be 50 microarcseconds wide.

2. Who is the most sympathetic character in the story? Who are they? How are they involved? Why do they evoke feelings of sympathy from you?
There aren't any empathetic characters in this story. The only people mentioned are the scientists that have theorized black holes and the scientists who are observing the black hole to prove the theories. I guess I feel sympathetic that they are going to have to spend numerous hours staring at a computer screen to figure out how to position the telescopes.

3. Who is the least sympathetic character in the story? Who are they? How are they involved? Why can't you easily sympathize with them?
There isn't really any character in the story that isn't sympathetic. The least sympathetic character, if I had to choose one, would have to be the Black Hole. It eats light and spits out darkness. Its a massive devil that destroys everything.

Twitter and What I Found There

Twitter is this generation's biggest creation. People from around the world use it to communicate and share their lives with each other. Twitter is even used by companies to inform their customers about important information. For goodness sake, even fields have their own twitters, including Chemical Engineering.



Life-of-Pix, "Silo Ventilation Pipes", 6/22/2014, CC0 Public Domain

1. What kinds of things do people on Twitter seem to be talking about, debating, arguing about or otherwise engaging in meaningful exchanges of ideas about? Give us a descriptive and clear sense of the kinds of stories you're seeing in these Twitter feeds.
The stories that are found on this feed tend to be about recent innovations in transportation and chemical processes. There are stories about bio fuels being used in Oslo, Norway for airplanes and how a certain bacteria can improve the effectiveness of bio fuel. There are also posts about new equipment available for chemical plants. The stories are also about professional development classes that the AIChE offers for members in the ChEnected AIChE feed.

2. In your opinion, what are the two most interesting conversations or stories you found in the Twitter feeds? Hyperlink us to the two different Twitter feeds and explain why you found those conversations interesting. Be specific and honest and be yourself. I don't want you to blah-blah-blah this. I want you to really engage.
I found the topic of DNA encoded Nano-particles ChEnected AIChE. This is a major break through because it allows for the creation of complex nano structures. Although the process is expensive it has the potential to fix many problems that our current tools and technology can't. Up until now there has not been any effective methods in creating nanoparticals and therefore nanotechnology had very limited area to improve and expand.
On the second Twitter feed, ChemEngOnline, I didn't find anything that was interesting because all the stories were very technical and talked about things that I don't understand and have never heard of before. One story that I did understand was the one about a temperature and pressure controller for chemical plants. It looked like a bottle cap with numbers on it.

3. Overall, what impression do you get of your discipline based on what you saw happening on Twitter? Were the people in these feeds talking in ways you expected or did not expect, about things you anticipated they'd be talking about or things you had no idea they'd be discussing? Explain in concise specific detail
I get that my chosen discipline is very focused on energy and transfer of chemicals. A majority of the articles on both the feeds were concerned with electricity and fuel (Ex. Solar Panels and Bio fuels). Although the specific stories were not interesting to me, I do enjoy energy and the different ways in which we can harness it. This is the reason that I chose chemical engineering as my discipline so I am not surprised that this was the focus of many stories on the twitter feeds.

Twitter Feed: ChemEngOnline
Twitter Feed: ChEnected AIChE

Evaluation of New York Times Stories

The New York Times is a popular option for people to be informed of what is going on in the world. The nice thing about the New York Times is that they separate articles into different categories like Science, Politics, etc. In the Science section there is an interesting article about the Locust plague in Argentina and in the Health section there is one about Oxygen causing lung cancer.

Yanivmatza, "Locust Jumping", 4/8/2014, CC0 Public Domain

Locusts- Science
1. Does there seem to be a "main character" or "protagonist" to the story? If so, who is it and how are they are the "center" of the story? If not, are there any important or central characters in the story at all? What role do they play?
The main "characters" or the protagonists of the story are the farmers and fumigators in Argentina who are trying to suppress the large amounts of locusts that are trying to eat away at their crops. They are the center of the story because the locusts are trying to destroy their sources of food and income and in order for the farmers to survive the locusts (the "antagonists") must be eradicated. The Fumigators are the "protagonists" that are fighting the locusts.

