Help for Your Reflective

Look Here First

Every argument benefits from details, and I shouldn’t have to tell you your Self-Reflective Statement is an argument. Here’s an example of a “perfectly fine” entry in a sample Statement, plus a version enhanced with details. One won’t hurt your Portfolio much. The other could help it considerably.

Original. We have no idea what the author of this paragraph chose for her thesis, cannot focus on her vague assertions, and can’t evaluate whether any valuable lessons were learned.

Gathering and analyzing information helped me tremendously. I gained astronomical amounts of knowledge by reading various sources (via online, books, journals, etc.) on my topic. The best example of this is my Rebuttal Rewrite. In the beginning, I’ll admit that I was very narrow minded in my argument. I received constructive criticism from professor Hodges on my rough draft which allowed me to see the other side of my argument. I gathered as much information as I could on both sides of the argument. There were various scholarly sources to choose from that supported my thesis. This information allowed me to fully understand both sides of the argument before I started writing. It made my argument stronger when I fully understood both sides of the argument, and then presented a rebuttal proving there was a stronger side.

With Details. We may agree or disagree with the author’s conclusions, but we get a much better sense of the challenges she faced and overcame.

Gathering and analyzing information helped me tremendously. I gained astronomical amounts of knowledge by reading various sources (via online, books, journals, etc.) on my topic. The best example of this is my Rebuttal Rewrite. In the beginning, I’ll admit that I was convinced that electric cars were environmentally superior in every way to gasoline engine cars. I received constructive criticism from professor Hodges on my rough draft which allowed me to see the drawbacks of running cars on electricity. Once I investigated the environmental costs of producing enough electricity to convert millions of cars to electric, it was obvious e-cars aren’t as green as I had believed. There were various scholarly sources to support both my original thesis and some alternatives. I nonetheless concluded that electric cars are superior, but understanding the drawbacks strengthened my argument by helping me anticipate objections and refute them.

Bibliography–lmj20

1.Neill, D. Monty, and Noe J. Medina. “Standardized Testing: Harmful to Educational Health.” The Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 70, no. 9, 1989, pp. 688–697.

Background: This article, instead of merely stating that standardized testing is harmful, breaks down each specific reason that standardized testing is not as standard as believed. The beginning of the article cites specific research studies that show flaws in the standardized testing system such as test validity and testing bias. The end of the article researches how standardized testing impacts schools and students.

How I used it: This article points out the specific flaws that make testing a bad indicator of student achievement. This source does not delve deeply into each flaw, but allowed me to gain enough information about the origins of research done on testing validity and bias. This article also provides great research about the harm that high-stake testing does to schools.

2.Wodtke, Kenneth H. et al. “How Standardized Is School Testing? An Exploratory Observational Study of Standardized Group Testing in Kindergarten.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, vol. 11, no. 3, 1989, pp. 223–235.

Background: The entire article is dedicated to one study where 10 kindergartens were observed while administering the “same” standardized test. The conditions and behaviors in each individual classroom allowed the researchers to conclude that the tests, although meant to be standardized, were actually incomparable.

How I used it: This article provided a credible study that displays that standardized testing is not always standard. I  used  this as evidence to support the concept that standardized tests cannot be used to indicate success when they can be so easily influenced and thus incomparable.

3.Green, Robert L., and Robert J. Griffore. “The Impact of Standardized Testing on Minority Students.” The Journal of Negro Education, vol. 49, no. 3, 1980, pp. 238–252.

Background: The article researches three types of bias in standardized testing: bias due to content factors, bias due to norms, and bias in testing conditions. The purpose of the article is to highlight the unfairness of standardized testing on minority students and how it will affect them throughout their life. The bulk of the article is spent citing specific research and adding more detail to support the claims made in the beginning.

How I used it: It is important to understand the history of standardized testing in order to analyze the current standing and possible future of testing. Although the article is old, it provided insight into what the problems were with standardized testing back then. From there, I was able to do research to find out whether the problems that existed in this article still exist today. Some of the issues brought up in the article are still a problem today and show that standardized tests often put minority students at a disadvantage.

4.Popham, James W. Using Standards and Assessments. 6th ed. Vol. 56. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1999. 8-15. Print.

Background: The article is devoted to backing up the central claim that using standardized tests to measure school quality is like measuring temperature with a tablespoon.  The article uses real questions from past standardized tests to emphasize the flaws and biases within the system.

How I Used it:  This article shows the rise in the importance in standardized testing and analyzes how that has affected schools. I used this article to show that schools have been harmed by the high-stakes nature of tests. Also, this article helped me prove, using actual standardized test questions, that questions often require “common knowledge” that puts low income students at a disadvantage.

5.Harris, Phillip, Joan Harris, and Bruce M. Smith. “Standardized Tests Do Not Effectively Measure Student Achievement.” Standardized Testing. Ed. Dedria Bryfonski. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2012.Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article examines the idea of “student achievement.” Many would define student achievement as a student’s success on state tests, however the author urges that tests fail to reward students for many important characteristics. The article also argues that standardized testing promotes shallow thinking students. Students are urged to seek out the quickest and most obvious answer when taking these tests and therefore deep thinking and problem solving is not measured either.

