Unit 4: Post 26

Rhetorical Strategies in Our Visual Argument:

Well, we are planning to utilize several rhetorical strategies in our presentation. We are bringing in logos through the statistical information on the prices of the various housing options here at TCU compared to off campus possibilities, such as Orion at Oak Hill. The facts are staggering...it costs at least $900 a month to live in any of the oncampus apartments and only $700 a month for a townhouse! My hope is that these facts will also bring emotions to our audience, the TCU students and administration. Another way we are going to use pathos is by including pictures that better illustrate the comparison between the housing. I personally love the picture included on our T-shirt. It is of a TCU frog that is walking around carrying his stuff cus he is homeless like many of us students.

TCU has a housing crisis. Our group has a lot of ethos as, between the three of us, we have one homeless frog, one frog whose hopped the pond to a better option, and one frog that does have an overpriced home. My main hope is that people's eyes are opened as to how messed up the housing system is. I think there are students that suspect there is an issue, but they don't know just how screwed the system is. Granted, the three of us probably won't be able to really enact a large change, but maybe we can at least sow some seeds of change that might make things better for the frogs to follow us.

Unit 4: Post 25

Fastwriting for Group Roles

I tend to like to be the boss of the groups due to my organizational skills. I am not super creative, so I tend to leave that part up to others, but I can get a job done when I need to. While I am not creative, I do like designing PowerPoints and I have designed one website. Once the information is there, I can put it together pretty easily. I guess that has to do with my mad organizing skills.I don't have a particular fear of talking in front of others so I don't mind having an aspect of the presentation, not the whole thing mind you, but part of it. I liked the idea of splitting the presentation into different parts with each member of the group taking one aspect of the presentation.

Unit 3: Post 24 (April 27, 2009)

Author's Note: Portfolio

My topic was on the expansion of Hwy 29 in Georgetown, TX and its affect on my home and the beautiful environment around it. The letter to the editor focused on an article I found dealing with the proposed expansions, it literally was the only article I could find dealing with my topic. My main things I pointed out were the faulty information included in the article and also the lack of information on how this expansion would affect the Hill Country environment. The op-ed was written with the idea in mind of getting people to feel connected to the problem and to try and convince them to speak with their congressman and county commissioners. I really wanted to appeal to their ethos and their pathos. A lot of people are losing their homes...I wanted this fact to be known. This ties in to the humorous argument I did. I depicted a bulldozer representing the construction people and those that wish to destroy this scenic view surrounded by a circle of giants that depicts the people that live in this area. They are saying "We are More" in order to convey that we do outnumber those that want to destroy the Hill Country. This is the second doing of my humorous argument. The first one was even less humorous, but it did show pictures of the area that is in jeaporady and I really wanted to include that...

Unit 3: Post 23 (April 22, 2009)

Author's Note: 2nd draft of humorous argument

I did a total revision of the humorous argument. Literally, everything was deleted and this product is totally new. I still believe I lack humor, something that I tend to lack normally, so any input on this would be great. I used the format I did to try and represent the fact that the residents on Highway 29 outnumber those that wish to irrevocably change it. I do believe this point came across in the "We are more!" statement, but let me know if it wasn't clear enough. I am very open to any suggestions you might have on improving the humor and on changing the format.

Unit 3: Post 22 (April 20, 2009)

Author's Note:

Well, this draft is by no means the final product. I am not a very humorous person and the lack of humor came across pretty clearly in the cartoon I attempted. I really have a lot of concerns mainly because I don't think that this is going to work at all. There is a decided lack of humor and it doesn't make a lot of sense. I did like the inclusion of photographs taken from my home community because it gives life to the problem of them ruining all of this beauty. The final draft of this will be very different and hopefully will be funny.

Unit 3: Post 20 (April 11, 2009)

Author's Note for Op-ed:

Hey you guys, I figured I ought to go on and get my author's note posted for you guys. This is a definite first draft of the op-ed. I seriously have no idea what an op-ed should read like, so it is very probable that I have missed the mark. My main concern is just that it makes sense and seems like a pretty decent op-ed. I think I put quite a bit of information in it and am not sure if it was overkill. Any suggestions would be really appreciated!

