Eleventh Entry: Final Project: TCU Brochure

My argument essay was about the new meal plan that TCU is going to institute next year. The benefits of the new meal plan heavily outweigh the cost of it, and I think that students are going to be happy with the change. Many students are against the new meal plan simply because they don’t know very much about it. My essay was also a way of informing students about the changes that are going to take place.
I have decided that the best way to explain the new meal plan would be to create a brochure that students could read and learn about the most important changes that are going to take place. A brochure is a good way for any one who is interested to lean about the meal plan, but especially TCU students. In a brochure I can talk about the pros and cons of the new meal plan and explain the biggest misconceptions that TCU students have. It will also give students the chance to take the brochure any where and show whoever they want. This will be a great way to inform students who want to know more.
Images: I have decided to use images of the new Union building that I found on line, and I plan on having individual eating together, (they are suppose to be at Market Square). Word art might also help express some of the topics that I am going to write about.
Color: I plan to use bright colors like red and yellow to catch the attention of the readers and to highlight important facts.
Font: Casual font will help my brochure because it will make the reader feel more at ease and hopefully it will draw the readers into the brochure.
A brochure is a great way to utilize the rhetorical process. My general audience for the new meal plan is TCU students. By placing brochures in the Main, all TCU students will have access to them. All most all TCU students go to the Main at least once a day, so anyone who wanted to know more about the meal plan could pick a brochure and read about it. I plan to have a few pictures to help explain my points, and a few bullet points naming important information. Overall, I am going to try to make the brochure have the most information I can, without having too many words/paragraphs that students need to read. Less is better, especially if I can get the information I want to communicate to students in a logical way.

Tenth Essay: Essay #4: Argument Essay Topic

For my argument essay, I choose to write about the new dining plan that will be instituted next year at TCU. As a current student, I was apprehensive when I found out that I was being forced to submit to a meal plan change without any input of my own. Many students on campus argued against the plan and even wrote petitions to the dean.

The meal plan is a topic that affects every TCU student. There are many differing opinions about whether the new meal plan is a good idea or whether everything more difficult for TCU students.

Many students are disagreeing about the new meal plan. Some students think that the all you can eat style is a great idea, especially if you have as many swipes on your card as you want. Other students are upset that they have to pay a significant amount more for the new plan, and they won’t even be able to take their food to go. The topic has seen a lot of discussion so it will be interesting to see how opinionated individuals are.

There are many different sources I can derive information from. First, the TCU Skiff has reported multiple articles on the new food plan. Interviews with students, teachers, and the staff would be very useful as well. Craig Allen, the director of Residential Services would also be a knowledgeable and reliable source. He is one of the people at TCU who wanted to institute the new dining plan, and he did a lot of research so that he could make the plan suitable for TCU.

There are many great questions and discussions that could be derived from this controversial topic, both from the students and the teachers. Why did TCU decide to change the meal plan? How did they get enough votes to do so? What are the differences between the new meal plan and the old one? How do students feel about the new plan? How do teachers feel about the new plan? What makes this issue so important? Many insightful questions can come from this topic.

Ninth Entry: #3 Ethographic Essay Topic

I have chosen to write my ethnography paper on the subculture of professional advertisers because I am an advertising/public relations major. I am interesting in studying and learning about the distinct traits and cultures that makes an advertising agency or agent so distinct.
Advertising is a select profession that has been increasing over that last couple of years. Advertising is also unique because most of the time, decisions are made by team members who have to work together and settle their differences. Agencies work as a team, rather than individuals so that they can keep their clients happy and become successful.
Many advertising agencies share common beliefs and behaviors. They are generally pretty good at knowing what a client wants. A lot of advertisers often may have their ethics challenged and most people who work in the industry know what is right and what is inappropriate. Certain behaviors are also present among many advertisers. They tend to follow the same formats, such as researching, organizing, and presenting information, and they also can become very competitive if they are working for a high profile client.
Most advertisers have their own language, or phrases to describe certain things. One common word that can compromise an agency’s integrity is “puffery.” Puffery is a small lie that makes an advertisement more entertaining than it might otherwise be. For example, the phrase, “whiter than white,” is a good use of puffery. Many other words that are significant to an advertiser’s vocabulary are Image, perception, and repetition.
Unlike other subcultures, advertisers don’t have an extremely specific style of clothing. They tend to wear business attire so that they can appeal to the professional industry. Advertisers do share interests over certain ads on TV, radio, in magazines, and in print.
Advertising is a very competitive and creative industry that contributes billions of dollars to the economy every year. The subculture is unique because it involves individuals who contribute their creativity and opinions to a group, in order to create an incredible finished product.

