PB3A: Unravelling & Transforming Genres

For my WP3, I’ve decided to work with Doug Downs’ What Is First-Year Composition?  Downs’ article focuses on what first-year composition is, and whether or not it has out-grown our current society. In short, first-year composition is an introductory core curriculum writing course that focuses on improving students’ abilities to write in a university setting and introduces students to writing practices in the disciplines and professions. The opening paragraph of Downs’ article discusses the definition of first-year composition depending on the person being asked within society including a politician, parent, or professor for instance. Before Downs goes into specifics on first-year composition he attempts to tackle what is actual “good” writing. After a short discussion he deciphers that “good” writing is socially constructed. Downs then attempts to explain the origin and importance of following an obligatory core curriculum in high school, to give the reader additional information on how the first-year composition course was derived. The key aspect of Downs’ article is that overall, “good” academic writing becomes about avoiding breaking the many socially constructed rules and sticking to the Harvard writing format as best as possible.

To morph Downs’ piece into two completely new genres, I have selected genres that appeal to age-specific audiences. For the younger audience, I will use an email written by a literature teacher that targets middle school students. The second genre will be a Yahoo Answers post, that primarily targets a more mature audience. 

Younger Audience

Genre: Email

Target Audience: A class of grade 6 students obligated to take literature class (11-year-olds)

Scenario: During the first week of (middle school) instruction, the students constantly complained about how much they hated literature, and instead wanted to study something they enjoy. The email has been sent on the first weekend of instruction, addressed to the students of her literature class.

Genre Subject: The email will be a welcoming passage to the students in her literature class, along with a brief explanation as to why the students must study the set curriculum, rather than being able to choose their own subjects.

Conventions: The email will be set out professionally; including a line to address the class, a welcoming paragraph, an explanatory paragraph (on why they study core subjects), a concluding paragraph, and a sign-off. Because of the young audience, the language will be basic and comprehensive to an 11-year-old, and the tone friendly and calm. The email will also be short, because often younger people have shorter attention spans. In addition, the email will include multiple emoji’s and a couple of colorful pictures somewhat relevant to the email, so that the children are more likely to positively react. 

 

Mature Audience

Genre: Yahoo Answers Post (including questions and answers)

Target Audience: Mature person seeking a definition and different perspectives on first-year compositions.

Scenario: The Yahoo Answers questioner will be Jaimee Gilbertson from Australia, who is new to the American schooling system and wants to know the exact definition of first-year composition. There are then many respondents that represent specific members or groups in society. These members include Doug Downs (the author), a parent, a politician, a person of the general public, a professor, a student, a graduate teaching assistant, and the (FYC) institution. 

Genre Subject: In Yahoo Answers, users have the opportunity to ask a specific question, whilst other users respond to the question to receive points. The highest rated answer voted by the public is displayed at the top of the “answers” segment. 

Conventions: Generally following the “question” posed by a Yahoo Answers user, there is a “context” blurb written by the questioner that gives the viewers a slightly more comprehensive explanation on what the user is asking. Below the “question” and “context” segments of the Yahoo Answers page, there is the “answers” section, where it lists each of the respondents answers. The answers will be a couple of sentences long, and use highly intellectual language to fit the target audience.

I have some questions regarding my proposal, so please feel free to answer them or make any additional suggestions!

Questions: 

1. Should my “mature audience” genre be more professional? Because the people who are involved (politicians, professors, parents etc.) might not be inclined to use Yahoo Answers, because of its lack of credibility. Perhaps a more formal writing blog could be used instead?
2. Should I make the Yahoo Answers questioner someone other than myself? Maybe an anonymous user, or perhaps a student in a particular academic field?
3. Should I include information about obtaining “points” as a user on Yahoo Answers? Or is it irrelevant?

Thlog: Week 8

So on Monday we handed in our WP2's! What a flippin’ relief. It was super time-consuming and difficult to write — I was definitely out of my comfort zone for that one. On Monday I was sick as a dog, so missed the entertaining videos everyone keeps on talking about. 

