ENC 2135-198: Genre, Research, and Context

Jamica Williams I agree with this article. Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with an idea for topics for an essay.This article goes on to speak about good ways to get started with choosing a topic. It said to start, a student should google the topic. Get some background information on the topic. Normally, I don't really google my topic, I sort of go off of my personal experiences if the topic allows, then get background information. Then I like to make list and write down my sources for different paragraphs and my thesis. After picking a topic and sources, the article says, to dissect and reread the sources. Its time to ask questions about the articles or chosen sources. I think this is a great idea and I normally do this already. But it says when reading, answer these questions           1. Who's saying what?           2. Are there terms that need to be defined? After picking the best topic, according to the article, w...

This reading was all about research papers. When I am assigned a research paper I often struggle with finding a topic that will both interest me and be sufficient enough for a whole paper. The reading suggested ways to help tackle the struggle that is choosing a topic. One specific tactic that the book suggested was free writing which can get your ideas out there without a lot of pressure. Another tactic the book used was to choose topics that were open ended and could be expanded upon. A research question with just a quick explanation wouldn't be much of a research paper, therefore, choosing a topic that can be researched past just "yes" or "no" allows for a more in depth paper. This reading taught me new ways to approach a research paper that I plan to implement in the future.

Megan Heller Prior to reading this chapter whenever I chose a research topic it was based on "I feel like I can get a larger word count with this topic." This would prove to not be the case almost every time and I would be struggling to meet the word count anyway. This reading really put into perspective the importance of the process of choosing a research question. I never thought to put in any preliminary work in choosing a solid topic to talk about. By choosing controversial or open ended questions, it allows you to expand your paper by hitting points on your side and using counter arguments to aid your thesis. Making a point to ask yourself questions prior to writing also allows you to decide if you enjoy this topic and helps to get ideas flowing and at the same time helping to focus the question by narrowing your research.

Jacqueline Kulle 31 January 2018 ENC2233 BBG Pages 261-276 I thought this reading was very helpful because I have never thought to do a lot of these things. For example, I have never tried free writing to figure out which topic I would write a paper on, and this concept seems very helpful. Also, I typically keep my writing to myself, but talking about your ideas for topics to people will help decide what is best to write about. One of the bigger concepts this writing talked about when discussing brainstorming is mind mapping. For me, I do not think I would use this concept, only because I would rather see an organized list compared to a map. The reading also discussed exploring topics through preliminary research. I agree that it is extremely helpful to know conflicting views on your topic, and to know what others say about it. 

In the past, I have written a few research papers and sometimes finding a topic can be the hardest part for me. After reading reading about picking topics in the book, it seemed like a big brainstorming process. I never really considered picking a topic to be a process, to me I thought it was just pick something you want to write about that you can do a good amount of research on. However, I enjoyed the example given by Sharon Freeman. She first started out with a few broad topics, then for each she developed arguments for each topic. In the end she ended up picking germs to write about so she made a list of questions she could free write to. Once she finished her free write she was able to pick out specific questions that she could use to research germs, such as what a germ is. I think this method could really help me pick a topic because it helps me compare all my potential topics to one another and then pick whichever one I think will be the best to write about.

When I am brainstorming before writing a paper, the first thing I do is search the topic on Google. I look at what websites come up first and look to see what ones would be most beneficial to writing a successful paper. Agreeing with the Bedford Book of Genres, being disciplined about what websites to use is a big factor in whether or not the paper will turn out strong and accurate. It is always a good idea to put in the opposite side of the argument you are trying to persuade when writing a paper. By doing so, you can formulate your own perspective and elaborate on it. Also by having an opposing view in your paper illustrates that you thoroughly researched your topic and have a lot of knowledge on it. Its important when picking a topic to do something different, not basic. Things like gay rights, abortion and school uniforms are all popular topics that people tend to write about too much. With not picking something too basic and uninteresting, its more likely it will intrigue the read...