How I used it: This article allowed me to not only focus on flaws within the current tests and testing conditions, but also on what the tests lack. Creativity, critical thinking, resourcefulness, motivation, and resilience are all important characteristics that the tests lack. This article proved that the word achievement is very complex, especially when it comes to schools and students. Standardized tests, on the other hand, are not very complex. It is hard to measure something complex using something standard.

6. Gandy, Latasha. “Don’t Believe the Hype: Standardized Tests Are Good for Children, Families and Schools.” Education Post. Education Post, 11 Jan. 2016. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.

Background: In this article, Minnesota Education Program Director Latasha Gandy, argues that standardized tests are presently good for children and communities. She states that the most important reason that they benefit communities and students is that they are the strongest tool in the fight for educational justice.

How I Used it: This is the strongest argument against my thesis that I refute. Standardized test achievement gaps have only decreased by a small margin in the past 30 years so standardized tests have not been a strong tool in fighting injustice.

7.“NAEP – Achievement Gaps.” NAEP – Achievement Gaps. National Center for Educational Statistics, 22 Sept. 2015. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.

Background: This is an official report by the National Center for Educational Statistics. The report records the achievement gap for Hispanics and African Americans going back decades ago to the present.

How I used it: This report is used in my refutation of source #6. Achievement gaps in the last thirty years have only decreased by slim margins, usually around 4 points. In some cases, the achievement gap has actually widened in the past thirty years.

8.“NCLB: Narrowing the Curriculum?” NCLB Policy Brief. Center on Education Policy, 1 July 2005. Web. 23 Nov. 2016.

Background: This source presents the Center of Education Policy’s nationally representative survey questioning whether schools have narrowed their curriculum due to standardized testing. This article is a presentation of their findings.

How I Used it: I used this trustworthy survey to prove that schools are narrowing their curriculum due to standardized testing. Schools are putting more emphasis on reading and math since these are heavily tested subjects instead of art, history, and science. This proves that standardized testing may be creating a less diverse and well-rounded education for students.

9.Hamilton, L. S., Stecher, B. M., Marsh, J. A., McCombs, J. S., Robyn, A., Russell, J. L., et al. (2007). Standards-based accountability under No Child Left Behind: Experiences of teachers and administrators in three states. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.

Background: This source is an extensive study done by the Rand Corporation. Researchers analyzed teachers and administrators in three states: California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. They analyzed how standard-based accountability has affected teachers and their teaching styles.

How I used it: This article showed that a majority of teachers have begun “teaching to the test” since the stakes of standardized testing have gone up. Once I prove that standardized testing increases the prevalence of teaching to the test, I can show that teaching to the test harms students.

10.Mitchell, Ruth. “High-Stakes Testing and Effects on Instruction.” Center for Public Education. Center for Public Education, 6 Mar. 2006. Web. 23 Nov. 2016.

Background: This is an article posted by Ruth Mitchell, a Center for Public Education researcher. The article pulls together the findings of several studies in order to create conclusions based on the research.

How I used it: This source provided a lot of clarification on definitions of ambiguous phrases. For example, this article provided a practical definition of “teaching to the test” which I used throughout my paper. This article also provides the findings of surveys that question teacher, student, and public attitudes towards standardized testing.

11. Macguire, Angus, and IISC. “Illustrating Equality VS Equity.” Interaction Institute for Social Change. IISC, 01 June 2016. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.

Background: The International Institute for Social Change collaborated with artist Angus Macguire to create an image that displays the difference between equity and equality.

How I Used it: I used Macguire’s image to create a metaphor between testing and watching a baseball game as depicted in the picture. It is possible for standardized tests to achieve test equality but not test equity.

12.Aycock,  James. “Teacher Voice: In Defense of Standardized Testing.” SCORE. N.p., 20 May 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Background: In this article, James Aycock speaks in defense of standardized tests. He argues that most standardized tests are good and they should continue as they are being implemented today.

How I Used it: This is another argument that I refuted. Ayock displays that tests are equal in that every student is given the same test. However, he fails to make mention of test equity. I used this source along with source #11 to show that test equity is more important than test equality since equality could put some at a disadvantage while equity creates an equal playing field for all.

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Core Value I. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

I have always understood that writing any kind of paper, essay, or story, to have some sort of quality, there must have more then one revision. In my life, I have had some trouble with doing this because I am a procrastinator. I am a very good procrastinator if I do say so my self. Because of this, my first draft is usually my last, and only, draft. Within this course, I realized early that procrastinating would be very difficult for my survival. Starting right away with the Stone Money assignment I began just a few hours before the deadline. Only having time for one crappy draft doesn’t demonstrate any use of recursive stages to be made. I had my second chance when we had to complete the Stone Money Rewrite. Any professor would say that I could have revised my original at any time, but I am a full time college student and college athlete; there is no more motivation for me to improve one assignment. At the end of this course I have learned to improve my time management, and I even began revising as I went along. Also, I now have a more fuller understanding that I will have more pride in myself, and my work, when I put in that extra effort for it to be my very best.