I’m a big fan of Losh and Alexander’s comic. I think it’s really impressive that they created an entertaining and intriguing comic, and be able to relate it to academic writing so convincingly. I much prefer reading comics than boring paragraphs of writing, so I found this was a great way to mix up the class reading. Losh and Alexander focus on writers adapting to audience’s, and changing identities accordingly. They compared this idea to choosing particular clothes for particular occasions, so changing rhetorics can be a great thing. Anyway, it was a super cool reading for this week.

So WP3 is slowly approaching, and I’m a lot more excited about it than I have been about the previous writing projects. As we looked over previous WP3’s ideas, I’m pretty bummed we weren’t able to select our own topic. I feel like I would have been a lot more motivated to do it, but I understand this is a writing class and it’s important to learn about writing in the process. I’m in Hawaii for the rest of the week, so I’m going to try to attempt PB3A soon so that I don’t end up completing it at the last minute. I’m still a little confused about the tone of this proposal. Is it supposed to be conversational? Also, in the WP3, is there a specific format to follow? Or am I just writing about what I’ve done in an orderly fashion? Hopefully I find my selected article interesting enough to challenge my creativity and think outside the box.

Thlog: Week 7

So instead of Thloggin’ Thursdays I’ve decided today’s going to be Weekly Writing Wednesdays. No more procrastination. So this week was a very short week, so there’s not a lot to write on. One of the writing tips Z gave us this week was writing out a mind map. I actually do this every time I am given a prompt and have a topic of interest. Especially writing it out, it enables me to just get all of my ideas and assort them into particular parts. This promotes the idea of overlapping and relating the concepts more closely. 

We then went to socrative.com where everyone in the class pasted their introductions. Each student voted on their three favorite introductions.  The two highest voted introductions possessed some moves that are unique to the authors. For instance, the highest rated introduction started with a question, followed by a definition and ended with a quote. The second highest rated introduction had a very conversational tone, with the sentence length varying drastically. This exercise was super sweet, because it gave everyone the chance to read other people’s work and take away some effective moves. I especially like that both of the introductions had a really strong, interesting first sentence. I think the first sentence of the paragraph is the most important, because it sets the tone for the entire essay. I’ll definitely be using these tips from other student’s introductions and implementing them into my own writing.

We then went into peer reviewing (my favorite part!), and came out with some very useful tips. The girls who peer reviewed my work said that the structure of my paper was really creative and effective. Because “structure” was a big problem in my WP1, I’m really happy with the way my draft turned out and the girls’ positive comments. I still, however, need to do a lot more with finding sources and using them to enhance my paper. 

Thlog: Week 6

On Monday morning we began with another couple of Z’s useful writing tips. The first tip we received was to use “notes to self” with insert comments in a paper. I already do this, but it really helps me revisit parts of my writing that may need touch-ups or extra information. It can be grammatical, organization, punctuation — anything! I LOVE Z’s second writing tip to look at visuals of the writing topic to assist with ideas and getting started. I’ve never heard of anyone doing this before, but I actually tried it with my WP2, and it gave me some super ideas I never would have thought of. The third writing tip of the week I was most impressed with was using synonyms of says. As a class we attempted to smash out as many synonyms of the verb says as we could. We came up with many, including explain, describes, states, advocates and argues. This variation of words makes writing so much more appealing. 

Parallelism was an interesting, new term (in writing specifically) introduced to me this week. It’s not something I usually notice in a piece, but it subconsciously helps to make the writing more appealing. The use of similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses is called parallel structure. For instance: winning, implementing, and improving all use present tense with the suffix ‘ing’. But parallelism isn’t just with words or phrases, it can also be relative to the entire formatting and structure of a piece — for instance we analyzed Rockin Robin’s resume. The location of each set of information on the page was in the exact same position, and each subheading was present for every subject. Small snippets of parallelism was present in the resume, without us really noticing prior to the investigation. In Charlie Cheesecake’s resume, there were multiple things that needed to be changed because of the style resumes often follow. For instance, the class decided that resumes need to be in black and white, or very bland colors. However, Charlie Cheesecake’s resume had color splashed all over; coming off as very unprofessional. 

