Project 3 Reflection: stressful

For this oh, so, stressful project, I suppose I did well conducting my interviews and coming up with a decent argument. I did well being professional while interviewing the professor. My argument was supported with an accredited professor and a student applying to graduate school. These two people were very relevant to the argument and my interviews with them definitely made my paper much more strong. I struggled with just about everything else. Creating the audio section of the project was tedious beyond belief. I wish I had counted the amount of times I recorded and rerecorded my sections of the paper; although I would have no doubt lost count. I learned that my hate for technology is because I am incompetent with it. I also learned a lot about my major that I did not know. I learned about the competitiveness involved in graduate school. I learned that I wasn’t the only student worried, even students applying to graduate school are worried that the things they have accomplished in their four years as a Speech and Hearing Sciences major might not just make the tight window of acceptance. My writing process needs to be more planned. I need to start creating an outline so that while I’m writing the paper it is easy for me to create a better argument and stay on track, especially during the interviews. I got a lot of information that was not useful in my paper. I should have done a better job of keeping our conversation in range for my project, maybe by developing more specific questions. For my recording process, what don’t I need to change? I need to learn how to speak more professionally and understand technology better. I feel like I just sounded very awkward. I feel like I sounded like I was reading too much, like too scripted. I should either read slower or with more enthusiasm, but I just feel like if I was listening to my broadcast, I would not enjoy it.  As for my argument, I feel as though it was average. It could have been a bit stronger. I think that both my interviews were good, but my personal input should have been more put together. I needed maybe more actual facts or to include a personal opinion. Outside of the university, I will use my interview skills that I learned when applying for jobs or when talking to someone of authority at work. Conducting a supportive argument will also be useful in the workplace. Finding credible people to interview and being able to do so professionally is a key skill for later in life. Also, learning how to record and edit and sound professional electronically will be a good skill possibly one day in the work force.

Script Draft: Speech and Hearing Sciences major

There are over 250 undergraduate majors to choose from at Arizona State University. Speech and hearing sciences is one of these choices. Speech and hearing sciences is a Bachelor of Science degree. In this major, students study the normal aspects of the communication process. There is specific focus in anatomy and physiology of the hearing mechanism, speech, language, and hearing science, and the human communication system, including normal development of speech and language. Students can take classes for the speech and hearing science major on the Tempe Campus of ASU. There are about thirty professors who lecture for the classes required for this major. This program is a stepping-stone for students to become graduates in audiology or speech language pathology.

Unfortunately, not everyone can afford the time and money it will take to obtain a graduate degree in audiology or speech language pathology, moving further than the initial BS in speech and hearing sciences. Upon declaring as a speech and hearing science major my advisor informed me that there are not many job opportunities other than becoming an assistant to an audiologist or an assistant to a speech language pathologist unless students go on to obtain an AuD or Master’s degree. I have found, after interviewing a number of professors who lecture within this major that this is true. Therefore, I think it is very important for all of the advisors to inform students of this commitment before they declare their major in speech and hearing sciences.

            My advisor, Tiffanie Flores, did just that. I had a meeting with her to declare my major and she informed me, “with the speech and hearing sciences bachelors of science degree, a student can move on from college to become an assistant to a speech language pathologist or that of an audiologist. After the bachelor’s degree students can obtain a Master’s degree to become a Speech Language pathologist or they can obtain a doctorate degree in Audiology.”

            After my meeting with Mrs. Flores and coming out with that supporting information, I decided to get more, and maybe more credible advice, from some professors who teach in the speech and hearing department at ASU. Dawn Greer, a clinical associate professor, who specializes in speech language pathology, had this to say, “To be a certified speech language pathologist and not an assistant you would need to pursue a masters degree, not a PhD. If you are interested in becoming an audiologist, then you need an AuD, which is a doctorate degree.”

I interviewed other speech and hearing sciences professors, for a further opinion, who all had the same advice. Professor William Yost says, “You do need a graduate degree to be a clinician but not a doctorate in all cases.”

Professor Zarin Mehta repeats the same advice and does so in further detail. She says, “The audiology program does have an entry-level clinical doctorate which is a four year doctorate but not a PhD. There is no Master’s degree offered for audiology anymore, so the default degree in an AuD, the clinical doctorate. The SLP is a two-year Master’s degree and you can certainly become a practicing SLP with the Master’s degree.

With each professor giving advice all alike, it is quite obvious that students cannot be more than assistants to audiologists or speech language pathologists with just the bachelors of science in speech and hearing sciences. They would need to obtain further degrees in audiology or speech language pathology, such as a Master’s degree or an AuD, which is a clinical doctorate. Informing students of this information before they declare their major is essential because the clarity of the commitment might sway a student’s decision to declare.

