Extra Credit

I have to admit that coming into this class I did not have very high expectations. My college writing I experience was not a very good one. We wrote paper after paper on one topic, the shootings at Kent State in 1970. It was a very boring class that I had trouble going to and had difficulty getting the assignments done. Fortunately, I think this class was much more interesting. I liked the topics on the paper with identity and even some of the blogs were interesting. I was able to blog every week and the papers came pretty easily for me to write. Overall I had a good experience in the class and it definitely changed my opinion that not all writing courses are bad.

Extra Credit! :D

We have discussed a lot of different things concerning identity this semester, and it has really made me think about whether people really know who they are or not. People go about their day to day lives without much thought - it's just what they do. Do people realize the incredible power they possess in that they can make their own choices? They can decide who they are by the decisions they make.
This led me to think about how things that I say and do dictate who I am. Am I a friendly person? I don't like taking to strangers. I sit in classrooms for 16 weeks with people and never talk to them. Or, if I do, it happens to be right when the semester is about to end and I will most likely never see them again. So.. I'm not friendly - right? Some people think I am, though. Maybe they are wrong. Or maybe I am friendly only to those who were outgoing and talked to me first. I am a different version of myself for every person.
I think every person has countless layers. Not to pull a "Shrek," or anything, but people are like onions. Onions are comprised of several layers, but as a whole, they are still an onion. Just as someone can have different parts of themselves, but they can still be themselves no matter what.
Is that really true, though? If I'm outgoing and obnoxious amongst my friends but quiet and drawn in during class, am I really being myself?
Identity is just one of those topics that is really difficult to discuss thoroughly and come to a conclusion. I think it's impossible to know everything about someone, or even ourselves. There are too many "what ifs" and "if onlys"; too many hypothetical situations being blended with reality to really know how we would react to something. If I don't feel like I truly know myself, how can I expect to know someone else?
Identity is complicated and compelling. There are no right or wrong solutions or ways to find who we really are.

extra blog

I cannot remember what our extra credit blog could be about or when it was due so hope this is suffice.

I enjoyed the this class, it was a nice change from all of my very structured science classes! As much as I love concrete answers, I have always enjoyed classes and material that make one think in abstract ways. I feel that this class pushed us in that direction and I am grateful. The concept of identity is so abstract in my mind that it is almost not worth talking about. People could talk and talk in circles about identity and authenticity but that is the point of circles, they never end. We are all too inclined to believe that we are a product of ourselves and nothing and no one else. Many of us believe that we do what we want because we want to when we want to... but frankly I think this is bullshit. Stereotypes wouldn't exist if people didn't constantly fit the bill. I am not saying that I agree with the notion or that people cannot stray from the beaten path but when people are brave enough to be different, they are inevitably following a path that other brave souls have undoubtedly walked before. I think the concept of identity is very tricky and I think trying to establish one is even more and daunting.I often struggle with finding my "self." Of course I want to be distinct I want to be someone who is different from the rest admirable even but I am not sure if that makes me entirely uniquely or merely someone who isn't content being easily labeled. Nonetheless, people will find a way to label me because that is partially what identity is, a label that other people can attach to you. And labels suck...unless you like your label.

extra credit blog

I really enjoyed our topic for the class. Everyone can relate to identity in some way. I never got tired of writing or researching identity. The videos that we watched such as "Unknown White Male" was really interesting and has made me think a lot about my own identity. My favorite part of the class is the final project that I'm working on now. I really like how we could chose our media instead of writing another paper. I've written so many papers for my other classes so I'm really happy that I was given the opportunity to make a film involving identity. Some of my friends have complained about their topic for college writing 2 for being dry, boring and uninteresting to college-age students. I'm really glad I wasn't in their classes! Identity is something you can always find information about and affects us all.

Final Project

I feel that the biggest obstacle for this final project is going to be setting up my interviews, especially since some of the people I want to interview are not living close enough for me to physically meet with them.  What makes this really difficult is that the musicians are really busy at the moment.  One of the vocalists I might be able to interview is on a tour in Sweden, and another is getting ready to record a new album.  I've proposed to do video chats with them, or even phone interviews, but I haven't had any solid confirmation yet.  One vocalist welcomed me interviewing him, but is very pressed for time.  I might have to consider a new proposal, seeing that the project is due pretty soon.

I enjoy putting together videos, and getting sound clips or actual video footage is very important in this project.  I am somewhat not in complete control in terms of what I get back from these musicians, for reasons stated above.  If these issues with obtaining interviews is taken care of, I'm sure I'll be able to turn in something of value for the final project.

final project - in class

The only obstacle I can see right now is putting everything together. I don’t see it as a big obstacle, I’ve written papers before based on information gathered from interviews, so I don’t see it being that difficult. My only personal issue maybe maintaining the focus of identity for my topic I chose. Everything seems very clear with this assignment so I don’t have any questions. I can’t wait to do my interviews and hear what my interviewees have to say. I am very interested to see the outcome of my own paper.

