Exercise 2.7 element 2

My reading activities since the beginning of school have been mainly “required”. I read required text consisting of research material for English, Speech, and Occupational Analysis and at work policy and procedures. I struggle to maintain some leisure time for “nonrequired” reading. My morning ritual of skimming the paper while eating hasn’t changed but I don’t have the luxury of rereading the paper during lunch, at which time I would critically read articles and evaluate the content, that time is now dedicated to required reading material. The only other leisure reading I have is Bloomberg Businessweek a weekly magazine that arrives in the mail. The day that it arrives I skim the articles for interesting pieces. I find myself reading, rereading, and critically evaluating the articles, if I have trouble with a certain passage because of content or wording I may read it several times before I can understand what the author was trying to convey. If it is something that is important to me such as the article on Credit reform I will not only read the article but highlight items I would like to do further research on such as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. I don’t know if my motivation to read improved, but my desire for correctly understanding the material has, along with being able to critically view the logic that the author has presented.

Topic selection (3)

Should motorcyclist be forced to wear helmets in Idaho?

This is a highly debatable issue; it will be a challenge to look at it from different perspectives. I am a motorcycle rider who chooses when and where to wear a helmet.   Which issue should I focus on, the freedom of choice or the safety aspect?  Some people believe that the safer we try to make transportation the more risks that the driver takes.  I like this topic because I might be able to get my audience to consider a different perspective.
Should marijuana be legal.

I have a negative view on marijuana but so do I of other legal substances such as cigarettes. I feel it is not my business to tell another what they can and cannot do.   I would like to look at it from multiple angles. Would legitimizing it make it a profitable business venture for the United States or would the resulting [rise in] drug addictions cost society more?  There are currently laws and policies restricting impairment while driving and working. I would look at experience of other countries after they have legalized drugs.

Hemp should be legal to grow in the United States

I thought one challenge would be finding credible sources: I have found many universities and government studies.  I find this subject the very interesting because I believe that the law is archaic and should be challenged. Businesses should have the right to grow something that is legally imported from other countries.  It is interesting that the product is not illegal just the process of growing it. 

Writing summaries & common issues

Writing a summary sounds simple yet I find it very difficult.  Rephrasing someone else’s ideas in my own words seems to be my mental block.  What I seem to write are generalities about the article; it should tell the relevant details and main ideas.  A summary if not properly paraphrased could direct an audience a different way that the original author had intended and interject some of their own beliefs.  Worse off would be adding examples to the work.   A summary is not a critical review or an evaluation

While doing some research about summaries I came across this formula that gives me a place to start.  

In "Title of the Piece" (source and date of piece), author shows that: central idea of the piece.  The author supports the main idea by using _____________________ and showing that ______________________________________________________.

I found this at http://homepage.smc.edu/reading_lab/writing_a_summary.htm and found it to be a good starting off point if I have a mental block. A concluding sentence is the necessary missing element from this formula.

Death to the Classics

In "Death to the Classics! Is it time to update the reading list? (Encarta.msn.com), Melissa Slager begs the question should high school English classes teach only classics in literature or should they teach newer material. She has examples of teachers who still believe in teaching only classics while a researcher says the trend is just to have students read anything as long as they are reading.  English professor Mark Bauerlein feels students should leave school with a sense of tradition yet Kipen of the National Endowment for the Arts feels there are many quality books and it shouldn’t be set in stone what they read.

Exercise 2.2

Exercise 2.2

1.      Reading skills, speed reading programs for children, adults to be offer in Pocatello by Idaho State University Continuing Education Posted September 20, 2011 it doesn’t give the author.  At first glance this article is about a reading program for various ages given in Pocatello.  On further reading the article gives the days of the week that the classes will take place, the building that they are located in and when they start.  The course is set to last 5 weeks, on a weekly basis lasting about two hours each.  The lessons are age specific with the younger ones working on comprehension then as they get older working on speed and more difficult material.  After further review I see the classes are given by instructors from the Institute of Reading Development.

