Sheila Olson
English 102, Section 13
Christy Vance
11/17/09
Reading Response - CR pgs. 229-240
Bruce Ballenger's helpful hints and tips for re-writing (and possibly re-researching) our research papers offers several interesting things to consider. Some of the exercises that he suggests, such as using two different colored highlighters to show areas of your own voice and areas of facts and quotes from sources, sounds like a useful exercise to do. i think I will probably (or maybe not) be surprised by what I find. It seems like it has been a very long time since I wrote my ethnography, so it will be interesting to go back and visit areas that need improvement, or areas that no longer seem relevant.
Although we did have classmates read our rough dratfs, I think it will also be very useful to have someone else read the final draft again.
Another exercise that sounds like it will be useful is reorganizingt the draft using the cut and paste method. Organizing the steps and progression of my paper was one of the biggest challenges I faced when originally writing my ethnography, and I think this exercise of physically moving the pieces around sounds very promising.
Finally, although it sounds awkward at first, I think I will try reading my paper out loud as Ballenger suggests, to see if it really sounds like me, or as he puts it, "does it sound flat or wooden" (237).
Overall, the assigned reading was very helpful, and the point is to re- everything, from thesis to research to voice.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Revising for Purpose - Bruce Ballenger
In this weeks reading Ballenger talks about how writing a draft is like a relationship. You put so much time and effort into it you see past the mistakes. Ballenger states, "revision doesn't necessarily mean you have to sever you relationship with your draft (Ballenger 221)." Revising your paper will help you see rough transitions or sections of your draft that may need help. Revising will help you see from the reader's perspective, other than your own.
In this chapter Ballenger comes up with an excercise to help you see if your ideas are more prominent than ideas that you have cited. This excercise helps to show if your blending your ideas nicely with your sources or if one of the other is overpowering the other.
Ballenger also describes the close knit relationship between purpose and your thesis. Having a purpose in your writing tells the reader what you want to do. For your thesis you don't want it to be too overpowering.
Another interesting suggestion Ballenger proposes is to attack your draft. "Too often writers respect the paper too much", says Ballenger (Ballenger 230). Breaking the draft will help you see the points more clearly.
In this chapter Ballenger comes up with an excercise to help you see if your ideas are more prominent than ideas that you have cited. This excercise helps to show if your blending your ideas nicely with your sources or if one of the other is overpowering the other.
Ballenger also describes the close knit relationship between purpose and your thesis. Having a purpose in your writing tells the reader what you want to do. For your thesis you don't want it to be too overpowering.
Another interesting suggestion Ballenger proposes is to attack your draft. "Too often writers respect the paper too much", says Ballenger (Ballenger 230). Breaking the draft will help you see the points more clearly.
Reading Response
Iara Fernal
English 102
Christy Vance
11-17-09
This week’s reading was a chapter of Bruce Ballenger’s book, ‘The Curious Researcher’. In this chapter the main point the author was trying to make was to explain that even though revising a paper can sound like a big challenge, it actually is just a good opportunity to improve something which you have already worked on. I believe that when writing this chapter Bruce was trying to get his readers to understand how to do a good review on a previous draft, and he certainly was able to reach his goal.
In this chapter Ballenger uses several examples of how to approach a review. I really liked how he stated that revising a paper is like a wrestling match, and that the writer is the little guy while the draft is the though contender. That is exactly how I feel at this moment while we prepare to start revising our drafts for the portfolio. I feel like I have worked so hard on my draft that it is hard to let go of it, revise and make changes. However, after this week’s reading reviewing no longer sounds so scary and difficult. Prior to reading this chapter I was really skeptical about changing anything on my paper, but now I have realized and learned how to well on reviewing a paper and I feel a lot more comfortable.
This reading was perfect because it relates 100% to what we are working on in class at this time, which is starting to review our papers for our final project – the portfolio, which includes all our previous papers and the revised version of it. I am really glad I read this chapter before I started working on my reviews!
English 102
Christy Vance
11-17-09
This week’s reading was a chapter of Bruce Ballenger’s book, ‘The Curious Researcher’. In this chapter the main point the author was trying to make was to explain that even though revising a paper can sound like a big challenge, it actually is just a good opportunity to improve something which you have already worked on. I believe that when writing this chapter Bruce was trying to get his readers to understand how to do a good review on a previous draft, and he certainly was able to reach his goal.
In this chapter Ballenger uses several examples of how to approach a review. I really liked how he stated that revising a paper is like a wrestling match, and that the writer is the little guy while the draft is the though contender. That is exactly how I feel at this moment while we prepare to start revising our drafts for the portfolio. I feel like I have worked so hard on my draft that it is hard to let go of it, revise and make changes. However, after this week’s reading reviewing no longer sounds so scary and difficult. Prior to reading this chapter I was really skeptical about changing anything on my paper, but now I have realized and learned how to well on reviewing a paper and I feel a lot more comfortable.
