This blog serves as a reflection on the Production process for Project 3.
As I have stated in the previous blogs, due to some personal issues I sort of fell back on blogposts/pre-production work. However, I am not behind in the project process, for my Rough Cut I produced as complete rough draft, citations included. Now I am spending my time catching up on my blogposts, but I think that I am on a good track and will be caught up by the end of the day. I am really looking forward to getting my draft peer reviewed so I know if I am headed in the right direction.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Production Report 11b
This blogpost serves as an update on how I moved from my Content Outline into a Rough Cut of a certain section of my outline.
- How did you decide to use form to present your content in the raw material you’ve shared here? How did the conventions of your chosen genre influence your choices?
The form of my content in the raw material was pretty simple, just standard paragraphs as part of standard college essay. Quotes were used to properly insert pieces of evidence inside my essay.
For the closing section I will recap on the argument being made, as well as make suggestions on how to alleviate the situation to benefit my side of the argument. I can include a hypothetical solution with some support to further strengthen my argument at the end. By this point in my paper is is crucial to have my audience swayed towards my opinion.
Members are already being tied back by so many rules, that even more restrictions on how men can dance at serenades is just one step closer to members flaking out on greek life as a whole. That raises the question as to “what’s next?” seeing as though everything nowadays every little thing seems to be out of line for fraternities and sororities. There is already such a negative view against greek life, members should not have to deal with excess and irrelevant accusations. Instead of inflicting self-harm to the greek community, we should all be trying to actively break the stereotypes against fraternities and sororities. If more restrictions keep getting placed for no solid reason, greek life will start to diminish on its own. Yes, it is good to stay cautious and prevent bad things from happening, if change is needed it should be done. However, for something like the serenades which has been a tradition for many years without any issues, change should not be made. This situation is so much bigger than just a ban on serenades, it affects the future of greek life at the University of Arizona.
- How did the production of this raw material go? What kinds of any hiccups, challenges, successes, creative epiphanies, etc. occurred during the process?
Outline Item: Closing Section
Adaptation of Outline Item: Closing Section
Production Report 11a
This blogpost serves as an update on how I moved from my Content Outline into a Rough Cut of a certain section of my outline.
- How did you decide to use form to present your content in the raw material you’ve shared here? How did the conventions of your chosen genre influence your choices?
The form of my content in the raw material was pretty simple, just standard paragraphs as part of standard college essay. Quotes were used to properly insert pieces of evidence inside my essay.
For the opening section of my Public Argument, I plan on addressing the situation at hand, along with some background information to give the reader an idea of where the situation started from. I should also include how I personally came across the issue. After some context for the essay has been established I will express my argument that the essay will be based on.
It was a typical Sunday night, I was sitting in my living room with my sisters doing some homework and all of a sudden my phone starts to blow up. The source of all the notifications was coming from my fraternities GroupMe where one of the members shared a link to an article from the website many college students follow, Total Frat Move. The link was to an article about fraternity’s serenades written by TFM member, Alex Buscemi, titled U of Arizona Fraternities Banned From Dancing For Sororities Because It “Promotes Rape Culture”. For those of you who do not know what it means by serenading in Greek Life, serenading is when the newest pledge class of a fraternity goes to a sorority's chapter and presents a performance that is usually a musical act with dancing involved. It is very clear from the article that Buscemi was livid about this accusation that serenading sororities promotes rape culture and my fellow brothers also had some strong feelings in support of Buscemi. I was inspired by how they all came together to have an actual conversation about this situation, looking at it from all perspectives. I personally am writing this article in support of Buscemi, and all other Greek members at the University of Arizona who are against putting additional restrictions on serenades.
- How did the production of this raw material go? What kinds of any hiccups, challenges, successes, creative epiphanies, etc. occurred during the process?
Outline Item: Opening Section
Adaptation of Outline Item: Opening Section
Peer Review 10b
This blogpost is intended to be a peer review for Joshua Smith's Research Report.
