Content Online

Here is a snippet of how my project will be structured out from the inside. This is like the vertebrae of the project if you will. 


Audience Question: How are you going to organize your project?

I.    Opening

The field being put under the spotlight for this project is Chemistry. Possibly provide brief background info on  interviewees and brief descriptions of the genres in question. (possibly identify the genres selected to analyze). This project could most likely be for people who are interested in the field of Chemistry or novice chemistry writers hoping to learn some techniques used in the writing of their profession. I can possibly grab reader's attention with either a quote from one of my interviewees or ask a question.

II. Body

A.   Chemical Education Journal (example 1)

Genre: Chemical Education Journal

Genre example:
Mapping Students’ Modes of Reasoning When Thinking About Chemical Reactions Used to Make a Desired Product

(https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnx0YWxhbnF1ZXJjaGVtZWR8Z3g6N2Q0NDI3ODA4YjE0MDcxOA)

Rhetorical concept: Logical appeals - Tables (from the bulleted list in SG)

Major piece of evidence: The "Main modes of reasoning expressed by study participants" and "Table 1" tables.

Summary of what the evidence proves: The author uses the The Table 1  to use analytical questioning when asking students about certain answers to particular chemical equations. The "Main modes of reasoning.." table is used to display percentages to the numerous responses the participants of their questionings were giving to the author.

Summary of why that’s important: For this genre, the display of tables and even stats as referenced in these tables are important because in science since in order for the audience to interpret the points the author is trying to make, they need to understand how, and what kinds of information was being recorded by the author from the students. That is, the chemical questions posed to the students as well to the responses these students were giving and the frequency they were being given at.

 B.       Chemical Poster Poster (example 2)

Genre: Chemical poster

Genre example: DNA and RNA Phototherapeutics 

(http://chemistry.case.edu/files/2015/06/VP2015-735122.poster.jpg)

Rhetorical concept: Logical appeals - Images (from the bulleted list in SG)

Major piece of evidence: The visual image of the procedure of phototherapy and the images of the molecular structures of compounds.

Summary of what the evidence proves: These show how the author uses imagery to create a logical and simpleness in the complicated chemical jargon discussed in the poster. The phototherapy is displayed as a visual drawing in an order to show logic behind phototherapy. The molecular structures of the compounds provide visual evidence into what the compounds are composed of. 

Summary of why that’s important: For this genre, using imagery is key in order to help the audience  (especially those who are not well informed on the matter at hand) better visualize the procedures and structures that the processes and compounds appear to be. This will help the audience grasp terminology better from the poster.

C. Chemical Educational Video

Genre: Chemical Educational Video

Genre example: Enthalpy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTILBNL2JJc

Rhetorical concept: Logical appeals - Calculations and Tables 

Major piece of evidence: The video demonstrates calculations used to determine the enthalpy of certain chemical reactions as well as tables of data to use for such calculations.

Summary of what the evidence proves: These show how the author uses mathematics and tables to prove to the audience on how to resolve certain problems correlating around enthalpy of reactions. 

Summary of why that’s important: For this genre, the calculations and tables are used to support the claims the author of the video is making in terms of resolving chemical issues involving enthalpy. They back the author's claims up and also help the audience grab a better understanding of how the calculations and tables are handled.

III.     Conclusion

A.     Recap similarities and differences spotted in each genre example in terms of the rhetorical situation.

B.   Recap similarities and differences in each genre in terms of the rhetorical strategies.

The significance of all these chemical genres are important as they help solve everyday problems in the world (since Chemistry is happening everywhere) and it helps explain to people what reactions occur around them using Chemistry.

Report on My Interviews

Here are some things I learned from my interviews!

Tumisu "interview"2016 via pixabay
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1)What are the most significant or interesting genres that you learned about from your interviewees? Please identify at least THREE specific genres from your discipline/field of study that your interview subjects discussed writing within. 

From both my interviewees, I discovered they have produced content in a written scientific journal format; in a presentation format and as well as in an educational journal format. 

2)How do these genres differ from one another? Think about things like genre convention, content, purpose, audience, message, and context as you describe these differences.

The differences in say a scientific journal and a scientific education journal are mainly different in terms of genre convention. Whereas a scientific journal is written concisely, and very factual; in an educational journal the content needs to be written in a more narrative structure and things need to be less concise and explained more in detail. 

3)Based on the information you gathered in your interviews, what     is challenging and/or difficult about writing within these genres (from a professional's point of view)?

The most challenging thing I discovered about writing within these genres is to be able to vividly explain all the information the authors want to communicate to their audience in as little words as possible. Like Talanquer, one of my interviewees, said,"Space is money".

4)Based on the information you gathered in your interviews, what is exciting and/or rewarding about writing within these genres (from a professional's point of view)?

