Mix Tape Project Reflection

I really enjoyed the mix tape project. I have created numerous mix CDs in the past and had never really thought about the order or transitions of the various tracks while I was choosing songs. I would just pick songs that I really liked or that the person I was making the CD liked and put them in any order, but I would be sure to not put any songs together that were by the same artist. This project taught me a lot about the art and rules to creating a good mix tape.

I knew right away that I wanted to create a mix tape for my boyfriend because we listen and enjoy a lot of the same artists and songs so I figured I would be able to create a successful mix that he would really like. At first I chose love as a theme and decided to pick alternative rock songs. I was able to come up with about 9 songs that fit well, but the other songs I had in mind to add to the mix did not go along well with the theme of love when I read the lyrics. I worked with this theme for awhile and continued to be stumped choosing songs that fit. Finally, I decided to scratch the love theme and make a CD for him that contained songs that evoke fun memories of times that we have shared together and songs that we both like and that relate to our relationship. This was much easier and much more enjoyable because it was fun to reminisce while picking the songs.

Creating this mix tape was very similar to the process of writing and has taught me a few things about composing. In several writing courses I have taken, there has been great emphasis on the importance of using transitions when switching topics in a paper. The use of transitions was very important for this project because a good mix tape does not jump from genre to genre or from fast songs to slow songs. There needs to be a song that links the genres together or that eases the transition from fast to slow. Making this mix tape also taught me the importance of being able to hold the attention of the audience. I chose several upbeat songs for the mix and only a few slow songs because I wanted to make sure that he would not get bored or become uninterested with the CD. This taught me the importance of not being too wordy in essays and making a point directly with interesting facts especially in research papers in order to keep the attention of the reader. The mix tape project also directly related to writing because changes can continuously be made in order to improve the final product. When I am writing a paper, I end up creating several drafts because I make numerous modifications to my paper to make it more cohesive, sound better, and to ensure that the points I am making our easy to identify and understand. With my mix tape, I changed the order several times and removed and added songs in order to have the best flow and a final product that my boyfriend will really enjoy and appreciate. Lastly, the mix tape taught me the importance of maintaining focused on the task at hand and the objective of the project. A few times during the course of the mix tape project I found myself choosing songs that I enjoy more than he does. I realized I did this with 2 or 3 songs so I removed them from the track list and replaced them with songs he really loves and that have meaning for the both of us. Overall, I had a lot of fun creating the mix tape and I look forward to making more in the future!

Cut-Up Project

I did a couple different cut-ups in class last week Wednesday. I did one using an essay from a class and then I did two other cut-ups with magazine articles. The following is the mixing of an article from Self magazine about Temple Grandin and another woman’s choice to become a vegetarian:

“This tugged my mind to dinner and eat my mother’s easter rib attention to the nuances of flavor. So it didn’t help that we lived in Chicago, uncomfortable comparisons. Skinned roast. Part of it was, again, you’d think I’d simply decide I was chock-full of ethnic neighborhoods and butchered, how different would it be the squeaky wheel. I tried the restaurants that go with them. We look on a plate? How different was this a big eye roller…”

It’s kind of funny, but it doesn’t make much sense! Doing the cut-ups reminded me of Mad-Lib puzzles where you choose several adjectives, verbs, nouns, adverbs, etc. to replace certain words in a story. This often results in a funny scenario that doesn’t make a lot of sense. At first when I was doing the cut-ups, I tried to arrange the different portions of text to contain meaning, but I did not have much success. I found this process of mixing text to be a very creative form of writing. I think if I had more time and used more articles I could have created something that made sense. I think it would be interesting to see the original work of an author and then view the cut-up version and see the new and different meaning of the text. I’m interested to see the cut-ups of my classmates to see if they were able to arrange the text to make sense!

