Thesis Statements

1. In a small work environment, clear, direct, and concise writing is key.

2. Professional writing for an intern may vary quite a bit depending on who is addressed and what the concern is.

3. In a fast paced work environment where most communication happens face to face, the emphasis on formality is not as important as getting the message across quickly.

Personal Journal Week 6

I really liked this week's chapter of the Happiness Project. I spent most of my teenage years thinking about death and dying, and I think that's what ultimately led me to becoming a happier person. It's almost as if I exhausted the subject for so many years that I finally got sick of it and couldn't care less. (Even though I still find it kind of fascinating, at least I don't spend my days obsessing about it).

I really like how Rubin looked into the lives of people who were less fortunate than her and started to realize she did not have a lot to complain about when it really came down to it. I also liked when she wrote that most people will look at happy people as less intelligent, which I can actually somewhat agree with when thinking about the saying "ignorance is bliss."

However, I completely agree with her when she says that being happy is A LOT of work. You need to write gratitude lists, stop yourself when you're having self-destructive thoughts and accept everything that life throws you in order to think of solutions to the problem instead of the actual problem. I personally try to remind myself to stay positive several times every day. I know the option is to go down a spiral that is very difficult to come out of.

I thought the "Recovering Jerk" was super interesting because I used to be pretty obnoxious myself. I know I have the tendency to sometimes think I know better than others even though I know it is so far from the truth. Instead of what happened in the text, having a professor tell me that was the case, I was once thrown into a situation where every single person around me had come way, way, way further in life, and shared knowledge I had no idea was even out there.

That is when my "humble phase" began and I started to listen more than I spoke. I started to read more and truly question everything I thought I knew. I still have moments where I'm a little too eager to share my opinions and I try to remind myself to slow down, to not let my ego take over, and to remember that I would not know what I know if it wasn't for other people.

"Don't Complain, Just Work Harder" sort of reminded me of Rubin's chapter. At least when it comes to how to stay positive and not complain. By giving examples of people who saw the bright side of life, one must wonder how and why that is. Maybe they did count their blessings, and maybe they did try to focus on what's good in life instead of anything else.

In "The Lost art of Thank-You Notes," I was reminded of what my mentor once told me when I applied for an internship I really wanted. He said "Send a hand-written thank-you note and I can pretty much guarantee you'll get it." I don't know to this day if that's what made it happen but I got the internship, so I can't do anything but agree to this text...

"Show Gratitude" also reminded me of my mentor who would always say that the way I can pay him back is by becoming successful and promise to help others the way he helped me, a.k.a to pay it forward.

"Be a Communitarian" goes along the lines with what Rubin described in the assigned chapter for this week. She spoke about how by helping others, we become happier. They're talking about volunteering in this text and how it impacts our lives for the better: "...when we're connected to others, we become better people." I really believe that's true. In a way, we do it to feel better about ourselves, but at the same time, we're helping our community so it's a win-win.

Academic Writing Week 5

In "They Say, I Say," Ch. 11, I thought it was interesting to read the arguments for how to transition between classmates statements by referring back to or summarize what they just said. The reason I thought it was a good read is because I feel like that is how we already discuss subjects in class, even though there's always room for improvement.

I like how the writer brings up that it is important to make one specific point since in a class discussion, your classmates will not be able to go back and reread what you just said. Therefore, the author states, it's better to make an oral argument simple and to the point.

In "They Say, I Say," Ch. 9, I was thinking about Gloria Anzaldua the whole time since I have studied her writing in two previous classes. I was happy that she was brought up in the text. It was great to read that academic writing doesn't always have to be overly professional depending on your audience. I personally appreciate texts that I can relate to more, even though I realize I can't expect that from, say, a scientific academic paper.

I guess I feel like it gives me more freedom to play around with words as long as I keep it on a professional level in general. However, I do believe you need to be a pretty damn good writer in order to "break the rules" like that. Sticking to professional lingo is probably the best way to go until one is more comfortable as a writer. I still have a long, long way to go, but again, I was excited to learn that my future in academic writing doesn't have to get boring because of the lack of freedom.

Like Smitherman tried to convey in her writing about African-Americans, we need to open up "our habitual language practices... and... the number of participants in the academic conversation needs to be expanded."

"Reading Like a Writer" was a great read to me. A few years ago, when my English wasn't as good as it is now, I asked my journalism professor the best way to expand my vocabulary. She said "the only way I know is to read. Read books, articles, anything you can get your hands on."

So I started doing just that. However, even though I read a lot and try to get into the authors' heads, I don't write comments in the margins, and I don't actively think about the style of a sentence or paragraph or entire book, or the effect of the way it's written.

This text was a little bit of an eye opener, and after reading it, I feel like reading will be more fun than usual. The article made me want to become more engaged in whatever it is that I'm reading for school or recreationally. 

Personal Journal Week 5

When reading "Putting Ethnographic Writing in Context" by Seth Kahn, I appreciate Kahn putting himself out there by describing how he learned from his mistakes made in his ethnography about the professor he highly respected.

I really enjoyed reading that ethnography is no longer looked upon as a science since a researcher will always be biased and might only see what they themselves are comfortable with, and therefore paint an unfair picture of a culture/person etc., something that has caused problems in the past.

I also think it is interesting that Kahn brings up two things to think about when it comes to ethnographic writing: "Ethnographers always have to remember that our work can have serious implications for our participants. As such, we share the responsibility to make those implications: (1) as positive as possible; and (2) collaboratively determined with our participants. "

I find it a little confusing that he writes that an ethnographer should be as objective as possible, and then follows up by saying that an ethnographer should try to angle his/her work as positive as possible. Isn't that in itself biased and could take away from an objective standpoint?

For me personally, I do find it difficult to stay completely objective in my writing about things I am too attached to, or passionate about. However, I find it reassuring as I read Kahn's conclusion saying "... you can only sort through these problems of representation and authority, and of collaboration and mutual respect, by writing your own way through them. Your writing, the feedback you get, and your revision processes will all make you see these problems as connected and complicated; keep writing, and you’ll find your way."

In "Participant Observation as a Data Collection Method" by Barbara B. Kawulich, we get to read about Frank Hamilton Cushing's participant observation with the Zuni Pueblo people. It was interesting to learn about the fact that it's easy to get too close to the culture one is trying to objectively observe. It said that when you become part of the culture in a sense that the members come to the observer for questions or include him in "gossip" it is time to conclude the research.

I found that interesting since I usually get too close to my interviewees for the paper I write for here in Santa Barbara. I get so into their stories that I find it hard not to become too friendly with them which is very unprofessional, just like it was for Cushing to become part of the culture to a point where he could no longer analytically write about it.

Kawulich brings up why participant observation as a data collection method can be so much more valuable than any other method. She states that "... it allows for richly detailed description, which they interpret to mean that one's goal of describing 'behaviors, intentions, situations, and events as understood by one's informants' is highlighted and it provides opportunities for viewing or participating in unscheduled events."

This reminds me of how a person can read anything, study a country or culture, but that it really isn't until he has experienced it himself that he can apply what he has learned. Nothing is ever the way we imagine it before it happens. We can make up a hundred scenarios in our heads about what a certain place would be like, and it doesn't matter how much we've read about it, because when we finally get there, it is completely different.

I know this is a wild idea, but in a perfect world, I would like to see funding for people to travel more for themselves in order to fully understand other cultures, to bridge the gaps between different ethnicities, cultures and classes. That would be a way of beginning to understand that we are all the same and deserve the same amount of respect and privileges. Anyway, I guess that's what ethnography is all about...