PB2A

In the past several weeks, we mainly talked about genres for non-academic contexts, such as advertisements, movie reviews, and sport comments. But, how about the genres in the scholarly academic paper? What is the difference between non-academic essay and scholarly academic paper?

I have read an academic paper about climate changes, “Changes in North American Spring,” which mainly discuss whether the spring in North America is earlier and earlier arrival due to global warming. After simply glance the paper, I can point out several special features of it. The constitution of the academic essay is so special that divide to separate part; there are large amount of data and numbers in the context; and the reference of the academic essay is much more than normal essay. First, the constitution of this paper is unique comparing to others. This paper divides whole article to several parts: Abstract, Intro, Data, Methods, Result and discussion, and Acknowledge, note, reference. The constitution of the paper is similar to the process of an experiment. In other words, such an academic paper jus is a specific record for an experiment, which is to testify an argument. Even we have written some essay to proof an argument, we did not write as specifically as the academic paper did, not include as many data as it did, and either not show as specific process as it did. In the “ Changes in North America Spring,” the first part is “Abstract,” which uses a short paragraph simply tells readers what the article is for. (Whether the arrival of earlier spring is true.) Then, “ Intro” part introduces phenology data of spring plant are very useful to show the climate changes in particular aspect. Here, the writer has hinted the main method to proof the argument. After that, “data” is very important in such academic essay, since it is the most important and direct evidence to proof the argument. In this paper, it gives specific the first leaf and first bloom dates of lilac, which can show whether the spring arrives. Only data is not enough to clearly proof the argument, so the “method” is needed. In this part, it introduces how to use the data of the lilac, and how to compare them with each other to proof the spring is earlier arrival. Also, there are some data graphs, which can shows the result more clearly and directly. From the “method”, “result” is obvious to readers. The next part “ result and discussion” is the most important part of the paper, since whole paper is evidence to get the result. Like this paper, the author gets more than one result from comparing different years and different places data of lilac first leaf and first bloom. The last part may be common to see in most essays. However, other normal paper do not have so many references as such academic paper, in that whole paper use as many evidence to proof the argument as author can. It can say in other way, the more reference the paper has, more persuasive the paper is. The above parts necessary to constitute a complete scholarly academic paper, especially research paper, since each part has its own function to show persuade readers to believe the paper’s argument.  

From the discussion to the construction of “ Changes in North American Spring,” we can find many differences between non-academic essay and academic paper, and we also can find most genres of academic paper, which divides the whole paper to separate parts, has thousands of specific data and method to compare data, shows the most persuasive result for the argument. The degree of specific and persuasive of the academic paper makes people cannot suspect the result in the paper and I believe that such academic paper is the most persuasive article I have ever read.

“Changes in North American Spring”

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mark_Schwartz2/publication/227960215_Changes_in_North_American_spring/links/551ab3b20cf2bb754076cdc5.pdf

Thlog 4

In the week 4, we mainly discussed the WP1 and made some modifications for it.

On Monday’s class, I learned a new way to modify essays, which is to draw out the thesis statement of essay, main idea of each paragraph, support evidences and examples in each part. After pointing these important factors of an essay, we can easily find that what lacks in each part of essay. For instance, after highlighting these features, if I find that I write few support ideas and examples in the first part of essay, I can add more examples in that part. Comparing to reading whole essay and finding drawbacks, this highlighting method is much easier and more efficient. Thus, it is my pleasure to learn such a perfect way to modify essays. In addition, I also found that list outlines is the most important part before writing essay. First outlines can record one’s thesis statement, main ideas and evidences for an essay, we will not forget what we are thinking in the process of writing. Also, after writing essay, we can modify essay according to its outline.

The other important thing in week 4 is we slowed down progress of class. To be honest, I think it is a good idea to slow down when we modify essay. Since we always can find many writing problems in the process of modifying essay.

What’s more, we had a murder activity in the class. We are asked to write some materials, which also have genres, about the murder event, such as the police report of the murder, the letter people write to the manager of garage and eulogy to the victim. Through this activity, we can find that genres, which we mainly discussed in the past weeks, are everywhere in life.

Whatever, I am glad to finish my WP1 and happy for the changes in syllabus. 

Thlog 3

In the week 3, we only had one class since we do not have class on Monday (Martin Luther King, Jr.Day). In the Wednesday’s class, we mainly talked about the WP1.

In the beginning of class, we discuss whether a thesis of an article is correct and suitable. Here, correct means that whether the thesis statement pass the standard to be a thesis. From this part, I find that facts cannot be a thesis statement whatever, and thesis must be an opinion or argument. And it is so helpful to me that I can judge whether my thesis statement is right and suitable for specific essay.