Rhythm Science

After reading the first few chapters of "Rhythm Science" I was extremely confused and frustrated. I felt that I would read a few pages and have no idea what points DJ Spooky was trying to make or if he was even attempting to make an argument. I think part of this was because I'm so used to reading books with a linear structure that clearly identify an argument and emphasis supporting evidence for the argument. The book seemed to jump around from point to point and it was challenging for me to remain focused on what I was reading. I also think that I had a great deal of difficulty at first with the book because I am not familiar with the art of DJing and also the science and philosophy that was incorporated in the book seemed to go over my head.

As I continued on with the book things began making a little more sense. The main points that I think DJ Spooky is trying to convey in the book is that creativity can be expanded through using things from the past and objects around us in novel ways. He emphasized that it is important to break boundaries of what is accepted as the norm. One particular quote I thought was unique is "People are so programmed to accept a media construct that if something isn't affirmed by their peers and/or mass culture, then it might as well not exist." DJ Spooky wants people to break through this and incorporate diversity and things from the past and make something innovative. There is no wrong or right way to create art and once we get past this misconception there will be a lot more creativity occurring.

Another main theme that I think was addressed throughout the book is that the art is not complete until the audience interprets it. I think that this is very true because there is no right way to interpret art. Art means something different to everyone and these different meanings contribute to the work created by the artist. It was interesting to see the different interpretations my classmates had to the book in general and to specific quotes and passages in the book.


Overall, I found reading "Rhythm Science" to be challenging, yet very interesting. I was glad to get a chance to read something that is completely different than what I am used to. I thought we had really good discussions in class that helped break apart quotes and segments from the text to determine what DJ Spooky is trying to say. It was also very comforting to me to know that my classmates also struggled with comprehending the book and that I wasn't the only one!

Remix

Here is the remix that I created in class on Wednesday. I took images from Vang, Karen, and I think one or two other classmates. I also added some pictures that I found using Google image search. This collage represents the same argument that I made in my previous two visual representations that strict copyright laws hinder creativity.

Sampling Project Reflection

I had a very positive sampling experience. I was excited when we got the project because I was in the process of writing numerous papers for other courses and was relieved to get a visual assignment. I used Adobe Fireworks to create my two visual representations on my argument regarding copyright. I used this program because the computer that I was working on did not have the software that we were introduced to in class and I tried to use Adobe Photoshop and it was a bit too confusing for me. By the end of the project I felt very comfortable using Adobe Fireworks.

After we received the assignment, I thought about my position regarding authorship and copyright laws and decided I wanted to make the argument that copyright laws are overly restrictive and hinder creativity. I wanted to visually show how corporations use these current laws for economic profit and how these rules hurt innovations. I thought about how new creations emerge from ideas that are influenced from something already in existence. For example, before there were cd players and iPods, there were radios and cassette tape deck player. Before cell phones, landline telephones were the main form of communication. Available technology and idea modification have allowed for these positive changes in our society.

The first experiment where we were able to use any images we like was easier for me than the second experiment where we could only use “permissible” material. The first part of the assignment was easier for me because after I had thought of images that represented my argument, it was simple to find these pictures on the internet. I used Google image search for the majority of the pictures I used in my first collage. The second experiment was more difficult for me because I had to be much more creative in making my argument. It took me longer to determine how to go about making the same argument using material that belonged to me or that I had permission to use. I found several pictures on Microsoft Clipart that I was able to use, but I also wanted to incorporate personal pictures of my own and use my digital camera. I had more fun doing the second experiment because I had some of my friends act out things to represent my argument regarding copyright and authorship. The second experiment also took me longer because I had to find objects to take pictures of, transfer them to a computer, and finally modify the images until they captured what I wanted them to.