Author: Joshua Smith
Link to Research Report: Research Report
Joshua did a great job of finding a diverse list of sources for his Project 3 Research Report. They all seem to come from credible sources such as BBC, CNN, Nat. Geo, etc...but some other sources I am not really sure if they are credible sources. To evaluate this better, Joshua should do some research on not only the websites, but the authors that wrote each article. He should get some background information to ensure that his sources are credible. In addition, Joshua did not explain how these sources will be used inside of his argument, he provides the gist of the sources, but not how they will be incorporated in his project.
Author: Joshua Smith
Link to Research Report: Research Report
Joshua did a great job of finding a diverse list of sources for his Project 3 Research Report. They all seem to come from credible sources such as BBC, CNN, Nat. Geo, etc...but some other sources I am not really sure if they are credible sources. To evaluate this better, Joshua should do some research on not only the websites, but the authors that wrote each article. He should get some background information to ensure that his sources are credible. In addition, Joshua did not explain how these sources will be used inside of his argument, he provides the gist of the sources, but not how they will be incorporated in his project.
Peer Review 10a
In this blogpost I discuss my peer review of Alex Vergara's Rhetorical Analysis for Project 3.
Author: Alex Vergara
Link to Project: Rhetorical Analysis of Project 3
For this blogpost I decided to make a brainstorming suggestion for Alex Vergara on her Rhetorical Analysis of Project 3. From her rhetorical analysis I believe she is writing about the unequal pay for women in jobs throughout the country. It wasn't specified what the public argument was, but I'm sure it is women deserve equal pay as men. She did a pretty good job of creating her rhetorical analysis, however, I think she missed out on a key audience target. Although she wants to write to inform women, I think she writes more about the men's role in the unequal pay with women. I'm pretty sure women are fairly aware, but since this does not affect men, she should try and appeal to their senses in order to make it their problem in a sense. She should want them to read it and inspire them to want a change. If she does not appeal to them, I feel like her argument will be ineffective. I know she addressed that she does not know how to be able to connect with men on this topic just yet, so I think that should be her main concern as she works through this project.
Author: Alex Vergara
Link to Project: Rhetorical Analysis of Project 3
For this blogpost I decided to make a brainstorming suggestion for Alex Vergara on her Rhetorical Analysis of Project 3. From her rhetorical analysis I believe she is writing about the unequal pay for women in jobs throughout the country. It wasn't specified what the public argument was, but I'm sure it is women deserve equal pay as men. She did a pretty good job of creating her rhetorical analysis, however, I think she missed out on a key audience target. Although she wants to write to inform women, I think she writes more about the men's role in the unequal pay with women. I'm pretty sure women are fairly aware, but since this does not affect men, she should try and appeal to their senses in order to make it their problem in a sense. She should want them to read it and inspire them to want a change. If she does not appeal to them, I feel like her argument will be ineffective. I know she addressed that she does not know how to be able to connect with men on this topic just yet, so I think that should be her main concern as she works through this project.
Research Report
This blog serves as a report on the different sources I used as evidence for my public argument. All of my evidence is from web-based articles.
Source: Total Fraternity Move
Author, and Host: Alex Buscemi writing for Total Fraternity Move
Source's Authors: Writer/Content Manager for @GRANDEXinc and @totalfratmove. Recent graduate of USC ('15). Member of Total Frat Move since 8/21/14.
Target Audience for Source: The target audience for this source is all his followers on Total Frat Move, to inform them of the resolution that was passed, as well as, voice his own opinion on the situation. His tone gets a little aggressive at the end, and he does not attend the U of A, so he could not have too many of his facts correct.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to inform all of his followers of this new resolution passed by the U of A Panhellenic Council and to inform the readers about what he thinks about the entire situation.
Contextual Details: Although very informal (which is expected), his passion for this argument really spiked my interest in this subject. His article was the first that I heard about this resolution being passed.