2. Where do the specific events in the story take place? Is there a specific setting? Describe the settings for the stories and how they influence the plot and characters.
The specific setting of this story is in the farmlands of Argentina where there is a locust problem. Farming is a major source of Argentina's trade and with the destruction of the crops, Argentina will have financial problems along with a lack of food for their people.

3. Is there any kind of disagreement or debate happening in the story? If so, who is participating, why are people debating and what seems to be at stake for the different characters in the story?
There is a small debate in the article about why the locust population is larger this year than last year. Some people think that it is related to the warming climates but there is no evidence to support this theory. People also blame the previous president and his lack of concern and action concerning protecting this year's crops.


Oxygen- Health
1. Does there seem to be a "main character" or "protagonist" to the story? If so, who is it and how are they are the "center" of the story? If not, are there any important or central characters in the story at all? What role do they play?
This story does not have any "main characters" or "protagonists" because the article is about everyone and lung cancer. So I guess there are antagonists: Lung cancer and Oxygen. The important characters are the two graduate students that submitted the paper on how oxygen causes lung cancer because people in higher altitude don't get cancer as much as lower altitude people.

2. Where do the specific events in the story take place? Is there a specific setting? Describe the settings for the stories and how they influence the plot and characters.
There is no specific setting that the story takes place other than PeerJ, the place where the paper was published. The broad settings could be high ground and low ground where the amount of oxygen is different.

3. Is there any kind of disagreement or debate happening in the story? If so, who is participating, why are people debating and what seems to be at stake for the different characters in the story?
The debate featured in the article is the one whether or not oxygen causes lung cancer. The two graduate students believe that oxygen is a cause of lung cancer. The opposition, including the article's author, believes that it is just a coincidence like how the amount of letters in the winning spelling bee word is the same as the amount of deaths by spiders every year.

Course Projects

As college students one of the most valuable lessons that we can learn is how to effectively argue a point and supprt it with evidense. With computers and the internet at our hands, we have multiple options on how to convey whatever arguement we wish to debate. This project requires us to use four mediums (QRG, Standard College Essay, Video Essay, and Podcast) for four projects (Controversy Postmortem, Rhetorical Investigation, Public Aurgument, Reflective Self-assesment).





Geralt, "Project Labrynth", 6/6/2014, Creative Commons Public Domain

What are you most confused by or nervous about in regards to the four major projects?
I am most confused about the difference in the first and third projects. The first is the Postmortem Controversy and the second is a Public Argument which to me seem to be the same thing. I am most nervous about the third project because it has the most weight on my grade.

What are you most interested in or excited by in regards to the four major projects?
I am interested in the second project because we have to interview people who work in our fields of study. I do not know very many people who are chemical engineers and am very interested in seeing what a daily life as a chemical engineer is like. Also this project will help me network with chemical engineers and professors.

Based on yur understanding of the major projects, what are the elements of this course that you have to plan ahead for? How will the coursework described in the four project assignments sheets challenge your time management skills this semester?
The elements that I will need to plan ahead for are the pre-production because, in most of my past essays and other writing assignments, I did very little pre planning. These projects are going to cause me to plan to incorporate pre-production into my process. The coursework will challenge me by making time to meet with other people (Rhetorical Investigation) and to do the project bit by bit, not all at once.

How has your past English coursework in high school or college prepared you for the challenges of this course? What skills will you bring into the course with you?
The past coursework in my high school english class has prepared me for the long assignments and understanding the importance of turning in assignments in on time. The skills I learned in my high school English class and other college classes is determination. I will always get assignments done before the assignment is due.

Do you have any questions about the four major projects that haven't been answered by the assignment sheets? What do you still want to know?
The only question that I can think of is what separates the first project from the third project? To me they seem to be the exact same project with a different name. They are both about some type of argument going on in the world.


Reflection
Neeraj Vij's Blog
After reading Neeraj's blog, I realized that some controversies in my major might not be easy to write or create an aurgument about. There are many controversies but not all of them are interesting to me. This made me realize that the hardest part of the projects might be finding an idea.

Gabriela Marty's Blog
Gabriela's blog post made me remember not to panic when I am given all the work for the projects because it will definately be more than I had in high school and probably more than I have had in my other classes. Time management will be very important in being successful in this class.

