Report on My Interviews

I had an interview with Dr. Marion Slack on Friday. This is what I learned.

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INTERVIEW INFORMATION 

1. What are the most significant or interesting genres that you learned about from your interviewees? Please identify at least THREE specific genres from your discipline/field of study that your interview subjects discussed writing within. 

In the interview Dr. Slack told me that the three most significant or interesting genres that she has personally dealt with have been (1) writing research publications (2) writing a textbook and (3) creating lectures/powerpoints for her class. 

2. How do these genres differ from one another? Think about things like genre convention, content, purpose, audience, message, and context as you describe these differences.

Each genre has specific conventions that are utilized to best convey the information/purpose of the text. Dr. Slack mentioned that each research publication that she has written has had a very specific or structured "formula". The same could be said about a lecture or textbook. The content, purpose, audience, message, and context differ accordingly as well. The audience of a textbook are pharmacy students, while the audience of a journal publication are other researchers. 

3. Based on the information you gathered in your interviews, what is challenging and/or difficult about writing within these genres (from a professional's point of view)?

Dr. Slack said that the most challenging and/or difficult aspect about writing within these genres is the fact that there isn't a method to learn how to do it. It is essentially an on-the-job skill that is only acquired through experience. She also said that collaborating with others can at times be challenging because everyone writes a certain way and it can be difficult to get everything to flow smoothly. 

4. Based on the information you gathered in your interviews, what is exciting and/or rewarding about writing within these genres (from a professional's point of view)?

As tedious as writing a textbook was Dr. Slack said that is was the most exciting genre that she has written in so far. She really enjoyed breaking down information rather than just reporting it. She claimed that is was the most rewarding when it all came together, and she got to see her handwork implemented in a schools setting. However, she hopes that one day she will be able to write in first person.

5. Where in mass media - popular, academic, and/or social - can examples of this genre be found? If genre examples cannot be found within mass media easily, where can genre examples be found/located?

 Within mass media these genres can be mainly found in an academic setting. Textbooks, lectures, and PowerPoints can be easily accessed in a classroom or library setting, while research publications could be found online or in an academic journal. Dr. Slack told me that the best place to find academic journals would be a database such as the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). 

 

From Academia to Social Media

From the Journal of American Pharmacists Association I chose Anushka Burde to cyberstalk. 

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-Anushka Burde-

I was able to find Dr. Burde's LinkedIn profile. Otherwise her social media presence is pretty obsolete. I may have found her on Pinterest, however, the photo is too small to tell if it is her or not. Her LinkedIn profile contains more up to date information regarding her schooling as well as any jobs/skills she may have.

I learned that she attended Idaho State University from 2007-2015, and that she knows three languages. I also was able to see the different positions she has held as lab assistants over the years.

In comparison to her persona in the pages of the academic journal in comparison to the LinkedIn profile I would say that her LinkedIn profile was more about her while the journal was more about the information she was presenting. For example, in her LinkedIn profile it says that she was in a sorority, but in the journal I can't even tell which part of the journal that she wrote.

Rhetorical Analysis of Academic Journal

I will explore the rhetorical strategies employed in the entry/article Effectiveness of a Pharmacist-Physician Collaborative Program to Manage Influenza-like Illness from the  Journal of American Pharmacists Association.

Rhetorical Analysis

1. Who are the authors/speakers published in this specific issue of the academic journal you've selected? How many different authors are published here? What do you know - or can you find out - about these people? How are the authors/speakers portrayed in the journal issue?

The authors/speakers published in the specific issue of the academic journal seem to be either Professors from Universities all across the Nation or private researchers. For example, Donald Klepser is a Professor at the University of Nebraska, while William Shrank is the Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for CVS. There are a variety of different authors that are published here or in other words there isn't a set/core group of writers. I am able to find out information about the writers/speakers just be simply googling them. I can find out where they went to school, their current jobs, and how many dogs that they have. I would say that the authors/speakers are portrayed as medical professionals in this journal issue.

2. Who is the intended audience for this particular journal issue? How can you tell? Are there any secondary audiences included here?

The intended audience for this particular journal issue is for anyone and everyone. It is even intended for those hoping to go into the pharmaceutical field one day. It has articles about current events in the pharmacy world as well as information regarding current research projects/findings. The journal also contains sections on Experiences, Departments, and Features. As for secondary audiences I think that this journal isn't just limited to the Pharmaceutical field. I think that anyone in the health profession could find this journal interesting. 