Target Audience for Source: The target audience for this source is all his followers on Total Frat Move, to inform them of the resolution that was passed, as well as, voice his own opinion on the situation. His tone gets a little aggressive at the end, and he does not attend the U of A, so he could not have too many of his facts correct.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to inform all of his followers of this new resolution passed by the U of A Panhellenic Council and to inform the readers about what he thinks about the entire situation.
Contextual Details: Although very informal (which is expected), his passion for this argument really spiked my interest in this subject. His article was the first that I heard about this resolution being passed.
Source: Total Sorority Move
Author, and Host: Veronica Ruckh, writing for Total Sorority Move
Source's Authors: Director of Total Sorority Move for @GRANDEXinc. Member since 3/3/11
Target Audience for Source: The target audience for this source is all her followers on Total Sorority Move, specifically sorority and fraternity members. For analyzing a case study, she keeps it really casual which can be a turn off to those that want to take it seriously.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to inform all of her followers of a case study held by two researchers that show that non-greek members are more hyper-masculine than men in fraternities, and that fraternity men are only appear to be filled with hypermasculinity.
Contextual Details: I used this article as a source because it analyzes the case study and outlines the key findings of the article, all while tapping into the emotions of your average college kid. This article supports my claim that fraternity men aren't what people make them out to be.
Target Audience for Source: The target audience for this source is all her followers on Total Sorority Move, specifically sorority and fraternity members. For analyzing a case study, she keeps it really casual which can be a turn off to those that want to take it seriously.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to inform all of her followers of a case study held by two researchers that show that non-greek members are more hyper-masculine than men in fraternities, and that fraternity men are only appear to be filled with hypermasculinity.
Contextual Details: I used this article as a source because it analyzes the case study and outlines the key findings of the article, all while tapping into the emotions of your average college kid. This article supports my claim that fraternity men aren't what people make them out to be.
Source: Daily Wildcat
Author, and Host: Leah Merrall, writing for the Daily Wildcat
Source's Authors: Writer for Daily Wildcat since February 2016.
Target Audience for Source: The target audience for this source is readers of the Daily Wildcat.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to discuss the resolution that was passed by the Panhellenic Council and to explain the reasoning behind it by quoting Allie Pattberg.
Contextual Details: I used this article as a source because it provides information for those who are pro-ban. I used this source to explain pattberg's side in my essay, and it also helps with my counterargument.
Target Audience for Source: The target audience for this source is readers of the Daily Wildcat.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to discuss the resolution that was passed by the Panhellenic Council and to explain the reasoning behind it by quoting Allie Pattberg.
Contextual Details: I used this article as a source because it provides information for those who are pro-ban. I used this source to explain pattberg's side in my essay, and it also helps with my counterargument.
Source: Daily Wildcat
Author, and Host: Chastity Laskey, writing for the Daily Wildcat
Source's Authors: News Report for Daily Wildcat, Executive News Editor @bottle_magazine, Journalism and Communications student.
Target Audience for Source: The target audience for this source is readers of the Daily Wildcat.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to inform readers about the start of the "I Will" campaign and the week of activities that are planned. It discusses the campaign, what it stands for, and what it plans to accomplish
Contextual Details: I used this article as a source because it provides information for those who are pro-ban, to help me form my counterargument so that there are no holes in my argument.
Target Audience for Source: The target audience for this source is readers of the Daily Wildcat.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to inform readers about the start of the "I Will" campaign and the week of activities that are planned. It discusses the campaign, what it stands for, and what it plans to accomplish
Contextual Details: I used this article as a source because it provides information for those who are pro-ban, to help me form my counterargument so that there are no holes in my argument.
Source: Daily Wildcat
Author, and Host: Elise McClain, writing for the Daily Wildcat
Source's Authors: N/A
Target Audience for Source: The target audience for this source is readers of the Daily Wildcat.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to inform readers about a piece of investigative journalism regarding sexual abuse called "The Hunting Ground" and how it relates to the University of Arizona campus.
