Considering Genre

Project 1 - Postmortem Controversy Coverage

Marco, Peggy. 7/2010. https://pixabay.com/en/search-to-find-long-term-goal-1019904/

1. What genre are you going to commit to for Project 1? Why?

I have decided that I will be formatting my information for this project into a quick reference guide. I think this genre will provide exactly what I would want to give to an audience if they were looking for a simple compilation of facts on a story. I also think this genre will be good for quickly explaining both sides of the story I am covering.

2. What genre conventions from your chosen genre are you planning on developing during next week's Production phase? What do you plan to do with the genre conventions that will help you accomplish the purpose of the project most effectively?

I am really excited to experiment more with how I can work my sharp humor into this story. I feel like this story isn't too heavy or serious and I am going to try to experiment making light of what I can from the events in this controversy. I also plan on using the QRG convention of different sizes of text/boldness to really emphasize the high points and important milestones of this story. I really want it to be easy to read, understand, and recall.

3. How are you feeling about Project 1 going in to the Production phase? What challenges do you anticipate next week as you create content for the project?

I am actually feeling pretty confident with my resources and how I am imagining fitting them into my project. There are so many different factors (historically, economically, politically) that affected the event that I am covering, and I am looking forward to compiling them all together. I know that the hardest part of creating the content will be figuring out how to incorporate humor without forcing it and also making sure it is not sarcastic and volatile.

Marco, Peggy. 6/2010. https://pixabay.com/en/magnifying-glass-search-to-find-1019982/

Cluster of Stakeholders

CVS and Its Decision To Discontinue Tobacco Products

Global Panorama. 11/2009. https://www.flickr.com/photos/121483302@N02/14119096643

CVS Pharmacies reignited the national debate in 2014 when nearly 8,000 of their locations ceased sales on cigarettes and similar tobacco products. Their stance was on the side that the consumer's health is more important than the business' profit. My Popplet illustrates the effect on the key players involved with this tobacco-free controversy. 

*Note: I use an imperfect tense about events that will "likely" and "probably" happen. This event has clearly already taken place but I wanted to remain consistent with the tense in which the questions were posed.

Evaluation of General Sources

BREAKING NEWS - A Pharmacy That Actually Promotes Healthy Practices

(CVS Quits the Dirty Habit)

ClkerFreeVectorImages. 4/2012. https://pixabay.com/en/cigarette-smoking-health-smoke-24284/

Time Business

1. URL

The URL for this source is a '.com' website, the most common domain. Traditionally, the domain name for these websites indicate that the information found on the website is for a commercial use, but that is not a clear indicator that the information is always biased.

2. Author

The author of this article is Laura Stampler. Stampler graduated from Stanford University, and has written for Time (obviously), Business Insider, The Huffington Post, The New Republic, Nation, and Miami Herald. I have included this information because I think it is important that she has a lot of experience in credible writing.

3. Last Updated

The article was not updated after its publication date on the 4th of November of 2014, roughly three months after the event had taken place.

4. Purpose

The purpose of this article, specifically, was in regards to informing the audience about the sales change at CVS post the discontinuance of selling cigarettes.

5. Graphics

The only graphical display in this article shows the front of a CVS pharmacy. There are people inside and one person is seen to be exiting.

6. Position on Subject

The author appears to be neutral on the subject since the only information to be relayed is how the short term profits changed for CVS. Stampler did not use any descriptive (persuasion based) words in describing CVS or its business decision.

7. Links

There was a website that was linked in this article that cited the Wall Street Journal as another credible source.

Mozart, Mike. 8/2015. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeepersmedia/22157545950

Health Affairs Blog

1. URL

The URL of this source is a '.org' domain. These domains used to be considered some of the most trustworthy because the '.org' indicated they were a non-profit organization. Today, that limit has been taken off and the domain is available to more than just non-profit organizations, although most websites that end with this address are based on non-commercial use.

2. Author

The author of this blog post is Andrew J. Sussman. Sussman is a Harvard College and Harvard Medical School graduate who became the president of CVS's MinuteClinic in 2009 and is the Associate Chief Medical Officer of CVS CareMark. I would say his qualifications make him a credible source for the information he provides on the story.

3. Last Updated

The story was posted on February 26, 2015, which was half a year after the event happened. Although the story has not been updated since its posting, I would still argue the information is up-to-date because of the lengthy turnaround on the actual production of the story.