I’ve just started writing my WP2 draft, so I am looking forward to writing it and peer reviewing on Wednesday!

PB2B: How Cool Are Your Moves?

Rhetorical moves are essential for creating more personalized and compelling writing. Whether we realize it or not, rhetorical moves are often present in our own writing — giving us a writing style unique to us. In Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst’s book They Say, I Say, they provide many writing templates that appear throughout the readings we have completed in class so far. However, there were many instances I noticed a template that wasn’t mentioned in They Say, I Say, so decided to name and describe it myself.

The following authors use a template mentioned in They Say, I Say:

• In Navigating Genres, Kerry Dirk includes the notion of “Explaining Quotations.” “Explaining Quotations” is where the first few words of the sentence following the quotation attempts to give an explanation or describe the significance of the quote in relation to the overall text. Dirk uses phrases such as “In other words,” and “This approach enables us to…” This particular move gives the audience clarity on the relationship between the quote and the argument. 

• Dirk also includes the template “Capturing Authorial Action” in Navigating Genres. This move introduces the viewpoint of a respectable figure; beginning the sentence with their name followed by language that describes the type of quotation or standpoint the introduced person has. Dirk repetitively uses “Devitt points out,” and “Miller argues that” to give the audience a better idea of how the subject is conveying their information. The diction of the word “argues” is a lot more persuasive and penetrative than the word “says” for example, adding extra effectiveness to the writing piece.

• In Laura Carroll’s Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps Towards Rhetorical Analysis, she implements the “Example” template. The example template is often only a word or two used at the beginning of the sentence to link a concept to an example. Carroll uses the “example” notion numerous times; including “Take, for example, a commercial…” and “For example, philanthropists…” This move is used numerous times to link the previous topic to the supporting evidence.

• In Michael Bunn’s How To Read Like A Writer, he uses the template “Introducing Quotations”.  This move is a compilation of words — usually at the beginning of a sentence — that aims to introduce the quote using the quoter’s name and their standpoint on the quotation. Bunn uses “Writing professor Richard Straub puts it this way:” and “Author David Jauss makes a similar comparison when he writes that…” This move is used almost every time Bunn introduces a quote, and is very effective in giving the quote context and credibility.

• Janet Boyd implements the template “Elaboration” into her paper Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking). This move explains a commonly used transition when the author is attempting to elaborate on a particular topic. For instance, Boyd uses “ultimately” in her article to attach a sentence: “As much as I am aware of my audience here—so much so that I am trying to engage in dialog with you through my casual tone, my informal language, and my addressing you directly by asking you questions and anticipating your responses —ultimately the format dictates that our “conversation” remain one-sided.” Not only does it connect Boyd’s thoughts, but it promotes a smooth transition from one to the other.

The following moves were not introduced in They Say, I Say, so I’ve come up with a name for each one, and described their significance and effectiveness in each article:

• The “I could have skipped the whole essay” move in Dirk’s paper is similar to a summary paragraph. In the final paragraph, Dirk sums up her entire essay using just four bullet-points. Each bullet-point briefly summarizes each of the four points Dirk conveys throughout the entirety of her essay. As the move’s name suggests — although it may not be as interesting and convincible — you can gather the main points of the essay in a less time-consuming manner. Dirk probably chose to include this move because she wanted the readers to end the article with the main points, so it is more likely for them to remember the most crucial information. Dirk mentions towards the end of the article “Chances are that I have left you more confused than you were before you began this essay,” so adding the “I could have skipped the whole essay” move, she wants to ensure the readers understand the underlying messages of the article, incase they were otherwise confused. I believe this particular move has its ups and downs in its effectiveness, because although it saves time, it encourages the audience to skip straight to the end of the essay and not read the necessary information and evidence. However, the article condenses a lot of confusing information, so it enables the reader to remember the key points. 