Contextual Details: I will use this article to show my audience that greek life at the UA campus is already looked down upon. UA's Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) was said to have a reputation of having the name "Sexual Assault Expected." I will try and refute the accusations made here.
Target Audience for Source: The target audience for this source is readers of the Daily Wildcat.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to inform readers about a piece of investigative journalism regarding sexual abuse called "The Hunting Ground" and how it relates to the University of Arizona campus.
Contextual Details: I will use this article to show my audience that greek life at the UA campus is already looked down upon. UA's Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) was said to have a reputation of having the name "Sexual Assault Expected." I will try and refute the accusations made here.
Source: Daily Wildcat
Author, and Host: Brandi Walker and Christianna Silva and Meghan Fernandez, writing for the Daily Wildcat.
Source's Authors: Brandi Walker- KOLD News 13/Fox 11 Intern & Photographer at The Daily Wildcat.
Christianna Silva- El Independiente, Arizona Daily Star,Bottle Magazine, The University of Arizona, Arizona Daily Wildcat, MergerWatch
Meghan Fernandez- N/A
Target Audience for Source: The target audience for this source is readers of the Daily Wildcat.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to inform readers about an investigation on a report of sexual assault that happened near a fraternity house.
Contextual Details: I will use this article to show my audience that fraternities automatically are targeted for situations of sexual assault, simply because they are so easy to blame. This article was perfect, because, initially, the writers were accusing the fraternity house of being part of the investigation. It turns out that the fraternity was not involved at all, and were not be accused of anything.
Target Audience for Source: The target audience for this source is readers of the Daily Wildcat.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to inform readers about an investigation on a report of sexual assault that happened near a fraternity house.
Contextual Details: I will use this article to show my audience that fraternities automatically are targeted for situations of sexual assault, simply because they are so easy to blame. This article was perfect, because, initially, the writers were accusing the fraternity house of being part of the investigation. It turns out that the fraternity was not involved at all, and were not be accused of anything.
Source: Daily Wildcat
Author, and Host: Devon Walo, writing for the Daily Wildcat.
Source's Authors: Devon Walo, Marketing Associate at Daily Wildcat, Vice President of Communications for Sigma Kappa Sorority.
Target Audience for Source: The target audience for this source is readers of the Daily Wildcat.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to inform readers that greek life is constantly looking for ways to combat assault and alcohol abuse, and to show that greek life isn't the problem, rather the solution.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to inform readers that greek life is constantly looking for ways to combat assault and alcohol abuse, and to show that greek life isn't the problem, rather the solution.
Contextual Details: I will use this article in support of my argument by quoting Jamie Utt of WRC Men's Programming to help show that it isn't the fraternity men who are the problem and are uneducated, rather, they are the ones that set the example for non-greek members.
Source: 2013-2014 Judicial Report
Author, and Host: Fraternity and Sorority Programs
Source's Authors: Greek Life at the University of Arizona
Target Audience for Source: All fraternities, sororities, national headquarters for each chapter, IFC Council and Panhellenic Council.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to show all reports of cited violations by any greek organization on the University of Arizona for the 2013-2014 school year.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to show all reports of cited violations by any greek organization on the University of Arizona for the 2013-2014 school year.
Contextual Details: I will use this data source in support of my argument to show that sexual assault in fraternities has not been an issue over the years.
Source: 2014-2015 Judicial Report
Author, and Host: Fraternity and Sorority Programs
Source's Authors: Greek Life at the University of Arizona
Target Audience for Source: All fraternities, sororities, national headquarters for each chapter, IFC Council and Panhellenic Council.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to show all reports of cited violations by any greek organization on the University of Arizona for the 2014-2015 school year.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to show all reports of cited violations by any greek organization on the University of Arizona for the 2014-2015 school year.
Contextual Details: I will use this data source in support of my argument to show that sexual assault in fraternities has not been an issue over the years.