Unit 3: Post 19 (April 08, 2009)

Prewriting: Op-ed

• Read several op-eds from your chosen venue. What are the general tone and assumed audience in this venue? What is interesting or unique about these pieces?
• Community Impact Newspaper
  - The op-eds I’ve read use a lot of logos and statistics to appeal to the audience’s logic. There is a touch of pathos in them as well. A lot of the ones I read dealt with the economic situation and the sight of the closed businesses. Others spoke about the traffic situation in the growing areas of Williamson County. The assumed audience for this newspaper would be the residents in the community. They are the ones affected by many of the issues spoken of in the paper.
• Decide one specific, identifiable issue or question for your focus. It needs to be related to your overall topic for this unit, but try to target a specific aspect of that topic. Describe your choice of specific topic.
  - Highway 29’s expansions will take away the Hill Country, semi-rural feel of Georgetown and Liberty Hill. The road will cut through the San Gabriel River multiple times and also cuts multiple ancestral ranches and homes in half.
• Choose a specific course of action or approach to be taken to addressing that issue or question. Don’t just say that a policy or situation is bad. Tell your readers what should be done about it.
  - I’d like readers to speak out about these road expansions. Possible courses of actions include attending open houses, writing to the commissioners, posting comments in the multiple forums that exist for this purpose, and also filling out forms off of the city’s website.
• Determine what rhetorical appeals will be most effective for your audience (ethos, pathos, logos, style). Discuss what appeals you will use.
  - I believe, since this proposed expansion is cutting into people’s homes and often their livelihoods, pathos is the best way to go. I have some ethos in that I live off of 29, but I am, in the end, just a simple college student. Emotions and passion will work best with the audience which mainly consists of activists and residents of that area. I would also include logos in providing facts about the multiple ancestral ranches and goat farms and everything that will be affected by this. Some other facts I’d include would be about the insanity of a road that will cross the San Gabriel River twice. That river is very prone to flooding; in fact, in 2007, the river rose over 18 feet. Luckily, not too much was damaged because not too many things are built that close to river.
• Write about what will best support your points for the rhetorical situation (facts, hard evidence, personal experience, anecdotes, referring to other authorities, etc.).
  - I plan on using facts and personal experience more than anything. I have lived in Cimarron Hills for over 6 years and have seen the changes in Georgetown and Liberty Hill first-hand. Also, I have walked on the ranches that line the road, fed the goats at my friend’s house, and went floating down the San Gabriel River. The facts I plan on having would concern the history of that area and how we should be figuring out how to preserve that beautiful Hill Country instead of destroying it.
• Is there any research that you need to do?
  - Yes, I need to get more information on all the wonderful things that will be destroyed by this road. There are acres of rolling hills and hundreds of longhorns, deer, and goats. The ancestral homes and ranches I also need more information on.

Unit 3: Post 18 (April 5, 2009)

Okey dokey...this is totally late. It completely slipped my mind that we were supposed to post the rough draft here as well as on DocSharing. My bad, here it is.

Letter to the Editor: “The Future of Hwy 29”

This article was posted on August 08, 2008 in the Community Impact Newspaper servicing Georgetown, Hutto, and Taylor and was written by Beth Wade. The title of it is “The future of Hwy 29” and it talks about the proposed expansion of Highway 29 in Georgetown and other neighboring cities. It also discussed the subdivisions that are currently on Highway 29 and those that are proposed to be built along it; a total of 19,005 lots.

I live in Cimarron Hills which is a private neighborhood whose beautiful landscaped entrance is right on Highway 29. Part of the neighborhood is in Georgetown and part is in Liberty Hill. Therefore, we hold stakes in both cities and what affects them. This proposed expansion has the capacity to force us to change the layout of the subdivision. If they expand the existing highway, it will cut off the entrance and some of the golf course. If they decide to build the road as a loop around it, it still will impact the back portion of the subdivision and the houses and lots that are located there. The increased highway will decrease our property values and make it hard to keep the neighborhood as private and exclusive as it has been. It interferes with the very vision of Cimarron Hills, my home, and the beautiful Hill Country around us.