This reading was perfect because it relates 100% to what we are working on in class at this time, which is starting to review our papers for our final project – the portfolio, which includes all our previous papers and the revised version of it. I am really glad I read this chapter before I started working on my reviews!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Hearing Is Overrated
The Cochlear Implant, a tiny computer at the center of a very large controversy. According to the Cochlear Implant Controversy website, those who advocate for the implant feel that it would “medically "repair" deafness in children with a sensorineural hearing loss.” In fact, the implant does not repair deafness, instead it just causes the equivalent of hearing. The implant bypasses the majority of the ear, sending electrical impulses straight to the cochlea (the inner ear). Some things that most people do not think about when they are considering the cochlear implant is that it does not always work for all people, and implantation requires surgery, which, like any surgery, carries some possibly serious risks. These risks include infections (possibly meningitis) and facial nerve damage.
There are other damages that the implant could cause, not related to surgery. One thing that the implant is damaging is the Deaf culture. The Deaf community does not feel that deafness is a disability, or that it hinders their ability to do most everything. In the book The Parent’s Guide to Cochlear Implants, they say “Naïve members of the hearing community expect that implants would be welcomed by all persons who are deaf.” Deafness is seen as a cultural difference, the Deaf community, a single cohesive unit. Once you start changing deaf people into hearing people, you have lost the culture. Sign language becomes obsolete, and there is no reason for Deaf children with implants to interact with Deaf children who do not have the implant.
One man that I spoke with, Kevin Majors, says “If my parents told me that I should get an implant, I would tell them no. God made me this way for a reason, who am I to change that? Besides, I don’t think I could concentrate with all the noise, I like being deaf, it’s quiet!” This is a fairly general consensus the Deaf community; there is no reason to “fix” something that isn’t broken. Being deaf is simply part of who a person is, and if they feel that it is not their place to change that difference, that is their choice.
Further reasoning against the implants is the cost for those getting them. One article, The Pros and Cons of Cochlear Implants, cited the cost of implantation being upwards of $40,000 for the implant and surgery alone. Other medical bills such as MRIs and CT scans plus speech therapy cost extra. Some insurance companies do not cover implantation, meaning the family must find some way to pay for the cost out of pocket. I have heard of insurance companies denying payment on contacts because they are “cosmetic,” but if this tiny computer is so necessary as some would put it, why won’t the insurance company pay for it? It’s not a cosmetic procedure, that’s for sure.
Deaf children get a normal life, it’s just differently structured than that of the life of hearing children. Implant or no, there will be expenses but if you take the anti-implant side, at least the expense isn’t leaving your life on the operating table. The Deaf community deserves to make their own decisions, not have the implant shoved down their throats.
There are other damages that the implant could cause, not related to surgery. One thing that the implant is damaging is the Deaf culture. The Deaf community does not feel that deafness is a disability, or that it hinders their ability to do most everything. In the book The Parent’s Guide to Cochlear Implants, they say “Naïve members of the hearing community expect that implants would be welcomed by all persons who are deaf.” Deafness is seen as a cultural difference, the Deaf community, a single cohesive unit. Once you start changing deaf people into hearing people, you have lost the culture. Sign language becomes obsolete, and there is no reason for Deaf children with implants to interact with Deaf children who do not have the implant.
One man that I spoke with, Kevin Majors, says “If my parents told me that I should get an implant, I would tell them no. God made me this way for a reason, who am I to change that? Besides, I don’t think I could concentrate with all the noise, I like being deaf, it’s quiet!” This is a fairly general consensus the Deaf community; there is no reason to “fix” something that isn’t broken. Being deaf is simply part of who a person is, and if they feel that it is not their place to change that difference, that is their choice.
Further reasoning against the implants is the cost for those getting them. One article, The Pros and Cons of Cochlear Implants, cited the cost of implantation being upwards of $40,000 for the implant and surgery alone. Other medical bills such as MRIs and CT scans plus speech therapy cost extra. Some insurance companies do not cover implantation, meaning the family must find some way to pay for the cost out of pocket. I have heard of insurance companies denying payment on contacts because they are “cosmetic,” but if this tiny computer is so necessary as some would put it, why won’t the insurance company pay for it? It’s not a cosmetic procedure, that’s for sure.
Deaf children get a normal life, it’s just differently structured than that of the life of hearing children. Implant or no, there will be expenses but if you take the anti-implant side, at least the expense isn’t leaving your life on the operating table. The Deaf community deserves to make their own decisions, not have the implant shoved down their throats.