Eighth Entry: #2 Research Essay Glossing Activity

The general theme of my paper is how romantic comedies affect many women’s perception of a relationship. One central theme I could see was how I kept reefing to how women look at situations, and base the outcome on romantic comedies. Many women go into relationships believing certain fabrications from romantic comedies, such as drama is always present in a relationship, and no matter what happens prince charming will sweep you off your feet. Although sometimes these situations may occur, it is very rare and most women will probably never experience anything to that degree.

One idea in my paper that I was surprised by was the reasoning that it is someone’s job to formulate the romantic comedy premises. I made a good point in saying that there are multiple people who can come up with ideas and dialogue, probably using their imagination and not experience. I think I need to elaborate on this topic more and discuss how the situations many women see on the screen are paid to create elaborate plots that will engage the audience and want them to feel what the characters are feeling.

I feel like my paper does not go into enough detail on how some women are being affected. I think I need to put an example of someone, other than myself in my paper so that readers can see how much of an effect romantic comedies, such as “When Harry Met Sally”, have on society. I think more elaboration and specific situations will engage my readers more thoroughly and allow them to connect with my topic.

Seventh Entry: #2 Research Essay Sources

I found it pretty hard to find any information on my topic because it is very broad, and movie reviews are the only things that came up. I had to change my approach several times on each database. I usually started with “Romantic Comedies in Reality” and when nothing came up I used “romantic comedies perception of reality”, “Romantic comedies effects on women”, “the reality of romantic comedies”, and “how romantic comedies effect women’s emotions”. It was difficult to find anything because I don’t think the topic is generally considered academic, and most of the databases dealt with academic information. When information did show up, it was usually from newspapers and it was hard to distinguish whether it would be a reliable source versus an opinion column. When I tried to narrow my search with certain films such as “the Holiday”, or “When Harry Met Sally”, I found it hard to get anything but praise for the actors and their parts. The realization of my search was that I believe the technology that gave us movies impact the way we look at life in every way. I can’t find how movies have changed our perception or outlook on a certain aspect of our life, such as romance; because romantic movies and movies in general have become such a huge part of our society that it is hard to distinguish what reality is. Most of the databases provided by the library did help me find a few pieces that help support my topic. The search engines were less helpful, especially Google, which was surprising. Doing research for my topic has actually made me more interested in how a woman’s ideal romance has evolved through film and how technology has played a huge impact modern day culture.

Sixth Entry: #2 Research Essay Topic

My topic is how specific movies can alter someone's perception of reality; specifically romantic comedies that alter a woman’s understanding of relationships. Most women have preconceived notions of what the perfect relationship is suppose to be and most of them got their ideas from movies. Although movies can have some truths, they are rarely fact. Technology has influenced our society to believe that relationships should focus on the pleasant or romantic side of a relationship, and not the problems that are encountered. Film alters our perception of reality and glorifies romantic endeavors that are solemn and fundamental. By watching films that idolize romance, some women may be disappointed in their romantic adventures, and look for a relationship that is only exists in movies.
I can narrow down my topic and focus on a few movies that I think alter perception of romance. By giving specific examples, my paper will have more credibility.
Experts have addressed this topic somewhat in magazines, but movie critics have a more in-depth focus on perception and the way society deals with a movie’s message.
By exploring why romantic comedies alter a woman’s understanding of a relationship, women may be better able to evaluate what they are looking for in a relationship, and how to approach one.
I want to pursue this topic because film has the ability to influence every part of our life and sometimes this influence may not be as visible as we think. By examining the affects of film on a society, specifically women, will be able to examine their own lives and see how film has affected their romantic endeavors and the people they love.