4. Purpose

The purpose of this post is definitely to inform the reader of the news of the company's decision to stop selling cigarettes. I would also believe that, although the tone does not appear to do so, the reason the post was published was to persuade the reader to have a good impression of CVS. I believe this because the author is a part of the company and undoubtedly wants to make his company seem as attractive as possible.

5. Graphics

The only graphic in this post shows signs around the store that encourage customers who currently smoke to quit. It shows motivational posters, a how-to-quit hotline, and other advice in poster form plastered all around the pharmacy.

6. Position on Subject

As I touched on before, it is likely that the author is biased in favor of the company. The post itself predominantly contains facts, but, again, I believe the author's bias is conveyed through the fact that he even published the story at all. 

7. Links

Sussman's post cites almost ten other sources for further education about the event and its surroundings from various credible sources like Center for Disease Control and Prevention, JAMA Internal Medicine, and The Surgeon General.

Reddit, and What I Found There

Meddit

Lafrance, Martin. 4/2010. Picture Can Be Found Here.

1. What kinds of things do people in the Reddit forums seem to be arguing about, debating, disagreeing about or otherwise engaging in meaningful exchanges of ideas about? 

The two types of medium I observed being posted on Reddit were scholarly journal entries of findings and question-and-answer forums. After exploring Reddit's medical database, I found that there weren't a lot of articles about arguments or disagreements. The majority of any clashing opinions took place in the comment section of questions that were posted. Anyone can answer or discuss in the comment section, so every page really makes you feel like you've entered in on a conference right in the middle and everyone is shouting out their ideas. An example of things that were being debated would be the possible side effects of a drug, or the best at-home remedy for the common cold. Specifically to Reddit, doctors gather around and ask and answer questions that usually pertain to their jobs. This gave a very informal feel since the doctors were conversing with each other, as opposed to Twitter, where each page was individualistic to a person with a purpose to inform rather than discuss. 

2. In your opinion, what are the two most interesting debates/disagreements you found in the Reddit forums?

I found a lot of interesting posts, but the main problem I encountered was the level of informality of the users. I wanted to find a large collection of comments that were from medical professionals, and not just people who were interested in that topic and that topic only who wanted to put in their two cents. I found two articles that fit the bill and also pertained to information that I think would be relevant to my future. The first discussion post I found was from a nurse in emergency medicine. The post was inquiring about the possible faultiness of some lab results from a patient who drank ethanol (wrong kind of alcohol, dude)! I thought this was really interesting because I know some doctors who are in emergency medicine, and I hear horror stories like this one all the time. Although I don't know if this specialization is for me, I still love hearing about it. You can bet the comment section was a hit, too. I'm not going to lie, a lot of the information went straight over my head. What I did recognize, though, was just the sheer amount of knowledge that was presented by all types of different doctors: Toxicologists, Intensive Care Unit doctors, Radiation Oncologists, and even a PhD Biomedical Engineering student that put them all to shame. The other post I looked into was just as interesting, and also probably related more to my future. The question posed was about which specialty would be the best to go into if one did not want to live in the city. The two biggest results I repeatedly saw were psychiatry (gross) and family/internal medicine. A few comments actually advised against this because it would ] be tough because the insurance premiums. Out of this post, though, the most helpful advice I saw was that it is more advisable to work for a good company that offers plentiful travel connections than have your sights set on such a specific place to live.

3. Overall, what impression do you get of your discipline based on what you saw happening in the Reddit forums?

The impression that I got wasn't really anything that I didn't expect. All of the comments just reminded me that there are real people behind their titles. They have a lot of highly regarded knowledge but they aren't some higher beings that only speak the language of prescription. They talk (write) just like the rest of us mere mortals. 

Evaluation of News Magazine Stories

The Atlantic and Forbes

I chose these magazines for a specific reason. As a Physiology major, I am really still exploring all the possibilities the field could potentially have for me. I chose The Atlantic magazine because of the description being a 'moderate' magazine. Ideally, I would have liked to venture to explore conservative and liberal magazines, as well; I would love to be able to compare and contrast and explore the different approaches that are taken towards my intended field. But I digress and that will have to wait for another time. For now, I wanted to take on my field of study from a moderate political perspective.