ASU Reacts: Broadway as Inspiration

“ ‘Broadway to Sandy: The Show is Back On’ is an NPR story about how Broadway is affected when a disaster such as Hurricane Sandy occurs. The traffic intensifies all around the city and the crew has such a difficult time finding transportation. Broadway is “a symbol of New York” as the mayor said in the interview with the writer; the show must always go on. So, when a tragedy such as Sandy occurs, dedicated Broadway members find a way into the city, whether it is renting a car, catching a taxi, riding the bus, a bike, or even walking. Cancelled shows bring about a huge loss, so even in the midst of a tragedy, Broadway tries to keep cancellations at an absolute minimum.”

Jessica Zimmer, 20-year-old Broadway fan says, “In my opinion, it is positive that the employees of Broadway tried to keep the shows going because watching a show can give the people of New York something entertaining to do during a time of crisis. There so many people without power in their homes that having a destination like Broadway can take them away from the reality of the tragedy for a few hours. However, I think it is sad for the cast because the commute to Broadway seems horribly difficult. Many actors and crew put in so much effort to make it there on time and I am sure that it was greatly stressful for them. I find it inspiring that the productions on Broadway are so dedicated and that everyone involved still finds a way to make the magic happen.”

“Overall, from the NPR interviews, and my interview with Jessica, it is apparent that Broadway finding a way to make shows happen, no matter what, is really inspiring for the people of New York and those who experienced the tragedy of hurricane Sandy.”

Genre analysis: "Broadway to Sandy: The Show is Back On" http://www.npr.org/2012/11/01/164108465/broadway-to-sandy-the-show-is-back-on

This audio essay is entitled “Broadway to Sandy: The Show is Back On.” It is about the fact that even in the midst of a tragedy, Broadway is a symbol of New York and must be kept on for the sake of hope. Sandy, the most recent hurricane on the east coast, has created many obstacles for the cast and crew of Broadway to get to work, but these people are dedicated, and they do get there, no matter what it takes. Some workers bike, some walk, some rent cars. Audio essays have specific features and needs in the same way an essay does. There is a thesis, outside sourced information in the form of interview, outside sources from factual information, some dialogue, and an overall point to the audio essay.  This essay is written informally since it is an interview. There is more detail in the audio essay rather than the written article itself. In this particular article, the writer views himself as a reporter, using factual information to portray the coming together of Broadway in the midst of a tragedy and conducting interviews with people of Broadway and people heading to view Broadway to support the ideal that in Broadway, the show must always go on. Numbers are used to show how long it usually takes someone to get from Manhattan to Broadway and how long that takes after Sandy as well as many other time related changes to travel because of Sandy. Numbers are used to show the loss of money from the hurricane before Sandy, Irene. All of the quotations are quotes from people that the writer interviewed. The images are of the aftermath of Sandy: a flooded road, someone skateboarding instead of sitting in traffic, and a couple not so crowded street pictures of Broadway. I think the writer chose this kind of informal evidence because it helps the listener connect on a more personal level instead of just stating statistics and formal information. The organization of this document is very casual. Its core is mostly dialogue of examples of how people are helping Broadway keep the show going on after Sandy. This type of organization is often in newspaper articles, online blogs, and other simple writings similar to those. There are citations under the photos and all the quotations have either an introduction or a follow up with who said each thought. Even though there is some factual information, there are no formal citations at the end of the article indicating where the factual information about money loss or damage done comes from; all of the citations are from the people who were interviewed.

My topic for project three is going to be my major, speech and hearing sciences.

Project 2 Reflection: mind-opening

For this project I did well evaluating the benefits of Sigma Kappa. I did especially well in discovering how Sigma Kappa would benefits the women involved. This project made me realize that I undoubtedly chose the right sorority. The positive outlook on grades and networking and just making girls realize that they belong at ASU definitely showed brightly through my evaluation. I struggled with making the annotations very formal, especially since I had already talked about them in detail in my introduction. I felt like I repeated myself a lot moving from the introduction into the annotations and that I could have done a much better job at making the project as a whole flow better. From my evaluation I learned lots of things about Sigma Kappa that I did not really know. I had to learn some history for the introduction that was incredibly intriguing. I was not aware of the hazing policies and the no hazing history of Sigma Kappa. I figured that there was hazing in the past and they just recently got rid of the tradition. I also learned how much the sisters do together as a group to make sure that each sister grows as an individual mentally and socially. My writing process for this project was very bland. I feel like I could have found out more and gone into much more detail. To alter my process for the next project, I will do much more research before I actually begin m evaluation so that I have more knowledge already available to me. I will also use my sources in more detail, more often. The strength of my evaluation could honestly be better. I feel as though I should have used my sources more to make my evaluation more powerful. Also, I could have made the map much more formal. In order to do that I will use technology sources like the blog. If I still choose not to go the technological route, I will make my hand drawn map with more detail and more time dedicated to the process. Outside of the university, evaluation will be essential. I will have to continue to evaluate a multitude of things during college, and then even more once I graduate. I will have to evaluate different types of loans as college progresses, as well as different types of housing. To do these things to my best ability, I will have to do an enormous amount of research. After college, I will have to evaluate grad school options, then future career options, and so far beyond that as well. Thinking about how evaluation will affect my future has made me realize that having good evaluation skills is critical.