Based on the information, the most exciting thing from a professional's point of view is to be able to see the peers in your field responding and engaging to the ideas and themes presented in your work.

5)Where in mass media - popular, academic, and/or social - can examples of this genre be found? If genre examples cannot be found within mass media easily, where can genre examples be found/located?

Some examples can be found from Pubmed, a database full of scientific journals, to Talanquer's own research page full of examples of his own works as examples.

From Academia to Social Media

The following are some insight into one of the authors from the academic journal I found at the U of A...Dr. Alonso.

geralt "Mobile Phone"08/25/14 via pixabay
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1)What is the name of the author (from the academic journal) that you selected and which social media networks were you able to find her/him on?

I selected author Manuel Alonso and I could not really find him on most social media networks. I only found him on LinkedIn.

2)How would you describe the author's social media presence? What kinds of things are they talking about or sharing on social media? Write a brief description of what you learned about them through the listed social media feeds.

Through his LinkedIn profile, Dr. Alonso is sharing basically other chemical topics such as magnetics and genetic news. His social media presence is not really consistent as he doesn't seem to share information on a periodic level.

3)Now return to the piece that this author published in the academic journal (from Blog Posts 6.5 & 6.6). How does their persona on social media differ from their persona in the pages of the academic journal? Be specific and cite details from both the journal and the social media posts you discovered.

Both personas are very similar in terms of how they present their written content to the audience. Both personas are very concise, very complex in vocabulary and yet the social media persona presents its contents in an almost different genre than that from the academic journal.

Academic Discourse & Genre

The following are some insights into the trends and genres of sorts I discovered in the academic journal I rented from the library.

Ranya "Second Hand" 1/7/15 via pixabay
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1)How many different kinds of genres seem to be published in this particular issue of the journal you selected? (Remember, genres are usually identifiable by their form, content, techniques and/or social function.)

There seems to be one dominant genre in this academic journal and that is the genre used for writing scientific documents. The form is clear, short and precise in each content published.

2)If you don't know the 'official' names for these different genres, come up with names for the yourself. Identify at least three different genres within the journal issue and describe the significant formal differences between the three genres

There is the "no images" format: the format which presents content without any visual aid to help the audience understand. Then, there is the "picture me" format where the content is provided with visual depictions of sophisticated terms mentioned in the content. The third is the "math" genre...that is, it is similar as the other genres, only that this one includes tables and graphs explaining mathematical concepts of the content.

3)Now come up with your own definition for each genre (using the name you coined, if you weren't sure what the 'official' name is for the genre). Be sure to explain what you percieve to be the purpose of each genre and how each genre might meet the needs and expectations of a target audience.

"no images": Scientific format used without the usage of any visual or mathematical aid. The purpose of this genre is to present information directly and to audience members who may have advanced knowledge of what they are presenting.

picture me: Scientific format used to present information with visual aid to present sophisticated information to an audience who may need a visual aid to fully understand the complicated scientific terms.

math:  this particular genre includes concise scientific sentences which includes mathematical graphs and tables along with visual aid and written content. This genre will be targeted for an audience that is somewhat skeptic or loves to have all the facts given to them in the content. 

Rhetorical Analysis of Academic Journal

I selected the Journal of Chemical Research for one of the journals to find physically at the U of A. Let me just mention here that libraries here at the U of A are not like Barnes & Nobles where they update their "stocks" every month on everything. Some chem journals I found were really outdated as far back as the '80s and also, the libraries didn't have some of the top chem journals...but boy do they have the latest copy of Variety! (sarcasm intended)

Chaires, Marvin "This was a pain to find" 2/26/16  via theforcebearsdown.blogspot.com

1)Who are the authors/speakers published in this specific issue of the academic journal you've selected? How many different authors are published here? What do you know - or can you find out - about these people? How are the authors/speakers portrayed in the journal issue? Cite specific details from the journal issue in your answers. 

The authors of this journal are all basically chemists presenting their work.There are at least twenty five different authors published in this chemistry journal. It is possible to find out about the type of work they are researching from the journals such as the synthesis of diamides to the use of acids in condensed thiazole. The thing about this journal is that it doesn't put the spotlight on the authors per say, it just focuses on the body of work of the author.

2)Who is the intended audience for this particular journal issue? How can you tell? Are there any secondary audiences included here? Cite specific details from the journal issue in your answers.

I am guessing the intended audience are other people in the scientific community based on how the journal mentions manners in which you yourself can send your work to be published to the journal. Also, the secondary audience could be college students since there's a page that is a form that you can fill out to have the journal at your institution's library.

3)What is the context surrounding this particular journal issue? How does this affect the content of the journal? (See the bulleted questions on Student's Guide page 180 for specific questions about context). Cite specific details from the journal issue in your answers.

