In Class; Free Write

Over this past week I was able to relax and recouperate and get ready for the last three weeks of the semester. I ate lots of delicious food and played in the New Hampshire snow. Thanksgiving is always a fun holiday because everyone in the family reunites and we are finally able to spend time all together. Especially now that I am away at college, it is important to spend time with the ones you love.
Having a break was much needed, but it also gave me time to think about all of the craziness ahead of me for the next three weeks. I have papers and projects, essays and tests all due at the same time. And then to top it all off...finals week- the most stressful time of the year. Thankfully, Christmas is right around the corner and I will be back at home relaxing. December 17th can't come fast enough.

Unit Three Proposal

We have chosen to address the topic of music piracy. We would like to enter this conversation because music piracy has recently become more prevalent than ever. With websites offering free music at the click of a mouse, it is easier and more affordable to download illegal songs than it is to obtain the music legally.

It is necessary that we spread awareness of the consequences associated with music piracy. Although there are positive aspects to free music downloads such as exposure, copyright infringement is punishable offense. It is common that students are unaware of the consequences that can range from lawsuits to large fines of millions of dollars.

Our audience will be traditional students currently enrolled in Texas Christian University, usually between the ages of 17 and 25. These students tend to be more thrifty than others because of the high cost of education. Students are often the most common offenders of these copyright laws. Most students own a laptop and have access to the internet making it easy to download illegally.

Ideas for genres/mediums:
- Daily Skiff Article
- Poster (mainly visual)
- Song

In Class; Visual Arguments

Visuals are extremely important to making a convincing argument, especially when dealing with particular audiences. You must assess who will be viewing your argument and design accordingly. Some designs need color and pizazz, while others must be simple yet elegant. This lesson will be very helpful when it comes to unit 3. In unit three we are using these skills to create a masterpiece argument that will convince our established audiences to think a certain way or complete a certain task.

Job Titles

For our job titles, we came up with;
Axel: Captain of Computers
Erica: Queen of the Media
Remley: Remley the Writer

Each of us has a specific role in the group. Each group member should contribute equally to all aspects of the project. But in order to be efficient, we will specialize and use our talents to complete each section of the project.
I will be in charge of the writing portion of the project. I will write rough drafts, with the help of my peers as well as editing all final drafts to be sure that they are grammatically correct, etc...

In Class; Ideal Group

If I were to imagine the perfect group situation, I would like to work with people who have similar goals and interests as myself such as Erica Torgerson. Everyone in the group should agree on the grade that they wish to obtain. A lot of the time some people don't care as much as others about getting an A and that can make it difficult to spread the work around evenly. One aspect of group work that is very important is motivation. If everyone is equally motivated, it is much easier to accomplish the project.

Unit Two Proposal

For my unit two project, I would like to analyze the arguments presented by those directly effected by the Lindsay Lohan scandal this past year. Lindsay was recently arrested on several occasions for various reasons (mostly related to drugs and alcohol). She was then sent to trial to decide whether she should go to jail, rehab, or be free. It was up to the judge to determine her fate and there was much controversy over what that should be. I think that this will be an interesting topic because coverage of the scandal was all over TMZ, Perez, Twitter as well as the rest of the media. Sources like these interest me because I always want to question the reliability of them. I wonder where, exactly, the get their information. It is interesting to see how everyone feels about this particular situation, within the movie industry and beyond. Because of Lindsay's influence on young people everywhere, some people thought that she needed to be sent to jail and rehab to set an example. Others thought that she didn't deserve the negative spotlight that she was under. I look forward to examining further why people thought the way they did.

In Class; First Paragraph

The space I chose is Yo!, a frozen yogurt lounge on University Drive across the street from the Texas Christian University campus. The shop itself is located next door to a few landmarks on the TCU campus. Dutch's a student staple and the TCU Barnes and Noble bookstore are located within feet of Yo! Making it easy and accessible to all students. The building is small with large windows in the front allowing students and visitors to look in and out as they please. The space inside is clean and somewhat neutral; white walls with brown trim and blue accents. The space is open to all kinds of people. The frozen yogurt itself is located in the back of the lounge and can be sampled as one decides which flavor to choose. The location of the frozen yogurt selection is key to the flow of the space. Patrons walk in the front door and go directly to the back in order to choose a flavor. As they make their decision they move closer to the large windows. After selecting one of the 12 flavors available, one must select toppings. There are many choices for toppings including; fruits, sauces and candies of all sorts. After filling a dish with fro yo and toppings, you move forward to the check out counter. There is usually a younger person, if not the owner who will assist you. One places their desert on a scale while the cashier converts ounces into dollars. Yo! prides itself on its accessibility and affordability. The posters on the walls use phrases such as "Put more bounce in your ounce, only 45 cents an ounce".