Draft

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Draft

Intro:              Sigma Kappa is a Panhellenic sorority that was established at Arizona State in just this last spring of 2012. As a new sorority, we are establishing our reputation this semester and therefore are involved in tons of activities and have lots of rules to follow. My argument is that this sorority entering Arizona State is beneficial for the women who have joined and the parts of the community they have become involved in. To prove my argument, I will show that the active members have benefitted from joining last spring when we were established at ASU and also that us new members are benefitting by observing the things the sisters do together on campus like study hours, lunch on the fratio, sisterhood time at Adelphi and the member meetings.  I will show that Sigma Kappa impacts the community surrounding positively with our involvement at Clare Bridge and the Alzheimer’s walk. My criteria for this project will be the grades of the girls in the sorority, the impact we have on the community, such as the amount of money we fundraise for the Alzheimer’s walk and our monthly involvement with Clare Bridge. I will also use information from my sources to help evaluate. For example, the scholarly article states that the more girls there are in a sorority, the more the school feels a need to get involved, which can be greatly beneficial for the sororities. Basically, my goal is to prove that each different thing our sorority is a part of does something positive for either our sisters or the community.

Five women founded Sigma Kappa November 9, 1874 at Colby College: Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Mabel Fuller Pierce, Louise Helen Coburn, and Frances Elliot Mann Hall. Sigma Kappa is involved in five philanthropies: Sigma Kappa Foundation, Inherit the Earth, Gerontology studies, Main Sea Coast Mission, and Alzheimer’s disease research. At ASU, we are mainly involved with Alzheimer’s research. We participate in the walk in November and we visit a nursing home that has residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Along with our philanthropies, Sigma Kappa participates in the philanthropies of the other sororities as well as those of the fraternities. Sigma Kappa has formal meetings for the active members and promise meetings for the new members to teach them about Sigma Kappa. New member promise meetings are held in the Schwada building. Promise meetings are held until initiation when new members become active. At formal meetings the sisters vote on being involved in fraternities or other sorority’s events as well as organizing everything inside our own sorority. At both meetings business attire is mandatory. Sigma Kappa participates in Panhellenic study hours so that the sisters can maintain good grades. Sisters must maintain a GPA of 2.5 to stay active in the sorority, if a sister does not, she is put on probation and cannot participate in events. In addition to this punishment, there are awards for good grades. If a sister gets an A on anything (a paper, test, project, etc.) it goes in the Book of A’s and she gets put in a drawing for an award. Also, if a sister has a 3.0 GPA or above she does not have to attend study hours. These study hours are held in Hayden or Sigma Kappa’s chapter room at Adelphi. All of the Panhellenic sororities have a “house” inside Adelphi Commons 1 since there is no sorority row at ASU. Having Adelphi brings all the sororities close together and each sorority having a chapter room gives them a place to have private sisterhood time. During sisterhood time at Adelphi, the sisters watch movies and craft together, just enjoying eachothers time. Sigma Kappa has sisterhood lunches at ASU twice a week on the MU patio, which has been deemed the “Fratio” because lots of the sororities and fraternities conjugate there.

My mapped objects are the fratio, our Adelphi complex, Clare Bridge nursing home, and the two locations of our study hours. Each of these objects fulfills the criteria of being beneficial to either the ladies of Sigma Kappa or to the surrounding community we are involved with. The fratio benefits the ladies of Sigma Kappa because it is a place for us to conjugate so we can study together and not have to eat alone. Also, since we are new on campus, it is important for us to establish a good reputation among other sororities, and them seeing all of us come together for lunch on the fratio at least weekly really shows how much we care about our sisters. Adelphi is also beneficial for the ladies in the sorority. Some of the girls in Sigma Kappa live there. They all get to spend that extra time together that not all of the girls get. Also, the chapter room is majorly beneficial. That room is where anything important that is not a formal meeting takes place. We had big and little reveal in the chapter room. Big land little reveal is important because a little gets a big to mentor them through the initiation process.  We also have office hours in chapter so we can make up any meetings we weren’t able to attend. Along with office hours we hold study hours in the chapter room so Sigma Kappas can raise or maintain their grades. Study hours are also held at Hayden library. Study hours are very effective in motivating girls to do well and get good enough grades to not have to attend them. Clare Bridge is the nursing home we visit monthly to interact with elderly that have Alzheimer’s or dementia. Going here is a benefit for the community we are a part of because they are located near us. Going there monthly is beneficial to them because many of the residents do not have visitors and the staff enjoy having us around to entertain the elderly for a couple hours a month.  Our meetings are beneficial to our sisters because they educate the new members on the history and everything having to do with Sigma Kappa and they also give us a say in the different events we participate in as we do a lot of voting and putting together activities in meetings.

