When I write an exploratory paper I pick a topic, find sources and make notes, write a draft, and then revise it. I tend to write as I go along without prior planning to the paper and write down what comes to mind at the moment and then revise it when I read it again later. Two things from this chapter that could help me is asking questions about my paper when revising and making an extended list or outline. Both could help because my writing process could use more structure and more of a process to write my paper correctly. Asking the questions will allow for me to be more thorough with what needs to be in my paper. Making an outline would help me make sure I have the topics I want to discuss in my paper.
An outline is like a “skeleton” of a paper, as the book calls it. It provides a way for the writer to not have to stop and think about what to write about next because the outline does it for you. It provides a way to see a good organization on what the paper will be about so it is easier to write and put together correctly.
Three things that could be useful to me on revising my paper looking at my draft as a whole, finishing it in time to put down and read later, and asking revision questions about my paper. If I print out my paper, like the book says to do, and look at it as a whole it will be easier to catch mistakes and read more smoothly. Finishing it in time to put down and read a day later would help me because it would give me a break from writing the paper. If I write to long, I tend to just put things down at the end to finish it without really paying attention. It would give my mind a break and be able to fix mistakes I maybe would not have seen earlier. By asking questions about my paper while I am revising it, it will help to catch things that I might not have paid attention to in the first place. It gives me something to look for specifically instead of glancing over the paper.
An exploratory is written for the author and the reader to better understand an issue. It provides information from all views and allows for a deeper understanding of the issue. If an author is going to write a position paper, writing an exploratory paper first gives the author background information from past and present on his/her topic. When a writer and a reader get information-facts and opinions-it lets them all get a better understanding of what the topic truly is. Before a position can be taken by an author, he/she needs to be able to support their opinion and have a well established argument with facts from their research to back up their position.
Some ways to conduct peer review are one, to get in a small group with three or four of classmates, giving them all a copy of your paper, and reading it a loud so as you do your peers can critique it and mark problem spots. Another way is to read them silently in groups and students make notes on them before discussing them one by one a loud. Another way is to have a partner and switch papers to take home allowing for extra time to read more than once. Peer review has several advantages. It makes the writing process more sociable and is able to provide immediate feedback on your paper from someone else. It gives the writer a chance to hear what an audience thinks of his/her paper. After all, it is written for others to read and like. Someone will always have suggestions on how to make the paper a better one even if it has been critiqued over and over. It helps to have others opinions.
Monday, October 29, 2007
SWA #8
In the Carolina Reader three authors discuss issues that have come been noticed more because of their growth or need of attention; religion, politics, and social class affecting dropouts. Each article gives reasons to what is causing changes in the topic they are discussing.
The first article, “Matters of Faith Find a New Prominence on Campus” by Alan Finder in 2007, was written discussing the growing religious practices on college campuses. One of the reasons Finder gives for this is the rise in religious right in politics. Some of the main religious arguments like abortion and war leave students looking for answers. Another reason he gives is the September 11 attacks that he says “underscored for many the influence of religion on world affairs”. Another reason he states is baby boomers not imposing their religion on their children as they had had their parents do to them. This allowed for their children to find themselves and when students came to campus and tragedies happened “they sometimes feel that they don’t have resources to deal with them. And sometimes they turn to religion and courses in religion,” said Mr. Steffen, the chaplain at Lehigh University.
Religion is not the only thing growing. The second piece, “Schools of Thought: The Liberal-Conservative Divide on College Campuses” by Richard Just was published in 2003 discusses the growing and more evident active political conservatism on college campuses. Just discusses how conservative students are noticing an overwhelming liberal bias in students and faculty and staff on campuses. Much of the staff is liberal in most colleges and imposes their political views, intentionally or unintentionally, in the classrooms. Because there are so many liberals in colleges it is putting a spotlight on the minority of the conservatives, as Just states, “…though the right is still a minority on many campuses, it is undoubtedly an energized one.” This extra attention allows for extra funding to conservative newspapers and speakers, and these contributions are much greater than that of the liberals.
In the final article, “The College Dropout Boom” by David Leonhardt, suggests that the large gap between lower, middle, and upper class is a big reason why the number of college dropouts are increasing. Along with this is that “tuition bills scare some students from even applying and leaving others with years of debt.” Even if some students with lower income get in if they apply, even though they are not the preference, they may not be able to afford four or five years of school with or without scholarships. Leonhardt suggests that high schools are partly to blame for students dropping out when they do not succeed because the high schools do not prepare the students properly for going into college. Another reason is that some students may be lacking direction towards college from their family members. Some students just do not have a support system at home for them to be able to strive for a higher education.