Final Project

In my final project everything should go pretty smooth. I have a good outline of how I want to get my information and do my interviews along with how I want to present my assignment. I feel like by interviewing my roommates it will help for me to understand more about them along with how they interpret what is cool. I am going to make one thing very clear when I am interviewing them, and that is not to talk to my other friends that will also be interviewed about what they think is cool. This will help so that they do not all give me the same answers, as I want to understand what everyone thinks is cool. Also, I have one question is part 3 now due on the same day that part 2 is due?

My Biggest obstacles for the final project

I think that one of the problems that i might have would be time and organization. I have decided to try and interview each person twice maybe one in person and once have them answer some questions down on paper just in case i think of something new or i forget to ask them a question that may be important for my argument.I have a good idea as to what I want to argue about I'm just afraid that i might go off topic a bit and start to turn the paper around and write it all about me and what i think. Sometimes I forget to include sources or cite quotes from people. Another huge thing would be organization, when i write i write down exactly what I'm thinking and i don't put my thoughts into certain categories. I could be talking about my thesis in the first paragraph and decide to add more to it in another paragraph on another page that has nothing to do with what i was talking about in the beginning.

Blog- First 15

I would have to say that I see my interviews being the longest part of my process and probably the most difficult. So far I only have two and am looking to get 5. The problem being that the first two I had became more of debates and discussions than interviews. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but when I talk to my frineds about things of this nature that is what tends to happen. Clarification was actually pretty clear, although I'm not sure on a required length/ optimum one. My main concern is just getting it done, but I think in the end it will turn out well and hopefully Prof. Sloan thinks so as well.

Concerns for Our Final Project

While I'm mostly confident that my interviewees are conversational young people who will give me a fair amount to work off of, I'm concerned about the need for academic resources for this paper. This isn't the first time I've tried to address online media like blogs in a paper, and I'm not sure there is a lot of serious information to be found. When I think "academic" resources, I think statistics or other research. I was wondering if an essay, similar to the one's we've read in class, or even one of the ones we have read in class, count for this requirement? I was also wondering if we had to cite our interviewees on our work cited page. Seeing how some of my interviewees are people I met online, I wouldn't be sure how to do that - some don't provide full names on their profiles and I'm communicating through online messages. Also, would you like to have a physical copy of my paper and work cited page, or will grading off the web page suffice?

Final Fails?

I feel like the topic i picked is pretty developed but I know that will only make it more of a challenge. The biggest obstacles I foresee in creating my final paper will be being unable to interview the span of people I would like to in order to get the full scope that I have intended to cover in my paper. I do have a question though. If I wanted to interview someone I won't be able to see to interview can I pose my questions through a facebook message? In this way, I thought it would be easier than trying to call them and record over the phone because it will be saved on my message to refer to.

Biggest obstacle for final project

The biggest obstable I see myself having with the final project is that I decided on using a pictorial essay as my medium to present my argument. I forsee that I may run into some issue's as I form the pictorial essay because I may find that it is not be the best way to present my arguement. I guess my biggest concern for the assignment is just maybe a little more clarification on what makes a good pictorial essay or some main points to follow as guidelines, just so I can make sure that I can present my arguement using this medium or if another would be a better choice.

final project-questions

I think the biggest obstacle for me is going to be coming up with a specific research question. I tend to get off topic pretty easily so I am worried that once I settle on a question, that I will inevitably stray away from it. I am also worried that I won't ask good insightful questions and that I won't be able to take the answers and use them properly throughout my paper. Speaking of paper, I don't feel entirely confident in writing a paper because I feel that you are really encouraging us to try a different medium but I am not a very creative person and I really do not think that I could pull off a video; nor do I know how I would even formulate an argument through a video.

You said that I can use the Merchants of Cool documentary...do I still need all my other scholarly sources or can that count as one of them?

Am I allowed, seeing that I already mentioned my tendency to get off topic and because I feel I am being a little too ambitious with the whole thing, allowed to examine "cool" from a broader perspective and address more narrow points throughout my paper?

The final paper

What I see as being my biggest obstacle for this essay is conducting the actual interviews. I've never interviewed anybody before so I think it should be challenging if not interesting. Other than that the essay as a whole seems straight forward for what I plan to do. I think I have good understanding of what is expected. I don't know what the interview questions will show or won't so I think some of it will have to be trial and error.

Project Plans

The thing I'm most concerned about involving the final project is probably just finding the right candidate for an interview. I'm not sure if we are expected to find candidates with a higher level of credibility regarding what is "cool" or if we can just ask any random student. I think the assignment is pretty clear for the most part. I was also a little unsure on when part 3 of the assignment is due. Othern than that, I think I have a good idea of what's expected and I don't have too many concerns.

final project questions/concerns

I'm actually pretty excited for this final project. I'm taking advantage of making this a film because frankly, I'm sick of writing. I plan to film my project with my Mac using a program called iMovie. I'm a little nervous about using this because I've only used this program a handful of times. However, I'm sure I can find someone within my dorm building if I run into any questions/problems. As far as if I need any clarification, I'm just wondering how I can send you my film once it's complete. I have used iMovie and converted a project into an mp3 and e-mailed and/or uploaded it online but I'm unaware of how to burn it on a disk. So please let me know which way you prefer to get this project. Other than that, I'm good to go!