(numbers go with pictures on chart, pictures subject to change)

1.     These photos are of the fratio. The fratio is where the sisters go for sister luncheons. At sister luncheons we come together to eat lunch so that we are able to spend more time together. We study on the fratio during our luncheons as well. It’s really important to get as many sisters together as we can during the luncheon to show ASU our dedication as a new sorority. We chant a ton of our songs on the fratio, especially during events like recruitment week and greek week. During these events, the fratio is flooding with sisters from all sororities trying to show our pride and get girls interested in becoming new members. The days of the week we eat lunch on the fratio we are always told to wear a Sigma Kappa shirt. The more girls that support us the better since our name is so new to ASU. Being a part of the sisterhood lunches on the fratio is good because people walking by associate these girls with dedication to their sisterhood and help Sigma Kappa in establishing a name as a respectable sorority. Our events on the fratio are beneficial for the surrounding ASU sorority and fraternity community. All of the sororities conjugate there often and as Panhellenic sororities call it, spending time together at events, like having lunches on the fratio all the time, is “Pan-Love” where showing that all the sororities are involved with each other gives a good name to each individual sorority and the Panhellenic sororities as a whole.

2.     These are photos of the nursing home and its residents. Once a month a limited amount of sorority sisters visit Clare Bridge home to interact with the residents. The residents either have Alzheimer’s or dementia. Sigma Kappa girls play bingo, craft, and talk with the residents. While we play bingo and craft with the residents, we interact by telling them certain things we do as sisters and in college and just try to find something to talk about with the patients that might trigger them to want to talk. Interacting with the elderly patients really brightens their days since they do not receive many visitors. Also, the care-givers really appreciate the company of the sister too. Although the residents have memory diseases, seeing them feel the joy while the Sigma Kappa sisters visit really makes a difference to the residents and the staff. We try to take away some of the mundaneness that occur in doing the same day-to-day routine. With the female residents, sisters paint nails and get their hair done. The sisters try to make each resident feel special while we are there. The sisters go through a discussion of things to talk about or things not to talk about before we enter the home as to not make the residents upset or uncomfortable. Interacting with the patients also has an impact when the residents have family visiting. The families that do visit while we are there express their gratitude that the sisters are able to interact with their family members when those families cannot come visit. Along with volunteering at the home we are also involved in our Alzheimer’s research philanthropy by participating in the Alzheimer’s walk. We all come together and have a Sigma Kappa team and get as many family and friends as we can to donate and even participate with us.

3.     These are photos of Adelphi. Adelphi commons is where all the sororities have “houses” since there are no real houses at ASU.  At Adelphi the sisters of Sigma Kappa bake together in the kitchen above the chapter room for all sorts of events. We have study hours, sisterhood nights, meeting make up, and even big and little reveal in the chapter room. Other than the chapter room, there is a patio where girls hangout. Along with the patio and chapter room that are for socializing, there are dorm room for the Sigma Kappas who actually live at Adelphi. Adelphi is beneficial for the sister because we meet there before every event to carpool and take pictures to remember all the events we attend. At Adelphi sisters can get ready for events together and make sure everyone will be on time by meeting there before events that we attend. Adelphi is beneficial to the Greek community because ASU does not have a sorority row. So, Adelphi brings the sorority community together.

4.     These are photos of Sigma Kappa study hours. Study hours are incredibly beneficial to the girls of Sigma Kappa. If the girls have below a 3.0 they have to attend study hours. If a sister does not want to attend study hours, she is even more motivated to achieve that 3.0 on her own time. Study hours are held at Hayden library and in the Adelphi chapter room. Participating in the study groups is especially helpful to the sisters because if a sister is taking a class that another sister has before she gains a tutor. Also if two sisters are taking the same class, they can study together. This is very motivating and beneficial because helping each other is a great way for the sisters to be a part of the sorority. Studying with a group of sisters keeps the girls motivated to keep studying, which is especially beneficial for the girls who need to improve their grades. When our average GPA as a sorority improves, we gain more respect from not only the greek community but the ASU community as a whole. So, therefore, our sisters are very strongly encouraged to attend study hours, even if they have above a 3.0. If they do, they can help sisters that need help and just be able to spend a few extra hours with sisters.

WORKS CITED

Sororities, A Psychiatric Appraisal. Smith, Jackson A. 603 pages. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease.