All three of these articles raise interesting points to the ever changing college student. Although these changes in religion, politics, and dropouts may not occur in all colleges, the evidence is mainly from Ivy League schools, it is certainly interesting that the tables may turn from the old ways and beliefs of those who set the stage in colleges as to what was once tradition in schools. It all could be changing for something different because everyone wants something different.
The first article, “Matters of Faith Find a New Prominence on Campus” by Alan Finder in 2007, was written discussing the growing religious practices on college campuses. One of the reasons Finder gives for this is the rise in religious right in politics. Some of the main religious arguments like abortion and war leave students looking for answers. Another reason he gives is the September 11 attacks that he says “underscored for many the influence of religion on world affairs”. Another reason he states is baby boomers not imposing their religion on their children as they had had their parents do to them. This allowed for their children to find themselves and when students came to campus and tragedies happened “they sometimes feel that they don’t have resources to deal with them. And sometimes they turn to religion and courses in religion,” said Mr. Steffen, the chaplain at Lehigh University.
Religion is not the only thing growing. The second piece, “Schools of Thought: The Liberal-Conservative Divide on College Campuses” by Richard Just was published in 2003 discusses the growing and more evident active political conservatism on college campuses. Just discusses how conservative students are noticing an overwhelming liberal bias in students and faculty and staff on campuses. Much of the staff is liberal in most colleges and imposes their political views, intentionally or unintentionally, in the classrooms. Because there are so many liberals in colleges it is putting a spotlight on the minority of the conservatives, as Just states, “…though the right is still a minority on many campuses, it is undoubtedly an energized one.” This extra attention allows for extra funding to conservative newspapers and speakers, and these contributions are much greater than that of the liberals.
In the final article, “The College Dropout Boom” by David Leonhardt, suggests that the large gap between lower, middle, and upper class is a big reason why the number of college dropouts are increasing. Along with this is that “tuition bills scare some students from even applying and leaving others with years of debt.” Even if some students with lower income get in if they apply, even though they are not the preference, they may not be able to afford four or five years of school with or without scholarships. Leonhardt suggests that high schools are partly to blame for students dropping out when they do not succeed because the high schools do not prepare the students properly for going into college. Another reason is that some students may be lacking direction towards college from their family members. Some students just do not have a support system at home for them to be able to strive for a higher education.
All three of these articles raise interesting points to the ever changing college student. Although these changes in religion, politics, and dropouts may not occur in all colleges, the evidence is mainly from Ivy League schools, it is certainly interesting that the tables may turn from the old ways and beliefs of those who set the stage in colleges as to what was once tradition in schools. It all could be changing for something different because everyone wants something different.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Annotated Bibliography
Robinson, A. Bruce. "Questions About the Morality of, and Access to Abortions; Biases; Definitions." Religious Tolerance 19 Sept. 2007. 24 Oct. 2007 http://www.religoustolerance.org/abofund.htm.
This website was made by Religious Tolerance and this specific part was written by Bruce Robinson. This website gives the basic information of abortion such as statistics and what abortion is. It also give both side views on the issue. It gives political standpoints as well as religious and ethical views. Although this website is more geared towards being against abortion, it would still be good to use in my paper to better support one of the sides I am trying to give evidence for. It has so much information from both sides as well as what it could do later in someone's life and the law with court rulings on the issue. These could show where the issue could end up in later years.
"Abortion Is Prolife." Capitalism Magazine 2007. 24 Oct. 2007
http://www.abortionisprolife.com/index.htm
This is a website created by Capitalism Magazine. It gives the side of people who believe in abortion being ok to do. It has different authors involved who discuss how it is not possible for an embryo to have "rights" because it is not even a human-being. I think this website will be helpful because it is a one-sided website that can give insight in my paper on what pro-choice believers think and how they justify their side. This website could have given a little more factual things instead of just opinions of the pro-choice believers. These articles give reasoning to this side of the case completely to this side which will be helpful.
Agresti, D. James. "Abortion Facts." Just Facts Foundation 12 Oct. 2007. 24 OCt. 2007 http://www.justfacts.com/abortion.asp.
