Considering Genre

In order to more effectively convey the components of my post-mortem controversy project I have to choose a genre that would allow me to do so. Therefore I have evaluated each of the following genre: video essay, podcast, standard college essay, and quick reference guide.

What Genre and WHY?

After contemplating my options I settled on the quick reference guide (QRG) for project one. I think that a QRG will best convey all of the information in a very organized manner. 

bottled_void, "stress" 01-19-08 via Flickr
Attribution 2.0 Generic 

In the production portion of this project I will use a variety of conventions. I will start with a captivating title and introduction in order to capture my audience's attention. I will also include links so that those inquiring about more information will have the opportunity to do so. It is also important to include graphics/images so that confusing information may be more easily explained in photograph since a picture is worth a thousand words. 

I am feeling a combination of wildly stressed out with a side of slightly confident. I have all of the information I need it is just the notion of putting it all together in an organized and concise manner that is stressing me out. I expect that I will run into trouble with time-management. I need to clear out enough time to properly work on this project and give it all that I've got. 

Cluster of Stakeholders

In order to more efficiently organize all of the different elements of my project I created a cluster of stakeholders using Coggle. 

Jahi McMath Cluster.

Mode de Vie Software, "How to Mind Map with MyThoughts"
12-06-10 via Flickr Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDervis 2.0 Genric

I decided that the four main stakeholders in the Jahi McMath case are: the McMath/Winkfield Family, Dr. Frederick Rosen, Dr. Paul G. Fisher, and Children's Hospital Oakland. In the cluster I gave context to each stakeholder. I examined how they were related to the case, and what each of them had to gain or lose in the case. I also examined if there was any prejudice/bias involved in their stakes in the case. It really helped to organize the information so that I could more clearly see the relationships between everything and how it all comes together.

Evaluation of General Sources

For my post-mortem controversy I have chosen to investigate the "brain death" of Jahi McMath and the following court case the ensued.

SOURCES

Source #1: A blog entry/article from Colombia Law School.
"The Death Exemption: Jahi McMath & the Right to Life After Death" 

UCSF Brand Identity, "UCSF Medical Center Logo"
10-13-14 via WikiMedia Commons, Public Domain 

-URL-
The URL for this source is defined as a top-level domain for education (.edu). Websites that end in .edu are sites that pertain to education as opposed a commercial site (.com). This implies that the site is used for educational purposes rather than for advertisements or gossip. In addition to URL the credibility of this source is also upheld by the University that is behind it. Colombia Law School is considered a very prestigious and highly ranked law school, therefore, improving the credibility of the URL.

-Author-
The Author or the blog entry is Elizabeth Reiner Platt. Her official title is the Associate Director of the Public Rights/Private Conscience Project at the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Colombia Law School. As for education, she graduated from New York University Law School. Platt has also worked for a number of social projects such as Urban Justice Sex Workers Project, New York Civil Liberties, as well as Brennan Center for Justice.

-Last Updated-
The blog entry does not provide information about when it was last updated, however the post was published on January 5th, 2016. I would say that this is a fairly recent source granted that the entire situation started in 2013. The blog entry contains a link to a CBS News article regarding the McMath legal battle as well as a link to a court document.

-Purpose-
The purpose of the text is to inform the reader on the abnormal case of Jahi McMath. In comparison to other articles written on her case I would say that this blog entry helps to make sense of the legal mumbo-jumbo.

-Graphics-
The only graphic that is illustrated in the blog is a photograph of the McMath family sporting a "Pray for Jahi" t-shirt. The photo represents the family's support as well as adds a religious element.

-Postion on Subject-
Platt is attempting to provide the information regarding Jahi McMath in an unbiased manner, however, her argument mainly focuses on the fact that the McMath family doesn't really have a court case. The blog is an online source that anyone with Internet has access to so I wouldn't say a specific set of viewers profits if they believe this information to be true because at the end of the day the court is the deciding factor. I can verify Platt's argument to some extent with the actual court documents and official ruling.

-Links-
Platt does not provide any suggestions for further inquiry. The only links/citations that she provides are the link to the CBS article and the court document. Otherwise the rest of the information was based on her own dissection of the case.