The Sorority Handbook. Martin Ida Shaw. 182 pages.

www.sigmakappa.org

Research Sources: Sigma Kappa Sorority

My topic is Sigma Kappa Sorority. I chose this topic because I am a new member and I think doing my map of them will help me learn more about them and where they go around campus and what they do. I will evaluate Sigma Kappa by going to all the places that the sorority gets together and seeing whether the things they do are beneficial to the girls in the sorority and to ASU. I will go to the classroom where we have our new member meetings, to the MU patio where our sisters frequently eat lunch together, to the apartment complex, Adelphi where a good amount of the sorority sisters live, to the chapter room where we have sisterhood nights, to a corner in Hayden and the Adelphi commons where our active sisters host study hours, and to the Claire Bridge Nursing Home where we volunteer. The Claire Bridge Nursing Home is an Alzheimer’s elderly home. Sigma Kappa volunteers there because one of our philanthropies is Alzheimer’s research. I will also by looking into how women that were in sororities in college compare to women that weren’t in older life.

            I’ll look at how older women that were in sororities are still effected positively by sororities by going to the Sigma Kappa website and looking into the alumni information. That will be one of my sources. Sigmakappa.org will be a very helpful source to inform me. I learned all about the history of my sorority. I also learned all about the philanthropies and also how the alumni can still remain involved after they leave college because the sorority really does not end once you leave college, it is lifelong sisterhood.

            The scholarly article, “Sororities, A Psychiatric Appraisal” written by Jackson A. Smith, MD., is 603 pages and in a journal called The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. This source will be helpful with my topic because it explains the effects of a sorority on girls that are the topic I want to evaluate. I learned that the more women there are in a sorority the more women not in a sorority feel the need to conform and join a sorority.

            The third source I’m using is a book called The Sorority Handbook written by Ida Shaw Martin, it is 182 pages and has sections for different types of sororities. Within those sections, it holds different details about all the different sororities. This topic interests me so much because being new to a sorority, this book was very informative and helpful in understanding reasons why different sororities have the different traditions and things that they do with their sisterhoods. I learned from this book traditions about other sororities, because being  new member in my sorority, the active members do not really tell us about the other Panhellenic sororities.

           

           

Evaluation: Slammed

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I just recently finished a novel entitled Slammed by Colleen Hoover in 2012. This young adult romance novel is a New York Times Bestseller. This novel is about a young girl named Layken who must grow up immediately and become the rock for her family when her father dies. She must now balance school, a job, and keeping her mom and younger brother emotionally stable, all while trying to maintain her emotional stability. Her world is full of confusion when Will Cooper enters. Once she finds out that their lives are strangely similar, he brings hope back to her life. Unfortunately, shortly after they realize they are basically soul-mates, they are stopped dead in their tracks. They must decide between staying together, sneaking around, and ending what they share based on the secret that tears them apart.

The criteria for writing a young adult romance novel is keeping the interest of a young adult, having a useful lesson at the end of the novel, all while maintaining the accuracy of a young-adult lifestyle. I think Colleen Hoover did a wonderful job of completing the criteria. The heart-stopping pace of this novel makes a reader not want to put it down. “If you're in a reading slump, and you want to try something genuinely unique, unlike anything else out there-here's your book...I honestly don't want to tell you any more. And when you hit that point at about 20% or so that makes you go,"OMFG!"-that's your departure point, right there. Strap in and put your tray in the upright position” says Tammara Webber, author of New York Times best-seller, EASY. This author reassures that there is no putting this novel down once you get to that one crucial piece of information dropped on you. Every young adult reader that enjoys a good romance novel will undoubtedly get emotionally attached to the emotional rollercoaster of Layken’s life. The emotional attachment Hoover creates with the characters is what keeps the reader well interested and makes them not able to put the book down. The heart-wrenching way Hoover does this in Slammed makes the novel that much more enjoyable. Hoover also conveys some important life lessons throughout the novel. Readers realize that no matter what obstacles you come across in life, if it is meant to be the obstacles become miniscule. Through Layken’s life, she learns that sometimes life gets in the way of wants. Obstacles that make her just want to give up get dealt with and the novel ends on a happy note. This novel is definitely accurate to the lifestyle of a young adult. There’s the pressure of doing what is right versus what you’re heart says is right, a normal pressure for a young adult. Overall I think the novel’s place on the New York Times Bestsellers is very well deserved.