Syvannah Boland After reading this section of the book, it made me realize what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong in the past when I researched things. I had always followed the basic rules, such as making lists of topics, doing preliminary research, etc. What I had never thought to do that the chapter suggested was things like talking to other people, free writing, and mind mapping. The pictures that they provided made these strategies seem very useful and effective. I also agree with their suggestion to avoid topics that are too "out there" because those can be hard to write about objectively. When I was reading, I was either agreeing with points they made because they were things I already do when researching, or taking mental notes on new tricks to implement the next time I do. Something I never really thought about that the book mentioned was if I actually enjoyed the topic myself. I've always chosen topics that I thought were scholarly and sophisticated ...

Meghan Hawk After reading "Exploring Topics & Creating a Research Proposal" from the Bedford Book of Genres, I have a clear understanding of how to efficiently compose a detailed research question, along with supporting questions, and subtopics. Prior to reading this chapter, I had a good idea of how to write a research question, and the essay that comes along with it. However, this reading really narrowed each step down to successfully create a designed and carefully articulated research question. I felt that the part about talking to people about your ideas was very helpful and relatable. Once I had an assignment to write a screenplay and my mind was not flowing as per usual causing me to be fresh out of ideas. Once I got in the car with my dad, we just started talking about everyday things and how I could make a comedic event out of it. Eventually, it lead me to write a comedic road rage screenplay. I also found that in the case of research questions, it is very impo...

Kirstyn Marsh ENC2135      Previously, I thought I knew pretty much all of the basics on deciding which topic would be great for research, however, after reading the Bedford Book of Genre's section on "Choosing a Topic Through Basic Research," I realized that I wasn't utilizing all the tools available to me in order to pick the most well thought out topic. I was used to doing preliminary reading online, talking to people about my topic and brainstorming but I didn't take advantage of freewriting, creating mindmaps, or asking myself questions to really narrow down what exactly I desired to answer. On past research papers, my research topic was often so vague and bland that I either had too much to talk about, didn't know where to start, or know how to organize it. Using the tips in this book will help me to decide what I am most curious about while ensuring that I make a strong argument.

Genesis Dolgetta The feedback I received from my peer review was very beneficial because it definitely pointed out some major questions that should be answered through out my paper. It made the holes in my essay that I was attempting to make more clear very apparent to me so that when I go back and look at my first draft, I will be able to fill those gaps in with more ease. Although I am not unsure about any of the feedback given, because I think that all the points that were made in the peer review would benefit the paper, I am slightly unsure of how I am going to answer some of the questions that were asked and need to give that more thought.

Rachel Klahm ENC2135 1/30/18 Action Plan Before the next draft I plan to involve more about the differences amongst both genres in my paper. Including specifics about why they are different due to their time eras. I am definitely taking Julie's feedback about adding more genre comparisons. Julie gave me great feedback and I am not unsure about any of the tips she gave me!

Kirstyn Marsh ENC2315      Based on the feedback I received, I plan on making my ideas more clear so that my audience understands why Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are fantasy films. I also didn't realized that I used very contradicting words in the same sentence that could potentially confuse the reader. I plan on revisiting these sentences and making adjustments so that they are more clear. In addition, not regarding my feedback, I plan on making the "what if" part of my draft more clear so that my essay actually has a purpose. There was only one piece of feedback that I was unsure about and that was the use of my words in which the reviewer of my essay did not recognize. She suggested that I replace them with simpler words, however, I feel as if that was just a matter of her opinion. I believe most people would recognize the words I used.

Haley Ketchum My peer review was very helpful, as it aloud me to see what my paper was missing. Based on my feedback, I need to add more analysis to the paper; I discuss genres, but I need to go more in-depth in my discussion. I also have a lot of repetition in the paper, so I need to cut down on that. Overall, the peer review was very helpful. 

Sydney Meyer Jan.30.18           After getting feedback on my rough daft I would like to make sure that I clarify the reason I chose the two topics. I would also like to use more figurative language when summarizing the two pieces which can help make the paper a bit more interesting. while I was reading over the suggestions on my paper I was in complete agreement with everything she said. Also, I would like to make my writing more clear. One thing my reviewer pointed out was my wording made some points a little confusing and I would like to make my points more clear. Overall, I fond the peer review very helpful for improving my paper and I think I'm going to start asking people to review my papers regularly.

After getting my peer review, some changes i'd like to make are adding more quotes from the modern version of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. I spoke a lot more about the original movie, Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.I also need to add in-text citations with my writing. I'd also like to reorganize my structure by taking away some sentences within the first and second paragraphs that were repeated very similarly too many times. There wasn't any misinterpreted logic in the corrections she gave.