3. What is the context surrounding this particular journal issue? How does this affect the content of the journal?  

The context surround this journal issue is more focused on the current issues. For example, there are article regarding influenza and vaccines. These two topics are considered "popular" by contemporary standards. However, if a majority of the article are all regarding the same topic then the content is fairly specialized/centralized. Therefore, it is important to find a balance between popular and minuscule pharmaceutical issues.

4. What is the overall message of the journal issue? How did you decide this?

I wouldn't say that there is one overall message of the journal issue. I think that as a whole the journal is just simply relaying current pharmaceutical advances/issues. Upon looking at the Table of Content I realized that there was no real connection between the different articles that were published. This led me to conclude that there really isn't an overall message, but rather just a desire to relay current information. 

5. What purpose is the journal issue trying to achieve?

The purpose of this journal issue to keep the pharmacy world connected to one another through these articles. It keeps people "in the loop" or up to date with current issues in the field.  

My Discipline

Right now the current life "plan" is to major in Public Health at the University of Arizona, and then continue onto Pharmacy School in order to become a pediatric of cardiatric pharmacologist. 

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Pharmacy 

1. What do students in your program or department learn how to do?

Students in my program or department study the actions of drugs. More specifically, they study the development of medications and toxins as well as the effects that these medications/toxins have on the human body. An aspiring pharmacologist needs to have a strong background in chemistry, pharmacology, biochemistry, and physiology

   
     2. What do people who get degrees in this field usually go on to do for work?

People with degrees in the field can go on and work either the community, in hospitals or in research labs. A community pharmacist supplies/dispenses medicines in accordance with a prescription, while a hospital pharmacist ensures that patients receive the best treatment by advising on the selection, dose and administration of specific drugs. A research pharmacist works in the lab to develop drugs, however, they can also be professors working for a University. 

 
     3. What drew you to this field?

I actually randomly stumbled upon this field. I was really looking into epidemiology as a future profession, but as I further researched epidemiology I ended up into Pharmacy. 

   
     4. Name three of the leaders/most exciting people involved in this field right now in 2016.

Charles Craik is on the forefront of Pharmacy. He was recently named a fellow National Academy of Inventors, and his innovative research has generated ten patents and has helped launch two companies 

Leslie Benet is this years recipient of the Remington Medal award in recognition of his numerous substantial scientific and public service contributions to the pharmacy profession. He has been on the forefront of pharmacy for many years, which has won him numerous research and teaching awards. 

Sandra Leal is not necessarily the top leader in the Pharmacy field, but she did receive the Good Government Pharmacist of the Year Award. I just thought that her story/background was relatable. She is interested in Public Health, yet works in the Pharmacy field. She has also been doing work in Tucson. 

     5. What are the names of three leading academic/scholarly journals in your field? Where are they    
          published? Give us the names and locations of at least 3.

A leading pharmaceutical journal is The American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. The editorial office is located in Maryland, but the journal is mainly online.

The Journal of American Pharmacists Association is another leading journal. This journal is also online, and has authors that contribute from all over the States.

Pharmacology: The International Journal of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology is a global academic/scholarly journal. The journal is published by Karger Publishers, which is located in Switzerland.  

My Interviewees on Social Media

I cyberstalked my interviewees and this is what I found:

Interviewee #1: Eli Chapman

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I tried finding Dr. Chapman on social media, but I was unsuccessful. Chapman is a very common last name, and so it was difficult/impossible to locate him. However, I did find his LinkedIn profile.

I would say that Dr. Chapman's social media presence is pretty lackluster. I couldn't find him on any of the major sites such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. However, based on his LinkedIn profile I was able to learn about his past prior to becoming a faculty member at the University of Arizona. I was able to learn about his the different labs that he worked in throughout his schooling, and I was also able to learn that he worked for the military. 

I would say that Dr. Chapman's presence on social media (LinkedIn) versus his publications are different in terms of professionalism. In his LinkedIn profile he states his qualifications in a brief, organized, and condensed form. In his journal publication he is relaying scientific information in a very specific and structured form. Specifically he wrote about the molecular chaperone GroEL.