After that, we constructed three person’s group and discuss each other’s essay specifically. In the group, I read two classmates’ essay. I found that both of their essays were perfect and I also found that they had many merits I could learn. For instance, they have beautiful hooks in the beginning paragraph, which I do not have. And they also have specific sources but I do not have. After reading each other’s essay, we gave opinions to each other about their essay. I have to say that these opinions are the most important in the process of discussion. For me, my groupmates helped me find several grammar mistakes and some sentence constitution problem. In addition, they also gave me their opinion about my thesis statement; they thought I should shorten my thesis statement sentence and make it clearer. When I should comment their essays, I had few opinions about their essay since I did not comment other’s essay before and I either did not know how to comment other’s essay. Therefore, I told myself I should practice and learn how to comment other’s essay.

In summary, in the process of commenting classmates’ essay, I got many useful comments to my essay, but I also found my drawback in commenting other’s essays. 

Thlog 2

Time goes quickly, two week has gone after the quarter began. In the second week writing 2 class, we also have learned so much.

In the Monday class, the most impressive thing we discussed is the oxford comma. We could find largely difference through reading the sentence with or without comma before “and.” The comma can separate two items and make sentences clearer. It is a common question we would meet when we write essay, thus I think this question is so important that we should focus on. Not only talking about the usage of Oxford comma, we also discuss the usage of the difference of “Hyphens” and “Dashes” in class. Hyphens are always to explain the word or phrase, and make readers understand the article better. Dashes always connect two words together such as “five-year.” Also using hyphens will make sentence that after hyphen be important. The discussion of the comma and hyphens are help me a lot in that I always meet such situation when I write essay.

In addition, we browse three genre generators websites and find the common features of each generator, then we write the PB1B. From these website, I find that each kind of things always has common features and genres whatever is academic essay, comic or meme.

What’s more, after reading “Who cares?” I also learned many skills for writing. The writers should not assume readers will know about some words or phrase they use in the article. Writers should explain each unclear world clearly. Also, writer should tell readers what the topic does matter. “So what” always can attract reader and make the article interesting. These points are so important that I should concern when I write my essays.

After two weeks’ writing class, I feel that it is the one of most interesting and relaxing class I have had. What the most important is that I also can learn so much now thing from class. I am glad to have it.

PB1B

With internet developing, there is everything that we need through Internet. There are also many kinds of genres generator in the Internet such as faked academic essay, random comic pictures and humorous memes.

First, let us go to the website SCIgen (pdos.csail.mit.edu/scigen). When we open this website, it asks to put in several authors’ name. Then, we just click the “generator” bottom, it provides a complex website which is full of words. Specifically, the content will change with the changing of authors’ name. And it provides totally different title with changing of authors’ name or even changing the order of authors’ name, such as “deconstructing semaphore”, “Decoupling Von Neumann Machines from SMPs in Forward-Error Correction”, and “Investigating Write-Back Caches and Write-Ahead Logging Using Yernut.” Actually, I am confused about the title. What is the title talks about? However, if we look carefully, we can find there are still some common features such as Introduction, Related Work, Model, Evaluation, Experiment and conclusion, with authors’ name changing. In the beginning of article, it is “abstract.” There is several sentence in this part. It always talks about a topic, then people have different opinion about such topic. After it gives out the debate topic, it comes to second part. In the beginning of second part, the article firstly produce the introduction of the background for the debate. It will give readers more background information about the topic and make readers have deeper understanding about the topic. Then, it gives out several official step to illustrate or prove the topic. For example, it has related work that shows what they have done to proof the topic, model, Evaluation, experiment and conclusion. Experiment and the data got from experiment are the most persuasive method to proof the topic. And the conclusion is the result that come from those steps prove and the whole process is for getting such a conclusion. It seems like a very official and persuasive essay for discussing an academic topic. However, I have to say the whole essay is not actually true including the experiment and data.

Then, let us see the comic website (Comic strips: pandyland.net/random). Comparing this website and the first one, it seems much simpler and easier to read or understand than the essay does. It is also not hard to common features through different comics. There are three comic pictures once we can see after click “generate”, and there are two man in the picture, a brown hair man and a yellow hair man who named Simon. What’s more, in most pictures, there will be a sentence said by one of them. The order of the comic is random, and sometimes it is hard to find closed connection between continuous pictures. However, such disorder comic causes the dialog disordered, sometimes exactly can make readers to laugh.

Finally, let us see the last website (http://memegenerator.net/). Through this website, we can find a lot of hot images which are very popular nowadays including comic characteristics, normal citizens and famous people. There also are many common features when we compare all of these images. The most obvious feature is that all images are including a main characteristics and several short phrase. And the phrase are exactly can fit with the situation which appears in the picture. When we combine the picture and the phrase, we will laugh out loud. In addition, we also can use the pictures but write our own interesting jokes on the pictures. If we change the phrase, we can see the same picture that with different phrase will have largely different meaning but also humorous.