I think that both experiments equally capture my intended argument. I used the same ideas in both of them, but used different pictures to represent my argument. I think that both collages show how restrictions benefit corporations who are looking for economic gain and how these laws hurt creativity and experimentation. However, I personally like my second visual representation better because it required me to be more creative and I like the fact that I was able to use some of my friends in the collage. My second visual representation also has a more personal feel to it because anyone could have taken and used the pictures from the internet that I incorporated in my first collage, but with the pictures that I personally took, I knew I was the only one using them to capture my argument in a way that makes sense to me. After this experience, I still believe that copyright laws are overly strict, but I do believe that creativity is possible. Only being able to use “permissible” material made by second project more difficult, but I was still satisfied that the final result represented my argument. I believe that we are constantly influenced by the work of others in our own creations, but I think that the difference in each work reveals creativity and makes an individual innovation great. Overall, I really enjoyed the sampling experience because it allowed me to critically think of and creatively portray an argument, while gaining knowledge on software that was unfamiliar to me.

More on Lessig and Project Complete!

I agree with Lessig that the “free culture” that we used to live in is now a “permission culture,” which has placed a burden on society. We live in a society with overly strict copyright laws that hinder creativity and experimentation. Lessig focuses on the theme of common sense in his book and how the new regulations consist of extreme penalties for vague infractions. On page 185 of the book, Lessig states how absurd it is that we live in a world where a doctor that negligently removes the wrong leg of a patient will be looking at a smaller fine than an individual illegally downloading two songs off of the internet. Another important point that Lessig makes is that not only is it expensive to obtain permission to use someone’s property, it also can be very difficult to track down copyright because it is hard to determine who has ownership to certain works.

I completed the sampling project, which was an enjoyable experience. It was somewhat difficult at first because I knew my stance right away when we got the assignment, but had to spend time thinking on how to visually present my argument. Once I got a few ideas, more came to me as I searched for pictures on the internet. It was fun to come up with ways to take pictures of my friends to represent the argument I was making. I also liked working with software that I had not used before. Towards the end of my second visual representation of copyright laws, I was feeling very comfortable using the software.

Sampling Experience

After learning about the details of the sampling experience in class today, I am looking forward to working on the project. This semester so far for me has consisted of writing many papers, including two major ones that were due today, so I am excited to have an assignment that is visual and does not involve formal writing! I also like the idea of this project because I have not worked much with Photoshop or software similar to it. I had never heard of the program that we were introduced to today in class and I enjoyed experimenting with it. I work in an information lab in a library and I often get questions concerning Photoshop. I usually do not have many suggestions for these individuals because I am not very familiar with the program. I hope that this project will help me become more comfortable using photo software so I am better able to assist people at my job and so I can use it personally for other tasks.

I think that visual representations are excellent and creative ways to get messages across to people and to spark discussion around topics. There is no wrong or right way to interpret art. When we looked at the graffiti mural today in class, it was really interesting to listen to the various interpretations of the artwork made by my classmates. Every interpretation was based around institutionalized inequalities and injustices in our society. I think that this is a perfect example of how art can make people aware of problems just as well as text can. Also, many people are able to express themselves better through visual art than they can with words.

Plagiarism Contest

At the end of class on Monday, we divided into small groups and exchanged our plagiarized papers. In class today, we had a contest to see who did the best job in our group of concealing plagiarism in their paper. I had fun searching different sites trying to find passages that were plagiarized. It was much harder than I thought it would be to locate plagiarism, which made me realize the valiant effort teachers have to make, in some cases, to discover plagiarism. Of course, instances where students do not even bother to change the font or copy an entire paper word for word does not take much patience to find.

My group members did a great job of concealing plagiarism in their papers by changing words in passages, citing some sources in the paper to throw off the reader, and using unique sources. Jenny won the contest in our group because no one was able to find the creative source she used. She used one source for her paper, which was a video tutorial that was linked to a website. This was a really good idea because I actually had looked on the site and did not even think to click on the numerous links that were listed.

One factor that I think made it difficult to locate plagiarism in the papers I read is that I was not familiar with the style of writing of my group members. This made it hard to determine what did and did not sound like them. I also think that it was hard to find plagiarism because I was not very knowledgeable on the topics I read. I think that if I had more base information on the topic it may have been easier to spot plagiarized passages. Overall, I found the plagiarism experience to be challenging, but also interesting to see the amount of effort it takes to locate plagiarism.

