For the four projects, the genre that I am most nervous about is the Quick Reference Guide. At first glance it seemed like the one that would give me the least grief, but when I read through everything again I realized that it is the only genre that I have not been previously exposed to or have any experience with. I already have trouble making my essays concise, so the idea that I have to basically fit everything onto one sheet of paper is kind of terrifying.
That being said, once I decide what to do for the four projects, I'll most likely be able to pair the QRG with the topic that I feel is most appropriate.
2. What are you most interested in or excited about in regards to the four major projects?
The project that I am most excited about is probably the Public Argument, because I love to argue/debate and I like to think that I'm pretty good at it. I'm going to have trouble deciding what form to do this project in, because I want to do my argument justice.
3. Based on your understanding of the major projects, what are the elements of this course that you have to plan ahead for? How will the coursework described in the four project assignments challenge your time management skills this semester?
I will plan ahead for the Rhetorical Investigation for sure. I should probably begin dealing with my social anxiety and reaching out to professionals in my field soon in order to make sure I have everything scheduled and set up so that I am not rushed when the time comes to interview people. I tend to get really invested in just one thing at a time, so if that happens with some sort of work that is not in this class then I'll have a serious time crunch.
4. How has your past English coursework in high school or in college prepared you for the challenges of this course? What skills will you bring into the course with you?
My high school had a very rigorous curriculum, and students got to design their own schedules, similar to college, so I am used to dealing with a stressful workload. We used a lot of technology at my high school, so I have experience making podcasts and videos. If any of my previous courses helped prepare me for this one I think it would be Speech and Debate. I was involved in many Lincoln-Douglas style debates where students really had to cover all their bases and do extensive research. My high school had many extracurricular competitions and events utilizing all forms of media, one that I had been involved in was the Film Fest. This improved my filming and editing skills as well.
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5. Do you have any questions about the four major projects that haven't been answered by the assignment sheets? What do you still want to know?
I don't have any questions yet... It really seems like I can take anything that I am interested in researching and apply it to all of the projects and genres. I'm just going to have trouble narrowing down my topics!
After reading the posts of my peers, I feel much more relaxed about the major projects in general. I realize that while everyone is probably struggling with different aspects, we are all struggling in the same boat. I enjoyed seeing how everyone else's classes have (or haven't) prepared them for this one, I think it is important to know that about one another so we can all work together and help each other out with different problems!
I really appreciate your post. I feel like I'll also struggle with narrowing down my topics, and with narrowing down my essays into a quick reference guide. I also really appreciate your confidence about your ability to tackle everything, and I agree that knowing others feel the same concerns about the projects makes it easier. I'm a little bit jealous of all your media experience from high school, but I'll be looking forward to seeing what you produce!
ReplyDeleteI did an interview as part of some coursework last semester, and while there was definitely some anxiety I found it really helped to find people I'd already met within the department. It also made me feel better to have a list of questions ready, and to send it to them, so they'd be prepared too. Scheduling a week or so in advance is also great (during office hours if it's a short interview), but it sounds like you've got that under control.
Good luck this semester!
Note on conventions of the blog post genre: Revisit Step 1.5 from "Deadline 1" to re-familiarize yourself with the conventions of blogging. You're missing one item on the bulleted list of conventions there.
ReplyDeleteFor the Read/Reply Reflects: Revisit Step 1.10 from "Deadline 1" to re-familiarize yourself with what the prompt is asking for….. “Be sure to also list who you replied to and provide working hyperlinks to each individual’s post (NOTE: if these links aren’t included or don’t work or if the page it directs us to is blocked from public view, I will not be able to assign you full credit for this exercise)” (Step 1.10).
ReplyDelete