In Class; Experience with Writing Workshops

In my previous writing classes, we are always forced to read eachother's work in the hopes that the person sitting next to us will pick up on a mistake we have missed. I am not a huge fan of these writing workshops because I always feel awkward about handing over my work and hoping for the best. I never feel like the opinion of my neighbor matters as much as the opinion of my teacher. It always seems like the editor is just making stuff up to correct, or they lie and tell you your paper is perfect, when it is in fact terrible. And when I am put in the position of editor, I always feel guilty telling someone that their writing does not make sense to me. I want to tell them that I think something has gone horribly wrong...but I know as the author, that would kill my creative flow.

In Class; Observation Notes Response

1. Could give a better description of Bounce in your ounce poster
-Who was the target audience of the music? How were the adults affected? Did they enjoy or even notice the popular music in the background? Did they notice the television that was on as well?
-Talk about samples and flavors more and how they are effective in attracting the target audience...

2. Yo! is a small space but large enough to hold a few large groups of people (college students travel in groups)
- A line is usually formed at the checkout- but it is a simple process - only one worker is necessary
-Talk about flavors (smell and taste oberservations)

3.Talk about colors and appeal to young adults as apposed to young children
-Talk about the different posters and how they appeal to the target audiences

In Class; Observation Reflection

This past week, I went to Yo! and made observations. When I was first brainstorming ideas, I made the assumption that Yo!'s main audience would be TCU students. I made this observation based on the location and appearance of the Yo! Frozen Yogurt Lounge on University. When I visited Yo! on Wednesday at 3:30 PM I expected to find it full of students studying or hanging out after class. I was instead surprised to find adults meeting and parents with their children fresh out of school. When I stepped back to take a second, objective, look, I realized that Yo! does cater to the needs of children and adults as well as college students. Yo! is now staying open until midnight on the weekends, and at that time I expect to find mostly if not all college students. During the day, when children are getting out of school, Yo! is the perfect place for a parent to take their child for a special treat!

Unit One: Ethos, Pathos, Logos

Essay Number One: Observations
Ethos:
-"Yo! Its all good: 100% natural, no preservatives or artificial flavors" - ethical because they care for the health of Yo! patrons, they want the patrons to be eating healthy and not harming their bodies with chemicals and products that are bad.
-"Put some bounce in your ounce: only 45 cents an ounce" - ethical, fair price
Pathos:
-TCU vs. BYU pink out game poster- appeal to emotion because TCU students (the intended audience) know the importance of that game and knowing that Yo! cares too gives them something in common
-Theta 5K poster - appeal to emotion similar to pink out game, shared care for philanthropy with Yo! and patrons
-flatscreen TV with sports playing - appeals to the emotions of mainly men, but also everyone can relate when the TCU football team comes on because most everyone in the Fort Worth area are TCU fans
Logos:
-"Now open until Midnight on Saturdays and Fridays!" - logically one would assume that this is geared towards the student audience because they are the ones going to Yo! at midnight on the weekends - logical appeal would be that they are opening later to please their late night patrons
-outlets on wall on bar - logical appeal to students, they can plug in their computers for studying on the go, it makes sense that the audience Yo! is aiming to attract is the TCU student body
- Clean, white walls, with brown and blue accents - appeal to logos because people at TCU expect a clean environment, but the colors are good because they are attractive to an older audience...you would expect colorful walls with pictures of cartoon things if it were geared towards young children

In Class; Logos

The artifact I brought to represent logos is a scientific calculator. This calculator appeals to logos because it represents fact, observation and logic. Math is very straightforward, and a calculator is hardly ever wrong. For example, if I were in class and the professor asks the class a math problem and two people raise their hands, it is logical that the class would trust the answer coming from the student with a calculator. In order to make a logical argument that I am good at math and am often correct, I brought my calculator.

Unit One: Proposal

After brainstorming and discussion I have decided, for my essay number one: Public Space Analysis, I will choose "Yo!". Yo is a frozen yogurt "lounge" on University directly across the street from the TCU campus next to Dutch's, Flash, and the TCU bookstore.
I chose Yo because I believe that the space is appealing to everyone, especially TCU students. The colors and design of the Yo Frozen Yogurt Lounge on University attract people of all kinds. I do believe that I am a part of the target audience. Based on the location of Yo, I would assume they hope to attract TCU students to their lounge, and I am a TCU student.
I have been into Yo a few times before and have enjoyed the experience. I do not think that these previous experiences will influence my ability to observe objectively. I can go into Yo with an open mind and observe the space, people and atmosphere. I look forward to writing this essay and looking deeper into the arguments that this public space is making.