Plagiarism Reflection

The plagiarism assignment was much more difficult than I had anticipated. The challenge was to write a paper on any topic and plagiarize at least 25 percent of it, but no more than 75 percent. I decided to write a plagiarized research paper on anorexia nervosa because I know a lot about the disorder and wanted to write on a topic that I was familiar with. A few of my friends and family members have struggled with anorexia and I have taken several courses in high school and college that devoted a section to eating disorders. The purpose of the paper is to inform the general audience about the prevalence, causes, health complications, and treatment of anorexia.

When our class first received the assignment, I thought that it would be easiest to plagiarize 75 percent of the essay. I found out quickly that this is not true. After I decided to write a paper on anorexia, I began to look for sources. I was frustrated to discover that several internet sites I looked at contained identical information. Then I realized that this made sense because anorexia is an illness identified by specific diagnostic criteria, symptoms, contributing factors, and health consequences. Therefore, informative sources on anorexia will contain identical and overlapping material.

I centered in on a few sources and began to write my paper. I originally thought that I would write a few paragraphs of the paper myself and then take the other 75 percent from other sources. I started copying and pasting passages from sites and placed them in my paper, but I ran into a big problem. The language that the sites used did not sound at all like my style of writing nor did the passages flow correctly in the paper. I ended up taking all of the plagiarized sections and paraphrasing them in my own words. I also wrote additional sentences inside paraphrased sections in order to emphasize points I thought were important and to make the essay more informative. I ended up removing certain plagiarized sections in my paper and wrote about the sub-topic in my own words based on knowledge I have on anorexia. This resulted in the proportion of plagiarism in my paper being a lot less than I had anticipated.


I did not feel bad ethically during this writing project because I continuously reminded myself that the assignment is to plagiarize. I know that I would never be tempted to plagiarize because the consequences are severe and I do not believe in cheating. A point that really hit home for me about plagiarism is a comment a classmate, Emily, made yesterday during class discussion. She said that she would rather stay up until 4 in the morning and write a paper in her own words then be lazy and plagiarize a paper because the 2 weeks of waiting to see if you got away with cheating would be unbearable. I could not agree more. I would number one, feel very guilty, and two, I think I would have an anxiety attack waiting to see if my professor discovered that I had plagiarized. When Scot told our class about experiences he and other colleagues have had with plagiarism, I was blown away. I cannot believe that students would really copy and paste sections in their paper without even bothering to change the font to match the rest of their paper. I also think it is outrageous that someone would take an entire essay from the internet and hand it in, does the individual really think he or she won’t get caught?

This project made me realize how difficult it is to plagiarize. This paper would have taken me a lot less time and energy if I were actually writing it rather than plagiarizing it. I spent so much time trying to make sections from sources sound like myself that it would have been much easier to just have used my knowledge on the topic and write the paper on my own.

My Ghostwriting Reflection

I had a very positive ghostwriting experience. I chose to write for a very close friend of mine, who is in the nursing program at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She is a Certified Nursing Assistant and has another year left in the program before she obtains her degree in nursing. The writing task that we decided to do is an essay about her personal values and beliefs as a nurse. She has never had to do a formal paper on her values, but she says that it has been the topic of discussion in several of her courses. We chose this assignment because I wanted to write something important to her that represents who she is as a person. This writing task also gave me an opportunity to learn about her experiences in the nursing profession.

I believe that our interaction in the writing process of this essay made our relationship stronger. After agreeing on a topic, I asked her about her core values in a fairly in-depth interview over the phone. She talked to me about her specific beliefs and how she uses them in her profession. I was shocked when she described a shift she worked in the Cardiac Care Unit where a patient that she was assigned to died unexpectedly due to heart complications. She witnessed the medical staff trying to revive him and watched his life end. She struggled to compose herself in order to console his family and continue her shift providing proper care to her other patients. She told me about other intense incidents that occurred during her experience working in Hospice and how these situations have changed her as a person. We are very close, yet I was hearing about these experiences for the first time and it made me realize that I would not have been able to maintain composure and contain my emotions in these instances. The interview allowed me to learn more about her as a person and increased my respect for her. This portion of my ghostwriting experience also alerted me to the fact that we do not usually talk about her job as a nurse because she may have thought that it would not be interesting to me. I really enjoyed hearing about her values as a nurse and am going to continue talking to her about her experiences in the program because it plays a tremendous role in her life and it reveals who she is as a person.