Author, and Host: Fraternity and Sorority Programs
Source's Authors: Greek Life at the University of Arizona
Target Audience for Source: All fraternities, sororities, national headquarters for each chapter, IFC Council and Panhellenic Council.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to describe what the Greek Standard's Board is at the University of Arizona, their constitution, how to file a complaint, and how to become a member of the board.
Source's Main Purpose: The main purpose of this source is to describe what the Greek Standard's Board is at the University of Arizona, their constitution, how to file a complaint, and how to become a member of the board.
Contextual Details: I will use this data source in support of my argument to show that fraternity men and sorority women hold each other accountable for ALL of their actions and that their is actually a board in each chapter where members will be sent if a complaint is filed against them.
Rhetorical Analysis of Project 3
The following blogpost serves as a Rhetorical Analysis for Project 3- A Public Argument.
1. How will you draw on any or some of the following for Project 3? Be specific about how your plans for Project 3 connect to some previous, current or burgeoning interest of your own, such as...
I recently joined a fraternity this past semester and it is always been something that I enjoyed talking about ever since I joined. I was really intrigued by how much my views actually changed about what a fraternity is and what the people are like. When I saw how outraged my fellow brothers were about this ban on serenades it really showed me how everyone comes together to fight a fight together. It also gives me the opportunity to knock down outsider's views of what a fraternity is and show them that it is not what they think it is (for the most part).
2. What are the preconceptions, previously held opinions and/or potential areas for bias that you should be aware of for Project 3? What about any of the following?
I think that being a part of a fraternity obviously gives me some personal bias towards one side of the argument. However, this is not really a fight between outsiders of greek life and greek members, rather a fight between greek members and their higher power. Obviously, for this subject, I don't have a bias to promote rape culture, but I do believe that fraternities and sororities already have so many restrictions, that adding more will just lead to the demise of greek life at the U of A.
1. How are you thinking about your audience for this project? Who are you going to make this for? Describe them.
The primary audience for my project would be all members of Greek life at the University of Arizona. This includes sorority members, fraternity members, as well as the Interfraternity & Panhellenic Council. In my essay I also go in to talk about dismissing peoples preconceived ideas about what a fraternity is, so this could affect greek members nationwide. The tone of my essay is casual, but it truly shows how I feel.
2. What beliefs and assumptions might this audience already hold? What position are they likely to take on this issue? How will you respond to that position?
There are a few different types of audience members, but I think there are 3 types of positions that they can take on this argument. The first type of audience member is in support of the argument that there should not be a ban on how serenades currently are. This is most likely a majority of fraternity members as well as a good amount of sorority members. The other type of audience member is in support of Pattberg's resolution to ban serenades and/or make them more traditional. This audience is most likely to say that even though there have not been any issues with yet, they want to prevent anything from happening. They could say that people are too nervous to say something, to which I refute that there are many different ways to form a complaint or talk to someone. In no way are they forced to participate in these activities. I will also bring in the case study about how fraternity men are less hyper-masculine, as well as the judicial reports outlining how no sexual assault has been reported for any fraternity over the past few years. The third audience member is probably ambivalent towards the issue, and these would be key target audience so I could try and prove to them my side of the argument with all the evidence I have gathered.
3. How might they react to your argument?
The topic I am covering can be very sensitive and for this reason, I placed in a disclaimer about my beliefs and that I am in no way trying to offend anyone. I am aware that it is kind of like walking on egg shells, but I hope to prove to both the readers against my argument and those who are on the fence about it, that serenades, in no way, promote rape culture.
4. How are you going to relate to or connect with your audience? Are there any specific words, ideas or ways of arguing that will help you relate to them in this way?
One of the main ways I am going to appeal to my audience is by trying to keep the essay semi-casual in the tone it is written in. I want my readers to understand that I am just your average college student trying to fight for what I believe in. I think this will tap into the emotions of college students campus-wide because everyone has their own battles they are fighting, and mine currently, is trying to correct people ideals on what a fraternity is. I should not have to justify why our harmless activities have been deemed as "promoting rape culture," and it looks even worse that is came from someone inside of greek life. In order to appeal to the senses of board members of the council, I will provide ample support for my argument to try and prove to them that even their ideas about fraternity men are flawed.