Project 1 Reflection: underestimated

Writing this essay wasn't as easy as I expected it would be. I expected a quick observation where some obvious overall meaning of the SRC would arise. I did well with having proper length as well as observing the appearance of people, especially females, in the SRC and how people there observed each other. Also, I observed that what other people noticed about each other had an influence in the values of the SRC itself. The people in the SRC were very observant, usually, about other people’s appearance, which made appearance highly valued at the SRC. I struggled with having a variety of backup from the lenses. I struggled with my use of rhetorical questions; I had far too many. I didn’t have enough evidence to back up the points I was trying to convey because I didn’t take detailed enough observations. I focused too much on the possibilities of what could be going on or what people could be thinking, rather than what was actually going on. I relied too much on questions of analysis. I struggled with relating the lens I used in more than one way; once I found a way that was easy to relate my paper with, I kept using that one without much variety. I learned that there is a lot more to a place than you'd think and that paying attention to the things around you is mind-opening. I learned that taking incredibly detailed observation notes helps a lot when actually writing the essay. I learned that an analysis is all about the “why” of things, but instead of asking the “why” in the essay, explain it, prove that the answer you came up with is true. I learned that a place goes far beyond just a location and that it has meaning and values. I will alter my writing process by taking better notes and concentrating more on the lens. In order to focus more on the lens I will reread it throughout writing the paper and possibly take notes on how many points I can use from it so it is easier to apply them. I will also focus more on the arguments and have better evidence to back them up. I feel as though I didn't reach the depth asked for and to improve I can delve deeper into the lens and use it more throughout the essays. I can also improve by spending more time observing, maybe actually talk to some people. Outside the university, I will pay better attention to what is going on around me wherever I am and assess if it is a place I really need to be. If the place I go portrays bad values, I shouldn’t be there.

Analyzing a Place Worksheet

Project #1 Worksheet                                                          

Your Place: ______________The SRC__________________

What are the intended functions of the place?                       

To work out, socialize, study, grab a healthy snack

What overt messages does the place send (i.e., openly communicated through signs)?

Here is a place where you can come workout. There is access to an abundance of equipment among other perks.

What covert messages does the place send (i.e., hidden messages)?

You can do other things here than workout. Socialize, eat.

Have previous users left traces behind in the place?

Sweat, dirty equipment. Rags from cleaning their equipment. Food trash. Body odor. Certain settings on equipment. Fans on or off in certain areas.

Has the place been re-appropriated (i.e., beyond its original functions)?

Yes, now houses computers in the gym. Is a meeting place for some groups. Is now a major means of socializing because of the pool.

What social or cultural customs did you observe (i.e., rules governing appropriate behavior)?

There is a policy for using the equipment and obvious etiquette like cleaning the equipment after you use it and throwing away your trash and putting your dirty rags in the dirty bin after using it

Who has access to the place?  Are there insiders and outsiders?

Students. Staff and alumni who obtain a membership

Who owns the place?

ASU

What is the place’s value (i.e., monetary or otherwise)?

Place for students and more to workout. Paid for with tuition and membership fees.

Are there official representations of the place (i.e., online, in promotional materials)?  Do they accurately capture the place as you experienced it?

Online representations. Very accurate, except doesn’t describe the food bar.

Is the place in transition, a changing place?

Very much so, construction is being done.

What conflicts or tensions are there in the place?

The construction makes certain areas of the gym close early or open late sometimes.

What is the place’s history?  Do you see evidence of the past there in the present?

Been open for many many years, In very good condition. Technology up to date. Not much evidence from the past.

How does this place differentiate itself from other places?  What other places is it similar to, but how is it different from those places?

Special equipment. Many options. Personal trainers available. Classes and equipment available to buy. Other gyms are similar like vista gym, but the SRC has better air conditioning and much more equipment.

What questions do you have about your place?

Cost of everything for college students and non college students such as staff and alumni? What is the cleaning schedule? How much do employees get paid?

Key Features / Profiles (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 165-166)

An interesting subject.  What is unusual about your place?  Alternatively, is there something ordinary about it that you can show in an intriguing way?

Unusual is the numerous racquetball courts, not at most gyms. Ordinary is the cardio, but all the second floor is cardio, as opposed to there being variety up there.

Any necessary background.  What background information will you need to include about the place in order to situate readers?

What the gym looks like. What the point of it is. Who goes there and why. How much it costs them to go.

An interesting angle.  Rather than trying to tell readers everything about the place, what angle(s) might you use?

An angle of  member, such as an alum.

A firsthand account.  Did you interact with people in the place or participate in some way?  What experiences did you have there that you can write about using “I”?  (Yes, first person point of view is encouraged, especially for this paper.)

I workout at this gym on a normal basis. Firat hand experience with the cardio equipment.

Engaging details.  What specific information must you include in your description of the place?  What potential does your place have for the use of sensory images, figurative language, dialogue, anecdotes, and showing rather than telling?  What do you want the dominant impression to be?

Must include all physicality of the place and who attends it. Potential for sensory images, dialogue, and showing rather than telling. I want the impression to be that the SRC is more than just a gym. It’s a place for people to go to make themselves feel better, either by working out, the healthy food, or socializing, even getting some sun at the pool.

Generating Ideas and Text (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 168-169)

Explore what you already know about your subject.  Why do you find this place interesting?  What did you already know about it?

It’s interesting because so many different types of people go there. Some for similar or different reasons. It’s interesting because I want to make myself feel better by going there and wanted to see if I could observe how others felt.

If you’re planning to interview someone, prepare questions.  What would you like to ask someone in the place in order to better understand it?

Why do you go there? What do you think about others that do? How do you feel about the equipment, is it satisfactory? Do you think that everything is useful, or that there are excessive amounts of some equipment and too little of others?