Ms. Wade’s article has multiple strengths and weaknesses in my opinion. The article was fairly straightforward and clearly expressed a majority of the facts in this controversy. I do like the use of the charts to attempt to ‘show’ what the expansion will look like; the only downside is that it doesn’t explain what is happening in the chart and not all of the major subdivision are outlined on the map. For example, they are missing Cimarron Hills on one of the maps which is a particular concern for me as I live there and would really like to know how the subdivision will be affected by the expansion. One of the maps, the alternative option, showed that Cimarron Hills might not be affected by it; it looked as though the road would expand more on the opposite side of the highway. The other map, the one designating the Northwest and Southwest options, shows where the residential land is but doesn’t label the various neighborhoods. I cannot tell how my home will be affected. This is also one of its main weaknesses.

Another main weakness is that it doesn’t totally address how the concept of eminent domain will affect the subdivisions and businesses that border Hwy 29. It would be nice to have a better idea of how the landowners will be affected. Many of them have had land on Hwy 29 for generations. A great many ranches also border Hwy 29 and a loss of land could seriously impact their very livelihood. Also, how the proposed expansion will impact the environment around Hwy 29 which is primarily rural and beautiful country right now. It seems that some of the comments left about the article point out errors in the logic and facts that were presented in the article. One of the facts that is in error is the statement that there hasn’t been a corridor-expansion study done prior. According to Robert McCleskey, there was a study done and published on September 21, 1999. Another fact that was pointed out as being less-than-accurate was pointed out by Debbie. She states that the information concerning the subdivisions is very misleading as some of the neighborhoods listed aren’t located in the area in question. These inaccurate facts really concern me. What else are they wrong on?

I feel that the author in this doesn’t really take a particular stance on the topic. She seems more of an impartial presenter of the facts. However, based on those facts, my statement is that the proposed plan for the expansion of Hwy 29 is an asinine idea that will ruin the whole feel and appeal of the Hill Country and the small-town vision of both Georgetown and Liberty Hill.

Unit 3: Post 17 (March 30, 2009)

The article I found is from a Community Impact Newspaper on "The Future of Highway 29." This article was a really long and complex article with multiple maps and diagrams depicting how the road will look after the changes. I cannot even imagine how that will look driving down it to my neighborhood. I cannot imagine how different my neighborhood will be with the new road. The whole front of it will have to change. We might even lose some of the golf course!

Another point brought up in the article was the multiple neighborhoods that are coming into the area of Highway 29. There are 19,005 lots according to the chart. Some of those are proposed and others are already under construction. The whole face of that area will be different within the next 30 years. I am honestly a little scared of what that will mean for everyone that is there and has been there for many years...

ICW: Topic for Unit 3

The topic I'd like to write about concerns the enlargement of Highway 29, one of the few simple highways left in Central Texas. Right now, it is a simple 4 lane highway surrounded by fields and woods. It's not uncommon to see longhorn, horses, deer, or even an occasional coyote roaming next to the highway. This highway is slated to become a 10 lane monstrosity that will consume countless acres of land to complete. My neighborhood is right off Highway 29 and, if this expansion occurs, will lose the entire front part of the neighborhood. Not only will houses have to be moved, but we'd also lose a hole or two of our golf course.

The country is still mainly wild and free, it'd be a shame to have it destroyed. Numerous families and businesses will be negatively impacted if all the changes occur. There is even talk of huge cookie-cutter neighborhoods being built alongside the new highway. At one point, someone mentioned upwards of 5 thousand new homes being built. They will be on 0 acre lots, which means that there will be very little space between them and a loss of any available aesthetic appeal.