Source #2: PDF files of all the court documents regarding the Jahi McMath case.
"McMath-A Dispute Over Brain Death"

-URL-
The URL for this source is .com, which may not seem as credible as .edu or .gov, but the  main credibility of this source comes from the fact that the website is just a means to organize all of the court information for McMath's case.

-Author-
Thaddeus Mason Pope is the "author" of the information, but he is more of just a publisher. He is a notable professor that has worked at a series of Universities in the Midwest of the United States. Pope also has held a series of chair positions such as a position in the Association of American Law Schools Section on Law, Medicine, and Health Care. I verified this information by looking up the alleged qualifications and cross-checking them with the University's of Association's online records.

-Last Updated-
Pope updates the website whenever court documents are made available to the public. The most recent update to the site was on January 27th, 2016 when the documents regarding the Winkfield Opposition to Certification Request was made public. There are no links provided on the site.

U.S. Government, "US DC NorCal"
04-30-10 via WikiMedia Commons
Public Domain

-Purpose-
The purpose of this site/source is to provide the raw data of the court case to the public. It is simply informational, since Pope does not provide any other text.

-Graphics-
There are no graphics included because the source is supposed to be strictly informational. If graphics were added to the site then it would become biased in one way or another. Therefore, Pope has refrained from including any on the website.

-Position on Subject-
The source refrains from bias by only providing PDF files of the court documents. The information comes straight from the court stenographer. I can verify the documents by looking up the documents on the court's website.

-Links-
The source does not offer any avenues for further inquiry. If other readings or research links were included that would counter the entire point of the source. As for connections to recognized authorities the PDF files contain the names of the plaintiffs, defendants, and judge.

Reddit and What I Found There

I've never been on reddit before, and I can now conclude that I am not a really big fan of the site. It is essentially a forum website in which anyone (and I mean anyone) can go on and write about whatever they please regardless if the information is true or not. That being said let's check out what the people had to say about the field of Public Health.

Reddit 

What's going on? 
I wouldn't say that people on reddit were debating or arguing much of anything besides which school offers the best MPH programs or whether or not there are any interesting internships for the summer. Under the "hot" category people were posting  personal questions regarding job requirements. For example, ejsuh90 asked, "What can I do with a Masters in Biotatistics". Other than personal questions threads were started about the zika virus, new cancer research, as wells as the Flint, Michigan water crisis.

The Most Interesting Articles (on reddit): 

Hermann, Uwe "Sugar" 04-20-06 via Flickr
Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

Sugar Tax
I found the debate on the idea of a sugar tax to be the most interesting due to the fact that it is an unusual topic and the people in the forum posed/made some valid points. Spaten1 argued that a tax on sugar would hurt the poor, while nena_eqo countered with the argument that the same was said about cigarettes yet smoking rates have dropped. I never thought a tax on sugar would be a topic of debate, but reading this forum opened up a whole new window that I've yet to explore.

Chlamydia Outbreak
This shouldn't be funny, but I must admit I was laughing while reading the comments for this story. A school in Texas that only teaches abstinence has had a huge outbreak of chlamydia (not the funny part), and people on reddit were getting outrageously angry with each other about where or not a more revamped sexual education program should be enacted or if abstinence should still be taught. Essentially amanda_pearl was ripped a new one by JuiceBusters. These people got so passive aggressive and angry while arguing that they started to tear each other's arguments down rather than respectfully respond or refute with evidence. For example, JuiceBusters wrote, "Then that is damn scary because you've had a very difficult time explaining things here, misrepresenting them, contradicting yourself then compensating by rephrasing using silly or nefarious phrases and even playing dumb (I mean I hope that's what you're doing)". Dang JuiceBusters that was harsh. The topic was interesting, and sometimes good arguments were made.

AJC, "Reddit"11-15-12 via Flickr
Attribution-ShareAlike Generic 2.0

Impressions?
Based on the reddit forums I am going to conclude that very few Public Health professionals are on reddit, but aspiring professionals are. The main topics of discussion had to do with information regarding the field itself rather than the issues within it. I wasn't expecting people to ask what to do with a degree in epidemiology or where to find a job in California. I guess I was expecting more intellectual information. I was also surprised with how aggressive people can be online. People are wimps and hide behind their virtual words on a forum site. Overall I wouldn't say the reddit should be a source of information to use for a credible assignment, but it can be interesting to see who is pissed at who this week.