Fifth Entry: Personal Essay Revisions

While I was looking over the peer review sheet, I realized that some of the examples and situations I encounter in my paper needed more explanation for the reader. During peer review, the people in my group pointed out some confusing points in my paper that any reader might have had trouble with. I had to remember that I was writing for an audience that doesn’t know how my family interacts and they have little to no background outside of what they read in my paper. I also got feedback that I needed to do more showing, or elaborate on certain events that could have a greater impact on my topic. The feedback was very helpful because after I read over the comments, I could see exactly where my audiences might get confused. I had to re-read my paper as if I didn’t know anything about Bar Harbor so I could avoid assumptions I might have made about my audience. By elaborating certain events in my story, the audience would be able to relate to me and the situations I encounter. I would also have the ability to draw my reader in and make the topic more interesting so that I can keep their attention. For example, I should expand on the topic of the lobster races. Most people probably don’t know what they are, and the more my reader knows, the more invested they may become in my paper. Most of the revisions I make will help clarify significant events that can support and develop the overall message of my story.

Fourth Entry

I was set on writing my personal essay about my first screenplay, until Friday in class. Our recent assignment where we had to bring in an object that described us got me wondering why I loved vacationing with my family in Bar Harbor, Maine. I was telling my mom on the phone about the personal essay we have to write and I told her what two topics I had in mind: my first screenplay or my summer in Bar Harbor. She is a very tentative listener and as I began to tell her about both topics, I realized that I had more questions about Bar Harbor that I would like to delve into.
I started to ask how a place that I absolutely dreaded two years ago captured my heart within a period of two months. I don’t know if it was the scenery, the people, the town, or the array of activities you can occupy yourself with that made me fall in love with Bar Harbor, but I want to find out. The more I thought about it, I realized that it may have been my family that helped my adoration for that small town grow. Living with two brothers isn’t easy, especially when you are stuck in a house with very few places to be alone and no TV. When we first arrived at our house in Bar Harbor, the days seemed to last forever. We sat around and wished we were back in our house in Kingwood, however, my parents new more than I gave them credit for. Two blocks away from our house were tennis courts, and a volleyball court. My parents soon bought us the sports equipment need and our days began to be filled with exciting games and homemade tournaments to see who the best athlete was. Rainy days were filled with monopoly and rummy. My love for Bar Harbor began to grow with the admiration and love that grew stronger for my family.

Third Entry

I have never realized how many writerly roles I have. Obviously, I have never thought about it, but I enjoyed this exercise because it allows you to observe the different qualities and traits you feel comfortable sharing with certain people. As a daughter, I talk to my parents mostly on the phone or my e-mail. I am not afraid to be myself or make mistakes; however when I write an e-mail to my dad, I always make sure the letter is to the point and grammatically correct. For example I recently asked my dad about a recreational event on campus that I wanted to participate in and his answer was “yes, please do it”. He is very concise and does not bother with details. He is a very busy man and I always try to write as professionally as I can around him. When I e-mail my mom, the composition of my e-mails is very different. She never worries about grammar or spelling. When I write to her, my sentences are formulated as if I were speaking to her on the phone. There are short sentences and long sentences with commas and breaks all over the place. I generally have my punctuation in the right place but I never stress over a comma. When writing to my parents, my style is very different. However, when I speak to them on the phone, I speak to them both the same way.
As a sister, I have many different ways of communicating. When I speak to my older brother I usually talk with him on facebook. However, when I say talk, the conversation is usually one-sided. He never responds to the letters that I meticulously write, and if he does it is with a one word answer. I asked him how school was, thinking he would tell me about his classes, and when he responded he simply wrote “fine”. I was naïve in thinking that he would actually tell me anything because he is not a very talkative person unless you are face-to-face. My little brother is completely different. I generally text him or e-mail him. I am very relaxed when I write him because we get along great and he doesn’t care if I mess up on spelling. He is however, the only person I will ever write to using the word “dude”.
When I talk to my close friends, I use text messaging, e-mail, and facebook. When I write to them I am very relaxed because they know my personality. I can say just about anything and I know how they will interpret it. One of my best friends spent last semester traveling with her father so I e-mailed her and told her blatantly to “get a facebook”. Depending on the context of the letter, most people might think that someone is demanding, but her response was “I’m trying, but it’s hard when I am traveling the world with my dad”. I could picture her saying that to me because I have known her for a while.
As a student, I am generally a very good note taker. I take as many notes as possible because I get nervous about the material that is fair game for tests. I also write a lot! Besides the daily exercises we write in English, I am in a media writing class which consists of writing small stories and editing pages out of workbooks. In the media class my teacher was recently telling us about correct grammar usage and I wrote down the definition for a noun, which I am pretty sure I know.
As a writer, my content and structure is constantly changing because I write to many different people. I try to incorporate everything I have learned into my writing but I adapt it based on who I am writing to.