Presently, all of the writing and research is done by James D. Agresti, who has a bachelor's of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brown University. This website does not give sides of the issue or personal political views of the writers on the issue and tries to keep adverbs and subjective adjectives to a minimum. It just gives the facts that go to abortion. It explains the science of fertilization and when a woman gets an abortion, the long term effects that could occur. I shows the politics and how the media portrays this event without giving opinions. This will definately be of use to my paper because I can show where one side or the other gets their information and what is right and wrong.
McKinley, Brian. "Why Abortion is Biblical." 2005. 24 Oct. 2007 http://www.elroy.net/ehr/abortion.html.
This article was written by Brian Mckinley who wrote this to speak his opinion because he does not believe abortion is wrong and believes that he has not found anything in scripture that proves him wrong. One of the main points of people believing in pro-life is how it is in the Bible that it is wrong. This author uses the Bible as a way to say that God does not look down on abortion and that when people against abortion use the Bible as their reasoning they misrepresent it. This is very interesting to use because the author completely puts a different viewpoint on how the Bible is interpreted to help the pro-choice view. He explains how the Bible verses are not taught correctly and he raises many questions about the point of view taken from the Bible. Although he may not be a credible source, it is a view that may be shared by many other people with his opinion and it makes for a stable argument against the pro-life believers.
Finney, A. Raymond. "ABortion and the Bible." 4 Sept. 2003. 24 Oct. 2007. http://www.abortion-and-bible.com/
This piece was written by a retired physician, Raymond Finney. He writes this from personal and medical experience and is a firm believer in God. This is firmly pro-life and shows this sides perception of the Bible counter acting the other site I chose. I think this would be good to use in an argumentative paper because I have two site who use the same source and totally different ways to support their views. This was written by a man who just wanted to put his views out there and is definately an opinionated piece so it is not something to use for facts. I can only use it for giving a look at what this side thinks.
"About ABortion: Understanding the Issue." 11 Sept. 2000. 25 Oct. 2007 http://www.aboutabortions.com/.
This website was written as a blog which allows people to respond and give their side of the issue. It has quotes from different sources and gives different ways to look at abortion. I will probably use some of the different quotes and the reasoning given in the blog posts. It could have been more helpful if more people had responded to this post so I could have more people to go off of. This writer wants to stimulate a debate and anyone to expand on his/her points made.
"Abortion Methods." Niagara Region Right to Life Association 25 Oct. 2007 http://www.lifesite.net/abortiontypes/
This website was sponsored by Niagara Region to give information on the different types of abortions there are. It discusses the procedures of what the doctors do during any of the types and very vividly what happens to the aborted baby. This will be useful in my paper because in defining abortion, the process is a very important part. Some people use it as a term without really understanding what happens. These aspects will allow for expansion on the basics and definition of abortion. It would have been more useful if it had expanded on what it was telling like why some ways are more used than others or what is more difficult to recover from.
"Types of Abortion Procedures." American Pregnancy Association Jan. 2007. 25 Oct. 2007 http://www.americanpregnancy.org/unplannedpregnancy/abortionprocedures.html.
This association sponsored this website to also tell the different kinds of abortion, some of which that are not mentioned in the first website I gave. This gives the time in which these abortions take place, like first and second trimesters of pregnancy. This website is a pregnancy website that gives all information like how to get pregnant, pregnancy wellness, how to be prepared, etc. I think this will be useful in my paper to go along with the other abortion types website that it can be more accurate. It would be more helpful if it had given more information on the procedures and why certain ones are done during the different trimesters.
This website was made by Religious Tolerance and this specific part was written by Bruce Robinson. This website gives the basic information of abortion such as statistics and what abortion is. It also give both side views on the issue. It gives political standpoints as well as religious and ethical views. Although this website is more geared towards being against abortion, it would still be good to use in my paper to better support one of the sides I am trying to give evidence for. It has so much information from both sides as well as what it could do later in someone's life and the law with court rulings on the issue. These could show where the issue could end up in later years.
"Abortion Is Prolife." Capitalism Magazine 2007. 24 Oct. 2007
http://www.abortionisprolife.com/index.htm
This is a website created by Capitalism Magazine. It gives the side of people who believe in abortion being ok to do. It has different authors involved who discuss how it is not possible for an embryo to have "rights" because it is not even a human-being. I think this website will be helpful because it is a one-sided website that can give insight in my paper on what pro-choice believers think and how they justify their side. This website could have given a little more factual things instead of just opinions of the pro-choice believers. These articles give reasoning to this side of the case completely to this side which will be helpful.