Evaluation of New Magazine Stories

It may seem as though magazine's are strictly specialized. The Economist only contains articles regarding the economy or that RollingStone is just about popular culture, but instead I found that each magazine contains a little bit of something for everyone. 

W I R E D

In the article, "If Exxon's Punished for Climate Change, It'll be for Lying to Investors", the main issue deals with ExxonMobil's contribution to global warming. Back in the day the company used to do climate research, but eventually they stopped  and completely switched gears. Instead they began playing for the other team and tried to "reeducate" the people on the true nature of climate change. This tactic change is now here to bite them in the butt because California's attorney general is investigating whether or not Exxon lied about the risks of climate change to the people, but more importantly to the investors.

Bart "Love Your Mother" 04-29-08 via Flickr
Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic

The most sympathetic characters in this story are the investors and the planet. For years they have been pouring money into a corporation that has been feeding them lies. ExxonMobil (if found guilty) will be responsible for damaging the planet as well as lying. I think that Exxon should be also be punished for hurting the planet. The company willingly continued to contribute to climate change just because the evidence they found probably went against their company's mission. 

Obviously the least sympathetic character in this story is the ExxonMobil company.They need to claim responsibility for their poor actions, and apologize to the people, their investors, and the planet.

T I M E    M A G A Z I N E 

In the next article,  "Why 'Tolerating' Anti-Vaxxers Is a Losing Strategy" the main argument/debate is that society should no longer tolerate parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. The parents and children at a local primary school in Melbourne, Australia are learning first hand the consequences that come with anti-vaxxers. In Australia, the law is much more liberal when it comes to vaccination, and as a result the school has had a tremendous increase in the number of children with the chicken-pox. The decision on whether to vaccinate or not has become a world-wide controversy. Many feel that vaccines are ineffective, while others argue that vaccines are both effective and necessary for the safety and health of the population. 

"Poster for Vaccination Against Smallpox"
10-13-15 via Wikimedia Commons
Public Domain

In my opinion the most sympathetic characters in the story are the children at the school who got sick because their parents refused to vaccinate them as well as the children who are endangered by those who aren't vaccinated. It is sad that these children suffer from illnesses that could have potentially been avoided because their parents don't believe in vaccines.

 I find that the least sympathetic characters are the parents. Not only are these parents endangering their children, but they are also endangering the lives of others by choosing to not vaccinate. 

Twitter and What I Found There

ClkerFreeVectorImages,
"Twitter, Tweet, Twitter Bird,Social Network, Internet"
09-04-14 via Pixabay, Creative Commons CC0

@PUBLICHEALTH

It may seem as though twitter is just used as an app to keep track of Jessica and Tim's most recent breakup-makeup situation, but instead twitter is becoming more of an educational tool.

It can be used to ask questions, to engage with other like-minded individuals, to keep up with current events, or to even facilitate discussions. Therefore,

let's check out what is happening in the 

twittersphere in regards to Public Health.

In the field of Public Health the top stories/issues that

 people are buzzing about are air pollution as a health

 emergency, the zika virus, gun policies, and the current water crisis 

 in Flint, Michigan. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) came out          On twitter people are inquiring about the zika 

and declared air pollution to be a health emergency.       virus. They want to know more about the

In response to such news people began discussing         symptoms, treatment, and any travel advice. 

the need for more practical pollution laws and the 

fact that death by air pollution will  be and is becoming

a real problem.

The biggest news circulating would be the                        People are commenting on the different

current crisis in Michigan. People are outraged                 gun policies throughout 2015. Specially

at the State's irresponsibility and failure to protect            the NBA's push against gun violence and 

their people. Images and graphs are circulating in             a movement to end the CDC's ban on gun

order to convey the true severity of the lead                      gun violence research. 

contamination.

       In my opinion the two most interesting conversations or stories that I found were about the zika virus and the Flint, Michigan water crisis. Overall I think the twitter account Public Health Talks (@PubHealthTalks) was a great account because it wasn't just a collection of data/information from a big faceless organization, but rather it is a collection of information from real health professionals. It was refreshing to see the work that people like my parents, neighbors, or professors were putting out into the world of Public Health.
       