Except these three website, I also search another joke generator website through google -- randomjokegenerator.com. It is a website that generate random jokes. The common feature of the page is that the joke is not very long (if the joke is very long, most readers are not patient to finish reading it) but indeed humorous when readers fully understand the meaning of the context.

Through these different topic website, I find there are genres everywhere even in the joke generator.

Week 1 Thlog

In the first week writing2 class, I had many new classmates in a many class. We had introduced each other in class. I am glad to know them and have class with them. After introducing, we discussed the country music genres. We found many interesting genres, which we always can found in country music. Through Dirk’s “Navigating Genres”, I found that genres exist in different area originally. After one create a new way to do a thing, many others will use the similar step to do if it would be successful. Then, it would be a genre gradually. After read “Navigating Genres”, I had a new concept to Genres.

In the second class, we watched horror movies together in class and discussed genres in horror movies. I felt that watching horror movies together is more horrifying than watching singly. But it was still excited and unforgettable time in class. What’s more, we read many request recommendation letters in class. We not only learned how to write request recommendation letters, but also found the genres in the recommendation letters. In addition, we discussed first order thinking and second order think in class. In my own word, I will define first order thinking is the thought you have at the first time when the question is in your head. It does not consider the result and influence of the thought, such as brainstorming before writing essays and quick writing in the class. But the second order thinking is different. It should consider the logic and influence. Like, after brainstorm before writing an essay, we have to make the brainstorm to be logical and acceptable by readers.

To be honest, although I always feel sleepy and tried in the afternoon class, I still think writing 2 is a helpful and interesting class.

PB1A

After read “Navigating Genres”, I realized that genres are appearing in many different areas. The most impressive one is the genres in writing. There always are beginning paragraph, three body paragraph and conclusion paragraph. This genre is indeed the mainly method to write during several years because there are many and many model essays are written in this method. 

Except the conditional genres appearing in writing, there are other textual genres, such as car sales advertisements, recommend letters and admission essay. Now, let’s mainly talk about the car sales advertisement. I believe all of us have seen car sales advertisement wherever in magazine, billboard or internet. Like writing essays, car sales advertisements also have its own genres. It is not hard to find some special points through car sales advertisements. First, the goals of car sales advertisements are telling people the merit and characteristics of their cars and then soliciting more customers to but their cars. Thus, the dealers have to put some information that can be understand by most customers and can attract more people to purchase their cars. Dealers always put some perfectly beautiful pictures of cars and give out short but attractive words to introduce why the car worth to buy and what the social characteristics of this car. Because the pictures will give people first impression of the car. It has to be attractive. Also, people will not cost much times to read advertisement, so the words should be short but competitive. What’s more, most car sales advertisement will give the starting sale prices in the advertisement. Because different cars will have largely different price; some are worth $40,000, and some are worth $140,000. And different customers have different ideal price to buy a car. The price appears in advertisement can tell people whether there can or can not afford the price.  Sometimes, deals also put some favorable price to attract more customers.  In addition, there also will be some small size but long sentences to specifically introduce the car. The sentences mainly include the kinds of engine of car, engine size, torque, drivetrain and miles that car run uses each gallon of fuel.  When people are attracted by the pictures and slogans, they must want to know more information about the car and find out whether the car is or is not really suit for them. These small but long sentences are provided for those who are interested in this kind of car. Then, it is necessary to appear, but it need not be large. Finally, it is the most important one for dealers—the contact information of dealers. I can bet there are specific address, telephone number and email of dealers. Because the goal of advertisement is to solicit more customers to buy the cars. When people are attracted by advertisement, they have to know the address or contact information of dealers and then get more information about the car or even buy the car. Thus, the address and contact information of dealers are necessary to appear in advertisement. These are genres I found from car sales advertisement. Maybe there are other genres appear, but what I found is truly exist in car sales advertisement.

About me

My name is Xudong Cai. It is hard to pronounce in English. Thus, you can call me “Oscar.” I am born on February 16^th, 1996. I am from Ningbo, China. Ningbo is a beautiful seaside city, which is near Shanghai. I am sophomore in UCSB and I am major in Math and Economics. Because math and economics are my favorite classes before I go to college. My favorite color is blue. I like playing basketball and I am also a basketball fans. My favorite basketball player is LeBron James and I support Cavaliers too. After class, I like playing video games, especially DOTA, which is a game I will play forever, because it is so interesting and exciting. And it is a teamwork game, so I can play and cooperate with my friends. Although my major is math and economics, what I want to do is not related to my major. In the future, I want to do some jobs that are related to vehicles, such as cars salesman. After I have enough money, I want to have an own vehicle shop and own business.