Core Value II. My work demonstrates that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

During the process of the research paper, I have found a good amount of articles, blog posts, and videos that relate to my topic. I noticed that most of them are greatly similar in some aspect. My topic was pretty narrow, so it was to be suspected that little research was done. Most of my sources connected in similar ways. I still used these sources because they always seemed to have one or more claims that weren’t in the other sources, and I would use them. An example of this would be seen in my Definition Argument. As seen in the works cited section, most articles have very similar titles. I used each of the sources, even if it was used for a few claims. I learned researching and reading through articles are important because even if there is only one good claim in the article, it can be effective in the assignment in some way. Also, seeing different kinds of sources will also help support claims are arguments.

Core Value III. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

While writing papers and the multiple assignments, my audience was obviously Professor Hodges. I kept maybe random reader in mind at times, but for this class’s assignments, I was mostly writing for feedback. This can be seen in my Movie Image assignment. In this assignment I made sure that I was explaining every detail I could for the reader to picture the commercial in their mind. When Professor told us that the reader must see the image without watching the video, I knew what I had to do. In my first draft of this, I thought I captured the gist of the commercial well, and wrote everything the audience needs to know. I received feedback that I should make more claims in my movie image assignment. After I did so, I made a the next rewrite, and I was pretty proud of it. I also asked my mother if she could read it, and if she could picture the advertisement in her mind. If she did, then I knew that I hit all the points.

Core Value IV: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

Evidence to support a claim is support important for making the claim stronger. I learned a lot about this during the last three months. Claims are only claims and arguments if they are not backed up. Stating something is only a sentence, and does not have to be believed. If the claim was supported by evidence, then the claim would now be more true and correct. I have giving some evidence in my Definition assignment. In this assignment I stated multiple claims that were supported by evidence. I explained some scenarios where a professional baseball player struggled to hit a softball pitcher. This evidence supports that though they are the best hitters, they have trouble with the softball kind of pitching.

Core Value V. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

To write a persuasive paper, it is only fair to include other views of the same topic. Professor explain in the pass assignments that this is a must in our paper. It is also interesting to research a view of a topic that a writer might not agree with. This was seen between my definition argument and my rebuttal argument. The definition argument shows my first thought of my topic and the rebuttal is a argument against that. Doing this is something that I will take out of this class. This can be done in any kind of paper. I feel that this also goes into supporting evidence because the writer is supporting their claim while comparing it to other points of view.

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Core Value I. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

As I previously learned through my years of writing, Professor Hodges restated that writing requires more than one draft and that there is always room for improvement. The best example of this is my Stone Money Rewrite. While this was not a portfolio assignment, this essay opened my eyes to the expectations that Professor Hodges held for his students. The line of communication between Professor Hodges and I allowed me to see the clear lack of explanation regarding the island of Yap in my essay. Professor Hodges explained that I was assuming to much in my essay and rightfully so. I’ll admit that I was making generalizing statements about the transfer of limestones on Yap and then presuming that my audience would understand. There were various scholarly sources to help support my claim that it was counterintuitive that the transfer of limestone rocks (some of which are never seen) could be physically exchanged in return for tangible goods and services. This feedback strengthened my argument by instilling the right work ethic in my writing.

Core Value II. My work demonstrates that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

Gathering and analyzing information helped me tremendously. I gained astronomical amounts of knowledge by reading various sources (via online, books, journals, etc.) on my topic. The best example of this is my Rebuttal Rewrite. In the beginning, I’ll admit that I was convinced that police officers received zero support regarding their mental health. I received constructive criticism from Professor Hodges on my rough draft which allowed me to see that Employee Assistance Programs provided some effective ways to help police officers cope with their stressors. Once I investigated the money that has been poured into Employee Assistance Programs over the recent years, it was obvious that these systems weren’t as bad as I thought. There were various scholarly sources to support both my original thesis and some alternatives. I nonetheless concluded that the system to help police officers cope with their stress was woefully inadequate, but understanding their support systems strengthened my argument by helping me anticipate objections and refute them.

Core Value III. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

Throughout this course I found that my audience played an important role in a well written paper. The best example of this is my Visual Rhetoric. I had to take into consideration that my audience was not able to see the 30 second video that I was assigned.  I had to help my readers understand by using vivid descriptions to paint a picture in their heads of what each frame looked like. Professor Hodges pointed out various points in my paper that may have been unclear or could have been explained more in depth, which allowed me to see certain details such as the kitchen or furniture in the background. I was able to clarify my paper by depicting the kitchen as a representation of family and togetherness. The blend of visual detail and analysis made it easier for my audience to get an idea of what was happening in the 30 second clip.

Core Value IV: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

I found it rather frustrating to incorporate evidence to support my claims. I felt confined to limited resources such as google or yahoo. Once I realized that there were different places to find my information, I took full advantage of the library resources including ProfSearch, Gale Virtual Reference Library and Academic Search Premier. These resources made it substantially easier to synthesize my own thoughts with the evidence provided. Acquiring sources of information sparked many ideas in my writing and gave me ideas to feed off of as I wrote. This is best shown in my Causal Rewrite. When I first started my paper it mainly consisted of information regarding the negative consequences of stress on police officers. The criticism I received from Professor Hodges allowed me to see that I needed to add additional stressors on top of the ones I had already mentioned to the audience. I was then able to show the importance of synthesizing my own ideas with scholarly evidence to support them.

