Friday, March 2, 2012

UWP Student Writing Conference

The conference was really helpful especially because each presenter took us through their entire process. The first presenter wrote on a subject very unrelated to our class, yet really interesting. Her topic focussed on how the media can and does influence the public's opinion using connections between two wars. Since I am a journalism major I am really familiar with this topic. I find it really interesting that she chose the El Salvador Civil War and Iraq War to discuss the public's approval ratings for presidents. Additionally, it was really helpful when she explained that her argument changed at the last minute. I tend to have this problem a lot; therefore, now I know how to better handle it. She also explained how sometimes you cannot answer every question your topic draws. She was really focussed on method sources, which gave me some further insight on the concept of a method source.
The second presenter took Professor Berry's class last semester, so she offered so much insight. Her topic was the positives and negatives of the Catholic church's negation of contraception. I asked a lot of questions about interviewing because she had interviewed a lot of people and I know we have to as well for our final paper, so that was really helpful. Especially because she said just because someone says something does not mean it is always 100% accurate and that you should basically fact check. Also, she explained how her argument was not really for or against, but rather explaining the benefits and drawbacks. She also talked about using a lens, hers was humane vite. The most helpful piece of advice she offered was to keep an open mind when researching. This presentation really showed the appeal of writing about something controversial. I think I will definitely try to pick a topic that is controversial for my paper because papers on controversial issues always seem passionate. You could tell Jackie was really interested in her topic and she was really well informed. I would like to come out of the final paper knowing I learned something new.
The conference overall was great to get me thinking about what I may want to write about. I was especially glad I was able to hear the project of someone who took Professor Berry's class last semester.

21 comments:

  1. The presentations that I watched were both interesting and helpful. The first one was about a film, actually, which I thought was perfect for this class. She researched one element of psychiatry, and then used a film as an exhibit source (I think) to exemplify her research. And in using the film, she used both elements of the plot and the visual/audio decisions of the director, which is similar to what we have to do. She took us step by step through her paper, her process, and what she actually wrote about. The other presenter focused her presentation on her process, and read to us different parts of her project. This was great because she have us examples of different intro's we can use to grab the reader's attention, how to structure an argument (where to put background info, etc.) and then creative conclusions. She also gave us examples of the different sources she used, like interviews--which I never would have thought of. They really helped further her paper. I thought both were great presentations, and I now have a better idea of what we're supposed to do. One thing they both mentioned was the freedom within a structure they both had in what they wanted to research. Both were clearly passionate about their research topics, and that tells me that I should really be careful in choosing a topic for the final paper because I will be spending a lot of time on it, and the more I like my topic, the better my paper will come out.

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  2. I agree with both Jamie and Poonam that the presentations helped me understand how to approach our research paper. The first presentation was about mental illness and the second was about biracial identity in America. Both presentations stressed choosing a topic that you felt connected to on a personal level because enthusiasm for a topic will be conveyed through the paper you write. I've always thought of papers as formulaic. You find one argument and then simply find examples to support the point you want to make. However the presenter on mental illness explained that one needs to forget about finding a set formula. Instead there should be many different ideas that connect to the argument or might even counter-argue. I liked the idea of the presenter on biraciality that one should submerge themselves in the topic first. I've always been the type to have a general idea and then focus on sources that solely connect to the idea I started out with. It made me realize that flexibility during the research stage is key to writing a good paper.
    Like Jamie mentioned, my presenters also talked about focusing on a topic through a lens, which Professor Berry had us think about for brainstorming for our second paper. I feel like sometimes I lose focus amid all the research I'm doing, so keeping in mind the lense I chose will help write a paper that is more focused.

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  3. Both of the presenters in the session I attended mostly just ran us through the structure and arguments of their paper. While I wish they had done more in terms of describing the process that got them there, it was helpful to see how they organized the information they gathered and how they were able to maximize the space allowed for their assignment in a comprehensive way. This also showed me how important it is to choose something you're genuinely interested in, and it's okay if that means your topic changes a couple times along the way.

