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.

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.

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.

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 1: ICW Ch 7 and 8

What arguments of fact and definition did you notice in your space?

Well, my space is a classroom. There are about 9 kids there on a good day and only 6 were there when I observed. One thing that sets this classroom, and this school, apart from others is that it is for special needs children. This leads to an argument of definition in what exactly qualifies as special needs. Are children with special needs only those kids who are in wheelchairs with cerebral palsy or can the child simply not be able to use speech? These children all have Downs Syndrome. They can walk and interact in their own way, but most of them cannot use speech. The majority of them do know sign language, but this doesn't help much when the teachers can't interpret what they are trying to say. One thing that would make a child designated as special needs as these kdis are is that they cannot go to the bathroom alone. They all wear diapers or pull-ups and need assistance, more so than an 'average' child. The kids also need help eating. They are getting a lot better, but it is quite common to have a child overturn their tray if the teachers are distracted or make some other big mess like spilling their drink. I believe that what qualifies a child as 'special needs' is whether or not that child can function in a normal environment without too much supervision.

An argument of fact is that there are normally 9 kids in the room, but there were only 6. One child was ill and two kids are considered 'normal' and go to a different school on certain days.

Unit 1: ICW Ch 1 (January 14, 2009)

What you found new, interesting, or surprising about Chapter 1. Well, the main point of interest in chapter 1 was that everything's an argument. When I first read the title of the book, I was thinking, "Yea right. Everything CAN'T be an argument." I must say that my mind is definitely changed. Chapter 1 broke down all the different types of arguments that surround us on a day-to-day basis. For example, everything from the clothes you choose to the sign you read when crossing a street is an argument in some form or fashion. It was also fascinating that the connotation of argument in the book is more positive than what is usually associated with the word.

There were many more types of argument pointed out in the chapter than I even thought was possible. Arguments about the past (forensic arguments), present (epideictic arguments), and future (deliberative arguments). There are arguments to convince, explore, inform, to make decisions, and even ones to meditate or pray. All of which I wasn't aware of until reading about them. It is surprising that now I know about them, I do pick up on the arguments that are around us.

What did I resist? Well, I was very resistive to the whole concept that everything is an argument. I didn't really start to believe it until I was more than halfway through the first chapter of reading. I still have trouble seeing the argument being made in some things. For example, one of the pictures of an "argument" is a sign for a hurricane shelter. I still haven't quite figured out where the argument is in that. The book calls signs and ads, as well as other things, "arguments to inform." I will admit that they do inform people and that they are necessary due to this fact. I guess my mind is resistant to the idea that all the signs I see are making an argument.