Second Entry

I believe that I can learn to write well because I have confidence in my abilities. With practice and more attention, I think my writing can improve even more. I criticize my writing too much because it is hard to write something and not reread it multiple times with differing opinions. After reading Ballenger's idea of suspended judgment I thought that no one would believe what he was saying. There was no way I could write a paper and not worry about what grade I would get, but when we began doing exercises in class, I could see what he meant. I am slowly beginning to get more confident with my abilities to just write. I agree with Ballenger's statement that "the most important thing that influences a writer's growth is believing he or she can learn to write well". I think that by boosting your confidence in writing, you will feel more motivated to write without worrying who will criticize your work. Like Ballegener points out in ch. 1, by not criticizing the way you write when you do an assignment, your belief in your abilities as a writer will begin to get stronger. With that belief, your skills will begin to improve. By focusing more on what you have to say, instead of how many mistakes you make, you will be able to realize your stronger points. Finding out your better points of writing will allow you to find and develop some of your lesser skills as well. By finding your flaws, you have the chance to enhance your writing altogether. I think that Ballenger does want anyone to limit his or her abilities because they are afraid of criticism from others, as well as themselves. Every improvement made with writing adds satisfaction and confidence to the skills and the capabilities we possess.

First Entry

My name is Breanna Kelly and I am a freshman at Texas Christian University. I am from Kingwood, Texas which is right outside of Houston and I am majoring in advertising/public relations and minoring in radio-television-film. I am fairly confident with my writing abilities because I have had a lot of great teachers and opportunities to improve my writing. Outside of school I like to write advertising slogans, commercials, and screenplays. However, I always find it difficult to finish a screenplay because I can never get a story to fit in chronological order. I also write a lot of e-mails to my family and friends and sometimes I write hand written letters to my grandparents because they lack the technical skills needed to use a computer. I enjoy writing outside of traditional school papers because you have the freedom and ability to create a story and shape every part of it. Writing gives you the ability to create a story that can be interpreted by anyone based on his or her beliefs. Novels and screenplays allow the writer and reader to become anything or anyone they want. I normally like to read fictional books because they are powerful tools that allow me an escape from the real world. They broaden my imagination as well. That is one reason I believe that writing is important. I think writing is a very important skill to know in life because whether someone is writing a letter to a boss, writing an e-mail to a friend, or someone has a job revolves around writing, like advertising, writing is huge part of everyday life. My high school teachers probably had the most influence on who I am as writer because I always had to make sure I tailored my writing to their class. They taught me more than just correct punctuation and usage of words because they gave me constructive criticism that helped me focus on what I needed to improve. They also gave me a basic method of outlining so that my papers would be more organized and easier to write. Usually when I write, I set up an outline with my thesis statement, main points, quotations, and conclusion. This strategy of writing usually is what I always use because it has always worked with the assignments I have been given. However, when I write for enjoyment, I usually just write in paragraph form so that my thoughts can flow onto the paper. I never really liked analyzing the novels I read in class because I always had trouble interpreting what the author really meant in the text, however, if there was one thing I could change about my writing I would like to be better at analyzing text. When I have to analyze novels in papers, I tend to summarize the book more than I examine the text. I would like to improve my critical reading skills because I think it is important to my future studies. I have read, understand, and agree with the course syllabus which I see as the contract for our course.