2.      She’s with the government and she’s here to help, Bloomberg Businessweek. This article is about Elizabeth Warren who is helping create/organize a new consumer protection agency relating to the banking/credit industry. She is a Harvard professor who is much respected and very knowledgeable about bankruptcy in which she has authored books about. At first glance this article is about the creation of the new agency but it goes into detail about the woman, Elizabeth, who had the idea of an agency that works in the same way as the FDA guards the public against contaminated produce or medication.  As a professor she has conducted research into the root causes of bankruptcy and “unfair, deceptive or abusive lending practices” (61).  Pre-reading this article might have given me background about Mrs. Warren but rereading it gives me into depth the new agency brought about by the Dodd-Frank bill. The agencies emphasize will be to ensure that existing consumer finance regulations are being complied with. Not only does it have a supervision and enforcement division they also have a research division to analyze and spot systemic risks to the market. One of the benefits of pre-reading is that it draws you in to wanting more information and clarification. This article was well written that it examined the formation and the agency from different perspectives of those who wanted the agency as well as those who voted against it.

Sources

Bennet, Drake. (2011, July 11). She’s with the government and she’s here to help. Bloomberg Businessweek, 58-64

Research Posting: Research Topics

Should Grizzly Bears to Come Off Endangered List

In 1975 The United States Government listed the Grizzly Bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Have they recovered enough to remove them from that listing and declare them a game animal?

Should motorcyclist be forced to wear helmets in Idaho?

In 2010 there were 54,283 motorcycles registered in the State of Idaho.  Do helmets make a rider safer? Does the evidence support the claim that helmets save lives? What are the risks of wearing a helmet?

 Marijuana should be legal.

Marijuana growers and distributers can be compared to the moonshiners of yesteryear.  They are prosecuted and vilified.  The industry could be legitimized, regulated and taxed.  There are existing laws or policies to stop individuals from driving or working ‘under the influence’.   

Hemp should be legal to grow in the United States

Hemp is a plant related to marijuana that is currently illegal to grow in the United States. It was first used to make ropes and fishing nets. Industrial hemp is generally defined as having less than 0.3% THC, which is the active ingredient in marijuana. It has a multitude of uses such as paper, cosmetics, plastic, fuel, food, clothing, building products, and medicine.   Hemp is a growing industry in the U.S. and currently is only imported. It could be a vital crop to our farmers adding needed jobs to our economy. It should not be maligned along with the illegal drug trade.

America’s epidemic of overindulgence with shopping

As a society what do we really need to be happy? What are our intrinsic needs? Food and shelter for our physical needs then love. I’m sure there are others that would add to life satisfaction such as medical care and an education.  How much stuff is enough? Do we need every new gadget? Everything else is not a need but a want. 

Exercise 7.6

Exercise 7.6

1.        
a.       common knowledge
b.      not common knowledge
c.       common knowledge
d.      common knowledge
2.       Part 2 reading The Stem Cell Debate by John W. Dononhue
The accuracy of the article is in question when you cannot validate ‘millions of other citizens’ who are opposed; he could have cited a survey taken.    He speaks in vague terms when attacking the position of his opponents.  How does he know how they think when he says they think ‘abstractly’?   He doesn’t quote scientist for either side when trying to figure out how they think instead quoting their publicists.  It is hard to validate who[the publicists] they are and who do they represent?  When the article quoted the New England Journal of Medicine it added credibility to that reference.  But what did this information have to do with his argument.  He did not go into that this could be an alternative only hinted at it.   I do not believe he was very through with his claim.  He had insufficient  expertise data to support his claims.
3.       Acceptable or unacceptable
a.       Unacceptable, plagiarized
b.      Acceptable
c.       Unacceptable, faulty