Do additional research.  Does your place have an online component?  How else might you gather additional research?

There is an online information page and an information desk at the SRC itself.

Analyze your findings.  What patterns, images, or recurring ideas or phrases did you use to describe your place?  What contrasts or discrepancies do you see?

Lots of people in shape and lots out of shape. All images of gym equipment and people working out. A place for working out, socializing, and healthy eating is major phrase.

Come up with an angle.  What is most memorable about your subject?  What most interests you?  What will interest your audience?

Most memorable is the people that attend the gym and there possible reasons. That is what interests me. How I described these people will interest my audience.

Observation Notes. SRC building

Intense workout music, not too loud that someone who needs the concentration of their own headphones would get distracted.

White and brick walls.  Plants in every possible corner, greenery.

A health bar for those who need to eat before or after a workout.

A wall of physical clubs to get involved in when you walk through the entrance.

When you open the door, the blast of breeze that hits you, a refresher coming in after a hot walk to the gym. A refresher leaving the gym after a hard workout.

The maroon couches by the entrance, maroon because ASU’s colors are maroon and gold?

People of all ages, college students to the elderly. Why do the elderly come to this gym, alumni, close to home?

Some not in workout gear, do they come to pine over the opposite sex working out? Or do they come just to feel the intense energy.

People in shape working out to the highest potential, to keep in shape? Or are they not yet secure with their already inshape body, striving for perfection.

People not in the best shape working out, trying to get themselves in shape because of a health issue? Or because of bullying because of their not so perfect physique.

Lots of people sporting ASU tops, proud to be part of this facility,

Girls walking in with bathing suits and towels, trying to strengthen their arms swimming, or trying to catch a tan in the hot Arizona sun.

A girls locker room and a boys locker room. Two different universes. Self conscious, or cocky people in both.

People in work out clothes leaving with not one drop of sweat. In here to pretend they work out, or showing without bringing a change of clothes, or not having whatever chemical in your body that makes you not sweaty.

People of every race working out. Does what race you are make a difference in your workout ability, your stamina, your speed.

Staff, socializing with other staff, smiling and cheerful to the users of the gym. Glad to be in an airconditioned building, getting paid to scan SUNcards or happy to watch people work out.

The weight room: pretty much all guys. The few girls brave enough to enter getting wide eyes from the boys. Could it be appreciation that a girl has the strength physical and mental, to go in the weight room, or the eyes of the typical pig, staring at assets of girls. Treadmills lining the pool view and a view of the racquetball courts. Entertaining to say the least. Guys next to each other, competing, each upping their speed to go faster and farther than the one next to him. Guys working out with other guys, a workout buddy, or a personal trainer.

Out of 4 public computers, 3 out of order. Would they get any use if they were working? Tv’s installed into the cardio equipment. Convenience, entertainment.

What are people watching on the installed tvs, there are enless options.

Technology of equipment advanced enough that you can select multiple different workouts on one machine.

People working out in clothes that aren’t workout clothes. Aren’t they hot or uncomfortable, is it a way for them to lose more weight by sweating more because of the heavy material.

A boy walking in with a boot cast, workout injury? Coming in here to work out his upper body because of his new found difficulty to run?

Guys in the weight room without a spotter, dangerous. Are they strong enough, are they trying to impress, do they just not have a friend to workout with, or no friends at all and that’s why they are trying to workout.

People on these comfortable maroon couches, studying, waiting, relazing after a long workout.

Basketball and racquetball courts, being used by groups of rowdy boys.

Cleaning spray and a baskets for clean and dirty rags. How many people, after a workout, clean their area? How many assume someone cleans it before they use it? How many do clean in before they use it.

Staff walking around with the cleaning spray and their own rags. Cleaning the machines that aren’t being used. How often do they do this. Do they track which ones have been cleaned so they can go back and clean the ones that were being used while they were being used.

Girls, in shape girls, wearing lose fitted clothes at the gym, uncomfortable with their body?

People working with definite personal trainers, the trainer’s shirts reading staff. The trainees all ages. Keeping in shape, getting in shape, or using a personal trainer until they feel safe enough handling all this high tech equipment on their own.

All types of ways to workout. A weightroom, a pool, cardio, yoga mats, ab machines, bikes, racquetball and basketball,

People jogging up the stairs, anxious for a workout. People jogging down, proud of their workout. People huffing and puffing up the stairs, in the gym to soon get rid of that. People huffing and puffing down the stairs, their workouts kicking their butts.

People with braces on their knees, their shins, their arms. Injury from a sport, or an accident but still determined to keep in shape.

Huge fans spread out around the facility, people surrounding them after a rough workout.

People walking in with huge water containers and leaving with empty ones. How many times did they fill it up, if at all.

People with huge backpacks, coming straight from class, or going to class after a workout.  Do they use a locker, or do they toss their bag on the ground by the piece of equipment theyre using.