Alison McGrath ENC 2135 Thanks to my peer reviewer, I now know to focus more on genres, and plan on talking more about how different the genre of music is from the movie adaption of Across the Universe. I plan to focus on the central theme of political issues in the 60's, and how they both analyze the situations. I also plan on further analyzing sub genres, and drawing more comparisons.

Sophia Fundora Based on the feedback I received, I plan on making various changes. First off, I plan to expand more on the theme of misogyny and how it is addressed in both the play The Taming of the Shrew and the adaptation 10 Things I Hate About You . I also plan to analyze how the environment the characters are placed in affect the way they are, which is the feedback that Ally gave me after reading over my first draft.

Julie Thayer Based on the feedback I received there are some ideas that I will definitely implement in my next draft and some I am unsure about. The feedback that I believe will benefit my next draft is talking about how the different eras each work was produced in changes the behavior of the characters and the "norms" of the time period. I don't think I will use the idea of talking about how in ancient Rome teens got married now compared to the period of mean girls when you have dates and crushes. This is because I feel this comparison doesn't have to do with the changes that the genres cause to the stories.

Syvannah Boland      After receiving my peer review, I am going to make changes when it comes to my second draft. I am going to make sure to include more evidence from the original Beauty and the Beast and the newer film, such as quotes and detailed descriptions of the differences between the two. I will also make sure to correct my format for the essay, and including a works cited page (once I include my quotes and resources).

For my second draft I will go into greater detail about the differences between the two genres and give more specific examples. The peer review allowed me to see where my faults were in the first draft. Going into the second draft, not only will I include more detail, but I will also fix any grammatical mistakes. I will make this draft more organized and use more concepts we learned in class. To finish my second draft off, I want to make a better and more organized conclusion to my paper! I will do so by better summarizing the whole paper instead of just having the paper end without a summary as I did in my first draft.

Meghan Hawk After looking over my peer review, I will change some of the phrases that I use somewhat frequently so that there is variation in my word choice. Also, switch up the syntax of my sentences as some of them follow the same structure. I also plan to cut out unnecessary words or phrases that don't enhance the overall meaning of the sentence. In opposition, I will make other sentences more clear and add more detail to what once may have been vague. Lastly, I plan on adding another paragraph comparing the similarities and differences between Beauty and the Beast and Edward Scissorhands, something I had not yet finished in my draft.

For the second draft, I am going to take my peer editors review and change my vocabulary to higher level words, and be less repetitive with simple words. Also, I am going to look and be more cautious of my grammar. Things like run on sentences, commas, and other punctuation errors are things I am going to look for. I am going to try and answer how rhetorical choices are used within Twelfths Night and She's the Man, and how they relate to the general theme of gender equality.

For my second draft, I am definitely going pull out my main point from my first draft and organize them into separate paragraphs. Now, that I understand the project better I know what to write about so, I can come up with better examples and ideas in my paper. The peer review really helped me see what I can do to improve my paper by bringing up topics that never occurred to me. Lastly, I want to make my introduction paragraph a lot more grasping to the readers and add a thesis statement because I feel like it summarizes what the paper will mostly discuss.

Mariah McCurry Before my next draft, I am definitely going to organize my ideas into planned paragraphs. I am also going to cut out some excess or repeated information that I find that don’t fit my paper. One piece of feedback that I received was that I should elaborate more on the different themes of each genre. I will definitely be taking this feedback and there was not any feedback received that I was unsure about. 

Things I plan to fix from my first draft include being more concise, separating paragraphs when talking about the two different genres, and incorporating the rhetoric found in both genres.

Megan Heller The feedback that I received was very helpful and ensuring because some of the parts that I wasn't so sure about I felt more confident about them afterwards. The peer review really helped me to explain further about how genres adapt over time and how that can reflect society as a whole. It also allowed me to form a complete conclusion that I was also unsure about and I can now tie all the comparisons together to talk about the purpose of the movie versus and book.

