Chapter 6: Outlines

The first outline in Chapter 6 is the most similar to what I am used to. I usually try to pick topics and then look at what information I have collected for the subheadings. I did not realize the sources can be added into the outline also. I think the example of Chai's outline will be very helpful because I need to write out the argument and such as I go along. Writing out the arguments will help the paper flow easier and not be random topics. It always helps to get opinions from others through peer review. They can help refresh or create a new topic to incorporate. The working draft outline seems a bit long and drawn out. It's basically just the draft. The revision examples in this chapter are also really helpful. Outlines in general help me collect my ideas which I sometimes have difficulty with. This type of organization is helpful for writing such a long paper.

Note-taking

When I am reading an article, I like to print it out and underline or highlight statements that are powerful or provide specific facts. I also jot down random ideas about my topic just so I can remember to put them in my paper. Based on Chapter 7, I find it difficult to discriminate between building on someone's ideas and when to start citing them. I think I really can use the two techniques on avoiding plagiarism with my paper by writing out how I can use certain info from a source in my paper without just copying it. The conversation/dialogue thing is a hard concept for me to grasp, so I am less likely to use that practice. I agree with the text that when people first learn to write and speak, we take after others before us. It's like the saying, "Practice makes perfect." But now we must be creative and form our own ideas and document sources we use, which makes our lives a bit more complicated.  Referring to the original source of a quote or idea will also help in my paper and make it easier to remember to document it. Other than that, the MLA guides in Chapter 7 will help me keep up with everything as I'm going through the research process.

Interview Review

In the second interview about McDonald's the interviewer asks specific questions and allows the person being interviewed to state their opinion.  However, the first interview was slightly more complicated and involved more people. There was less asking of questions and more statements. The first one was more generalized while the second was specific. The argument in the first interview was harder to follow because I'm used to the question and answer type of interview like the second one. I found both interviews interesting but found the second more intriguing than the first. The first was too complicated to understand where the argument was really going and seemed somewhat disorganized. The second was direct and to the point. The multiple responders for the first interview also added to the chaos. I enjoyed reading the second one much more.

Sports Media

The different texts given in the book range from sports journalism to pop culture comments and Sports Illustrated. Just a side note, in the first article by Thad Mumford, I did not understand half of the words he was saying, but I think I got the overall gist of things. I also do not exactly understand the prompt for this blog, so I am just going to write what I think. Mumford's New York Times article was a bit unusual and hard to understand. However, the points he brings up make me want to delve deeper into "issues of cultural identity." Boyd's comments on the young, Black, rich and famous were much easier to understand and I liked the way he summed things up in his last paragraph about the shift and power and who's really in charge. Zirin's article from The Nation brought in a different aspect about Dominican-born baseball stars. The sad story of "Super Mario" draws in the emotions of the reader and poses somewhat of an ethical and cultural dilemma. I thought the Sports Illustrated covers on page 467 were kind of funny. One shows Serena Williams in an candid shot during a tennis championship and the other shows Kournikova posing somewhat sexually with make up, hair done, etc. It's interesting that the magazine uses both views of tennis players and almost seems to show a little underlying racism. I didn't really enjoy the MEF's transcript much, just way too much to read.