• In Boyd’s Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking), she uses the “Remember To Put In The Bullets” move. This move involves the inclusion of bullet-points to help organize the paper and break-up the different segments; making it easier for the audience to understand the content. The bullet-points list rhetorical questions, which makes the list seem important and easier to read. Boyd’s “Remember To Put In The Bullets” in my eyes is very effective, because it not only creates a varying writing structure aesthetically, but emphasizes the importance of the points that she jots down.

• Another unique move Boyd demonstrates in her paper Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking) is “What’s This About?”  This move involves Boyd’s paper being broken up into segments, each one with its own title. “What’s This About” organizes the reading in a way that enables the reader to focus on one specific topic at a time. This move not only enables the reader to concentrate on one topic, but it also gives the reader a break from reading. Often too much information in a paragraph can be overwhelming, and makes it more difficult to understand the content. Boyd’s paragraph division and informative titles is very effective, because the divided information is more likely to stay with the reader.

• In Michael Bunn’s How to Read Like a Writer, he uses the “Too Many Is Not Enough: Quotes” move. This move explains how Bunn uses a minimum of one quotation for each idea that he discusses in his paper. These examples provide evidence which helps to advocate Bunn’s ideas, and creates a sense of credibility. Bunn’s obvious intentions for using “Too Many Is Not Enough: Quotes” are to help explain his argument, and convince the readers his idea is credible. I believe this move is extremely effective, because the implementation of outside sources convinces me that Bunn has done his research and gives me an alternative viewpoint of his arguments at work.

• Laura Carroll’s Backpacks vs. Briefcases: Steps towards Rhetorical Analysis, shows the move “Your Turn To Think” on multiple occasions throughout her article. For instance, she begins her essay with “Imagine the first day of class in first year composition at your university.” Half-way through her paper, she includes “You probably think about what your clothing will communicate as you go to a job interview or get ready for a date.” These examples of Carroll’s move are aimed to reach out personally to the reader, and have them think and evaluate their personal lives in relation to her idea and point in the text. This personalized template is extremely effective, because not only does it make the reader think for themselves, it also creates a conversational tone and “voice” amongst the author; making it more enjoyable for the reader.

By disclosing and explaining these rhetorical moves, perhaps you are able to recognize these  templates in your own writing.

Thlog: Week 5

I can't believe how quickly we are moving (haha) through this quarter!

As soon as we came into class on Monday, Z introduced the IMRAD acronym. IMRAD explains the conventions of a scholarly article. Interestingly enough, each segment of IMRAD was present in the scholarly article I analyzed for PB2A. As a class, we discussed why IMRAD is a thing, and how it applies to the scholarly article. Sam made the great observation that “for someone to understand a segment, the IMRAD acronym must be in order, because otherwise the following segment won’t make sense.” For instance you can’t have the method and then the introduction; they need to be in the specific IMRAD order.

Another sweet writing tip Z gave us was when and how we use italics. Even though I already knew this *hair flick* it was good to revisit and refresh my memory. The major aspect of Monday’s lesson was the notion of MOVES. So what are moves? In my initial first-order brainstorm, I defined moves as being “someone’s signature action or quote that someone recognizes and replicates. My example of this was Miley Cyrus’ “twerking”” move. 

I was rather confident with my answer to what moves were, but when Z made us google the word moves in titles of articles, I was surprised. When the class shared their individual findings, I was intrigued to see the multiple possible definitions of moves, and the variations in contexts the word moves was used in. So this led me to the conclusion that moves can be conscious and deliberate, but can also be beneath the radar: sometimes we don’t even know we are making moves. 