Core Value V. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

This course has reiterated the importance of being honest when it comes to analyzing other sources that involve our arguments. Plagiarizing is not only dishonest, but it takes away from a writer’s ability to develop new ideas. This is best shown in my Definition Rewrite. For this assignment I had to look outside of a dictionary definition to define fear in law enforcement. For the sources I chose to incorporate into my writing, I made sure that they were analyzed in an honest and logical way. I did this by citing the author in my work. Chris Mooney in particular helped me develop the idea that police officers may have developed reflexes that we don’t have, causing them to react faster or with more force than we would in addition to the race of a suspect. Any lazy writer could have easily copy and pasted pieces of different articles into their writing. I chose the more difficult path that required more thoughtful and honest material.

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Core Value I. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

My first experience within Comp II included a writing titled “Stone Money” in which I discussed the value of money, our faith within economic systems, and even more abstract concepts. In high school I obviously experienced writing through stages full of drafts and revisions before my final submission. However, the revisions were nothing more than fixing spelling or grammatical errors. My “Stone Money Rewrite” was more than that, Professor Hodges encouraged us to include new content. Which is evident in my description of Brazilian URVs (units of real value) and how they worked through a story about buying a carton of eggs. We discussed elements such as this within class and it helped to stabilize an idea of the concept, and thus helped me to create a more complex and fulfilling piece of writing.

Core Value II. My work demonstrates that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

I understand that writing conveys meaning, when writing you have to have a purpose. My “Visual Rewrite” is an example of a writing that conveyed something with a purposeful intent. My goal was to completely describe the events of a 30 second public service announcement, I needed to do more than just describe characters and setting. I had to give a clear image of the entire visual, otherwise the purpose would be lost. This was a unique assignment for me, within a discipline I have never ventured into. Writing a research paper or an argumentative essay involves different language compared to my visual rewrite. My first “paragraph” has vocabulary revolving around angles and lighting “The commercial starts with a fade in from a black screen, it is nighttime, and the angle of the camera is from the left side of a road. It is focused on the taillights of a car (not directly, but from the left side) seen on a dimly lit woodsy road. The car appears to be moving fast because the image is blurred.” so that the image could be clearly pictured.

Core Value III. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

Typically, I have never been good at writing rebuttal arguments, I either fail defend my own argument by contradicting myself, or completely ignore any factual points from the opposite arguments. That being said, my “Rebuttal Argument” essay was no different. My essay was used as an example for other students to place feedback on , which reading their comments and suggestions really helped me to see where I faltered on my rebuttal argument (which as I previously stated is a problem area of mine). I focused too much on my own opinion and not on formulating the opinions of my readers. What was supposed to be an essay acknowledging opposite view points and clarify mine turned into a rant based solely on  my own ideals. I failed to think about my audience, and the feedback from my peers helped me to realize this so I could fix it for my rewrite.

Core Value IV: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

GOAL 4:

Writing a paper full of citations and quotes is nothing new, my first research paper was in sixth grade, and that is when I learned the difference between reliable and unreliable sources. Rules like, Wikipedia is never to be found on a works cited page, or a Facebook article is not a credible source for an academic paper, were things that I stood by. Finding sources to convey my argument then becomes difficult because a good forty percent of materials is eliminated for not being reliable enough. My “Causal Essay” contains citations from a few journals and other reliable sources. I have used Google Scholar in the past and it can result in some tasty sources, however utilizing the Rowan Library’s online database was my best decision. Professional discussions like the one I found within Pantea Farvid and Virginia Baum’s “Casual Sex as ‘not a Natural Act’ and  Other Regimes of Truth about Heterosexuality,”  proved to be very moving within my essay.

Core Value V. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

As I have already said, writing an academic paper with meaningful citations is not a new procedure for me. Citing sources that I use for direct quotes is a no brainer, however, it is also necessary to cite authors whose words help me to formulate my own thoughts and argument. I am taking their ideas and using them to help inspire my own, and that is deserving of citation. Not only is plagiarizing another’s words unethical, plagiarizing their thoughts is equally as scandalous. My entire “Stone Money” essay is based off of the ideas of another author, Milton Friedman, he deserved the appropriate acknowledgment for his inspiration for my writing. I also included material and ideas from other sources and authors that were equally deserving of reference.

 

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Core Value I. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

I displayed core value one in my causal essay, “The Birth of Street Crime.” In this essay I marked stages of different events African Americans went through to be subjected to committing street crime. The causal assignment helped me to understand my history better. Before this assignment I never knew that the government is the reason why ghettos exist. My whole life I thought that the reason ghettos are populated with mostly Blacks and Latinos was because they couldn’t afford to live anywhere else. I soon discovered that there were Acts created by the government to make sure they were trapped in the ghettos. At the end of this assignment I’ve learned to dig deeper into research to find answers no matter what I’ve been taught.