"United States Public Health Service"
6-12-07 via Wikipedia
Wikimedia Commons Public Domain

The World Health Organization (@WHO) was a great account to get the quick and dirty facts about anything and everything related to the health field. However, the best part about this account was the global aspect. This account reported information from all over the world, rather than just a specific country, state, or city. Instead I was able to get information from health professionals all over the world. 

Based on what I saw on twitter I found that Public Health covers a pretty wide variety of health topics/issues. It covers everything from the most basic health issues to environmental issues. I found it most surprising that gun violence and air pollution were topics of discussion within the Public Health world. I thought that people were talking in ways that I wasn't expecting in the sense that they made even the smallest of issues seem like the biggest deal. It didn't matter what the issues were because the people were talking with such passion that every issue seemed just as important as the next. Sometimes people talk about the same issue over and over again, but it was great to be able to see past the headline news and find issues or stories that are still important just not as widely known/shown. 

Evaluation of New York Times Stories

As I scrolled through the Health and Science sections of the New York Times I noticed that the same stories kept popping up, but the articles were written in different contexts. The zika virus, the water crisis in Michigan, and the discovery of a new planet were all breaking headlines.

The article, "Ninth Planet May Exist Beyond Pluto, Scientists Report" by Kenneth Chang explores the possibility of an undiscovered planet in our solar system.

NASA "Montagem Sistema Solar" 01-31-13 via WikiMedia Commons
Public Domain

• The main characters of the article were astronomers Micheal E. Brown and Konstantin Batygin. They are the two responsible for providing the public with circumstantial evidence regarding a ninth planet. 
• The main setting of this story may or may not reside beyond Pluto. Essentially the article dealt with a hypothetical setting until the existence of this "planet" can actually be proved. 
• The main debate or disagreement in this article pertains to whether or not a ninth planet exists. Some agree with Brown and Batygin while others need more proof since the evidence that the two astronomers put out was more speculation. Brown and Batygin put their reputations and careers on-the-line for evidence that is more speculation than evidential.  

The article, "When the Water Turned Brown" by Abby Goodnough,  Monica Davey, and Mitch Smith explained the cause of Michigan's state of emergency.

• The main character or protagonist of the article was Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a local pediatrician, who is partly responsible for bringing to light the contaminated water problem in Flint, Michigan.
• The article is centered in Flint, Michigan. The elevated blood lead levels in Dr. Mina Hanna-Attisha's patients led her to conclude that there was a problem with the water supply. Since this is a problem only centered in Flint, the setting of this article is very important. 
• The article touches on the discrepancy between a health official, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, and the state government. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha came out with a public news conference in which she announced her findings. The state government/officials as well as a variety of epidemiologists denied her remarks until they could no longer do so. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attish put her career and pride on the line, while the state government's public denial gave the people something to worry about.  

ClkerFreeVectorImages, "Water Sign Non potable Not For Drinking" 04-02-12 via Pixabay
Creative Commons CC0

Course Projects

Unlike the typical English class that relies on reading, writing, and over-analyzing, English 109H is made up of four major projects: controversy postmortem, rhetorical investigation, a public argument, and a reflective self-assessment.  Each project will allow us to creatively explore different genres, and in the process help us find our writing processes.  

Woodzing, Serge "Lars Jacob as Comedy & Tragedy" 07-14-15 via Wikimedia Commons
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported 

• What are you confused or most nervous about in regards to the four major projects?

I am most nervous about the interview portion of the rhetorical investigation project. I really haven't started any classes in my field yet so it will be tricky finding someone to interview for the project. I am also worried about the grading. I am not entirely sure what needs to be included or excluded in regards to each project.

• What are you most interested in or excited by in regards to the four major projects?

I am most interested in the controversy postmortem project. I am really excited to research the different controversial topics in my field.  Public Health is such a vast field that offers a plethora of topics to explore and so I think I will be able to find multiple topics that I will be interested in writing about.

• Based on your understanding of the major projects, what are the elements of this course that you have to plan ahead for? How will the coursework described in the four project assignment sheets challenge your time management skills this semester?

I think each project this semester requires it's own level of planning. The first three projects require extensive research. I will have to really make sure that I find reliable and informational sources to use for each of the projects. Project 2 ( rhetorical investigation) requires two separate interviews. I will have to find someone to interview, find a time to meet them, and prepare interview questions. All of the projects will be a challenge to my time management skills. I will really have to be on top of my assignments.