Unit 2: Post 16 (March 25, 2009)

Author's Note on Final Portfolio:

This is my final draft of the essay on the causes of Autism. My essay reads like I wanted it to and now that I have the minor issue with the parenthetical citation for the message board fixed, it is done. Based on the feedback I received from my group, I believe that this essay is pretty decent. Whether it's an A or not, I have no idea. I know that I put my best effort into it and that is enough for me. The only main concern I have is the fact that it is still a bit over the page limit so I know I'll get hit for those points. I just couldn't figure out how to change the wording used. I get that more concise language would have put it within the page limit, but then I would have lost the voice and feel that I wanted to establish.

The rest of the portfolio should be great. I have kept up with each of the assignments so I don't anticipate losing points on the rest of the portfolio. Hopefully, the good daily grades from the rest of the portfolio will make up for those points lost on the main essay because of its length. That is my ultimate hope. Overall, this portfolio is one of my favorites and one that I have put a lot of work into. It'd be nice if that work were to pay off in the end.

Unit 2: Post 15 (March 23, 2009)

My previous draft for the workshop was essentially as close to a final draft as I could get. Therefore, this draft isn't too much different from that first one. I tried to make the language more concise, but I don't think I succeeded too much at that. I just like the voice the wording gives to my writing. Any extra input on making it shorter would be nice.

I did make some minor technical changes. For instance, I fixed the block quotations since I was completely off on how you're supposed to do them. One main thing that I have a problem with still is figuring out the citing for The Drs message board. I just cannot figure out how to cite all the different authors. I think once I get that part figured out, I will have the completed work the way that I want it.

Unit 2: Post 14, (March 9, 2009)

Author's Note For First Draft:

While this is a first draft of my paper, I have attempted to make it as close to the final product as possible; I don't anticipate having to make too many corrections to it. I think this draft turned out as well as I was wanting. The only thing that concerns me is the length of it. It is just over 10 pages and the cut-off was 10 pages. I mainly would like any input on areas that could be shortened so I can stay within the page limits. Also, I'd appreciate any feedback, positive or negative as the case may be, that you guys wish to give me.

Importance of my topic for the community:

Autism is the fastest growing developmental disorder at this point in time. If you don't have someone close to you affected by it, within the next ten years that could change. I am personally impacted by this topic as I wish to work with autistic children as a Speech-Language Pathologist.

It is important that we attempt to identify the cause of this disorder and perhaps even find a cure for it since so many children are being diagnosed. I know the families who are watching their children regress want to find out why this is happening to them. Some families continue to feel that the vaccinations are the cause, despite being shown evidence otherwise. As technology continues to improve, perhaps we will be able to definitvely say what the cause is. We have already isolated some genes that could be responsible and as more research is done into this, we may just be able to find a way to stop the spread and perhaps even cure it.

Unit 2: Post 13 (March 4, 2009)

I essentially prepared for writing the two body sections by getting all the information I had, such as the rhetorical analysis questions and the Toulmin charts, and decided what parts to include. I used every section of my Toulmin charts, but I only picked some of the rhetorical anayslis questions. I primarily used the ones dealing with the author, the audience, ethos, and style. I chose to do one of my genetic body paragraphs and one of my vaccine ones.

I have learned a lot more about my topic by actually seeing the best way to organize my information. I found both the Toulmin chart and the rhetorical analysis questions to be quite helpful in helping me analyze the rhetorical strategies that were used. I am a little fearful that I am not correct in my rhetorical strategies. I am just not sure I understand everything that I am supposed to do.

