Springing into the Homestretch

 

    With Spring Break being over and us now discussing our final big writing project for CARD 101, it feels like the semester went by very fast. Class this week was canceled and the other day I was unable to attend for family reasons, but I took personal time to reflect on what I may want to research for my rational argument. 

At the start, I had many ideas regarding what topic can connect with this project. I thought about questions relating to religion, sports, teamwork, college, and more. After I reviewed my list I realized most of my ideas and the questions I formed along with them were pretty vague and would be difficult to research. I narrowed down the list further and decided to focus on mental health. It is something I am very passionate about as well as have a good amount of knowledge on. I have yet to come up with a question relating to this, however, I think I want to write about how the stigma around it should decrease and more awareness should be raised regarding diagnoses like depression, anxiety, OCD, ADHD, etc. Mental health has been brought more into light, however, there is still much debate about whether it is real and there is confusion about how it affects people's daily life. 

This time of the year is odd because it's not yet spring but winter either. School, at least in my opinion feels somewhat mundane considering I am so used to routine and the campus is not as lively compared to when the weather is nice. Even though it's chilly and muggy, the bright side is I have time to focus and explore different parts of campus to get my work done. I have also spent quite a lot of time at boho...  they might be taking too much of my money...

Documentary Analysis

 

    This week in Card 101, we continued to add analysis to our documentary projects and we shared our drafts with peers. Personally, I think it was beneficial to hear and give feedback to each other. Reading another person's helped me see what I needed to focus on in my own essay, and made me realize what I could integrate and change. I also thought it was nice to fill out the organizer worksheet because it felt like a rubric "checklist"- where I can have more assurance that I followed the rubric and made the points mentioned in class. 

Today's topic for the free write was also extremely helpful, considering it made me think of ways I could improve my documentary summary. Having ten minutes to reflect, I gathered a lot of things I could work on before I submit. For one, I need to refer to key characters by their last names rather than their first names. I believe in my original draft I switched around a lot and it could be difficult to keep track of who I am mentioning. Additionally, I have to look through the Purdue Owl resource and refresh my memory on sentence structure and active and passive voice. Although the presentation and class clarified my understanding, I think I need to go more in-depth to make sure I followed the prompt and my writing compares to the examples. 

Regarding the assignments that make up our card grade, I feel I am still somewhat confused about the events and workshops. In class, the one workshop students were unaware of would not deduct any points was mentioned, however, I am curious to know what other workshops the category entails if that makes sense. I will definitely have to review the syllabus and talk to some peers to double-check if my understanding is correct!

March Midterms Madness

 

    This week in Card101, we continued learning about argument. Class time was dedicated to writing our summaries for our chosen documentary and learning methods of rhetoric. The presentation on Wednesday was very helpful considering it re-introduced and refreshed my knowledge about persuasion, assertion, and claims. 

I thought the summary sheet was extremely helpful including the "ethos, pathos, logos" column. Although my documentary was pretty straightforward and more scientific-based, this sheet helped me separate my ideas. I also had initial worry that I would sound redundant or the opposite, run out of things to say- even though there was so much content packed into the documentary in itself. I also think the organizer was a good way to make sure I had at least one example of the three (and explain how it was present in the documentary). 

In terms of the free writes this week, I personally felt they were more of a personal reflection rather than a topic, like I usually turn to. Maybe it's just because of the overwhelm of stress, but I thought it was nice to have the opportunity to write about what has been on my mind. Especially with midterms and amount of work before break, my mind has felt jumbled from work that is more straightforward than open-ended if that makes sense. 

February Reflecting

   Although it is only February, time feels like it's flying. It might just be me, but hearing we are more than halfway through the semester and Spring break is in a couple weeks? That was hard to wrap my brain around, that's for sure. Definitely caught me off guard and made me both excited and surprised.

Earlier this week, we received our microtheme grades - our first project of CARD101. Luckily we have an opportunity for revision because let's just say it is much needed. Reflecting on my personal microtheme assignment, I  feel like the topic I chose was tough to talk about from a neutral standpoint and although I tried to sound unbiased, the content I shared was still somewhat one-sided. I think my writing did not reflect my thoughts and I went in circles trying to explain and expand on the possible outcomes that come with photo taking. I am planning to revise my microtheme and gain more knowledge on how to write a successful one, as well as apply to the comments Dr.Kyburz suggested.  