Besides the different personal point of view I chose to observe the stories from, I also wanted to explore the different sides of the major itself. Forbes magazine is most highly regarded as a business magazine, which can speak a lot about the stories that are surfacing. I thought it would be interesting to also observe current news of the medical field from the position that focuses more on the company that made the discovery.

The Atlantic - The Cold Medicine Racket

Buissine, Steven. 10/2015. https://pixabay.com/en/flu-influenza-cold-virus-sick-1006045/

1. What is being debated in the story?

The debate in this article is predominantly between the credibility of brand-name drugs (Tylenol, Bayer, NyQuil/DayQuil, etc.) and the efficiency of their generic counterparts. The discussion takes a turn when it introduces a key player, the FDA, who has both accused the generic brands of not being produced in up-to-date facilities but has also separately assured that it does not allow for drugs to be produced in substandard facilities.

2. What/Who is the most sympathetic character in the story?

The most sympathetic character in this story is definitely the generic brands of medications. The story makes the audience feel like the generic brands are not rightfully represented because of the  vast amounts of negative myths that exist about them. In fact, they are required by law to be bioequivalent.

3. What/Who is the least sympathetic character in the story?

 Conversely, the least sympathetic character is the FDA. Yes, the FDA, and not the name-brand drugs. The author's tone is very much coordinated against the FDA. The author recognizes that the name-brand medications are certainly not a helping factor (especially considering how overpriced they are). But it is the FDA who lacks current material (their myth page is 12 years old) and even contradicting material (explained in question 1).

Forbes - Regenerative Medicine: Could This be Healthcare's Saving Grace?

Public Domain Pictures. 7/2013. https://pixabay.com/en/dna-biology-medicine-gene-163466/

1. What is being debated in the story?

This article follows the rapid expansion of regenerative medicine and its current progress and questions about its ethics. There are currently over 700 companies that practice various regenerative medicine techniques, and that receive a lot of support from many doctors and biomedical engineers. However, the FDA has not spoken out about its support for the stem cell techniques yet. But don't worry, the FDA isn't the bad guy in this story, too.

2. What/Who is the most sympathetic character in the story?

The article consistently uses quotes from the supporters of regenerative medicine, whether that be researchers, patients, or the doctors themselves. The use of personal stories makes the reader feel much more connected to the practice because of the availability to see how regenerative medicine has already affected people's lives so positively.

3. What/Who is the least sympathetic character in the story?

It is consistent, however, with the saying that when someone's life gets better, another's gets worse. Regenerative medicine is already facing a lot of pressure from critics about whether it is ethical or not, from an implant basis. These critics believe the practice is too intrusive. Prothetists are also in opposition of the regenerative medicine because it is a threat to their jobs (the article is optimistic about knee replacements becoming unnecessary in he near future). The critics and prosthetists are portrayed in the article to be too traditionalistic and opposing progression.

Twitter, and What I Found There

Physiology Major

Linforth, Pete. 12/2015. https://pixabay.com/en/twitter-logo-twitter-icon-icon-1084764/

1. After researching the very broad major of physiology (pre-medicine), I can report I was presented with almost exactly the type content I was expecting. The majority of the time, doctors, schools of medicine, various physiology clubs and the like (I'll refer to all of them as the Twitter MD) are all posting the same matter. The pattern I have observed is that there is almost always some sort of possible sponsorship or at the least a trusted journal/newspaper that this Twitter MD is devout to. Every week, it seems, the author shares the new edition of whatever medical news source it believes is the best. In addition, I find that the Twitter MD cannot stay away from the 'quick-fix' articles. These are the short, though irresistible, links that essentially exist to inform its audience how wrong they are currently living their lives. This sounds a bit cynical, but it is not wrong. Examples: "What you need to know about the Zika virus (before it's too late)", "12 minutes and 8 seconds to understand overdosing", "Why being dehydrated is slowly killing you". 
2. I even fell victim to these irresistible stories. Their titles just have so much mystery, and I guess curiosity killed the cat. Or, in my case, killed my productivity. I spent 45 minutes learning all the benefits of coffee (believe me, there are a lot), and the discovery of carcinogens (let's just say mice always get the shitty end of any deal in science). Thanks a lot, @KevinMD. I have, however, found one exception (so far) to this basic Twitter MD mold that I have previously compared every page to. @LeahNTorres is an OB/GYN currently living in Utah. Yes, she performs abortions in what seems to be the Pro-Life capital of the nation. Her conversations are by far the most interesting because she responds with passion and sarcasm. The majority of her posts are debates or rally cries for political support. I imagine it would be very tough to be in her profession in the conservative state of Utah. Honestly, I would not be able to put up with people not accepting me for doing my job, so Dr. Torres certainly deserves a pat on the back for that one.
3. Honestly, I had a pretty good feeling I knew what was going to be on the Twitter pages I researched. With what I found, I had guessed correctly. I actually hadn't anticipated the audience correctly, though. Besides the average person, it appeared that a large part of the readers these Twitter MDs catered to were actually other doctors. Quite a few of those irresistible quick-fix articles related to doctors themselves, and how not to get burned out or how to treat a transgender patient, etc. Overall, there was nothing too out of the ordinary or life changing that I found on Twitter specifically.