The actual writing of the essay was both hard and easy. We attended the same high school and took the same writing courses so our writing structure is very similar. We were both taught to have an introduction, conclusion, and body paragraphs that begin with a topic sentence that indicates what will be contained in the paragraph. When I began writing the essay, it was going faster than I had anticipated. I took detailed notes during the interview which provided me with enough material to write about so I did not have to make up her opinions or guess what her values are. Also, due to our similar writing structures, I was able to set up the essay how I normally would. The most difficult process of the writing experience occurred after I completed the first draft of the essay. We both had busy weeks so it was hard to find a time that worked for us to go over the corrections she made on the draft I sent her. It was also frustrating to me that she did not have time to read it on the day that I emailed it to her because I was hoping to complete the assignment somewhat early because I had assignments for other classes I had to get started on.

After she read the essay, we talked over the phone about the changes she made to the draft. The majority of the changes she made were word choice corrections. In the draft I created, there were words that she does not use in her writing vocabulary so she put in words that she would normally use. She also changed specific words in order to make the essay flow better and sound more like her. An example of this is that I use transitions between my body paragraphs such as “in addition to.” She crossed that out and suggested that I use “another value…” because she would not use that transition in her writing. She added more information about certain experiences that I talked about in the paper and added a few sentences about content that we did not cover in the interview. This was very helpful because it provided more examples of how she demonstrates her core values as a nurse and made the paper stronger.

My ethical opinions of ghostwriting did not change during this process. The entire time I was working on her essay I did not have ethical concerns because I knew that she was not going to be turning in the essay for a course or using it for anything. Knowing this helped me focus on the task at hand and not worry that I was doing something wrong or doing something that could have potential harmful consequences. Throughout my ghostwriting experience and discussions in class about ghostwriting, I have swayed back and forth between whether or not I think it is an ethical practice. I truly believe that it depends on the situation. If I were to engage in ghostwriting in my future career, the person I was writing for would have to share similar values to my own. I would not be comfortable writing something that could influence others if it were against the beliefs I hold. Overall, I enjoyed this ghostwriting experience because I was able to learn more about a close friend through listening to her experiences and values in the nursing profession.

Ghostwriting

Today in class Deborah Brandt came in and talked with us about her paper “Who’s the President” and her experiences with ghostwriting. She talked about how she studied ghostwriting in the employment force. I was amazed when she told us that out of about 40 to 50 people she interviewed, between 14 to 17 of them had experience ghostwriting in their job! Before discussing ghostwriting in class, I did not realize how frequent it occurs. I only really thought of ghostwriting existing in political speeches.

After today’s discussion, I still feel torn on whether or not I think ghostwriting is ethical. I believe that if a person has someone write something for them in order to achieve money, status, or power, I think it is wrong. However, at the same time, someone could have really good ideas, but may have difficulty expressing those ideas into words. I think that ghostwriting is wrong when someone is capable of completing the writing, but is too lazy to do it. I feel like I’m constantly going back and forth between whether or not I think it is acceptable. I think that it really depends on the situation. Our class today made me aware of the fact that I would not be comfortable writing something for someone that did not share similar values and beliefs to my own.