Sources

White, Billings,The Well-Crafted Argument,  Cengage Learning, 2011

Exercise 1.5 Strengths and weakness of video game argument

High Score Education
The introduction goes into quite a lot of detail about the failings of our education system and not producing students with basic reading skills; not into the claim that video games should be used to teach.  He claims 40% of students’ lack basic reading skills compared to foreign students. He doesn’t give a reference for that claim.  I am always skeptical of numbers or statistics unless they have been validated. 
Evidence of the managing and strategizing skills being learned by children had very good examples.  When he referenced a cognitive scientist name Andy DiSessa he showed credibility in his argument.  I did not know what the word ‘dialectic’ [discussion and reasoning by dialogue as a method of intellectual investigation¹] meant and felt it did not add to the argument. He had valid points to his argument that videogames encourage expertise of certain skills.
His conclusion reflects back on the body by referencing the material in it but it does not show where video games would be effective at teaching reading skills.  I did perceive in the last sentences the hint that we should make learning more like playing in a structured way so that children don’t realize they are learning.   

Sources

1.       http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialectic  on the internet (visited September 16, 2011)

Research Posting Common Problems pg 25

1.       The argument has not been clearly or fully articulated leading to problems and confusion later.  Consider breaking down your argument into points. Maybe one of them should be your thesis? Take the time to narrow down exactly what you’re trying to convey or convince an audience.
2.       The thesis is not sufficiently forceful.  Writing your thesis in drafts which can evolve as you conduct research; think of it as a living document. It can start out general then narrow it down to cover only what is to be argued in the paper.  
3.       The evidence to support your claim is faulty or missing. To help find weaknesses in your argument you could read it from the opposite viewpoint; consider what evidence would you challenge.  ₁   You could create a chart or outline with your main points and evidence to analyze if it is too broad and needs more or better proof.
4.       The appeal(s) to emotion, logic, and/or authority…out to be used to greater advantage.   Consider which appeals or combination is most likely to sway the audience that you are writing to. Is the paper about something personal such as their well being or their family or community? Does it touch on ethics, the right or wrong, injustice that the audience can relate to? Does the argument need more facts or put into a more logical sequence so that the audience can follow easier?
5.       Opportunities to represent and refute challenging views have been overlooked, ignored, or slighted.  Read your paper from another’s view, have someone else read your paper and look for weaknesses.  Consider conducting more research. This is a hard point for me because I would like to say “after conducting much research, my thesis was incorrect and this is why”. 

1.       http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/fallacies.html on the Internet (visited September 10, 2011)

We learn the three appeals of an argument at a very young age and are not aware of it.  As a child depending on the reaction(s) of your parents [the audience] you learn which argument type they are more likely to listen to in a given situation.   
As a teenager you want a car. Do you go to your parents and just ask them for a car?  No, you prepare an argument using appeals or strategies of persuasion.  
First you might take the logical approach and point out all the reasons that you driving your own car would assist the family.
·         Your parents won’t have to chauffer you around anymore
·         You could assist with chauffer duties of younger siblings
·         You would be home quicker leaving more time to study

Next, ethical approach and show what a responsible person you have become.  Discuss your good study habits and grades. You have been assisting around the house without being asked to.  Having good grades shows credibility and helps that insurance give discounts for them. 

The emotional appeal, if your parents are buying a car they will want the safest vehicle they can afford for you, they are concerned for your well being. You would point out all the safety features of the car, do your homework and have crash test scores available to compare. 
Do your research; having the great fuel mileage and resell value data to show would be appealing logically. Suggesting a contract agreeing to curfew, etc would be appeal ethically.  Depending on the type of parent the emotional and ethical appeal is what I would use as a closing argument.  Above all else parents want their children to be safe. 

Du Bois understood that you can give logical and ethical reasons in an argument about social injustice but to get understanding and sympathy you must use emotional appeal.  The audience must relate in their heart; they must feel personally connected. 