In Class; Ethos

My ethos artifact is my reading glasses. I brought them in to represent ethos-ethics,character, credibility; because glasses represent intelligence. In reality putting on glasses does not raise your IQ, but it does change the perception others have of you. You tend to be thought of as the smart one who is always reading with a "good", reliable, responsible character. Someone who appears to be intelligent is much much more credible...thus appealing to ethos.

In Class; Understanding Pathos

Understanding an appeal to emotion will be helpful in writing our essay about a public space. For example, in a Starbucks, the advertisements throughout the coffee shop are encouraging people to take an action. In order to convince the patron to perform this action, such as drink a cup of coffee, the company uses emotional appeals. They assume that when you see the word fair you will automatically assume that fair trade coffee must be better than regular simply because the word evokes a positive emotion. They also play music that makes you happy, thus convincing you that drinking their coffee will make you happy. It will be helpful to recognize these emotional appeals when writing our essay because it will help me to better understand the argument that the public space is making.

In Class; Pathos

My object is a picture of my family hiking in the woods of New Hampshire on Lake Sunapee. This picture of my family reminds me of the great times we have together. I feel happy when I look at pictures of my family especailly because I am in Texas now, so far from them. Sometimes, when I miss my family, I can look at a picture and remember the times when we were doing those wonderful family bonding activities. I chose this artifact to represent pathos because of the emotions I feel when I see it and am reminded of the emotions I felt during the actual experience. Photographs are a great way to show pathos because it is a visual representation of someones feelings. You can read body language and see facial expressions that show the emotion the subject is experiencing.

Making it Right: An Argument

An argument can be presented in many different ways. As a result of the oil spill on the gulf coast, BP was forced to make an argument for its own credibility and trustworthiness. The company was blamed for the tragedy and took responsibility. BP was and is responsible for the clean up and reparations of the gulf. In an attempt to regain the respect of America, the company launched a campaign asking for forgiveness and support. In the commercial given, Iris Cross, in charge of BP community outreach, makes the argument that BP is doing anything and everything in its power to fix what has been broken.
The commercial makes an argument to inform and explore through the statistics it provides the listener. It states that $375,000,000 has gone to the community surrounding the gulf thus making the argument to inform us that BP is making an effort to make up for the loses the community has experienced. The commercial also makes the argument to persuade and make decisions that the audience should trust the company again because they will stay "until [they] make this right". Persuading the audience to take the action of trusting BP again and supporting their business. The commercial also makes the argument to convince and by establishing credibility. Iris Cross says that she was born in New Orleans and her family still lives there, making her seem more connected to the situation.
The commercial also addresses pathos, ethos, logos. The music and tone in the commercial appeals to the pathos. When Iris Cross says that she was born in New Orleans and her family still lives there, she appeals to ethos. And through the statistics and facts BP appeals to logos.

In Class: Space Selection

For my observation assignment, I would like to observe a coffee shop. Potentially a Starbucks or the Coffee House on Berry St. I feel as though observing a coffee shop would be interesting because of the variety of people that go. Throughout the day, I would observe people who are regulars or just the occasional coffee drinker and I would see many different kinds of people. I would see people studying or socializing. It will be interesting to observe and compare the different places.

In Class: Sophomore Shenanigans

My second year of college has started out great. I am really looking forward to this year because I'm no longer a baby freshman. I know where my classes are located without having to ask six people on the way to the wrong building. I know all the secrets that the poor freshmen are just figuring out...the hard way.
By the end of Monday, I was already feeling overwhelmed and ready for the weekend. Its only the first week of school and I can' believe that I already have reading assignments that will last all night. Throughout the summer, I was looking forward to being back at TCU, all my friends here and all the activities we like to do. I'm so happy to finally be back and I can't wait for what will come!

About Me

Hi everyone! I'm Remley Johnson, a sophomore from Hopkinton, New Hampshire. I am an international economics major with a minor in french. I love to travel and explore new places and cultures. Through taking this class, I hope that I will be able to improve my ability to express my ideas on paper. I hope to someday work for the U.S. government as an ambassador to developing countries. Being able to establish and support my argument will be extremely useful throughout my career. 

I enjoy writing, but in a less formal setting. Although I am fully capable of writing a beautifully persuasive essay for class, more often then not, I communicate through emails, text messaging and Facebook. My language tends to be casual and I write as I would speak. 

Everything is an argument. Each written idea can be interpreted to mean many different things. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and from that opinion, arguments are established.

I have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus, which I see as a contract for our course.