5. Think of one specific person or a set of people you know personally or professionally who fall within the definition of ‘target audience’ you’re using for Project 3. What could you tell them or say to them in order to convince them of your perspective? What would need to happen for them to agree with you?
My target audience out of this whole argument would be the board members of the council who passed this resolution. I would first start by showing them that I understand their argument and that they have valid points, but I would come back with they have no valid data in support or their argument. I would then go in to provide examples of why their ideas are flawed, the effect the resolution could have, and show that they are making greek life look worse to outsiders on top of the negative outlook people have on us already. I would tie it all back by showing them that I respect what they are trying to achieve here, but this resolution is unnecessary, has a negative effect, and there are bigger problems to fight with. I believe that showing them that not only serenades are a harmless activity, but the men performing them are also harmless will make them realize that they are getting ahead of themselves.
1. What do you want to accomplish with Project 3? What affect do you want it to have on your intended audience? For instance:
With Project 3, I hope to not only get my target audience to reevaluate their decision on the ban that was made on serenades, but I also hope to reach the minds of many students college-wide to show them that fraternity men are not as douchey and rapey as many make us out to be. The guys may act like assholes on the surface, but that's because they are trying to live up to this standard that they think college men are, but on the inside fraternity men are well-educated, respectful men (well a good sum of them).
2. Once you’ve done all your research and figured out what you think about the controversy you’ve chosen, what still needs to be accomplished?
I think I need to make sure that I try and make this argument specific to the serenades at the same time, and try not to make it an argument as to why fraternity men are not assholes. However, big part of explaining my argument, is showing how well educated these men are on substance abuse, sexual assault, etc. I need to make sure my audience understands that the intention of serenades is supposed to be in good fun for both parties, where the guys make fools of themselves for the enjoyment of the women in sororities.
1. What course genre will you be writing in for Project 3?
For project 3 I am doing the Standard College Essay.
2. What kinds of audience expectations come along with this genre, generally?
For this writing genre, audience expect a well written, and thoroughly-supported essay that is decent in length. It has to keep the reader engaged and not be too short but also not too long, just enough to get the point across with sufficient data and excess information should be excluded.
3. What is your history working in the genre you have selected for Project 3?
I have been writing essays for years, it is the most common writing genre for English courses, so I am pretty familiar with this genre.
4. Describe your comfort level and general feelings about the genre. How will they affect your work on Project 3?
I feel pretty confident with this genre, seeing as though essays are not out of the ordinary for me. I just have to make sure my conventions are correct for this specific project. I have written 20+ page research papers in high school, so this should not be a hard task especially because it is a subject I am interested in.
5. What are the two most effective conventions in this genre, in your opinion? Why? Be specific.
I think the two most important conventions of this genre are formatting and evidence. Formatting is so crucial, because if you have different fonts, altered spacing, and it just does not look professional, your reader will be distracted and not take your essay seriously. Evidence is also very important, because one can make claims all they want, but if there is no concrete evidence, then the whole essay will be deemed ineffective.
1. Are there any historical events that might impact how your audience perceives your argument or the kind of background information or evidence you need to include? For instance, does media reporting on any of the following involve your issue/subject for Project 3?
There are not really any major historical events that affects how my audience perceives my argument, it is more-so, word of mouth that creates these preconceived ideas. The recent I Will campaign also heavily impacts my argument. This is, after all, where it all started, but because of that recently taking on campus, it may be harder for me to voice my opinion.
2. Who else is talking about this topic? Provide us with working hyperlinks to coverage of the controversy on FOUR different media outlets.
Total Fraternity Move
Daily Wildcat- Say Goodby to Serenades as You Know Them
Daily Wildcat- 'I Will' Campaign Kicks off This Week to End Rape Culture
Daily Wildcat- Greek Programs Try to Combat Assault and Alcohol Abuse
3. What are the three or four major counter-arguments you’ll have to respond to, based upon what people are saying in the press/media? Be specific and cite your sources using working hyperlinks.