Op-Ed
Sheila Olson
English 102, Section 13
Christy Vance
11/11/09
Op-Ed: Rules
When a young man in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon) reaches the age of nineteen, he is eligible to serve a Mormon proselytizing mission. The expectation for a young man to serve a mission is taught by the church and is reinforced at home. One mother interviewed in a documentary about Mormon missionaries went as far as to say “if you are a good mother, all of your children would grow up to be missionaries”. This statement goes to show the pressure that young men (and their families) of the LDS church feel to serve a mission. In an email interview I had with a recently returned missionary he revealed “the real reason why I went on my mission was to bring people to Christ”. So, regardless of the reason a missionary chooses to serve a mission, whether out of pressure or a true wish to do so, the time has finally come for him to leave home, venture out in the world and serve his mission. The LDS church is entrusting the expansion and advancement of their religion to missionaries and based on the preparation and expectation the church places on the need for young men to serve a mission, one would assume that the church feels that a missionary is old enough and responsible enough to follow the teachings of the church, and represent the church in a positive way. So why then are missionaries subjected to so many rules? If so many rules are needed to keep the missionary focused, perhaps the missionary is not really mature enough to be on a mission. These so called young men are trying to get people they are talking with to change their lives and beliefs, but at the same time the church feels it necessary to control almost every moment of a missionaries life.
One of the very first rules a missionary faces is the fact that once they enter the Missionary Training Center they are immediately cut off from their previous life. Contact with their family and friends is now only allowed via email or handwritten letter once a week. Research done by Schultheiss and Blustein on beginning college students that are in similar situations, such as being away from home for the first time shows that parental support is integral to their success. Therefore it could be assumed that missionaries would also be more likely to succeed with a supportive network.
Missionaries are warned that if they do not become “immediately obedient” to the rules they could “lose their place in the kingdom, or lose their life”. However, some rules blatantly contradict each other, forcing the missionary to break some rules in order to follow others.
Because of the number and extent of the rules many missionaries become disillusioned with their mission, and often begin to question the church. In a study done by Adams and Clopton, surveying current or former missionaries, research found that: 1) Women as a whole had less satisfying missions. 2) Missionaries that were not predisposed to being neat and orderly were more inclined to question the rules. 3) Missionaries that were unable to ignore stress factors in their lives also tended to question the rules more frequently. Once again this shows a parallel between the number of rules imposed on missionaries and the missionaries negative response to those rules.
The morale to my story is that if the LDS church does not trust their own missionaries to be able to focus and get their job done, how can you, a potential convert to the religion, trust these same missionaries?
English 102, Section 13
Christy Vance
11/11/09
Op-Ed: Rules
When a young man in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon) reaches the age of nineteen, he is eligible to serve a Mormon proselytizing mission. The expectation for a young man to serve a mission is taught by the church and is reinforced at home. One mother interviewed in a documentary about Mormon missionaries went as far as to say “if you are a good mother, all of your children would grow up to be missionaries”. This statement goes to show the pressure that young men (and their families) of the LDS church feel to serve a mission. In an email interview I had with a recently returned missionary he revealed “the real reason why I went on my mission was to bring people to Christ”. So, regardless of the reason a missionary chooses to serve a mission, whether out of pressure or a true wish to do so, the time has finally come for him to leave home, venture out in the world and serve his mission. The LDS church is entrusting the expansion and advancement of their religion to missionaries and based on the preparation and expectation the church places on the need for young men to serve a mission, one would assume that the church feels that a missionary is old enough and responsible enough to follow the teachings of the church, and represent the church in a positive way. So why then are missionaries subjected to so many rules? If so many rules are needed to keep the missionary focused, perhaps the missionary is not really mature enough to be on a mission. These so called young men are trying to get people they are talking with to change their lives and beliefs, but at the same time the church feels it necessary to control almost every moment of a missionaries life.
One of the very first rules a missionary faces is the fact that once they enter the Missionary Training Center they are immediately cut off from their previous life. Contact with their family and friends is now only allowed via email or handwritten letter once a week. Research done by Schultheiss and Blustein on beginning college students that are in similar situations, such as being away from home for the first time shows that parental support is integral to their success. Therefore it could be assumed that missionaries would also be more likely to succeed with a supportive network.
Missionaries are warned that if they do not become “immediately obedient” to the rules they could “lose their place in the kingdom, or lose their life”. However, some rules blatantly contradict each other, forcing the missionary to break some rules in order to follow others.
Because of the number and extent of the rules many missionaries become disillusioned with their mission, and often begin to question the church. In a study done by Adams and Clopton, surveying current or former missionaries, research found that: 1) Women as a whole had less satisfying missions. 2) Missionaries that were not predisposed to being neat and orderly were more inclined to question the rules. 3) Missionaries that were unable to ignore stress factors in their lives also tended to question the rules more frequently. Once again this shows a parallel between the number of rules imposed on missionaries and the missionaries negative response to those rules.