Core Value II. My work demonstrates that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

I displayed core value two in my definition essay, “Who’s Free in America?” In this essay I plucked a variety of statistics that African Americans are being mistreated in America. I tied the many statistics together to prove that people are being harassed everyday and being stripped of their rights. It was easy to make the correlation between the statistics and my view. I hope that these statistics change the views of many people who oppose my view. Bridging the gaps between the oppressors and the oppressed will make America a better country for everyone. America is a great country and hopefully I can start bringing the two oppressor and oppressed communities together.

Core Value III. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

I displayed core value three in my visual rhetoric assignment, “Good Dad.” I crafted a accurate written version of a thirty-second visual commercial. I took all the information I could possibly gather from the one-second increment clips to predict what the commercial was about. I paid close attention to every detail possible. As I got deeper into the commercial I started to form an idea that the man was playing around in the house which was close to the theme of the commercial. I soon noticed that the man was hiding from something or someone. If I was to let someone  read this assignment, I am sure they could vision the commercial simply from the words. I fulfilled the goal of the assignment by transforming words into a vision.

Core Value IV: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

I displayed core value four in my causal assignment, “The Birth of Street Crime.” I’ve met the expectations of academic writing in my causal assignment because I satisfied all the qualifications of core value four by pulling the information about slavery, poverty, and the effects of illiteracy. Each of these elements have a great impact on street crime. Professor Hodges asked me why I had to go all the way back to slavery to show why street crime is present in today’s time and I explained that I wanted to go all the way back to the beginning of the mistreatment of African Americans. According to all the evidence I’ve gathered there is a causal connection between street crime and slavery.

Core Value V. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

I displayed core value five in my definition assignment, “Who’s Free in America?” I took on the ethical responsibility to represent my complex ideas by citing data I collected from my sources. I used many sources to prove that some people of color who are being mistreated by our government don’t feel like they are free and I gave them the credit for their research. Their research was very important to my assignment. The mistreatment of people of color has been going on since the beginning of slavery and even 397 years after the first slave ship landed in America, people of color are still being mistreated. Using Core value five I was able to cite all of my sources correctly. If I hadn’t cited them correctly I couldn’t claim this paper to be mine.

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Annotated Bibliography 

1. “Two ‘ethical’ Ways to Harvest Stem Cells.” New Scientist. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article focuses on two “ethical” ways to obtain stem cells. The two procedures both obtain stem cells without harming any organisms. The first of the two use mice. Stem cells were removed from the embryo and isolated to undergo mitosis and multiply. The remaining cells formed the mice offspring with no complications. The second technique used mice, but it was not already pregnant. By fertilizing an egg outside the womb, they were given the opportunity to block a specific gene with a virus to hinder it from becoming a fetus. As a result, the only thing left of use were stem cells.

How I used it: To refute the idea that stem cells have to come from aborted fetuses, I utilized this article. Since majority of people who oppose stem cell research believe they can only be obtained through a dead fetus, this article is key to the entire argument. First, the article address

2. “The Cases For and Against Stem Cell Research.” Fox News. FOX News Network, 09 Aug. 2001. Web. 2 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article mainly focused on what is and what is not considered a  human, from all different aspects. From many scientists views, a fertilized egg is not nearly a human, but to religious groups and other anti-stem cell activists this is not the case. This helped the reader understand both sides of the argument.

How I used it: Since this article showed both sides of the argument, I used it in order to know which angles should be used to refute the idea of a one or two week old fertilized egg being a human being. After using this article, I was able to use the information found here for other possible ideas to refute the argument before it was even argued.

3. “The Bible Tells Us When A Fetus Becomes A Living Being.” The Christian Left Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.

Background:  In this article, the religious argument is refuted. The idea that the christian faith states that once an egg is fertilized it is a human, was proven completely false. The article goes on and on about when life actually starts according to the Bible. It uses scriptures from the holy book itself to back the rebuttal.

How I used it: I used this article basically to remove all credibility of this argument from the table. The Bible is considered the word of God himself, so it cannot and should not be misinterpreted. By stating something that is not in the book, but also is contradictory to what it says, diminishes the credibility of the people arguing this case.

4. Knapp, Julie. “Your Developing Baby, Week by Week.” Parents. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article goes week by week explaining the entire process of a baby being created. It explains when the egg is fertilized, when it begins meiosis, and when it can begin to be considered a human, for the most part.

How I used it: This article was a good reference point for showing when a fertilized egg can be considered a human being with rights. The question after using this article is no longer when is it considered a human, but rather what is a human. Around week 4 it spoke about the neural tube ad how it would become the spinal-cord. Since humans are considered superior to other animals due to our complex nervous system and intelligence, without the neural tube forming, it could not be considered a human being. Thus before this point, it is only a zygote with a possibility of becoming a human.

5. “What Is an Ectopic Pregnancy? – The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust.” The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.

Background: Ectopic pregnancies are pregnancies where the fertilized egg becomes trapped inside of the Fallopian tube. These zygotes are unable to reach the womb and implant themselves where they become stuck. As a result, the egg attempts to grow here and can be detrimental to the mother.