    The first presenter was a student of Professor Berry, so he also described the interviewing process, which I thought was helpful. He mentioned that he interviewed more people than the assignment called for because he was anticipating that they may not all have something meaningful to add for his specific paper; something I'm definitely going to keep in mind so I don't get stuck with insufficient interview material.

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  4. Although I could not attend the session Professor Berry moderated, I definitely enjoyed going to the one I was able to. The first speaker was describing the occupy movement, and the real reasons behind it along with discussing her participation in an occupy movement. She was South African, and was amazed at the readiness to protest of the occupiers. She even left after presenting to go protest.
    The second speaker I wasn't too keen on. The main topic wasn't very interesting and it was not easy to follow.

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  5. I went to a section about popular culture. Two presenters introduced their work about graphic novels and zombie film respectively. It was very useful for me to know the general outline of a good paper and the process of developing the paper. I really learned a lot of them and had some thoughts with my own paper.

    The best thing I learned was that you need to be interested in your topic. When the presenters introduced their work, I could see the passion and enthusiasm towards their own work. The boy who introduced the Zombie Film also played a piece of video from zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead to us, which made us laugh and feel interested as well. The girl did the same for she is really into comics and read a lot of them such as Persepolis, the Photographer, Role of woman in comics and Hero archetypes. I suddenly knew why they could write a paper as a pleasant hobby instead of a boring and time-consuming task. It also made me take the huge risk rewriting my first paper, without regret. Because I really want to make my papers lively and adorable, more importantly, make my study and research meaningful. Another thing I learned was the title of the paper. They both did great job. One paper was titled Flesh on the Menu: The birth of the Zombie film. The other was the Hero in me. Both of them are very clear and unique. I would remember that in mind. The girl who wrote the latter one also emphasized something such as writing with the “what” and “so what” questions like our professor told us. She also suggested us prepare a special notebook for this class (which I had always did). I hope I could manage to ask myself questions and never be afraid to argue with my sources when writing other papers.

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  6. I went to the Roll of Nespapers in war and politics conference and it was both interesting and helpful. The first speaker talked about researching and how to wrtie good papers as well as looking through articles to find one that is helpful. The second speaker talked to us more about what medias do in times of war and crisis and how they can be a great propaganda. Both speaker's words were very interesting and I definitely enjoyed it

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  7. I thought the most helpful part of the UWP Student Writing Conference was the step by step process that the presenters walked us through. Both the presenters at the 2:30 session were succinct and clear in describing their methods of everything--from how they chose their topic to how they inserted quotes. I thought the personal connection that both presenters had to their projects made it much easier to understand why they did so well--the passion they had from their subject allowed them to fully devote themselves to the project, and gave them an internal motivation. Both presenters did a great job of being captivating.

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  8. The topics of the session I attended were "covering chaos" and Prof. Berry's "religion and environment". I had a really good time listening to their presentation because both of their topics were very interesting and they helped me realize what was important in a paper, how to research efficiently and how to try to manage stress.
    One of the girls talked a lot about Method sources, which I had never really understood before and became a lot clearer as I was listening. She was explaining how this source had to be present all the way through the essay, without especially being the central topic, but more of an explanation on the right way to analyze and understand all the other sources we have.
    The second one, professor Berry's student, was also very interesting because she based most of her paper on interviews that she made. I never even thought about doing this but it was actually a very good source, because then the information comes from a specialist or someone who can talk about the values of a group from within.
    Lastly, both of them emphasized the fact that they did not know what they wanted to do with their paper until very late in the semester. They changed their arguments multiple time, felt lost, asked for help, kept their mind open to what they might find during their research instead of just trying to prove a point. This was very encouraging to me because I have felt completely lost on the first assignment, so knowing that it happens to everyone makes me get ready for it in advance- which I think is good.
    On the whole, these presentations were helpful to me and I feel more confident about starting our final paper.