Final Project

I think the biggest obstacle for my final project will be getting the brothers in my fraternity house I live with to answer the questions I ask on time seeing as they are very busy as well. The hardest part of this project will be getting all the results and organizing it to get a just answer based off an average. For now I completely understand what is asked of me for this assignment and what needs to be completed.

Final Project

I feel like my biggest obstacle of my final project is going to be the flow of my paper, and not to give in my own opinion. I seem to always want to throw in my thoughts and opinions and what I think, and not focus on just the interviewees. Im sensing it may be kind of difficult to make a paper flow with so many questions that I have chosen to ask. Im almost positive that I understand every aspect of the project. Something I may need guided on is the flow of my paper, i always seem to have difficultly with transitioning and with a thesis and having the paper itself string together. I feel like my subject of the final is going to be interesting and is going to help me stay focused on the topic. A question I do have is how do we do in text citation for interviwees and how to do the works cited page. But other than those things I think I should do fine! :)

Final Project

I think the biggest obstacle during my final project will be compiling all the information I receive from the interviews into a concise and understandable paper. I’m sure I will have more information than will be used in the paper so that is also a challenge to pick and choose what I want to use.

I have a pretty good understanding of what needs to be done for the essay, so I really don’t have any questions. The only thing I was worried about was my topic because I didn’t know if that’s what you were looking for but after receiving the first part of the project, I’m not worried about that anymore.

Final Project Concerns

I feel that the biggest obstacle I will have to overcome will simply be the length. I'm going to have to make sure that the interviews I conduct will have to go into detail about my topic. I really haven't actually interviewed someone in quite some time so it will be a fairly new experience but I think that I will be able to have fun with it. If I am able to conduct successful, in depth interviews I think that the paper will turn out just fine. So overall, I think my biggest obstacle is to obtain enough relevant information to make the paper interesting and to give me something to analyze and write about.

Final Project

I think that one of the biggest obstacles that I will face in my final project is making the video. I think that it might be dificult to edit the video and put in clips of youtube videos or pictures. I am not familiar with editing movies, however i though it would be different and interesting to do so. I would like to know what all has to be turned in together. I am a little confused if we have to write a paper and do a video or do either or. I would also like to get a better understanding of how the video lay out should be and if there are any requirements in making a video. Beside these few concerns I am very excited to part tkae in this assignment and to interview people.

Final Project Obstacles

I think that one of my biggest obstacles in doing my research paper is going to be asking the best questions that I can. There are a million different types or ways that I will be able to ask my two freinds that I will be interviewing. However, finding the best ones, I feel is going to be very hard to do. The type of question I ask, and also the way I ask the question, all plays a huge factor into what and how my friends are going to respond to the quesiton. I have to do the best I can to ask the best types of questions to get the most information I can use from my friends that I am asking them to. And then finally taking everything they have told me, and putting it all together along with my arguement in attempt to create a very interesting paper to read.

Finals

One of my main concerns for the paper is getting the interviews done and being able to incorporate them throughout the paper. The other thing is getting it all done in time mainly because I have been having such a hard time with my writing lately.Other then that I think im ok.

Final Project Obstacles.

I think my biggest obstacle will be making final decisions on how I want it to turn out. I can be indecisive and have a million ideas at once, so I think it will be hard to try and make a final copy of this project.

I am also my worst critic, so getting things to how I think they should be might be time consuming. So, time is another obstacle... I want to make sure I have PLENTY of time to make this good. I will definitely need it.

Also, I want my interviews to go well - I want people to have good answers to my questions and help me come to a conclusion on my topic. I think I've picked intelligent people.. But we will see. Maybe the results of the interviews will be obstacles, too.

The Final Stretch

With the final project coming up, I am scared about finding the right sources, completing the media presentation, and making time to go talk to some people in the writing centre, making sure I am on topic. Like I said in my paper, I really want to talk about this topic of "internet cruelty" because I am very passionate about it but I am so scared I will drift too far off topic. I might have to reevaluate some of my questions to make them come back to the idea of "Cool." If I can talk about how people tweak their personalities and make themselves meaner in order to be seen as "cool" by their friends and other internet dwellers, I think I can nail it (or at least come close).

If I could, though, I would like to hear about the presentation again. What do we have to talk about, are people able to ask questions, will we have time, can I skip over it, are you comparing others' presentations to my own? For the most part, I think I understand the project... I just hope that if time allows, we might be able to have multiple peer reviews. I want to get as many ideas on my writing as possible from multiple people throughout my entire process, but if not then I guess that is what the writing centre is for anyways.