Group roles

In a group I prefer to complete tasks, no matter how minute and make sure that things are finished. I am not as much of an ideas person as I am a "doer." I prefer to be told what needs to be done, do it and let the other group members do the creative thinking and actual presentation. I am good at delegating tasks and organizing people as well. I can separate tasks and make sure that everyone does their part and has an equal amount of work to do. I don't mind presenting but I would prefer to not be responsible for creating the presentation and thinking of the best means of presentation. If I have been given time to practice the presentation and know what needs to be said, I am capable of presenting.

Op-Ed Prewriting

1) The general tone of op-ed pieces in the Washington Post is academic and includes appeals largely to ethos and logos. The appeals to pathos are also present but are not as prevalent in the pieces that I read. The audience seems to be conservative American's from across the nation, most likely aging from adulthood to upper middle age. The interesting thing about these pieces is that they take on more of a scholarly tone than I had originally expected for an opinion piece. They give plenty of quotations and statistics (when applicable) to prove their scholarly value and intellect to the readers. There was little sarcasm and issues were addressed in a much more serious manner than I had expected.
2) In my opinion piece I would like to target the issue of academic misconduct and academic integrity within the community of college professors. After reading and hearing about Ward Churchill and the controversy surrounding his time at the University of Colorado at Boulder, it is a difficult task for a college student to look at his or her professors with the same sense of respect. This has nothing to do with that specific professor but more to do with the pedestal that Churchill smashed. After hearing about what he has done, it would be foolish for students and administrators alike not to look into cases of possible academic misconduct in their own community. I find the matter to be of great importance and that is why I chose this aspect as the basis of my own opinion piece.
3) I would like to show my readers how important the issue of academic misconduct truly is in our lives. It affects more than just the students. Plagiarism from a professor not only cheats the students but also cheats society as a whole because the young adults that will soon be running businesses and creating policies are not getting the best education that they possibly could. I would like to show how vital it is to society that we have trustworthy individuals educating the up and coming leaders. I would also like to discuss a possible solution to the current cases of academic misconduct. This would be a "zero-tolerance" sort of policy that would override tenures and other barriers.
4) The most effective appeals for my audience will be appeals to logos and pathos. The type of pathos that I will use will be one that gives the readers a sense of urgency and concern for the future of America and the students at our institutions of higher learning. I will do some research on the specifics of a tenure and the sorts of policies that are currently in place to prevent academic misconduct from teachers and students.
5) Facts and personal experience are most likely going to be helpful to me in writing this article. I also think that including an opinion from an administrator from another university would be helpful, as they are another authority on the matter. The facts that I use will aid readers in understanding the tenure process and the importance of quality education.
6) I will research the tenure policies of the University of Colorado at Boulder as well as the policies of Texas Christian University. I may also research the number of cases of academic misconduct across the United States and look at how those cases were handled.

Possible Topic for Letter to Editor

I am looking to write a letter to the editor about the current law suit going on in Boulder, CO between Ward Churchill and the University of Colorado at Boulder. This is connected to the community of Boulder because of the influence of the university in the community. Boulder is very much a college town and most residents have some sort of connection to the university, whether they are a student or a community member working in a business near campus. I am connected to this topic in a couple of ways. I am from Boulder and was around when the original allegations were brought against Churchill. My brother is a student at CU and my grandfather is a former president of CU. Boulder is a very opinionated place, so chances are, most people have an opinion on the issue. Being a student myself, my environment is also connected with the issues of academic misconduct, First Amendment rights and other issues surrounding professors and students. I don't think I will have a problem finding op-ed pieces on this issue, as the law suit is progressing daily.

Prewriting

Prewriting

Connections between sources
So far, the sources that I have seen are connected by their support for Michael Phelps despite his recent run in with the law. A couple of sources have called this a “non issue” and are trying to get it put in the past as quickly as possible. I have seen a little bit of denial within the community as well through these sources. Some sources are saying that the photo was “allegedly” taken and that he may have been pictured with drug paraphernalia but was not actually smoking pot. Most of the sources are making an attempt to keep this issue as small as possible and not let it get out of hand.

Summary/Controlling Idea
The media is supportive of Michael Phelps, despite his recent photograph with a marijuana pipe, and most would like to see the buzz fade around this issue rather than see it get even larger. They are trying to encourage the general public that the issue with Phelps is not a big deal.

Organization

Order of Sources

*Intro* introduce the way we view athletic heroes/superstars, responsibilities that come along with that, tell the story of what happened (could use the statement source here), concerns this might raise in the general public, get into the media’s viewpoint

1. Olympic Hero in Times Square (showing original view of Phelps, post Olympics)
2. Phelps Sorry for Regrettable Behavior (original statement)
3. Phelps Backed by Sponsors (little change in view of Phelps)
4. Additional Source in support of Phelps (either the pastor or police commentary)

*Conclusion* Review the ways in which the issue was presented within each source, do a bit of analysis of how affective the media’s argument has been in the lives of the public.

Justification of chosen organizational methods

I will organize my paper sort of like a narrative. The story itself has developed over time and our view of Michael Phelps has developed overtime as well, so by writing the paper in this same way, I will be connecting it to the bigger picture. I think that it will work well to describe how he was viewed pre-incident, describe the incident itself using his statement, and then go into the reactions of different sources to the incident. The sources themselves are pretty similar. They are all in support of the athlete, but they portray the incident in slightly different ways.