People stretching, before, after, or before and after a workout, which is better for your body?

People looking around at others while they work out, judging. Jealous, pity, disgust.

All different kinds of people in the gym, tons of different personalities. But how would you know, most workout clothes are the same. Either lose or baggy. But are the shorts tight or lose, and what about the shirts. And what about the brand of the clsothes and shoes. Who’s got on nikes,, and who’s got on sketchers. And what do the shoes you work out in say about you.

A girl not in shape working out with another girl, obviously in much better shape, the two obviously friends. Is the more in shape girl motivation for the non?

People with yoga mats, actually doing yoga? Or using it as a mat to do ground workouts. People stop to look at the entance art obviously made for the gym. An abstract piece of people excersizing. Do they like it? Are they criticizing it?

An Analysis of An Image OK USA

This OK! Magazine cover features three teen moms with the headline "Nastiest Fights Ever!" Each mom has a look of pure disgust plastered on her face. Why? No reasons other than rumors and drama of course. The fiery topics underneath the photo reveal a bit of the story to come. Who is going to read this magazine? Without a doubt, viewers of the hit show. These viewers crave the drama of the teen moms, always curious about who got dumped or committed such and such a crime. So, when the cover depicts these mom’s facial expressions the way OK!  does and adds in the current topics of drama, they are setting the teen viewers up to open the magazine and find out what juicy drama awaits inside. The magazine’s marketing technique is clearly drama. The girl who looks at the cover of this magazine is going to wonder, “Why does Jenelle look so shocked?” and “Why do Farrah and Maci look so angry?” Each of these moms has a story of their own. Farrah, Maci, and Janelle each have something personal going on and their facial expressions give way to a wide range of girls with crazy imaginations. A reader sees this cover and a thousand potential scenarios run through that reader’s mind. What does this say as a whole? A bunch of teens thrive off these dramatic stories of teen mothers. Society, with the help of this TV show and magazine covers like this one, has made teen pregnancy acceptable. The girls on this show are being so negatively exploited. Their lives are going so far south and all society does is exploit them even further, publishing these rumors and greedily feeding off of them. With conformity steadily increasing, many teens now face unwanted pregnancy or even planned pregnancy at an age that is normally still considered adolescent. Some readers could consider this article a promotion for teen pregnancy. These three women are getting so much publicity. Their young pregnancies have made them into quite the celebrities. So, teen girls read this article and thrive for the attention that these other young women are receiving. Attention isn’t always a positive thing, as this article proves, the publicity of these women’s lives is making them go even more downhill.

 "Teen Mom." OK! Magazine. 3 9 2012: cover. Web. 10 Sep. 2012. <http://www.teenmomjunkies.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ok-magazine-rumors.jpg>.

 

Analysis of a Writing Situation The Dirty Little Secrets of Nursing Homes

This document, The Dirty Little Secrets of Nursing Homes by Paula Span, focused on the cleanliness of nursing homes and their workers, or really, the lack thereof. It is common sense for a worker to wash their hands before dealing with patients, not to mention a rule of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Unfortunately, with the lack of workers and supplies, cleanliness in the nursing home facilities has been dwindling over the past few years. This means that the patients in these nursing homes, who are more prone to infection as it is, are at a greater risk of getting sick. The article ends with centers that are trying to maintain cleanliness, as we all should when visiting a home. The purpose of this article was to inform potential readers of the not-so-cleanliness of current nursing homes. Paula Span hoped to gain knowledge about the status of nursing homes. Paula's purpose might have been shaped by a personal interest in nursing homes. She could possibly have family in one or she could have an interest in the elderly people. The intended readers were the elderly in the homes, and the family members who have elderly in a home or are thinking about sending them there. They might read the article to find out the conditions of nursing homes in regards to taking their elderly family out or putting them in. Their reading this article was shaped by their need of knowing about nursing homes before sending their family there. The sources in this document were The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and the University of Pittsburgh's gerontologist Nicholas Castle's research. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid were used as a source to enforce the guidelines of the cleanliness of the homes. Nicholas Castle was the nursing home researcher who discovered this trend of unsanitary habits in the nursing homes, therefor he is a prime source in Paula's article. Without Nicholas's discovery of this dirty habit, Paula would have no purpose. The physical context of the document is a nursing home. This environment was the reason for the document as a whole. In the nursing home is where all the information for the article was collected. The nursing home environment was where Nicholas discovered the dirty habits of the workers, and where Paula got her purpose for the article. For social context, Paula gives information about previous cleanliness of nursing home, along with current statistics, as well as guidelines for proper cleanliness. Culturally, this document will be much easier for a worker of a nursing home, a elderly person in the nursing home, and family members of those in nursing homes or thinking about going to a nursing home. So, a young person who doesn’t really know any elderly wouldn’t have any interest in reading this article.