Agresti, D. James. "Abortion Facts." Just Facts Foundation 12 Oct. 2007. 24 OCt. 2007 http://www.justfacts.com/abortion.asp.
Presently, all of the writing and research is done by James D. Agresti, who has a bachelor's of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brown University. This website does not give sides of the issue or personal political views of the writers on the issue and tries to keep adverbs and subjective adjectives to a minimum. It just gives the facts that go to abortion. It explains the science of fertilization and when a woman gets an abortion, the long term effects that could occur. I shows the politics and how the media portrays this event without giving opinions. This will definately be of use to my paper because I can show where one side or the other gets their information and what is right and wrong.
McKinley, Brian. "Why Abortion is Biblical." 2005. 24 Oct. 2007 http://www.elroy.net/ehr/abortion.html.
This article was written by Brian Mckinley who wrote this to speak his opinion because he does not believe abortion is wrong and believes that he has not found anything in scripture that proves him wrong. One of the main points of people believing in pro-life is how it is in the Bible that it is wrong. This author uses the Bible as a way to say that God does not look down on abortion and that when people against abortion use the Bible as their reasoning they misrepresent it. This is very interesting to use because the author completely puts a different viewpoint on how the Bible is interpreted to help the pro-choice view. He explains how the Bible verses are not taught correctly and he raises many questions about the point of view taken from the Bible. Although he may not be a credible source, it is a view that may be shared by many other people with his opinion and it makes for a stable argument against the pro-life believers.
Finney, A. Raymond. "ABortion and the Bible." 4 Sept. 2003. 24 Oct. 2007. http://www.abortion-and-bible.com/
This piece was written by a retired physician, Raymond Finney. He writes this from personal and medical experience and is a firm believer in God. This is firmly pro-life and shows this sides perception of the Bible counter acting the other site I chose. I think this would be good to use in an argumentative paper because I have two site who use the same source and totally different ways to support their views. This was written by a man who just wanted to put his views out there and is definately an opinionated piece so it is not something to use for facts. I can only use it for giving a look at what this side thinks.
"About ABortion: Understanding the Issue." 11 Sept. 2000. 25 Oct. 2007 http://www.aboutabortions.com/.
This website was written as a blog which allows people to respond and give their side of the issue. It has quotes from different sources and gives different ways to look at abortion. I will probably use some of the different quotes and the reasoning given in the blog posts. It could have been more helpful if more people had responded to this post so I could have more people to go off of. This writer wants to stimulate a debate and anyone to expand on his/her points made.
"Abortion Methods." Niagara Region Right to Life Association 25 Oct. 2007 http://www.lifesite.net/abortiontypes/
This website was sponsored by Niagara Region to give information on the different types of abortions there are. It discusses the procedures of what the doctors do during any of the types and very vividly what happens to the aborted baby. This will be useful in my paper because in defining abortion, the process is a very important part. Some people use it as a term without really understanding what happens. These aspects will allow for expansion on the basics and definition of abortion. It would have been more useful if it had expanded on what it was telling like why some ways are more used than others or what is more difficult to recover from.
"Types of Abortion Procedures." American Pregnancy Association Jan. 2007. 25 Oct. 2007 http://www.americanpregnancy.org/unplannedpregnancy/abortionprocedures.html.
This association sponsored this website to also tell the different kinds of abortion, some of which that are not mentioned in the first website I gave. This gives the time in which these abortions take place, like first and second trimesters of pregnancy. This website is a pregnancy website that gives all information like how to get pregnant, pregnancy wellness, how to be prepared, etc. I think this will be useful in my paper to go along with the other abortion types website that it can be more accurate. It would be more helpful if it had given more information on the procedures and why certain ones are done during the different trimesters.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Response to CR
For the number of people who aspire to look beautiful to the world, there is certainly an enormous number of people who are obese. Mainly because the general American wants things done fast with as little effort as possible. So, instead of going into the kitchen and cooking a fresh from scratch meal, it is way easier and less time consuming to open up a frozen pizza box and popping it in the oven. In the carolina reader it suggests this. It also says "The obesity problem is really a side effect of things that are good for the economy." This suggests that all of these quick and easy things can be quite convenient and good every once in awhile when we just do not have time, but these fast and easy meals are taking over almost every meal. The figures for the money spent in the carolina reader show huge amounts of money thrown at fast food, cookies, potato chips, and restaurants. Then there is also the $124.7 billion in treatments related to obesity. If the resources were not constantly there to be able to give in to the temptations of things like french fries, perhaps America would not be so overweight. We are the richest country in the world but yet we are by far not the healthiest. Americans should put that $124.7 billion towards healthier things than medical treatments like exercising and healthier foods.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Topic Proposal and sources
An ongoing debate in society is whether or not it is ok for a woman to have abortions. Some people believe it is a woman's choice and there is not anything wrong with it. Some people believe it is against God's will to kill a little living embryo. A large piece of the debate is whether or not an aborted embryo is actually murder because murder intells the killing of an actual human being and some do not believe it is a human being.