Author
I recently joined a fraternity this past semester and it is always been something that I enjoyed talking about ever since I joined. I was really intrigued by how much my views actually changed about what a fraternity is and what the people are like. When I saw how outraged my fellow brothers were about this ban on serenades it really showed me how everyone comes together to fight a fight together. It also gives me the opportunity to knock down outsider's views of what a fraternity is and show them that it is not what they think it is (for the most part).
2. What are the preconceptions, previously held opinions and/or potential areas for bias that you should be aware of for Project 3? What about any of the following?
I think that being a part of a fraternity obviously gives me some personal bias towards one side of the argument. However, this is not really a fight between outsiders of greek life and greek members, rather a fight between greek members and their higher power. Obviously, for this subject, I don't have a bias to promote rape culture, but I do believe that fraternities and sororities already have so many restrictions, that adding more will just lead to the demise of greek life at the U of A.
Audience
1. How are you thinking about your audience for this project? Who are you going to make this for? Describe them.
The primary audience for my project would be all members of Greek life at the University of Arizona. This includes sorority members, fraternity members, as well as the Interfraternity & Panhellenic Council. In my essay I also go in to talk about dismissing peoples preconceived ideas about what a fraternity is, so this could affect greek members nationwide. The tone of my essay is casual, but it truly shows how I feel.
2. What beliefs and assumptions might this audience already hold? What position are they likely to take on this issue? How will you respond to that position?
There are a few different types of audience members, but I think there are 3 types of positions that they can take on this argument. The first type of audience member is in support of the argument that there should not be a ban on how serenades currently are. This is most likely a majority of fraternity members as well as a good amount of sorority members. The other type of audience member is in support of Pattberg's resolution to ban serenades and/or make them more traditional. This audience is most likely to say that even though there have not been any issues with yet, they want to prevent anything from happening. They could say that people are too nervous to say something, to which I refute that there are many different ways to form a complaint or talk to someone. In no way are they forced to participate in these activities. I will also bring in the case study about how fraternity men are less hyper-masculine, as well as the judicial reports outlining how no sexual assault has been reported for any fraternity over the past few years. The third audience member is probably ambivalent towards the issue, and these would be key target audience so I could try and prove to them my side of the argument with all the evidence I have gathered.
3. How might they react to your argument?
The topic I am covering can be very sensitive and for this reason, I placed in a disclaimer about my beliefs and that I am in no way trying to offend anyone. I am aware that it is kind of like walking on egg shells, but I hope to prove to both the readers against my argument and those who are on the fence about it, that serenades, in no way, promote rape culture.
4. How are you going to relate to or connect with your audience? Are there any specific words, ideas or ways of arguing that will help you relate to them in this way?
One of the main ways I am going to appeal to my audience is by trying to keep the essay semi-casual in the tone it is written in. I want my readers to understand that I am just your average college student trying to fight for what I believe in. I think this will tap into the emotions of college students campus-wide because everyone has their own battles they are fighting, and mine currently, is trying to correct people ideals on what a fraternity is. I should not have to justify why our harmless activities have been deemed as "promoting rape culture," and it looks even worse that is came from someone inside of greek life. In order to appeal to the senses of board members of the council, I will provide ample support for my argument to try and prove to them that even their ideas about fraternity men are flawed.
5. Think of one specific person or a set of people you know personally or professionally who fall within the definition of ‘target audience’ you’re using for Project 3. What could you tell them or say to them in order to convince them of your perspective? What would need to happen for them to agree with you?
My target audience out of this whole argument would be the board members of the council who passed this resolution. I would first start by showing them that I understand their argument and that they have valid points, but I would come back with they have no valid data in support or their argument. I would then go in to provide examples of why their ideas are flawed, the effect the resolution could have, and show that they are making greek life look worse to outsiders on top of the negative outlook people have on us already. I would tie it all back by showing them that I respect what they are trying to achieve here, but this resolution is unnecessary, has a negative effect, and there are bigger problems to fight with. I believe that showing them that not only serenades are a harmless activity, but the men performing them are also harmless will make them realize that they are getting ahead of themselves.