I’m still contemplating what topic to do my ghostwriting project on. I’m going to be ghostwriting for my good friend, but at the moment she does not have any writing assignments. We are going to make up an assignment for me to do, but I’m still trying to come up with something! If you have any ideas, feel free to let me know :)

Wikipedia

A few days ago in class we had a discussion about Wikipedia. Our discussion was based on an article by Scott Jaschik entitled “A Stand Against Wikipedia” where he discussed the ban of Wikipedia by Middlebury College. Several classmates share the same viewpoint that I do about the use of Wikipedia and other Wiki sources. I believe Wikipedia is a great place to begin researching a topic especially if a student does not have any background information about the subject. Wikipedia provides other educational resources for the topic and can help individuals refine their search. However, I think that Wikipedia should not be used as a primary source because the information can be incorrect due to the fact that anyone can go to the site and add or change information on it.

The faculty at Middlebury College really pushed for the ban of Wikipedia because students were putting incorrect information from the site in their papers and on tests. This argument against Wikipedia reminded me of a Jewish Studies course I took last semester. Before our midterm exam, we received a review sheet with numerous vocabulary terms and essay topics. To save time, many students in the class looked up the vocabulary terms on Wikipedia instead of going back through all of their lecture notes. The majority of these students ended up receiving a C or lower on the midterm because the Jewish terms on Wikipedia were not accurate definitions.

I do not disagree with Middlebury College for putting a ban on Wikipedia, but I do disagree with the way they went about it. I think that it is important to inform students why it is not a good idea to use Wikipedia in papers and to explain to them the difference between a bad source and a good source. Banning an informational website without giving students an explanation as to why is not teaching them. I think Steven Bell made a really good statement when he said that “I think our goal should be to equip students with the critical thinking skills to judge.” He believes a better approach to getting students to use better resources would be to “triangulate” Wikipedia. Students could use Wikipedia, but then use other educational sources to see if the information provided in Wikipedia is accurate.

Authors In Popular Media

Our first English 201 essay project is to choose a movie, novel, or other artifact where authorship is depicted. Our task is to explain how the author is portrayed in the artifact and then create an argument comparing or contrasting this portrayal to the texts of Barthes, Foucault, and/or Benjamin. The goal is to determine if these theorists concept of authorship is different or similar to our interpretation of the artifact.

I originally thought I would do my essay on the television series Sex and the City. That is one of my favorite shows and thought it would be fun to analyze it. Then I decided I should do my project on a movie that I have never seen. My boyfriend told me that Finding Neverland would be a good choice. I recently watched it and really enjoyed it. The film describes the experiences that led author James M. Barrie to write Peter Pan. The movie begins with one of Barrie’s plays failing, which pressures him to create a well-written play. He meets four young boys and their mother, who is a widow. They develop a very close relationship to Barrie and their summer together provides him with inspiration and ideas for his play Peter Pan. I’m still in the process of determining what text to use for my essay and therefore what argument I want to make!

"Death of the Author"

Today for class we read “Death of the Author” and “From Work to Text” by Roland Barthes. I found both readings difficult to understand and after reading them I was still confused about the argument presented in the text. I felt better once I got to class and discovered that everyone was in somewhat the same position that I was in.

In class we got into groups to focus on a passage from “Death of the Author.” Our group discussed how individuals reading an author’s work may have different interpretations of what the author is trying to convey and therefore there is disconnection between the author and reader. Barthes believes that this disconnection leads to the author’s loss of identity. I believe that readers can never know the exact intentions of an author, but knowing information about the author’s background or current life may facilitate understanding. Along with several of my classmates, I think that knowing the author makes reading much more enjoyable and relatable.

I’m hoping that after class on Friday I will have a better understanding of these texts by Barthes!!

My First Blog!!

Hey everyone! My name is Chelsey and I am from Wausau, WI. I am a senior at the University of Madison-WI and my major is social welfare. In my free time I enjoy partaking in activities outdoors, going to concerts, playing volleyball, and spending time with my friends and family. I am also a big Packer, Brewer, and Badger fan and love going to sporting events!



This is my first time ever creating a blog and I am doing it for my English 201 class. My blog will contain my comments, ideas, and reactions related to content covered in the course. I also will be responding to my classmates' posts throughout the semester. I think this will be a great way of interacting!