How I used it: I used this article to add to my argument that a fertilized egg should not be considered a human being with human rights. Too many things can go wrong to start placing labels on things that are not guaranteed to become humans.

6. “When Does Human Life Begin?” Council for Secular Humanism. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.

Background: This article refutes the idea that a fertilized egg is going to developed into a human being. It discusses a few different barriers that can inhibit a fertilized egg from further development. These range from errors in genetic code to simply a miscarriage.

How I used it: I used this article in order to argue that fertilized eggs do not always become human beings. There are many barriers to becoming a human and a fertilized egg is far from being a human.

7. Conger, Krista. “Earlier, More Accurate Prediction of Embryo Survival Enabled by Research.” News Center. N.p., 03 Oct. 1970. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.

Background: In this article, the idea of an embryo dying is explored further than that of the articles above. It speaks of how an egg that has been fertilized can have the genetic code correct, make it to the womb, and still fail to implant. This failure is due to the failure of a test that the uterus gives to the egg. Scientists are not too sure why this occurs, but it occurs very often.

How I used it: I used this article within my essay in order to back the idea that all fertilized eggs are not going to become a human being. In fact, most fertilized eggs fail to make it completely through the developmental phase.

8. Rettner, Rachael. “Fate of a Fertilized Egg: Why Some Embryos Don’t Implant.” Live Science. N.p., 06 Feb. 2014. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.

Background: This article discussed how a fertilized egg may die various different ways. From failing to have the correct genetic code to undergo development, to implanting itself into another place besides the womb, this article covered many angles of how a fertilized egg can fail. It also discussed how scientists are actually able to predict about 93% of the time if a zygote will develop into a human being or not.

How I used it: I used this article to back the information in my other articles. Within science, if only one source is used to support a notion, it is not very well supported. By finding and utilizing this articles data, I was able to support my support.

9. Caplan, Arthur. “When Does Human Life Begin?” Council for Secular Humanism. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: This article explains how a zygote may or may not become a human being. It connects social aspects of this argument with scientific facts in order to support the claim.

How I used it: I used this article in order to point me in the right direction. I actually did not think to use the idea that a zygote may not become a human being for my causal argument until reading this article. I owe this article a lot when it comes to ideas, but not so much information.

10. New Testament, King James Version. New York: American Bible Society, n.d. Print.

Background: The bible is the holy book for the faith Christianity. Many of the arguments from the anti-abortion/ stem cell research groups use the bible to support their argument.

How I used it: Since religious views cannot and should not be marred by scientific evidence, I used the bible to refute the words of the bible. Being an active christian and avid reader of the bible, I know the bible has a few ideas that refute each other. I utilized this flaw in their argument against them. I showed where the bible and science agree and used that as the base to back my argument.

Bibliography- thesilentbutdeadlycineman

 

1.Bayot, Asher. “Founding Member Of ‘God’s Not Dead’ Band Newsboys Comes Out As An Atheist.” The Inquisitr News. N.p., 24 Jan. 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: This article reported the story that George Perdikis, a founding member of the Christian rock band Newsboys, has revealed that he is an atheist. Perdikis explains his decision and voices his opinion on Christian bands in general.

How I used it: In my rebuttal essay, I wanted to show that Christian Rock performers are not immune to scandals. Highlights the fact that the opposition is crazy to try and hold Rock to an unattainable purity standard, as even the Rock bands that perform Christian music are not entirely pure.

2. Cole, Rachel, David Fiske, Rachel Seligman, and Clifford Brown. “Solomon Northup | American farmer and writer” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.

Background: A general background on the life of Solomon Northup, who was a well respected free Black man before being kidnapped and forced into slavery for twelve years.

How I used it: To parallel the argument that Rock ‘n’ Roll was being judged by its “cover” instead of what it really represents, I used Solomon Northup’s story to show how an educated Black man could be unfairly judged by his skin and be placed in a position that he didn’t deserve.

3. Krejcir, Richard J., Ph.D. “Statistics and Reasons for Church Decline” Churchleadership.org. N.p., 2007. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

Background: The article highlights the apparent decline in church attendance throughout multiple years. The author uses specific percentages to show how much of a drop happens between each year that he chooses. He also provides certain reasons as to why the church attendance may be declining.

How I used it: In my Causal essay, the remote cause as to why preachers were denouncing Rock ‘n’ roll was the declining of church attendance. I used a brief excerpt from the article to show specific statistics that supported this cause.

4.Lambert, Molly. “Pray for Pay: Jailed Christian Rocker Tim Lambesis Faked His Religion.” Grantland. N.p., 23 June 2014. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

Background: Tim Lambesis, the incarcerated lead singer of the band As I Lay Dying, admitted that his band faked being Christian in order to make more money. The scandal also brought up an issue in the Christian Rock industry- “How do you prove someone is really dedicated to Christianity and not just the lucrative record sales of the Christian market?”

How I used it: In my rebuttal essay, I wanted to show another instance of Christian Rock performers not being immune to scandals. Also supports the fact that the opposition is crazy to try and hold Rock to an unattainable purity standard, as even the Rock bands that perform Christian music are not entirely pure.