Thoreau uses all three appeals in his passage about injustice.  Society then had many ‘self made men’ they did not go work for someone else; they ate what they grew and built what they lived in.  Taxes on property without an income would have been a threat to not only his life but that of all his family and fellow countrymen.  He used examples that they could relate to and feel in their hearts.

Exercise 7.3 #2 Blog forums

I entered with trepidation Salon.com, picked a topic and went forth.  The topic was sexism on the television shows for the fall lineup.    There really was no definition of what they were talking about. Was it sex? Was it nudity? Was it sexuality? I think I learned about the multitude of attitudes and beliefs of others. I had to read many to get very little information but it was a reflection of our society’s ignorance about the effects of stereotypes and sexism.

I feel if I was researching a serious topic I would need to go to a site that had research behind it. For example a blog about bacteria on the environment was found at   http://scienceblog.com/10882/hand-hygiene-truths-myths-and-misinformation/ in which the author sited his source. As I continue researching for my classes I would like to learn more about blogs that are similar.

Exercise 7.3 Blogs

I have not used blogs as a research tool before today.  While researching the strengths and weaknesses of search engines I came across different blogs which helped guide me about others thoughts for this topic. The only one I used was an academia blog which discussed academic web sites with valid research and data. 

Exercise 7.3 Internet Search Engines

What is effectiveness when comparing search engines on the internet?  Search engines locate and retrieve information on the internet by searching for key word(s) or phrases.  What is effective to one person may be totally useless to another. For this review I have decided it would be effective if it was useful or valuable to the needs of a college student.  As I did research for this essay, I find that I am like many other college students who don’t really know how to do a proper internet search and use the tools that are out there. 

Researchers with Northeastern Illinois University conducting research on what tools college students use “found that only 7 out of 30 conducted what a librarian might consider a reasonably well-executed search”.₁ I found this essay difficult because of this and have had to dig through a lot of material.

I decided to do a little research myself by inputting the same search word in Google and Bing search engines: tomatoes. Goggle produced 193,000,000 results in about .08 seconds while Bing produced 73,000,000 both having Wikipedia as the number 1 site.   Both in speed and relevancy the sites seemed to produce similar results.

Google has strengths such as offering offers many databases and specialized databases such as .edu, .mil, and .gov.  Google has a specialty for scholarly research called Google Scholar Beta₂: you can search more relevant sources such as articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites.  

Bing is a Microsoft search engine still in the process of growing and developing. Bing-vs-google.com₃ is a web site that you could enter a search and compare the results side by side with Bing and Google. I didn’t see much difference.   In actuality the related searches seemed almost duplicates.

I think as I do my searches I need to visit our library more often, learn academic search engines and  enlist the aid of our librarians.

 

1-     ERIAL (Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries, on the Internet at http://www.erialproject.org/2011/08/usatoday-ih/ http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2011-08-22/Study-College-students-rarely-use-librarians-expertise/50094086/1 (vistied September, 08, 2011).

2-     Blog@BOU, Online education news and resources, on the Internet at http://bestonlineuniversities.com/2011/20-useful-specialty-search-engines-for-college-students/ (visited September, 08, 2011).

3-     http://www.bing-vs-google.com/?q=tomatoes on the Internet (visited September, 08, 2011)

Appeals in Argument Ex 1.3 pg 21 #2a

The excerpt from The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave shows a combination of argument appeals; ethical and emotional.  He heavily relies on emotional appeal of how a human being should be treated, explaining how basic necessities such as food and clothing were provided. The description of his mistress as heavenly and lamblike evokes a picture in your mind of a motherly figure.  When she turns on him and treats him like a slave, it would stir up the emotion of a child being abandoned by their parent.

This ‘warm and tender hearted woman’ who shed tears for others suffering becomes cold hearted and succumbs to the evils of slavery and the attitudes that come along with it.  Explaining how his mistress was and now becomes: appeals to our ethical sense of right and wrong.   The audience has a sense of injustice when his mistress succumbed to her husband’s influence.