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  9. I went to session 8 of the UW conference, and I found both of the student presenters helpful and knowledgeable when it came to writing a focused and lengthy research paper. Both students were in Mark Mullen's class concerning the media and contemporary international issues covered in US media sources, which was both interesting and scholarly. Both students had slideshows portraying each step of their research process, how they got to their questions, theses, and how they found sources that went along with what we learned about BEAM. One of the presenters was very personable and she had a slide about how many hours were spent in the library and researching etc. during this process. It really helped inspire me to write about something I'm interested in that has a lot of information concerning the subject, and I think I will be able to narrow ideas down more easily thanks to attending this conference.

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  10. Similar to everyones comments in previous posts, I found the writing workshops to very insightful. I went to the 11:20 session where two students presented their papers on the movie Psycho and ADHD.

    I found both of them insightful because I am in the process of writing my paper on a film and we have yet to do our final big paper. Both presentations acted as guide for me to understand how to approach both papers. Also the two students put me at ease about being able to pass UW successfully.

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  11. Username is still messed up, this is Kevin Marshack.

    I also went to session 9 with Jamie. One of the things I know I will struggle with in the paper is the fact that I will likely ask more questions than can possibly answer. When the first person presented this fact to us and that we would likely not be able to evade this reality, I kind of freaked out. I've always written papers with the intention of answering the question you outline in the introduction and by the time you get to the conclusion, you have either completely answered that question or provided a few ways that the question could later be answered.

    The best piece of advice that the second presenter gave me was to keep an opened mind and try to check your bias at the door while doing research. I am quite opinionated on the matters of science and religion, and while I do try to be fair, it is impossible to completely be objective when talking about these matters. So I will have to be careful to be not be overly biased towards one entity over the other.

    Overall, I was really impressed with both of their research methods.

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  12. While I did not manage to actually attend a UW conference, I did have an interesting Vern Express ride that made me start thinking about technology's effect on human interaction. After getting cut off, our Vern Express driver got lost, and we ended up getting a pleasant tour of embassy row. Fun fact of the day, both Zambia and Haiti have an embassy. But after we got cut off, I started wondering if that driver's decision wasn't nuanced by the technology we used. In this case, I'm referring to cars and our interactions while driving. I am unfortunately unable to begin to answer this question, because even the poorest areas of the world that I've lived in have had access to motorized vehicles. That being said, its still been on my mind. Would that driver had done the same thing if, instead of cars, we had been on bicycles? Does the technology, at least to some extent, dehumanize that social interaction? I couldn't help but remember every time I've gotten angry after some idiot merged into my lane without a blinker, or every time I've shouted at some car for going to slow. Do we think of other drivers as people or as other vehicles? I think at times I definitely treat other drivers as one and the same as their cars. But I wouldn't consider my behavior to be indicative of humanity as a whole. What do you think?

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  13. For the UW session, I went to Gender Stereotypes in Gaming and Comics.
    Though I am not in the least bit interested in video games and comics, I thought that the points brought up in the panel were very interesting. Women are portrayed as sex symbols and usually are not independent and strong, but play the damsel in distress a lot of time. The whole time both of the panel members were presenting, I could not help but think that the same views can be said about men. They are highly masculine and have to be brave, strong, attractive, charming and independent all at the same time. Women also have to be attractive, smart, very good with men, and independent. Though this may not seem to be from a feminist point of view, I do believe that comics and video games portray fantasy views of both women and men. But, that is what pulls people in—being able to be in a fantasy world. Someone brought this up, and one of the panel members said that they both simply looked at comic books and video games from a certain lens—in this case from the view of a woman. The same paper could be written from the lens of the stereotypes men are portrayed as. I thought that was interesting because it shows that one topic can be taken in very different directions. Another thing that I thought was interesting in the panel is that both of the panel members talked to people that were experts in their field. I think that is very helpful in developing a good paper and really understanding the full spectrum of what you are writing about. Also, asking the right questions and then discovering the answers is another helpful point in writing a paper.