5. Lifton, Dave. “Why Starbucks Banned Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Devils and Dust’” Ultimate Classic Rock. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

Background: This news article reported the fact that Starbucks banned Bruce Springsteen’s album “Devils and Dust” from playing on its speakers due to the explicit content and sexual innuendo contained in some of the album’s songs. This normally never happens because Springsteen’s music is normally family friendly.

How I used it: I used sentences from this article to support my opponents’ argument that even the most harmless of Rock stars have invoked the Devil and his dark forces in one way or another. In this case, Springsteen sang  about a sexual encounter, glorifying one of Satan’s values (sex).

6.Rieder, Rem. “Media got Zimmerman story wrong from start ” USA Today. Gannett, 14 July 2013. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

Background: An article highlighting the possibility that the media twisted the truth about George Zimmerman’s involvement with the death of Trayvon Martin. Maybe the man wasn’t at fault with what he did.

How I used it: I used a quote by the author of the article that stated that the media will twist the truth of a situation so as to paint a straightforward picture with heroes and villains. In my Causal essay, the contributing cause is the way that the media supports the preachers’ denouncement of Rock ‘n’ roll. I related the quote to this by showing that the media portrayed Rock as dark and negative music, while painting the preachers’ as trustworthy heroes (as they are honest men of God).

7. Shmoop. “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Meaning ” Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

Background: A detailed analysis of the popular Beatles song, from its disputed conception, and  what all of its lyrics symbolize, to its impact in pop culture.

How I used it: My opponents’ argument was that the song highlighted the use of LSD. I rebutted this argument by using a quote from the analysis that explained that John Lennon was inspired to write the song by a drawing that his son made featuring a schoolmate named Lucy. This was also confirmed by the rest of the band and  Lucy herself.

8.Simon, Scott, and Tom Reiss. “‘The Black Count,’ A Hero On The Field, And The Page” NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.

Background: An NPR interview in which the author of the novel “The Black Count”talked about his fascination with the main historical figure and why he wrote the book.

How I used it: As another example of someone being judged by their skin, I used a quote by the author explaining how the Thomas-Alexandre Dumas worked hard and proved his worth to become a well known general, while facing damaging racism by his peers, including Napoleon.

9.Springsteen, Bruce. “BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN LYRICS – Reno” Azlyrics.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

Background: A straightforward display of lyrics of Bruce Springsteen’s song “Reno” off of his album “Devils and Dust”.

How I used it: In support of my opponents’ argument that Bruce Springsteen is not as pure as he appears, and to offer further justification as to why Starbucks would ban the album, I used specific lyrics from the song to highlight a certain sexual act taking place in the song’s narrative.

10. Stewart, David J. “Too Drunk To Karaoke”: Hit Song Mocks God. N.p., Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

Background: An analysis trying to prove that one of Jimmy Buffett’s songs is highly blasphemous and mocks God. Then a conspiracy is brought up trying to prove that the performer is a Satanist and part of a cult.

How I used it: To support my opponents’ argument that Buffett isn’t as pure as most people make him out to be, I brought in a couple of lines that try to explain the singer’s apparent purpose in writing the single.

11.Unknown. “Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover” Modern Day Adages. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Background: An explanation of the popular phrase and how it relates to our current society. A couple of examples highlighting the phrase’s meaning are also shown.

How I used it: I used a couple of the introductory lines detailing how people in our society will judge something without actually taking a deeper look at it. I related this to how people look at Rock as dark Devil music, without actually making the effort to look at what it truly represents.

12.Yusco, Alan, and Ed Prior. “RELIGIOUS ROCK… The music of devils in the CHURCH” RELIGIOUS ROCK… The Music of Devils in the CHURCH. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

Background: Two devoutly religious men attempt to explain why Rock is the music of Satan, and how it should have its presence nowhere, especially in church. They warn parents to keep their children away from the harmful music.

How I used it: I used some of the men’s argument to highlight the immediate of cause of why preachers denounce Rock- it promotes blasphemous ideas that go against everything that the church stands for.

Reflective–childishharambe

Core Value I. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

When researching a topic Professor Hodges made it clear that research ends when the entry is due.  In my White Paper, it’s evident my original argument was changed around and helped develop my final research paper argument.  I made sure not only to explore various different types of sources but not to limit my research just to scholarly sources.  I realized that my work constantly could get better.  I began to feel as if I never would be satisfied and honestly when I turn my work in I’m going to be upset I could not get additional feedback or at least one more revision in before publishing my portfolio.  Writing is understanding that your paper will always be considered a draft as it can always be made better.  I developed into a better writer when I learned how to accept criticism and utilize it to make my overall argument stronger.

Core Value II. My work demonstrates that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

By posting on the blog I was subject to judgement and feedback whether it was criticism from my professor all the way trickled down to my fellow classmates.  This was a very interesting year and approach to this class as I never knew what to expect or correct.

Core Value III. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

In my Research paper, I provided readers of the blog with unbiased and accurate feedback. Nowadays, it’s hard to get that.  I took full advantage when asking for feedback with my peers.  This left me open just as they made their paper vulnerable to criticism.