The context is in an academic,scientific environment. This affects the tone and language in which the content is presented. Also, the content is presented in a physical copy, meaning the content needs to be precise and short enough in length to even make it into the journal.

4)What is the overall message of the journal issue? How did you decide this? Cite specific details from the journal issue in your answers.

Overall, the message is to present new ideas and chemical information to audience members. I just thought this was the overall message as this is what it somewhat since on a page of the academic journal.

5)What purpose is the journal issue trying to achieve? Cite specific details from the journal issue in your answers. 

Honestly, this journal is pretty much a collection of the most recent chemical researches. There is not "third person point of view" where the editors comment on the researches. Thus, I think the purpose of this journal is just to give direct research reports on some of the latest chemical discoveries. 

My Major......In Mind

Let's take a look at one of the fields my undecided behind is leaning towards... Chemistry! 

unsplash "Laboratory Speakers" 1/30/16 via Pixabay
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1.What do students in your program or department learn how to do?

Students in the field of chemistry, according to mymajors.com, is  "A general program that focuses on the scientific study of the composition and behavior of matter, including its micro- and macro-structure, the processes of chemical change, and the theoretical description and laboratory simulation of these phenomena."

2.What do people who get degrees in this field usually go on to do for work?

From a forum that I read on majors in Chemistry, most people tend to go into being lab technicians or assistants. That is, they work for a R&D team where...from what I read, they do most of the work and do not get much paid compared to the leader of the team. Others become professors or work in blood testing.

3.What drew you to this field?

Since I took Chemistry in high school, I have always been interested and found a certain skill for Chemistry. I find it interesting that you can combine things such as compounds or molecules to form something else. The perfect example is say in baking or cooking. Chemistry is involved in those things such as the heat of the oven causing the cake mix to interact and form into a baked cake. 

4.Name three of the leaders/most exciting people involved in this field right now in 2016. Why are they interesting or exciting to you? These could be individual people or specific companies, organizations, businesses or non-profits. Hyperlink us to a homepage professional website for each person, if possible.

Someone truly exciting to mention is UCSB Michelle O'Malley who is doing research on making certain foods into actual fuel you can use for your car. Next, there are some researchers from UTA who are figuring out a way to make Carbon Dioxide and Water into usable fuel.  My last mention for an exciting company as of now is the Johnson & Johnson company. That company produces so many great products from baby hand soap to dang Tylenol! 

5.What are the names of three leading academic/scholarly journals in your field? Where are they published? Give us the names and locations of at least 3. Make the titles of each journal into a working hyperlink to the website for that publication. (NOTE: if your links aren’t included or don’t work or if the page it directs us to is blocked from public view, I will not be able to assign you full credit for this exercise).

1) The Chemical Reviews Journal is published here in the United States.

2) The Journal of Chemical Research, published from the UK to the world. 

3) The Advances in Chemistry is a series of journal publications published here in the USA.

My Interviewees on Social Media

The following are my thoughts on what I found about my two interviewees on social media....also, quick comment, I would  consider LinkedIn to be the least "social" of the social medias (but that's a topic for another blog post I am sure...).

geralt "Tree Structure"  10/28/13 via pixabay
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1. What are the names of each interviewee and which social media networks were you able to find each of them on? 

The names of my interviewees are Vicente Talanquer and Craig Aspinwall. I was able to find Talanquer on Youtube and as for Aspinwall, I managed to find his research group's Facebook page.

2. How would you describe each interviewee's social media presence? What kinds of things are they talking about or sharing on social media? Write a brief description of what you learned about them through the listed social media feeds.

On Youtube, Talanquer's presence is not very omniscient I would say. He only has one video where he is doing a presentation in Chile but it is important to mention the video is not from his Youtube channel as he does not have one. 

As for Dr. Aspinwall, his research group's page seems to be mostly used by the peers of his group and not him personally. He briefly posted things which were mainly messages congratulating his peers on their accomplishments. 

3.Now return to the piece that this author published in the academic journal (from Blog Posts 6.2). How does their persona on social media differ from their persona in the pages of the academic journal? Be specific and cite details from both the journal and the social media posts you discovered.

For Dr.Talanquer, his persona is very similar in the Youtube video to the manner in which he presented himself in his academic journals. He speaks in a very conservative manner in the video as he writes in his academic journal. 

For Aspinwall, he seems to be more informal on social media compared to the tone in which he writes for his research journals. However, I would not find this as anything shocking because honestly on social media, he is in a context where he is speaking to people he know from his research group. He isn't posting information waiting to be peer reviewed so to speak. No, Aspinwall is simply posting messages to his close peers of his research groups and therefore I think this is an unfair comparison of the social media and academic persona of him since the context in which each persona is in is different.