Transitions

The transition from source one to source two will be one reminding the reader of how the media and public viewed Phelps going into the incident.
The transition from source two to three will be one that makes the reader interested in how Michael’s sponsors reacted to his actions.
The transition from source three to four will be one that makes the reader interested in seeing another point of view on Michael’s actions.

Pre-Writing for Primary Source Workshop

One of the concerns that I am having so far in my research process is the lack of material within the sources that I have found. I have found multiple primary sources but they lack depth because they are things like interviews, statements, etc. I'm also concerned with the way they will fit together for an essay. I have one source from before Michael Phelps was photographed smoking marijuana, his statement on the matter, and one source from after he gave his statement. They all seem to fit together but I am concerned as to whether or not I will be able to write an essay with the information that I have gathered thus far.

Source 1: This is a primary source because it is an interview with Michael Phelps directly and is not any sort of analysis on the interview. I chose this source because the questions asked by the interviewers are very telling of the media's view of Michael post Olympic success. This source is about Michael and his life and success at the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. It talks about Michael's up and coming endorsements that he is receiving as well. Light-hearted humor is put to use in this source as it is trying to humanize the champion who seems untouchable to the masses.

Source 2: This is a primary source because it is a statement made by Michael himself and not by anyone there or anyone who heard about it. It is simply the statement that he gave the press. I chose this source because it had potential to give a reason for a change in the media's view of Phelps. What he said was very important to his image on many levels. In the source, Phelps addresses the photograph of him smoking marijuana and assures the public that it will never happen again. The strategies combine to reassure people that he is still a good guy and can be a role model.

Source 3: This is a primary source as it is simply giving factual information about Phelps' sponsors rather than analyzing why they are or are not backing him after this incident. It is a report straight from the sponsors. I chose this source because the idea of losing sponsors was and is very important to Phelps as a result of his actions. This source is about two of the leading sponsors of Michael's career that are standing by him even though he acted in the way that he did. The article is short and uses that to its advantage here. It shows that there is little need for discussion and debate over the matter and that it can be cleared up and left alone.

Observation Notes

Eurotazza Observation 1 Notes:
* Thursday afternoon, 4:30 pm, full but not overwhelmed
* The Employees
o Eccentric, one wearing a hat, one with multi colored hair, one au naturale
o Very friendly
* Customers
o Pairs of girls doing Bible Study
o Groups of students studying
o Singles studying
o Couples on date
o Most order a beverage or snack and either wait by the pick up area or find a table
o “Granola”-natural, new agey
o Business men, or man
* Ambiance
o Soft lighting
o Cozy environment
o Painted to look like a European café
o Fire place is real, brick mantle
o Wood beams on the ceiling
* Set up
o Signs directing to cashier and pick up area
o Tables set w/ aisles
o Couches around fire place
o Window area, risen, smaller tables and different chairs
§ More intimate setting than rest of establishment
* Marketing
o Colorful signs, look exotic
o Simple and fun
o Relaxed writing style but sophisticated
o Two message boards present
§ One w/ suggestions or comments on colorful notes
§ One w/ advertisements for the community



Eurotazza Observation 2 Notes:

* Friday Afternoon, 4:30 pm, PACKED. Last day of business
* Employees
o More employees than on a usual day, full staff present for the last day
o Child of owner writing down orders
* Customers
o Great variety of ages, styles and opinions represented
o Lots of conversation, loud atmosphere today
o Many customers wearing Eurotazza paraphernalia
o Everyone orders something
o Pictures being taken

* Set up/Ambiance
o Empty display cases, running low or almost out of everything
o Busy and less relaxing, more anxious environment

Arguments of Fact and Definition

The most obvious argument of fact in Eurotazza were the signs telling customers the prices. There were also t-shirts available that had a quote on them stating how coffee should be served. Shirts were available with the phrase "Coffee Snob" printed on them. This is an argument of definition because it is arguing that the coffee at Eurotazza is the best and that being a coffee snob means liking their coffee above all other company's coffee. The company is also making the argument that their coffee is similar to a European coffee shop, and is therefore defining European coffee. The other arguments of fact that I noticed were in the restrooms. There were pictures on the walls with dates and names written on them. They are saying that these are indeed the people's real names, which may or may not be a true fact.

Chapter 1 Response

Chapter one showed that everything in society today can be viewed as an argument. I had never thought of arguments in the way that this chapter suggests. It says that an argument isn't always intended to be "won" but could rather be an invitation for exploration. This idea of argument with yourself and your own thoughts rather than with others of differing perspectives was a bit confusing to me at first. I thought that an argument had to be held between two or more people, groups, etc. but this chapter showed me that it can be as simple as comparing different thoughts in your own mind.

I thought that the line drawn between persuasion and argument was too fine. I think that they are really one in the same, especially if everything is an argument. I also had a hard time thinking of everything as an argument because the word "argument" has a bit of a negative connotation. While decision making skills can be thought of as an argument, according to this chapter, I have a hard time labeling them as such. I suppose that I have more resistance to the word "argument" itself than I do toward actually viewing everything as argument.