Jacqueline Kulle Action Plan I received beneficial feedback from the peer review. Most of the feedback told me to talk about the time period that The Great Gatsby was set in. I compared the book and the new 2013 movie. Both of these settings take place during the same time period, and it would be good to talk about that time period. Also, I compared the role of women, and the feedback told me to talk about women roles at this time. This will help the reader better understand the adaptations and why they are so important. I am taking this advice, and adding more detail about the time period The Great Gatsby was set in. I was not unsure about any feedback; it all made sense, and I think will help improve my paper.

Rachel Klahm ENC2135 1/25/18 Really Responding 1. This text surprised me because it encouraged us as readers to really be critical. Not in a way which comes across as mean, but in a suggestive way. To comment and make suggestions but not to change their piece. As Straub says, "it's not yours, its the writers. Writers write and readers read." 2. These strategies will definitely be helpful with peer review. Two that stood out to me were to  1) not rewrite sentences but instead make a suggestion on a different way it could be written. This stood out to me because I often find myself fixing peoples' sentences when they don't flow well or there are grammatical errors. Now I know to instead make a suggestion in the margin rather than editing their sentence for them.  2) Try to make as many praises as you do criticisms. This stood out to me because often as peers we get comfortable with one or the other. We either get our papers back full of critiques ...

Haley Ketchum 1. How did this text surprise you? This text really did not surprise me. Usually when writing a response, I try to mimic what the teacher would writ, and would try to be short and sweet about it. I always tried to give more compliments than criticisms. 2. Do you think the strategies in this text can help in peer review? Mention two that stuck out to you and discuss your opinion on them. Yes, there were some new strategies I learned which should be useful. For example, I usually left short and sweet comments. However, Straub said that longer comments are better, as it is constructive criticism that should be longer in order to give an adequate explanation. Also, when I peer review I would read the paper twice. However, Straub says that we should really do a quick scan, which makes more sense. 3. Have you done peer review in the past? If so, has that experience been positive or negative and why? Yes, last year in high school I took a writing class where every si...

Syvannah Boland A. This text surprised me because it truly captured how peer editing should be versus how people peer edit in reality. Straub captured the main flaws in most people' peer editing work, and it was a shock that most people do the bare minimum instead of actually being productive and helpful to others when reading their papers. B. Yes I do. I think focusing on fixing the issues based off of what we learn in class is a good way to critique someone's paper. Straub also mentioned to be critical, but supportive and constructive as well. I think these are great pointers when it comes to giving feedback, because it improves the paper without making the other person feel bad about their work.  C. I have peer edited in the past, and it honestly has been a negative experience. I basically only did it for the grade and gave comments that weren't very thorough or helpful. I gave people the benefit of the doubt because I didn't want to make them feel bad for mak...

Sydney Meyer 01/25/18 #1. In the past while I revised peoples work I would be short and sweet on the paper but when handing it back to them I would explain what I meant. thinking about it know if I did that when thy go back to revise their work they may not remember what I explained. therefore, it make sense to provide more information then you think necessary. #2. When the author said don't be supportive and give the writer the benefit of the doubt it stuck with me because when people read my writing I want them to tell me the truth and not say "oh its great" or "I don't think you need to change anything" I know there are issues with my writing that's why I'm asking your opinion so please tell me what you think. Also, I liked how he said don't try to sound like a teacher just sound like your normal self. I like this because if someone is reviewing my paper I want them to tell me what they think rather then tell me what to do. #3. I have d...

Alison McGrath ENC 2135 The assigned reading portrays the idea of putting more effort into responding, peer revision, and the paper you're revising. The author wants the reader to not just look over the paper, but to fix the paper. 1) When reviewing a paper, I always glance through quickly once, to get an idea of the writing, as suggested in "Really Responding." I also try not to focus solely on one area, and try to help with revisions throughout the piece. 2) A new piece of advice I can take away from this chapter is not to leave short comments. In the past I have left small little comments, as to not offend the writer. Yet, as pointed out in the chapter, it's about responding to the writing, giving back constructive criticism so that the writer excels. Longer comments are better, because they actually help the writer, while little comments do little to get the writer to fix their work. 3) Peer revision in the past has not always been the most helpful, due to t...

