Speech #1 Outline

Introduction:
-I think most people can agree that family is important and people usually want to be with family during holidays

Purpose:
-To show how important family is using pathos

Emotional beginning:
-he listens to the message from family while putting up the card, showing he's sad they aren't coming and misses them
-he's shown by himself, cooking and eating Christmas dinner by himself for a few years in a row
-this shows that family equals happiness, and implies is not happy alone
-all of these things are using pathos, making us sad for the grandpa being alone

Shock
-two different shocks in the ad, first the sadness and shock in the family's face when they find out the grandpa died, again we feel that sadness comes with the absence of family
-we feel shock again when we see the grandpa come out from the kitchen, and experience the shock in the family's faces at seeing him again

Happy ending
-to break the surprise they have the granddaughter run up to her so that everyone laughs, also breaking the tension and this time using pathos for happiness, that the grandpa is alive and that everyone's together
-this initial happiness is extended with everyone laughing, including the warm lighting and table full of food

Pathos
-emotional beginning (sadness), shock, and happy ending all show pathos in them, Edeka uses pathos in different ways to finally come to the conclusion that home and family is important

Effectiveness
-When I first saw the commercial, I really liked it and thought it was funny and clever, and thought it was very effective
-When I found out what Edeka is, which is a German supermarket corporation, I realized it was not effective for our audience
-it achieves its purpose, and shows family is important, but since I don't live in Germany I don't even have the chance to shop there if I wanted to
-On the other hand, this commercial probably is very effective in Germany, because since Edeka is the largest supermarket corporation in Germany, Germans already know what it is and seeing this commercial will simply reinforce their willingness to shop there
-Germans will simply start to associate an emotional and funny commercial with Edeka, maybe talk about it with others and expand customers

Analysis of Advertisement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6-0kYhqoRo

This is a German advertisement about Edeka. I think the purpose of this commercial is to show how important family is. The purpose is mainly shown by the grandpa finally getting the whole family to his house for Christmas by having to fake his death. This starts out with intense pathos, as we see the grandpa alone and then everyone dressed in black and sad about his death. This is shown with parallels, first with the grandpa alone for a few years in a row on Christmas, and then parallels between all the family members getting the news that the grandpa died. This later transitions to slight humor as he faked his death and everyone laughs and then is happy to be together. However, the main component is still pathos because there is deep emotion in having their grandpa pass away and then again when the family is all together, with happiness and the feeling of togetherness conveyed. The author, Edeka, is not shown until the end. Edeka is the biggest supermarket corporation in Germany, so it does not need to be emphasized throughout the commercial. The audience is anyone in Germany, because that's where this brand would be well known and it targets all families.

Review of Peer Reviews and Conferences

I think the peer reviews were helpful because we all got feedback from two different people, and got to see different perspectives on our essays. The comments were helpful and specific since there were little notes on the copies of our essay, but it was also good to get a paragraph of an overview of the essay.

I think the individual conferences were helpful as well because I could see some more changes to make with one on one time. I think the individual conferences would be better than group conferences since these are individual works and it'd be helpful to have some time for each specific project.

Informational Report

Writing in Political Science

Margit Herrmann

University of Iowa

Abstract

            Writing in political science is often thought of as simply being news articles about day-to-day politics such as presidential elections or other political events.  In reality, writing in the political science field is very prominent, and can be as informal as a blog post or as formal as an academic paper.  My assumptions of what writing in this field encompassed were limited to simple emails, academic articles, and some kind of diplomatic writing.  After research and speaking with a diplomat, I saw that professions in political science take specific writing skills such as different forms of language, format, and references in both academic and non-academic writing.

Writing in Political Science

            Writing in the political science field is often brushed off to just be newspaper articles involving current affairs or the most current scandal involving a politician. What a lot of people don’t realize is that there are many different professions available in the political science field besides being a politician, such as a diplomat, an ambassador, or a professor. These jobs require different kinds and amounts of writing. I assumed that being a diplomat or an ambassador would require copious amounts of writing to explain political affairs involving other countries. Speaking to professionals in the political science field provided insight into the different kinds of writing done, such as diplomatic cables, newspaper articles, blogs, and scholarly articles. Non-academic and academic writing in the political science field use different styles of structure, diction, and references.

Structure

Structure is the way that a text is set up, or the way that it is formatted. All genres of writing have different and commonly known structures, such as poems, novels, and newspaper articles. A lesser known genre is a diplomatic cable, a non-academic text with a very specific and consistent format that has a clear goal of informing policy makers of an analysis of a political situation. Ronald McMullen, a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Iowa and former diplomat wrote a cable summarizing political problems in Eritrea, arguing that, “Eritrea's resilience as a country is based on 1) a strong sense of nationalism forged over four decades of war, and 2) the capacity of most Eritreans to withstand suffering and deprivation with forbearance and toughness” (2009, p. 1) McMullen came to this conclusion after spending time researching and talking to officials in Eritrea, understanding the problems arising, and then reporting not just what happened, but why, and what he thinks should be done about it. McMullen explains that “In academic writing, you can often be as long as you want, in diplomatic writing, you needed to be short and concise.”  McMullen describes that cables were a new structure of writing for him, not the same as the lengthy writing done in college, but short, to the point, and with an analysis that can be used by policy makers without being a time consuming read. He learned this skill on the job, with bosses explaining what was expected. It was not a skill he learned in college, and is something a diplomats learn early on in their careers.