I am writing on the two sides, pro-life and pro-choice, on abortion. One of the biggest arguments for the pro-life supporters is the religious factor. One of the sources uses the biblical verses to promote pro-choice. There is no in between on the issue, it is either one side or the other and in my paper I will show both sides and give the support both sides use to justify their beliefs.
Robinson, A. Bruce. "Questions About the Morality of, and Access to Abortion; biases;
definitions." Religious Tolerance 19 Sept. 2007. 24 Oct. 2007
http://www.religioustolerance.org/abofund.htm.
"Abortions Is Profile." Capitalism Magazine 2007. 24 Oct. 2007
http://www.abortionisprolife.com/index.htm.
Agresti, D. James. "Abortion Facts." Just Facts Foundation 12 Oct. 2007. 24 Oct. 2007
http://www.justfacts.com/abortion.asp.
McKinley, Brian. "Why Abortion Is Biblical." 2005. 24 Oct. 2007
http://www.elroy.net/ehr/abortion.html.
Finney, A. Raymond. "Abortion and the Bible." 4 Sept. 2003. 24 Oct. 2007
http://www.abortion-and-bible.com/.
I am writing on the two sides, pro-life and pro-choice, on abortion. One of the biggest arguments for the pro-life supporters is the religious factor. One of the sources uses the biblical verses to promote pro-choice. There is no in between on the issue, it is either one side or the other and in my paper I will show both sides and give the support both sides use to justify their beliefs.
Robinson, A. Bruce. "Questions About the Morality of, and Access to Abortion; biases;
definitions." Religious Tolerance 19 Sept. 2007. 24 Oct. 2007
http://www.religioustolerance.org/abofund.htm.
"Abortions Is Profile." Capitalism Magazine 2007. 24 Oct. 2007
http://www.abortionisprolife.com/index.htm.
Agresti, D. James. "Abortion Facts." Just Facts Foundation 12 Oct. 2007. 24 Oct. 2007
http://www.justfacts.com/abortion.asp.
McKinley, Brian. "Why Abortion Is Biblical." 2005. 24 Oct. 2007
http://www.elroy.net/ehr/abortion.html.
Finney, A. Raymond. "Abortion and the Bible." 4 Sept. 2003. 24 Oct. 2007
http://www.abortion-and-bible.com/.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Smoking Bans brainstorming
- effects to people who do smoke
- effects to people around those who smoke
- health
- constitutional rights
- smoking in restaurants
- allergies
- cancer
- odor
- birth defects to babies who have mother's who smoke during pregnancy
Monday, October 8, 2007
My Post Secret
My post secret was just about me and some friends forking someone's yard. I was not going for any particular message just that I have done it. There was an unexpected reaction to my card. Someone in my group did not know what forking was. Maybe it is just where I grew up but everyone knew what it was and most people had partaken in this act. It just shows that even the smallest things can be different just in different states. On my card I simply drew a fork and a house with forks in the yard. It is the best way to describe what I did. There was no hidden message or meaning to the card. There is no way around forking someone's yard.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Post Secret
I chose the fourth post about the person who gives a reason why they have no friends. In this text the explicit claim is that this person has no friends and they want there to be a reason for this. This person uses a reason to make themselves believe its because they are extraordinary and people are scared. I think this author is a lonely teenage girl. The way the text talks about being beautiful so people are intimidated to talk to her. It is portrayed as something a girl would say. This secret is geared toward both types of people; those who are lonely and those who only look at people who need friends but do not become a friend. It relates to people who do not have friends and can give those people a sense of comfort to know they are not the only ones who view themselves that way. It can also show how it makes people feel to be alone to those who take having friends for granted. The visual on this card, does not go along with what is being said in my opinion. I do not understand how it relates. It is just a slurred background with feet walking. I just did not get how it related to the text.
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