Jamica Williams 1/25/2018 The way this writer says its best to critique an essay is the same way my ENC 1105 class said to. The way Richard Straub taught his students back before he passed, isn't much different than what I was taught last year. He would like us to be as honest as possible and in a polite manner. Help them out as you would like another person to do for you.The essay begins with asking two questions that I based this response off of. 1) Which of the pieces of advice for responding you already follow - When I critique someones work I try to tell them the things I think would make them a better writer not being rude. When writing the comments make sure not to sound like an editor or a teacher.Write like how you would speak to the student.Don't mark up the text like a teacher would. -Try to respond with full sentences and elaborate on each comment. - Try to match the criticism and the praises you give when responding 2) What pieces of advice are new to y...

Mariah McCurry a. The major thing that surprised me was that we as a reviewer are more suppose to give our opinion on how we felt about the writing over making corrections and rewrites. I suppose I always thought one should just fix any grammatical issues that are found within the writing and give your opinion on whether the writing sounded smooth or choppy. I was interested to see that responding is its own genre and with that comes certain guidelines to follow. b. I believe the strategies in this text can be helpful because it gave great insight on how one can better themselves as peer reviewers and gives the reviews a starting point on what their goals should be while reading the paper. The first thing I noticed was that the reviewer should brainstorm with the author to help him/ her elaborate on their work or help come up with more ideas. The goal of that is to help the writer improve and encourage them to better their work. I think another strategy that is important is asking t...

Julie Thayer a) The first thing that surprised me was how the opening paragraph perfectly expressed how I take on peer reviews. I also am intrigued by the idea of "pushing" the writer to do better work, because honestly everything can always be improved. b) I really enjoyed the suggestion to think about the assignment before reading a peer's actual paper. It allows one as a review to make sure the writer has all the elements needed to make this a strong paper and fully complete the assignment. This also makes it easier to point out what is missing in one's text that would hurt their grade. I also loved the idea to only address the big issues of one's paper. This makes peer reviewing more effective and meaningful. This means that one should skip simple spelling errors and odd wording and focus on the main idea of the paper, and how well these ideas are presented and flow. This is far more beneficial for the writer and helps them vastly improve their paper. c) I...

1.      This text surprises me because it sheds a light on what it’s like to be the audience – what to look for when reviewing someone else’s work. This gives an idea as to what errors to look for, and how not to approach a situation where a writer will ultimately feel discouraged by his/her work. 2.      In a way, the checklist offered before reading the paper is the very similar to the mental checklist done while writing – with questions such as: “is this paper supposed to be a personal essay? A report? An analysis? An argument?” This goes hand in hand with knowing your audience while writing, and being the one to give some sort of revision means that you also need to know your place as a reader. This text also gives a lot of tips on how to approach revising a paper, and in a way gives a better understanding to how one should read and revise their own writing. Punctuation and grammatical errors aren’t always the primary probl...

Sophia Fundora  The text "Really Responding" surprised me in the way that Richard Straub claimed that putting forth maximum effort when peer reviewing someone else's paper could make you an even better writer. He emphasizes the importance of writing comments within the margarines and summarizing the paper in your own words. I believe that this strategy mentioned could be very helpful not only for the person who's paper your reviewing but for yourself as well. It helps the writer see how the audience would perceive their paper and what they need to work on. It helps the reviewer by enhancing their comprehension skills and applying their own comments on their own paper as well. I also believe his strategy of taking the stage of drafting in to consideration when peer reviewing could be very helpful. For example, Straub mentions how if it's a first or rough draft, try not to deal with all the editing at once but instead focus on the large picture like the focus, con...

Camilla Chavez  1.    The article “Really Responding” by Richard Straub surprised me in several ways. This article provided readers with many new ways to peer review someone’s essay in a non-negative form. It also suggested to editors that when reviewing a peer’s essay to not point out all the negative aspects of the essay but instead to give back positive lengthy comments on the great ideas they possessed within the essay. This was very shocking because while growing up my professors would always encourage me to not be friendly when editing the paper but to be critical and point out the flaws. 2.   I think that many of the strategies that were introduced to me throughout this article will be very beneficial when peer reviewing one of my classmate’s essays. The two that stuck out to me the most were to leave as many lengthy praise comments as criticism comments because it will make the writer feel more motivated towards their paper. Another strategy that stuck ...