Interviewee #2: Marion Slack

I was able to find Dr. Slack on Facebook and LinkedIn. Her Facebook profile was very minimal in the sense that it only contained a photo of her two dogs (one black and one white giant poodle). On the other hand, her LinkedIn profile had information about her past jobs as well as her skills. 

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CC0 Public Domain

Through her Facebook profile I learned that she has two dogs, and through her LinkedIn profile I learned that she attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and that she is currently heavily involved in research. 

Her Facebook profile is much more laid-back and personal. It gave me a glimpse into her personal life rather than just her professional life. In her LinkedIn profile she gave details about her skills such as avid researcher or lecturer while in her journal publication she was very scientific. In the publication she wrote about coronary artery fistula (CAF).

My Interviewees as Professional Writers

As professionals in the pharmaceutical field my interviewees produce professional publications. In this blog post I will explore the different publications that each implement in their day-to-day lives.

Interviewees:

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Eli Chapman and Marion Slack

1. Give us the name of each interviewee and write a short summary of the kinds of professional publications they've authored.

Dr. Eli Chapman has mainly written research publications, however, he also written a chapter in a textbook. Otherwise, he has around twenty publications listed on the University's web page. Dr. Marion Slack has written research publications as well as a textbook.

2. Track down a few of their publications online. Be sure to examine at least two different publications by each interviewee (and hyperlink us to the two examples for each). What professional genres has each interviewee written in? Explain how these genres differ from each other, according to conventions, formatting, techniques, content, and anything else that seems relevant to describe.

I examined two academic journal publications of Dr. Chapman's. He published Localization of GroEL Determined by in Vivo Incorporation of a Fluorescent Amino Acid  in 2011 along with six other researchers. He also published Requirement for Binding Multiple ATPs to Convert a GroEL to the Folding Active State in 2008 along with four other researchers. 

Dr. Slack published a research document, Amiodarone prophylaxis for Atrial Fibrillation After Cardiac Surgery: Meta-Analysis of Dose Response and Timing of Initiation, in 2007 along with five other researchers. Dr. Slack also co-authored the textbook, Pharmacy in Public Health.  

In terms of genre conventions the formatting for writing a research document is fairly structured. The only thing that is really different is the content. This is because there really isn't any room for creativity in scientific writing. The purpose is to relay the information in the clearest way possible. Otherwise each publication contains a title, summary, objection, analysis, results information, and a conclusion. 

3. What is the context surrounding the two different pieces published by each of your interviewees?

In terms of the research documents the context surround those pieces were in regards to their current research projects. It was essentially the "write-up" after the experiment was completed. The context was centered around the interests in those that were writing/producing it. As for Dr. Slack's textbook, the context surrounding that piece deals with the intersection between Public Health and Pharmacy, which again is a personal interest of the two authors. I would argue that the context of each piece written is largely due to the interests of those that are involved. 

4. What is the overall message of each piece? How did you decide this?

The overall message of the research documents are to convey the information that each author was involved in. For example, in Dr. Chapman's document regarding the GroEl protein the overall message of that piece is centered around the main research objective. The same can be said for each of the pieces. In regards to the textbook the message of that piece lies within the findings that the authors discovered between the intersection of Public Health and Pharmacy. (I was unfortunately not able to view the textbook unless I purchased it so the overall message is hard to understand)

5. What purpose is each piece trying to achieve?

The purpose of the research documents is to convey the findings/discoveries that were obtained during experimentation and data analysis.  The purpose is to put your own work out there so that other researchers can learn from it. The purpose of the textbook is to teach the youth about a particular topic. 

 

  

My Interview Subjects

In this blog post I will explore my interview subjects for the rhetorical investigation project.

Interviewee #1 : Eli Chapman 

Dr. Chapman is an Assistant Professor for the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. 

Eli Chapman

He received his bachelor degree in Chemistry from the University of California Berkeley and then continued his education at Colombia University where he received his masters degree in Chemistry. He then received his PhD in Chemistry from Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California.  

Dr. Chapman has been working in the science field since the early 90s. He joined the army in May of 1992, where he worked as a lab technician. 

Interview Information: 

02/26/16 @ 1pm in the Pharmacy Building Room 414

Interview Questions:

1.     Did you publish any texts while in the army? If so, how are the publications that you produced for the U.S. army different from the publications that you do at the University of Arizona?

2.     How does the University of Arizona compare/differ to the publications that you produced at Scripps Research University?