Purpose/Message
With Project 3, I hope to not only get my target audience to reevaluate their decision on the ban that was made on serenades, but I also hope to reach the minds of many students college-wide to show them that fraternity men are not as douchey and rapey as many make us out to be. The guys may act like assholes on the surface, but that's because they are trying to live up to this standard that they think college men are, but on the inside fraternity men are well-educated, respectful men (well a good sum of them).
2. Once you’ve done all your research and figured out what you think about the controversy you’ve chosen, what still needs to be accomplished?
I think I need to make sure that I try and make this argument specific to the serenades at the same time, and try not to make it an argument as to why fraternity men are not assholes. However, big part of explaining my argument, is showing how well educated these men are on substance abuse, sexual assault, etc. I need to make sure my audience understands that the intention of serenades is supposed to be in good fun for both parties, where the guys make fools of themselves for the enjoyment of the women in sororities.
What Genre?
1. What course genre will you be writing in for Project 3?
For project 3 I am doing the Standard College Essay.
2. What kinds of audience expectations come along with this genre, generally?
For this writing genre, audience expect a well written, and thoroughly-supported essay that is decent in length. It has to keep the reader engaged and not be too short but also not too long, just enough to get the point across with sufficient data and excess information should be excluded.
3. What is your history working in the genre you have selected for Project 3?
I have been writing essays for years, it is the most common writing genre for English courses, so I am pretty familiar with this genre.
4. Describe your comfort level and general feelings about the genre. How will they affect your work on Project 3?
I feel pretty confident with this genre, seeing as though essays are not out of the ordinary for me. I just have to make sure my conventions are correct for this specific project. I have written 20+ page research papers in high school, so this should not be a hard task especially because it is a subject I am interested in.
5. What are the two most effective conventions in this genre, in your opinion? Why? Be specific.
I think the two most important conventions of this genre are formatting and evidence. Formatting is so crucial, because if you have different fonts, altered spacing, and it just does not look professional, your reader will be distracted and not take your essay seriously. Evidence is also very important, because one can make claims all they want, but if there is no concrete evidence, then the whole essay will be deemed ineffective.
When?
There are not really any major historical events that affects how my audience perceives my argument, it is more-so, word of mouth that creates these preconceived ideas. The recent I Will campaign also heavily impacts my argument. This is, after all, where it all started, but because of that recently taking on campus, it may be harder for me to voice my opinion.
2. Who else is talking about this topic? Provide us with working hyperlinks to coverage of the controversy on FOUR different media outlets.
Total Fraternity Move
Daily Wildcat- Say Goodby to Serenades as You Know Them
Daily Wildcat- 'I Will' Campaign Kicks off This Week to End Rape Culture
Daily Wildcat- Greek Programs Try to Combat Assault and Alcohol Abuse
3. What are the three or four major counter-arguments you’ll have to respond to, based upon what people are saying in the press/media? Be specific and cite your sources using working hyperlinks.
- "Serenades have been a really fun part of my experience in a sorority,” she said. “Despite the fact that I feel the dancing and sexual tone of this activity is harmless at the UA, it isn't at all universities, and I believe it is the responsibility of the UA Panhellenic council and the Interfraternity Council to continue the campus, country and world-wide fight against rape culture by giving serenades a more appropriate and respectful vibe."- Link Found Here
- “We obviously don’t know what our members have been through, and we don’t want to create any triggering situations for anyone,” Patberg said. “Our ultimate goal is to protect the well-being of our members.”- Link Found Here
- “We hope to have events after this week, in the spring and the fall, to hold people accountable and give them the resources to become more informed,” Hammond said. “We’re hoping that students continue to educate themselves and the people around them and their community.”- Link Found Here
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