ICW: Prewriting for Rhetorical Case Study

Prewriting- Rhetorical Case Study

· What connects your sources? As you write, you’ll likely come to a start of a controlling idea.
o My sources are divided into two for the genetic causes of Autism and two for the possible vaccine causes of Autism. My fifth source details the statistics of Autism, especially noting the growing prevalence of the disorder. While there is not a great deal of conflict or contention dealing with the possible genetic influences, the idea of the vaccines causing them has caused a lot of debate. One source, a court ruling from the Federal Court of Claims, states that vaccines were not the cause of Autism in the children of three families. They stated that enough hard evidence wasn’t presented to support the claim. Several mothers that replied to the Drs message board after their show on vaccines and autism presented a different viewpoint. The mothers felt that they had lost their kids to Autism within days of their vaccines.
o Controlling Idea: There has been controversy as to whether vaccines have caused Autism or if there is a genetic cause of Autism. One major reason there is a debate is that children get vaccinated prior to age 5 and Autism is normally diagnosed in the time between birth and age 3; there is a definite overlap.
· How would I organize my sources in my essay? Spend a little time narrating why I chose the organization pattern I did.
o Organization
§ Intro dealing with Autism, present some facts about Autism
§ Genetic causes of Autism and analysis
· MedScape Study (2005)
· Washington University Study (2007)
§ Vaccines causing Autism and analysis
· Court Ruling
· Drs Message Board
§ Conclusion tying the different viewpoints together and ending with some more stats from my 5th source
o Why?
§ My sources for the genetics of Autism fit together in that they both researched the same topic. An interesting not is that the 1st source was from 2005 and the 2nd was from 2007. In those two years, much research has been done and the genes in question have been narrowed even more. As there is more contention around the vaccines, I have them after the genetics to present another possibility for the increases in diagnosis. The court rulings stated that the vaccines didn’t cause the Autism affecting three families while the message board presents mothers’ pleas that their children were “lost” to Autism soon after being vaccinated. My 5th source deals more with the statistics of Autism and these stats will be inserted into the introduction and the conclusion
· How do you plan to transition between your sources?
o Intro to Source 1
§ There has been a lot of research conducted in the last several years looking into the possible genetic causes of Autism.
o Source 1 to Source 2
§ A more recent study was conducted two years following this one and has managed to narrow the focus of the genetics of Autism.
o Source 2 to Source 3
§ While many scientists are investigating the genetics of Autism, many families have voiced concerns that their children’s vaccinations caused the onset of Autism
o Source 3 to Source 4
§ The Federal Court of Claims may have ruled that the vaccinations weren’t the cause of the Autism affecting these families, however, for several mothers replying to the Drs message board, vaccines were the cause of their children’s disorder.
o Source 4 to Conclusion
§ The mothers’ viewpoints on the vaccinations impacting their child’s Autism have presented one possible cause.

Unit 2: Post 12 (March 2, 2009)

I love my topic even more after all of my research. Autism has always fascinated me and I am super excited that I am learning more about this disorder. I particularly liked researching the vaccine causes of autism as I watched the Drs episode that delt with this topic. The debate on the show was quite intense as were the responses that the message board had. I honestly am not sure whether I think vaccines are responsible for this increase in the prevalence of autism. The mothers of some of the kids said that their children regressed into autism within days of the vaccines. One described it as "[losing] her child to autsim." The fact that the Federal Court of Claims ruled that vaccines didn't cause the autism in three cases brought before them did start doubt in my mind.

I was worried at first on how these Toulmin charts would turn out, but after finishing them I am glad. They weren't that difficult and it really helped me process more about the sources by having to fill out the charts. I especially found the bottom level with possible claims of rebuttal to be the most helpful. It is a good thing to have to try and debunk what your source says.

ICW: Pre-Writing Primary Source Workshop

2-4 overall concerns about research at this stage in the process.

• I don't have too many overall concerns at this point. The thing I am always wary on is whether or not the source is a true primary source. There were some that I had thought were primary, but I was told they weren't. Another thing that concerns me is if I am narrow enough on my topic. I think I am, and I would just appreciate any advice.

Source Questions:

My sources dealing with vaccinations and Autism are definitely primary sources. One is a court ruling and the other is a message board. I chose these sources because they deal with personal experiences from vaccinations and Autism. The court case took the stance that vaccines didn't cause Autism while the message board displayed both opinions. The message board is my favorite due to its personal feel and the testimonies that are there. The court ruling was the most recent one and its final view was that vaccines didn't cause the autism of little Cedillo or the other 2 families. While that may be the case, the mothers who post on the message board still have their own strong opinions on that matter. What I noticed most about the court ruling was its strictly logical presentation of fact. No emotion entered into the 183 pages until the last little section titled "Conclusion." The message board, however, was very much emotionally driven. It is a very personal and passionate topic for many of the posters and this raw emotion shone through in their writings.