The morale to my story is that if the LDS church does not trust their own missionaries to be able to focus and get their job done, how can you, a potential convert to the religion, trust these same missionaries?
Op Ed
Iara Fernal
English 102
Christy Vance
The Benefits of Religion
It is a fact that our modern society has drowned in the problem of drug abuse. For the past 25 years illicit substance use has been a major issue in the United States (Office of National Drug Control Policy), and a large portion of society – 30%, agrees that this is the biggest current problem which for some reason we cannot find the solution to (Cornwall et all, 118).
In my opinion the solution for such a major problem is right in front of our eyes, and it is increasing faith and Church membership. With the rapid rise of science secularization of countries began to happen and religion started to lose its importance in people’s lives (Human Religions).
Religion can decrease the amount of drug use in several ways. It helps individuals to deal with peer pressure – which is the idea that a group influences a person’s decisions and encourages he/she to engage in behaviors which he/she would not normally engage on (Buzzle) – by creating a social network which consists of other church members who share the same values and morals and who will not lay pressure on a specific individual into doing something that he/she does not want to do, such as drugs.
Religion can also help individuals by giving them a lot of different activities to do and keeping them busy. Many people claim having an unexciting life and being bored and use that as an excuse to try drugs for the first time (National Education Association).
Those individuals who are members of a specific church are way less likely to use such a terrible excuse since they have the chance to engage in many activities provided by the institution which he/she is a member of. Churches can offer a wide variety of activities, such as bible study groups, women’s and men’s focus groups, discussion groups, social activities, bicycle outings and gardening clubs (Essortment).
Finally, religion creates an attachment between individual and society by teaching against drug use and by encouraging its members to be productive and committed citizens of the world. As a consequence the chances of an individual who often goes to church and who participates in their activities getting involved in illegal substance use is a lot lower than those who have no faith (Doris Chu, 665).
Religion can have a very positive impact in people’s lives; however it is very important to state that for such an impact to be possible there must be a commitment between religion and individual. The reasons why a person decides to go to church must be genuine and must come from the inside. If someone just goes to church to impress society or to not be judged against then such benefits will not apply (Doris Chu, 669).
As a conclusion, after analyzing all the data I have decided that Religion is a very powerful weapon in combating drug use. It can help individuals in many ways that nothing else can. It gives people motivation, it creates attachment and it keeps people busy. Religion needs to be brought back into our lives if one day we hope to live in a drug-free world.
English 102
Christy Vance
The Benefits of Religion
It is a fact that our modern society has drowned in the problem of drug abuse. For the past 25 years illicit substance use has been a major issue in the United States (Office of National Drug Control Policy), and a large portion of society – 30%, agrees that this is the biggest current problem which for some reason we cannot find the solution to (Cornwall et all, 118).
In my opinion the solution for such a major problem is right in front of our eyes, and it is increasing faith and Church membership. With the rapid rise of science secularization of countries began to happen and religion started to lose its importance in people’s lives (Human Religions).
Religion can decrease the amount of drug use in several ways. It helps individuals to deal with peer pressure – which is the idea that a group influences a person’s decisions and encourages he/she to engage in behaviors which he/she would not normally engage on (Buzzle) – by creating a social network which consists of other church members who share the same values and morals and who will not lay pressure on a specific individual into doing something that he/she does not want to do, such as drugs.
Religion can also help individuals by giving them a lot of different activities to do and keeping them busy. Many people claim having an unexciting life and being bored and use that as an excuse to try drugs for the first time (National Education Association).
Those individuals who are members of a specific church are way less likely to use such a terrible excuse since they have the chance to engage in many activities provided by the institution which he/she is a member of. Churches can offer a wide variety of activities, such as bible study groups, women’s and men’s focus groups, discussion groups, social activities, bicycle outings and gardening clubs (Essortment).
Finally, religion creates an attachment between individual and society by teaching against drug use and by encouraging its members to be productive and committed citizens of the world. As a consequence the chances of an individual who often goes to church and who participates in their activities getting involved in illegal substance use is a lot lower than those who have no faith (Doris Chu, 665).
Religion can have a very positive impact in people’s lives; however it is very important to state that for such an impact to be possible there must be a commitment between religion and individual. The reasons why a person decides to go to church must be genuine and must come from the inside. If someone just goes to church to impress society or to not be judged against then such benefits will not apply (Doris Chu, 669).
As a conclusion, after analyzing all the data I have decided that Religion is a very powerful weapon in combating drug use. It can help individuals in many ways that nothing else can. It gives people motivation, it creates attachment and it keeps people busy. Religion needs to be brought back into our lives if one day we hope to live in a drug-free world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)