I loved then investigating this notion of moves in a different light. Z showed us a video of The Rock’s “People’s Elbow,” and made us really detangle and break-up the many aspects of the move and what we saw. This made me realize that short-sequential moves can formulate into a much larger and prominent move.

For Wednesday’s class, I read “How To Read Like A Writer” (Bunn), which was a really interesting read. He introduced to me a completely new idea of reading. I don’t read often, but perhaps when I do read it will make me a better writer if I “read like a writer.” It’s actually super weird, and I’m not sure that I would enjoy reading if I constantly read in the way Bunn suggests. Still — it’s an eye-opener and something to think about.

On Wednesday, we visited WP2 overall. I’m really glad we went over disciplines in-class, because that was the only preliminary question I had asked about WP2. I’m not too sure what I’m going to do for WP2 yet. I’m going to stay away from the tennis topic for the time being, and perhaps focus on another topic I’m interested in — maybe something I want to learn more about. 

PB2A: Predictability: Tennis Matches & Genres

A scholarly academic publication is easily distinguishable because of the rhetorical features and conventions associated with it, including the audience, format, context, tone and style. Being rarely exposed to scholarly articles throughout my academic career, I found it interesting to find and disentangle a familiar topic of in a more scientific genre. 

I chose to analyze a scholarly article that aims to predict tennis matches using a scientific formula. The article, titled “Predicting the outcomes of tennis matches using a low-level point model,” targets the audience of professors, students, or someone of a research descent. Because scholarly articles are often lengthy, the paper is therefore formatted in a very specific, uncomplicated structure so that the different segments of the paper can be referred to at ease. The content involved in a conventional scientific research report includes the author(s), abstract, introduction, an explanation of the model being used, data sources, event probabilities from statistical data, simulation and results, conclusions, and references. Each heading is numbered in order of appearance, and uses a clear, bold font. The spacing in-between each of these sections are exactly the same each time, which also conveys a professional pose. The authors names are listed directly below the title of the research paper, which creates credibility and authenticity. The title is also very specific, and uses scientific terminology. The diagrams are specifically labelled using “Figures,” with a brief blurb on what the diagram is presenting. The whole research paper is in black and white, as it appears more professional and scientific, because colors can often sway the audience away from the content. The most noteworthy conventions of a scholarly academic publication include the use of technical language and specialized vocabulary, with tables and charts to support the collected data and results. Although there is always visual evidence, there are never photographs or drawings. The researched subject must be very specific, with the title being complex and lengthy. The author(s) names are listed with their degrees, titles or other credential, and the paper will often exceed five pages in length. 

The most important aspects of the scholarly article include the abstract and the conclusion. With reading just these two segments of the article, the reader is able to understand the topic of the article, what is being tested and the results — without reading the entire research paper. The abstract enables the readers to get a sense of the specific topic being experimented, and the type of research being conducted. The conclusion is also very important, because it states what was being tested and the results in a non cluttered manner, without having to read through the data and results segment.

In specificity to the article itself, the main question being posed is how, using a scientific model, one can predict the result of a tennis match; taking into consideration a number of different factors. The concepts within the research article were operationalized by beginning with a topic, so in this instance how to predict the result of a tennis match. The topic was then described, and expressed on how to achieve the topic using a formula; in this case an explanation of how to figure out the result of the tennis match. The topic was then tested using the given formula, and the raw data was presented. The results section involves an in-depth explanation of the outcomes derived from the raw data, written into sentence form and explained. The conclusion includes a short summary of each segment, and the overall outcome of the topic sentence. 

Personally, the whole concept of the article was very intriguing to me. As a competitive tennis player myself, I had never considered the notion of predicting a tennis match using a derived formula. After reading the article, I was still not convinced that the formula was credible, because the authors did not include possible variables. For instance, players’ mental state during the match, the players’ experience, home court advantage, and players’ injuries are all possible variables that can influence the model’s accuracy and credibility. Therefore, the model must be of a very basic nature.