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  14. I attended the videogame writing conference where both moderators touched on the depiction of in the gaming industry such as videogames and comics. Both touched on important techniques used in their writing such as using sources and structuring their actual essay. What I was more interested about was how they reduced their bias in their essay. Both seemed to heavily favor the advancement of women roles in the industry and their presentation only illustrated their disgust in the system. When I questioned them about their bias they mentioned how they attacked it in their actual essay. They included sources showing demographics about their topics to make the reader see no random speculations was made, they included counterarguments and made direct comparisons between the roles of women and men just to mention a few of their techniques. I was still not sure how they decreased their bias in their paper but I at least learned some techniques to decrease any bias in a paper, which was a problem I had with the first paper.

    These conferences are useful in that students can help you address direct issues you have with your paper or writing technique.

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  15. It was good to see the process that the writers went through to construct their paper -- I appreciated seeing them both describe the same process in different ways. That is, talking about how they came to a writing topic AFTER they did research, not the other way around.

    Similarly, it was good to see how they both took such a great deal of time to understand their topic, rather than regurgitate knowledge accumulated. It was also great to have a heads-up on how much a time consumer the paper will be!

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  16. I went to the conference about reactions to trauma. Both of the student speakers were helpful in explaining their processes of creating and finalizing their essays. I thought that both of their presentations had interesting focuses, one on the reaction to 9/11 through comics, and the other on the efforts made by the liberators of the concentrations camps during the Holocaust. They both said that although the whole process of turning in and editing their papers was helpful in creating their final drafts, they said that they felt that the most important part of the process was peer reviews of their work. I think that their points about this part of the process were very true and I plan on taking more advantage of this step of creating my next paper. I appreciated the insight that these two speakers had towards writing a good paper and plan on using the advice they gave for WPII.

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  17. I never made it to any of the conferences because I somehow managed to get on the only vern express to get lost on the way to the vern and not make it; but at least it managed to find its way back to Foggy Bottom. From reading other student's blogs it seems that the presenters touched on subjects such as researching and the writing process. I like that we get to turn in rough drafts before the final draft for editing from both Professor Berry and our peers. I think it is very helpful to receive feedback from multiple sources. As some of the prior bloggers mentioned, I think doing proper research for a paper is also crucial to making a good argument in your paper and having a well organized piece.

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  18. The conference I attended was about "putting yourself in the research."
    It was interesting, because both paper topics were extremely different (one was on miscarriage, and the other was on super villians). Both presenters did a great job at explaining how they went the extra mile in their research, by picking topics that both appealed to them.
    I'm glad I attended the conference--- even though I didn't see the connection between the two papers, I did see the connection between their research style, and I'm sure it will help me in the future.

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  19. I attended the same conference as Wale, the one about comics and gaming. Both students' papers examined the role of females in predominantly male interests. One of the overarching points made by both presenters was that the companies who produced the comics and video games had nothing to gain from not catering to females with their products. At video game conventions, women generally serve one purpose which is to exude sexuality in order to draw men to the booth that they were representing. I found the conference very insightful and the most important thing, I think, I got from the conference was to choose a topic that I am interested in because writing about something I like makes it much easier.

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  20. Attending the writing conference provided a very helpful insight to in the writing process that we will be doing for the final paper. Seeing the process that each of the presenters took gave me insights and ideas on how to even approach the final paper. It was obvious that the presenters took a great deal of time to understand and connect with their topic because it really showed when in their work.

    The idea about putting quotes and information on notecards to have and arrange any way you want, was a great idea.

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  21. The conference I attended provided me with some great insight on the process ahead for my final paper. The two presenters made me see how important it is to be proactive and begin searching for a topic as soon as possible. Both of the presenters put a strong focus on the construction of their essay, something I will have will have to consider going forward. The most important point I took from the conference was that I need to be sure of my focus long before I write the paper lest I have serious trouble writing it.

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