ClkrFreeVectorImages. 4/2012. https://pixabay.com/en/doctor-medic-medical-medicine-40891/

Evaluation of the New York Times

A Simple Set of Scientific Stories:

Serious Sustenance or Psychological Sham?

&

Solar System Shenanigans.

"When Athletes Go Gluten Free"

Kurious. 10/2015. https://pixabay.com/en/wheat-gluten-allergy-food-allergen-995055/

Some background: More and more athletes these days are turning on gluten as a scapegoat for poor athletic performance. The reason for this is generally being derived from athletes who participate in distance sports feeling gastrointestinal discomfort during or following their workouts or competitions. The bloating comes from the fact that, during workouts, blood from the digestive tract is diverted to the areas of the body that need it most. Over long periods of time (e.g. training for a marathon) this can cause discomfort.

1. Dana Lis is an Australian Ph.D candidate who questioned the effectiveness of the gluten-free diet fad. She conducted a study with 26 professional distance cyclists over a two week period to determine if going gluten-free would help the cyclists perform better athletically or if the theory was nothing more than a placebo.
2. The study took place at the University of Tasmania in Tasmania, Australia. U Tas is a world class college that puts an emphasis on research.
3. The topic in question is the relevancy and proven effectiveness of the choice to omit gluten from one's diet. The stakes for researching this topic are the threats to profits of gluten-free companies if the findings do not show the alleged positive effects of going gluten-free. Another aspect at stake is the well being of the athletes. If going gluten-free won't help their digestive issues, then what will?  Well, in fact, Ms. Lis's findings show that there was no favorable nor unfavorable effect that incurred from a gluten-free diet. There were no measured changes at all. The gluten-free diet was, in fact, a psychological sham. 

Ms. Lis advises that the most important thing about taking care of digestion during workouts to prevent bloating is the timing of your meals and workouts. As if you needed to be told...don't workout on a full stomach.

Want The Full Story?

"Ninth Planet May Exist Beyond Pluto"

Lindner, John. 9/2014. https://pixabay.com/en/solar-system-sun-mercury-venus-439046/

1. Caltech professors Dr. Michael Brown and Dr. Konstanin Batygin have reported unusual elliptical shaped orbits of objects in our solar system that reach far beyond even the Kuiper Belt (about 2.8 billion miles from the sun). They attribute this phenomenon to be due to the existence of a ninth planet.
2. The setting of this story is the California Institute of Technology. This is where the theory was produced/discovery made. The setting is relevant because it is the school at which both of the professors teach. Not only are they teaching, they are also learning.
3. There is not so much a debate going on as an acceptance or refute of the theory. In fact, there has not even been much of an active refuting party pertaining to the theory, besides observers who were expected to reject the theory on the basis that they did not understand astronomy and some theorists who expect this phenomenon to be coincidental. Many scientists have accepted this presumption, though, and the field of astronomy is expecting a boom in research about the possibility of a ninth planet in coming years. 

Want the Full Story?