3.     How do the texts that you produce in/for the pharmaceutical field differ from your colleagues?

4.     Does working with students and fellows alter the text that you choose or end up producing? How?

5.      Does your research require a specific form/genre? (Research documents/journal entries)

6.     How has your background prepared you for writing or communicating in your field?

7.      In your opinion what is the purpose of the texts that you produce?

8.     Aside from your Research, what sort of texts do you create as a Professor?

Interviewee #2 Marion Slack

Dr. Slack is a Professor for the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. 

Marion Slack

She received her BS from the University of Kentucky and her MA from the University of Minnesota. She then became a fellow wildcat and received her PhD from the University of Arizona.

Dr. Slack has been working in the pharmaceutical field since 1988. However, she has been a Professor since 2007.

Interview Information:

02/26/16 @ 2pm at Drachman Hall Room B307H

Interview Questions:

1.     What kind of texts did you produce for the independent community pharmacies in Lexington, Kentucky, and Paris?

2.     What sort of texts did you produce while working in Northeast Thailand?

3.     What kind of texts did you produce for the community hospitals in Lexington, Kentucky, and Minnesota?

4.     What do you teach the students in your class on writing research proposals?

5.     Do your current research endeavors require a specific form? (i.e. journal or research document)

6.     How have publications changed over the years? Where do you see it going?

7.     How does working with college students affect your work/publications/texts?

8.     Does the community that you work in get to see the work that you publish? Who is the audience of community based work?

Brutally Honest Self-Assessment

It is over. Project #1 has been signed, sealed, and delivered. Now it is time to be brutally honest.

Self-Assessment 

1. How are you feeling about the project you just submitted for assessment? Give me your raw, unvarnished opinion of your own project overall. 

I am proud of my final project. I worked really hard, and I think that my final project reflects that work. I spent weeks, days, and countless hours working on this project. I shed a few tears, punched a couple of walls, and gave it my best. 

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2. What are the major weaknesses of the project you submitted? Explain carefully how and why you consider these elements to be weak or under-developed.

I would say that my genre convention is slightly weak because I couldn't find appropriate and citable pictures. This problem caused my project to appear bland or boring because I couldn't include a picture of my main characters. 

3. What are the major strengths of the project you submitted? Explain carefully how and why you consider these elements to be strong or well-developed.

I would say that the main strength of my project lies in the research. I heavily researched my topic and relayed the facts to the audience in an unbiased manner. Overall, I think my project is well organized and clear.

4. What do you think of how you practiced time management for Project 1? Did you put enough time and effort into the project? Did you procrastinate and wait till the last minute to work on things? Share any major time management triumphs or fails.... 

As for time management I could've managed my time a little bit better. I definitely put in the effort for the project, but all of that effort shouldn't be all in one day. I procrastinated on the actual production of my project. I spent all of Super Bowl Sunday producing my first draft, and that sucked. However, I got really positive feedback from my peers. 

 

Local Revision: Variety

In this blog post I will explore the variety in my sentence structure/vocabulary in my controversy postmortem assignment. 

Variety: Sentences and Vocab

1. How much variation is there in your sentence structures in the current draft? Can you spot any repetitive or redundant sentence patterns in your writing? Provide a cogent analysis of what the Rules for Writers reading tells you about your sentences.

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In my current draft I would say that there is a decent amount of sentence structure, however, I do have a tendency to be redundant in using "as well as" in my sentences. I tried to switch up between long and descriptive sentences to short concise sentences so that I would be able to keep my audience engaged throughout the entire piece. 

2. What about paragraph structures, including transitions between different paragraphs?

My paragraph structures followed the format of a traditional quick reference guide, meaning that they were relatively short and spaced apart. To transition between paragraphs I either switched topics/discussion points or created a new sub-section. 

3. What about vocabulary? Is there variety and flavor in your use of vocabulary? What are the main strengths and weaknesses of the draft's approach to vocabulary?

There is a variety and flavor in my use of vocabulary. I used vocabulary that presented my style or flavor so that my audience could get a sense of my personality. However, I had to cut back in order to follow the form or genre conventions of a QRG. I think the main strength would be the descriptive vocabulary. It really helps to paint a picture for the audience. In terms of weaknesses I would say that some of the terminology is advanced since my draft deals with a medical issue.