How has your past English coursework in high school or college prepared you for the challenges of this course? What skills will you bring into the course with you?

I think the writing portion of my high school course work has prepared me for the writing aspects of this class. However, in high school I did a lot more reading and analyzing and in this class I feel that it is more creative and heavily relies on exploration. I am given much more freedom and the different genres that we have to work with are also new to me. I will (hopefully) bring basic writing skills to this course.

• Do you have any questions about the four major projects that haven't been answered by the assignment sheets? What do you still want to know?

I don't have any questions as of right now. However, I am sure as I go along and start each of the different projects that questions will come up.

Reflection:

After reading Amelia  and Missy's blog posts about the course projects I came to realize that my classmates and I are all in the same boat. We are all worried about the interviews for the rhetorical investigation, and we are all anxious about our time management skills. I was able to take a sigh of (semi) relief after this great realization. In respect to my own writing style I learned that I have been writing very formally for a blog post. I have come to the conclusion that I could/should be much more open in my posts. Let my creativity and personality lose! (beware) 

Investigating Genres: The Quick Reference Guide

• The point of a quick reference guide is to supply the reader with information. However the information must be conveyed in a quick, easily accessible, and condensed manner. The purpose of the guide is to help give the reader the main gist of a wide variety of contemporary topics.

  

  Larsson, John "Flipboard" 07-21-10 via Flickr
   Attribution 2.0 Generic

• This genre is mainly found online. Major newspapers use this genre as a means of relaying headline news in a quick format. I find that the information that is found online now-a-days strays away from long articles and leans more towards quick reference guides. 

• The target audience for quick reference guides range from young to older adults. As schools become more and more technologically advanced students are looking towards the Internet for information, and quick reference guides prove to be helpful in obtaining a general knowledge on certain topics. As for older adults quick reference guides can be helpful in keeping up with the times.

• This genre is unique in the sense that it is not like an article which just spews out information, but rather it provides links to further information, as well as graphs or other visuals to help the reader understand the topic at hand. 

                                             

Latham, K. "Did you receive your #NWOSU quick Reference Guide to NCAA Rules for Fans, Friends, Boosters, and Alumni" 09-23-13 via Flickr 

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic

• The Quick Reference Guide: a tool writers use in order to quickly yet efficiently convey information on a variety of topics that range from headline news to pop culture. 

Reflection

After reading Jianna and Nicki's blog posts I feel better about the tasks at hand. I investigated the same genre as Nicki so it was interesting to see how she wrote about quick reference guides. I realized that this type of excise is more creative and I shouldn't be afraid to let my personality shine through. On the other hand after reading Jianna's post I was able to relax a little bit about the thought of creating a video essay. Overall I really enjoyed reading how my classmates went about their blog posts. I have never done something like this before so it was interesting to see the different approaches that my classmates took.

My Writing Process: The Struggles of a Procrastinator

Procrastination: The avoidance of a task that needs to be accomplished.

Ogez, Emilie "Procrastination Meter" 07/07/09 via Flickr,
Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDervis 2.0 Generic

 I am definitely guilty of procrastination, whether it be putting off returning my grandma's call or waiting until the last possible second to do my English homework. Regardless of the situation I should procrastinate less and plan more. 

What type of writer am I?
That is why it is with a heavy heart that I must admit that my writing style falls under the "Procrastinators" category.

Does my writing style reflect any other approaches?  
Not really. I occasionally plan, rarely revise, and hardly ever sequentially compose.

Am I successful?
Sometimes. My writing style is very peculiar, and at times I consider myself to be part of a new breed of procrastinators.
I find that if I am given time to revise I end up restarting. If I am given time to think then I grow to dislike my piece which leads me to restarting the night before.

             Strengths                                                                                         Weaknesses
            -ability to work                                                                                - work is sloppy and can
             well under pressure                                                                           often be unorganized
                                                                                                                    -more errors due to lack of
                                                                                                                      proofreading
Should I try a different approach?
Yes! I think the best writing process would be to combine bits and pieces of all the "writing categories". I should take the good parts/strengths of the heavy revisers, planners, and sequential composers and essentially find a happy medium.