Investigating Genres

With the creation of the internet, new media has developed that has become popular and mainstream. Media genres like Quick Reference Guides, Video Essays, and Podcast Segments have been easier to be shared and collaborated on. On of the more popular ones is the Podcast segment. Smart phones, like the IPhone, have a preinstalled application whichh allows the user to listen to them with a few taps on the screen.

"Demistifying the Podcast", 8/2/2007, Creative Commons Attribute

What purpose does this genre usually serve?
This genre usually is more of an interactive method of conveying information. The creator of the podcast segment speaks what they want and trys to create a way for the audience to feel like the person is speaking to them individually. Not all of them are like this but most of them are. They are geared towards the aural learners whereas video essays and Quick Refference Guides are for the visual readers.

Where, how, or in what context do readers usually find this genre?
Readers usually find this genre when they are trying to multitask or don't want to read lines of information but instead what to be verbally informed. Podcasts are an improvement of the radio but allows for the audience to personalize their choice of what to listen to.

Who is the typical audience of this genre?
The audience of this genre is usually young adults to middle-aged adults. Podcasts offer such a large variety of topics that almost anyone will find something that they are interested in. The only limitation is that the audience needs to have access to a device that allows them to listen to the segment, which sometimes affects the older population.

What are some of the key features or characteristics that are unique to this genre, distiguishing it from other genres?
One key feature is that it is listened to, unlike QRG's and Video Essays. This allows for the audience to listen to it whenever they can and where ever. Another unique feature of this media is that it allows the reader to feel like hey are communicating directly to the speaker, making the segment more personal than a QRG can.

Based on your answers to the questions above, come up with a definition in your own words ffor this genre.
A podcast segment is a medium by which an author can record his message and share it with people to listen to when and where they want. Podcast segments is also a method for an audience to learn about specific topics.


Reflection

Erin McCabe's Blog
After reading Erin's blog I realized that I did not mention anything about how podcasts allow for the speaker to go off on random tangents that are interesting to the listener. In QRG's, there are no random tangents and everything on the page is very factual and on topic.

Alexis Morrison's Blog
The QRG was made understandable after reading Alexis's blog. Before reading the blog post, I had a general grasp on the QRG, but lacked some clarification on certain parts of the medium. This post also allowed me to see more differences in podcasts and QRG's including the ability of QRG's to be skimmed over whereas podcasts are harder to pick out parts to listen to.

My Writing Process



Gaba, Eric. "A Hard Disk Head with Arm on a Platter" 7/31/2010. Creative Commons License.

Writing has never been my favorite thing to do. I find sitting at a computer typing or at a desk writing for hours to be time that I could be using with something else. I'd rather spend my time playing sports, watching Netflix, or reading. But when I do have to write something, I put it off as long as I can.

Question 1: What type(s) of writer do you consider yourself to be?
I like to think of myself as a slow writer. When I write essays I write easch paragraph very slowly and constently make changes to the paragraph as I am writing it. It is not uncommon for me to change the previous sentence inorder to make the one I am working on flow better as I am in the middle of writing it. I also tend to put off writing the essay until a few hours before it is due. This gives me more time to think about what I will write.

Question 2: Does your writing process include several of the above approaches? If so, which ones?
Based on the descriptions of the different approaches mentioned in the "Discovering Your Writing Process" article, I would consider myself to be a mixture of Heavy Planners and Procrastinators. I spend very little time revising my draft after it has been written but spend a majority of my effort making sure the first draft is the best. The Procrastinator side of me waits until the last minute and doesn't create a second draft.

Question 3: Does your writing process seem to be successful? What are the strengths and weaknesses of yur approach?
I would say my writing approach is successful but not the best success story out there. My writing process is good enough to pass classes with a decent grade, but rarely ever produces the top results. The strengths of the process are consise essays and more time to do other things. The weaknesses are the essay will have numerous mistakes and might not contain everything it needs to.

Question 4: Do you think it might be benificial for you to try a different approach? Why or why not?
I definitely think trying a different approach will be benificial. If I was to change my approach from procrastination to sequential composer I would be able to plan my essays to have everything that it needs and get great results.