My sources dealing with autism and its genetic causes are primary sources as well. They differ from the ones for vaccines in that they take a more medical and scientific stance. One is a paper from Washington University where a major study was conducted by Dr. Constantino looking into the genetics of Autism. The other one was also a medical site, Medscape, that published their own genetic studies into Autism. I chose these sources because they provided easy access to the information I needed as to the genetic influences of this disorder. The study at Washington University was conducted May of 2007 while the Medscape studies were done in 2005. It was great seeing how things have changed over the years as new technologies have become available. The Medscape site was more in depth and scientific than the article on the study at Washington University. I am very intrigued about how the years have affected the take on the genetics of Autism. Since both of these concern very scientific material, there is a strong sense of logos to them. They are fact based and do a great job of backing up those facts.

My last source is a website that details the statistics of Autism. Since it deals with statistics, it is a primary source. I chose this site over other ones due to its easily accessible information. It was the only stats site I found that listed them in a very simple to follow manner. I didn't have to search around for the statistics. The source lists all the known statistics of Autism in general, it doesn't specifically follow only the vaccines or the genetics. It is impartial to the cause. The statistics of Autism are a very fact-based thing and therefore is very affected by logos. Their information is gathered from such sources as the Center for Disease Control, CDC.

Unit 2: Post 11 (February 25, 2009)

One big thing I discovered during my research was that I didn't have a clue as to what a primary source was. I did manage to find multiple sources that I believe are both applicable to my topic and are primary sources as well. Two of my favorite ones include a court ruling and a message board concerning vaccines and their possible connection to autism. Both of these were verified as primary sources so that reassures me.

My sources are divided down the middle on whether they are behind the genetic cause of autism or the vaccine-induced view of autism. I have 2 for the genetics and 2 for the vaccine. The 5th source I have is a great page with multiple statistics on autism. It was the only site I could find that actually listed all the stats together in a very accessible manner. As my paper will focus on both these potential causes of autism, these sources will nicely compliment my topic.

Unit 2: Post 10 (February 18, 2009)

Well, the topic of my choosing is that of Autism. It is an increasingly occurring problem among the children in this country. I specifically wish to concentrate on the causes of the disorder, such as genetics and vaccines, as well as the outlook the families have for their children. I would like to include the varying viewpoints different people have who are affected by Autism, this includes the doctors, the family, and the person. Source wise, I would concentrate on medical journals, testimonials of the families, and statistics.

I really feel strongly about Autism. I was originally interested in majoring in Special Education so that I could specifically work with children who had Autism and Down syndrome. I have changed majors to Speech Pathology, but I still anticipate interacting with these populations in a professional manner. There hasn't been a lot of research done on Autism in terms of Speech Pathology. There is currently no graduate level course in this disorder like there is in voice or articulation. As the population afflicted continues to grow, the education of the providers of services needs to expand as well. I hope by working on this paper, I will expand my knowledge of this and it will help me once I am on my own in the working world.

Unit 1: Post 9 (February 16, 2009)

Author's Note on Portfolio:

I have to say that I am rather pleased with my final draft. The road was definitely a long one frought with multiple pitfalls, but I think that those were necessary to have the paper arrive where it has. A consistent thing that was pointed out to me everytime someone read my paper was that I had a LOT of great observations, but I just didn't have much analysis of it. It is really hard for me to separate the details and the analysis. I believe I have accomplished this in my final draft as I cut out a lot of my observation notes and spent the time adding more analysis of the space and making sure that I kept tying things back to my primary idea.

I think that this draft is as best as I could do. I tried really hard and cut a lot of information from the paper, something that was very hard for me to do. However hard it was, I feel it was worth it because this finished product is pretty much where I want it to be. Hopefully, a balance has been acheived between the observations and the analysis of the space.