Switching gears and to be completely transparent, I was skeptical about these blog posts early on. I feel I can get stuck in writer's block so easily... even though there is much flexibility, I have trouble knowing what to focus on or write about. Without a certain prompt or set guideline, I find it tough to expand on my thoughts and I would see these blog posts as a chore. On the flip side, however, I am glad these posts and the free writes challenge my ability to be creative and simply write. I think weekly blogging is a unique way to remember what I focused on in the week and give myself space to reflect on my classes and card101 lessons. Without being too personal and similar to a little kid's diary entry, free writing without much restriction feels refreshing and I am starting to see the outside benefits that come with the previously "required" blogging. I am I enjoy reading other peers' blog posts as well, but I find it interesting I am still unable to comment. It can be frustrating because I have feedback to share or questions to ask, and I am confused about whose recent blog posts I have already read. 

Movies, Homework, Card101

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT! 

My chosen documentary film was Chasing Coral, by director Jeff Orlowski. 

1. In my chosen documentary, Chasing Coral, there were many specific scenes that got to me emotionally. One scene in specific that moved me was when the team traveled to the Great Barrier Reef. I thought their passion for coral reefs and ocean life was very admirable, and seeing their devastated, helpless, reactions at the dying corals made me feel sad and honestly somewhat guilty. Although it is obvious climate change is a real problem, I believe at times I forget how large of an issue it actually is. Also, to know that humans are contributing to the decline of this impeccable species... heartbreaking. 

2. I was surprised at the fact coral plays such a prominent role in the sea's ecosystem as well as the earth in general. I was somewhat aware of corals importance in the sea and other marine life, but I did not know that without corals, there is a possibility the rest of the sea could be wiped out. One of my good friends is also very passionate about coral reefs and he tells me fun facts once and a while. After watching this documentary and talking with him, I felt appalled to hear how much we need them and how quickly they are dying.

3. After the viewing, I wonder what will happen to fish and other lifeforms that depend on coral for their habitat and food source. I would assume they would be forced to adapt to new environments but I wonder if some species would not be able to and eventually go extinct. I also question if the marine biologists and engineers were able to reconfigure another underwater camera to use years later without having to physically time lapse. After the film, I felt feelings of worry and inspiration. A very odd dialect, but these feelings popped up as I was walking along the riverwalk with my friends and looking back at old pictures from the beach and on vacation. Although they were happy moments reflecting on memories, I felt sad remembering how our oceans' coral are being destroyed and there needs to be action taken before it is too late.

4. We might avoid including research in our summaries because sources we choose to utilize could possibly misalign with information included in the documentary. Even if they are revolving the same topic or story, there is a chance for error. Additionally, it could be confusing to backtrack (at least in the documentary I watched) because there are many scientific terms and descriptions. If I were to research, I would probably make the film more complicated to understand and add unnecessary details that either do not pertain or were never mentioned in the film to begin with.

Microtheme (very rough) Draft

 

    This is a copy of my microtheme rough draft, I have yet to revise and make it shorter in length, but if any of you have suggestions it would be much appreciated! As I reflected in class, here is what I believe I can work on as I was  my essay. 

• Rephrase to sound less argumentative.
• Emit needless words and phrases. I seemed to add a lot of "fluff" but need to get to the point. 
• In my introduction, I veered off topic and made in general when I should stay in specifics.
• Although I had a main idea, I asked mini questions that were unnecessary. 

Contracting in College Writing

 

    This week we dove in further to microthemes and were asked to choose a topic as well as complete a rough draft of our paper. Reflecting on my writing process, I had difficulty choosing a topic and being open ended with my words. As I said in my free write, I'd consider myself pretty opinionated and my papers are usually straightforward. Also, in my past writing experiences there was an emphasis in being argumentative and persuasive with your thesis rather than having a broad approach of something you are personally passionate about.  

Granted, there's still a lot of work that needs to be done for my microtheme. The more I come back to it, the more I make changes and can see little spaces I can revise, emit needless fluff, and catch absolute statements. I'm extremely guilty of overusing "constantly" "all" "never" etc. absolutes and I am glad this piece challenges that habit. As Dr.Kyburz mentioned in class as well, it is not a good standpoint to be in as a writer because it would be assuming information about others when that may not be true (or to an extent). 

     My micro theme topic is revolving the overuse of technology- specifically our phone cameras. On my rough draft, I spoke on how we are so used to taking videos and pictures rather than experiencing the present moment. That can be debated considering there can be a balance of capturing and living the moment, however, we have adapted to getting used to pulling out our phones when something interesting happens, seeing a cool landmark, at concerts, etc. That is not to say photography is "bad", but I question how much we revert to our phones and whether its because we want a memory, or if we've gotten sucked into the habit.