Course Projects

1. What are you most confused by or nervous about in regards to the four major projects? Of the projects, I would say I am most intimidated by the project 3 argument. I know this means I will have to take a strong stance on one side of a topic, and I am comfortable with that part. I always find the difficult part to be when I try to convince myself of the other side of the argument that I can always do a very good job and end up being much more moderate than I had started out. 
2. What are you most interested in or excited by in regards to the four major projects? I'm very excited to find my topic of research for project 1.  I have always liked searching and that moment that you find a good story. It's always exciting when you find a lot of information on a story that really peaks your interest because it feels like you've hit the jackpot and that there is so much to explore on that topic!
3. Based on your understanding of the major projects, what are the elements of this course that you have to plan ahead for? How will the coursework described in the four project assignment sheets challenge your time management skills this semester? I know that I will have to plan ahead for each of the projects. There is definitely a hefty amount of pre-production work for projects 1 and 4. Project 1 will entail a lot of research and I will need to factor in time for the possibility of finding things that don't meet all of the requirements of types of articles I am looking for. There is a pretty specific rubric, especially when it comes to my interests, and so I will definitely want to allot time for myself to be picky. Project 4 will also require planning just to reflect on all of the work I have done this semester. I anticipate the majority of the time I spend will just be re-reading my work.
4. How has your past English coursework in high school or college prepared you for the challenges of this course? What skills will you bring into the course with you? My past classes in English have hardly prepared me for the structure and the time management required in this class. Even having been in all the available AP courses for English prior to this class, I can definitely say that the format is very different to anything I have previously experienced. Nevertheless, I would say that I can bring a good work ethic to the table. In the end, I hope to gain good time management skills out of this class.
5. Do you have any questions about the four major projects that haven't been answered by the assignment sheets? What do you still want to know? I do not have any current questions about the course projects.

Open Clipart Vectors. https://pixabay.com/en/papers-stack-heap-documents-576385/ 1/11/15

I actually felt like I was on the same page as my classmates this time through. I read Neej's post (http://ipass4zona.blogspot.com/2016/01/course-projects.html?showComment=1453703260781) and Erica's post (http://mohrerica.blogspot.com/2016/01/course-projects.html?showComment=1453703599450#c5105172190396120399) and I felt like we were all pretty clear on what we are thinking and preparing ourselves for as far as the course projects go. I'm nervous but eager to begin finding my story and orchestrating how I am going to handle my time to ensure I can get all that I need to finished in a timely manner. I definitely notice each time I read others' blog posts that I have left out things in my own post that I remember hearing about before and being excited for. It's really nice to have so many minds working because I feel like we can all get a lot of progress out of hearing what our peers have to say.

Investigating Genres

Quick Reference Guides

1. A quick reference guide is usually used to make an easy-to-read representation of a topic, event, or story that is popular in the public eye that others are hoping to learn about. Reference guides are meant to get the simple facts out on the table so that they are easy to understand and remember.
2. This genre is usually formatted in some type of print setting, either online or in physical copy. Many companies specialize in this sort of format and genre and rely on essentially summarizing news stories as a quick reference guide, which is why they are most commonly found online.
3. An example company, like Vox, Buzzfeed, or Huffpost (online) cater more specifically to the millennial generation. Quick reference guides are made for those who don't want to spend the time reading through articles upon articles in newspapers because they are anticipated to have busy lives and be pressed for time. The audience is expected to be more tech savvy and would likely prefer to get their news online.
4. Often, the quick reference guides will advertise some specific event in the title and then follow up explaining this event with main headers in the article. There are usually bolded phrases to get the main points across or pictures to illustrate the point. It is frequent that there is also humor found in quick reference guides although this is not a true sign or a distinguishing factor of this genre.
5. The Quick Reference Guide: A short article covering a popular news story that is composed of eye-catching factors to enable the reader to gather necessary information as quickly as possible.

After reading the blog posts from Sarah (http://ifcowscouldtalk.blogspot.com/2016/01/investigating-genres.html?showComment=1453689399793#c200757139438618118) and Diego (http://diegoandenglish.blogspot.com/2016/01/investigating-genres-video-essays.html?showComment=1453692485428) I realized that it isn't enough to just get the information out in a blog post. You should make it easy to read and provide what I call "checkpoints" along the way so that the text doesn't blend together and make it boring for the reader. I intend to leave my initial format the way it is so that you may see what I originally posted. From now on I will definitely spend some time on the way my blog posts look and not just the content that goes into them. In this case specifically, I think it would have made it more helpful for the reader if I provided a space between each answer, and also have included the question that was asked just for reference. I intend to include a visual aspect to my next post as well.