 

Core Value IV: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

I tried to make my paper come off as unbiased but it was obvious there was a definite argument being presented.  Without speaking from complete first person I gave experts the spotlight to help bolster my argument.  My annotated bibliography is a direct representation of this.

Core Value V. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

I made sure after going over it time after time again that citing was important.   In m Annotated bibliography, My professor emphasized the importance of using good citation techniques and making sure it was placed in MLA format so I went back and fixed all my mistakes regarding format errors.  My annotated bibliography shows my knowledge in citing.

Bibliography-31Savage

1. “Radcliffe College Library Collection Relating to Ann Radcliffe, 1894-1977: A Finding Aid.” Radcliffe College Library. Harvard Library, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Background: This is a documentation of the first scholarship given by Ann Radcliffe in 1643.

How I Used It: I showed how long scholarships and financial aid has been available to those in need. I used this source to show that people are helped when they are trying to achieve higher education even in the 1800’s  

2. “History of Student Financial Aid.” FinAid | FinAid for Educators and FAAs | History of Student Financial Aid. Fin Aid, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016

Background: This a complete list of the long history of financial aid.

How I Used It: I gathered all the information about financial aid from this source. This source had a vast amount of information on the history of financial aid that was useful to my paper. I used this to also show that the government helps people that need financial help for school by granting them funds.

3. Michael Herring. “Child Labor in U.S. History.” Child Labor in U.S. History. Child Labor Public Education Project, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Background: This source provided all the needed information on childhood labor and the beginning of child labor laws.

How I Used It: I used this information to show how America started to help people to get out of poverty. Child labor laws was one of the first steps to helping people out of poverty. I used this to show that with child labor laws children were able to get educated and get well paying jobs after school.

4. “Welfare Reform – Social Welfare Change.” Welfare System Reform. Welfare Info, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Background: This source documents the kinds of governmental help through the Welfare Program.

How I Used It: I used this source to further explain the ways the government tries to help families who have little to no income. This source gives examples of different ways of government assistance and showing this assistance helped me show that the government creates opportunity for citizens to succeed.

5. “Heroin History 1900s.” Narconon International. Narconon, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.

Background: This source gives the history on heroin’s origins and its addictions and uses.

How I Used It: I displayed the different effects heroin has on its users. I made a way to connect the dots between heroin poverty. Heroin is a drug that destroys more than the person using it. This sources gave me information that i used to show it’s destruction.

6. Staff, History .com. “The Great Depression.” History.com. History, 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 6 Nov. 2016.

Background: This source gives information on the great depression.

How I Used It: I used the information on the great depression to show why factory work started to decline. Factory work came to a decline when the Great Depression hit and I am using this source to show how it happened.

7. NPR. “Historian Says Don’t ‘Sanitize’ How Our Government Created Ghettos” NPR.org. Fresh air. 14 May, 2015. Web.6 Nov.

Background: This source is a broadcast and article that highlights the many ways the American government created ghettos.

How I Used It: I used it to show how America’s treatment of African Americans is the reason for us living in impoverished neighborhoods. The government have created curtain laws and acts to ensure that African Americans have a tough time surviving. This sources shows that ghettos and projects were created purposely.

8. Staff, History .com. “Slavery In America.” History.com. History, 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 6 Nov. 2016.

Background: This source gives the information on slavery.

How I Used It: I used this to show how slavery is the root cause of the mistreatment of African Americans in present day. The effects of slavery are still affecting African Americans in present day eventhough we are physically free.

9. White, Richard .. “The Rise of Industrial America.” The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Web. 06 Nov. 2

Background: This source shows the causes for the rises of the industrial revolution.

How I Used It: I used this source to show how the industrial age came about in America. The industrial age had a big impact on Americas economic system and I pointed out the positives and negatives from this source.

10. Western, Bruce. The Impact of Incarceration on Wage Mobility and Inequality (n.d.): n. pag. Scholar.Harverd.edu. Harvard University, 1 Aug. 2002. Web. 22 Nov. 2016+

Background: This source shows the wage differences for ex-cons and average Americans.

How I Used It: I showed the similarities between the income of ex-cons in present days and ex-slaves. They are two very different things but they have a lot of similarities. It is easy to see the differences but the similarities could easily go unnoticed.

11. Legal Information Institute. “Stop and Frisk.” LII / Legal Information Institute. Cornell University Law School,  Cornell University Web. Accessed 31 Oct. 2016

Background: This source gives the information on the Fourth Amendment and stop and frisk.

How I Used It: I used this source to show how the government is stripping people of color from their constitutional rights as American citizens. Stop and Frisk goes against our Fourth Amendment right and I wanted to highlight unjust practices by the US government.

 12. Nicole Shoener, “Three Strikes Laws in Different States.” LegalMatch.com. Legal Match, n.d.Web. 21 Nov. 2016.
Background: This source shows the reason for the Three Strike Laws and what states use them.
How I Used It: I used this source to show how sates in America are overpopulating their prison systems because of this law. The Three Strike Laws are designed to keep repeated offenders incarcerated and it is one of the main reasons for our overpopulated prisons.