Cables are a form of writing very specific to diplomats, but other kinds of informal writing, such as blog posts, can also be a part of a profession in political science meant for the general public to read. Blog posts have the structure of a short, informal essay meant to inform the general public of various topics, in this case, the issue of unilateral succession in Kosovo. Ronald McMullen posted to a political science blog to inform readers of the issue of states recognizing unilateral succession, like in Kosovo. He explains why Kosovo’s independence has not been recognized by all countries, including Russia and China: “some argue that Kosovo’s independence would undermine the international community’s consensus about when to recognize break-away countries. The general rule of thumb is: widespread international recognition follows recognition from the “mother country” (McMullen, 2016, p. 1). Since Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, other countries feel they also cannot recognize it. The information about Kosovo is conveyed with a structure similar to a short essay, with informal language. This structure may not be the usual format of writing for a political scientist, especially one used in academic articles. A political scientist needs to be ready to write in many different genres, depending on the specific profession.

Non-academic writing has differing formats varying with genre, but academic writing has a structure more solidified across the academic community. Academic writing is much more formal, generally longer, and meant for other colleagues after publication. These articles also require extensive research and often include multiple authors. In Immigration Enforcement and the Redistribution of Political Trust, background information is provided on the topic of minorities being affected by politics, and then a hypothesis and research is discussed. One of the hypotheses is “that foreign-born Latinos who live in communities with high levels of Secure Communities enforcement will have less trust in government and less political efficacy” (Rocha, Knoll, Wrinkle, 2015, p. 8). This prediction is made after ample background is provided, with a format that is clearly academic. This format is made for other political scientists to follow, with headings and distinctions between research and predictions clearly defined.

Diction

Diction is the words and style authors use to change the style of their writing. Diction varies between genre, especially between non-academic and academic writing. For example, newspaper articles have different language than published articles in a journal. McMullen wrote an article for the Des Moines Register about heroin from Afghanistan being shipped to Iowa, and what he thought could be done to decrease the amounts being harvested and exported. The article features analytical diction that gives his opinion on what should be done while also providing factual data. McMullen describes what he implemented in Afghanistan and how his plan was not executed to the extent of the program:

I was not satisfied with a policy of poppy eradication by a central police unit, and persuaded Secretary Condoleezza Rice to back a large-scale incentive program to reward Afghan provinces for reducing poppy production. Unfortunately, due to the change of U.S. administrations, this new policy was never fully implemented. (McMullen, 2016, p.1).

McMullen informed the reader of what he did, and what he would have done if the administration had not changed. His diction was chosen specifically for the general public, because he knew it was a newspaper article that was going to be published. Writing for a newspaper may be part of the different tasks of a political scientist, with it coming a different style of language.

Diction can change immensely from a non-academic text like a newspaper article to an academic article. The diction becomes more formal, not meant for the general public, and with specific words chosen. An example of this formal diction is shown in Rocha and Matsubayashi’s Latino Immigration and Representation in Politics: “we rely on insights from the literature on intragroup heterogeneity and political behavior to develop a series of hypotheses regarding the effect of Latino immigration and citizenship status on representation at the local level” (p. 357). This excerpt has words such as “intragroup heterogeneity” and “political behavior” without going into depth about what these words mean. The authors assume that the audience already knows these terms, and that defining them would be redundant for other political scientists. This diction is very specific to this formal article, and may be out of place in an informal email or blog post. Formal language can completely change a text, and when used effectively can change the tone of the writing. The purpose in this article is to inform, so the formal language adds to that purpose instead of being too informal and distracting the reader from the overall point. This kind of formal language is very commonly used by a professor of political science who also does research.

References

References are the sources used in writing, usually in academic text. Sources are used to provide background information, to show other studies over the same topic, or even to refute a writers own thesis. By showing a source with an opposite opinion, the writer has the opportunity to make his or her own argument stronger. In academic papers, sources are used regularly and effectively for all of these reasons, such as in The Politics of Race and Voter ID Laws in the States: The Return of Jim Crow? In this article Rocha and Matsubayashi even cite two different articles in one sentence:

Even if ID requirements are enforced in a nondiscriminatory manner, which studies suggest is not the case (Alvarez, Atkeson, and Hall 2007; Cobb, Greiner, and Quinn 2012), minorities are still less likely to possess required forms of identification (Barreto, Nuño, and Sanchez 2007). (2014, p. 669)

Rocha and Matsubayashi demonstrate a common practice in academic writing. The frequent citing of sources gives important background information to the reader, such as mentioning a case that shows ID requirements are enforced in a way that doesn’t discriminate. This common citing of sources is an effective way of showing the reader all the other studies already done on this topic, while also making the writer seem more credible.

On the other hand, in non-academic writing, it is much less common for references to be used. Very rarely do political scientists cite a source in an informal text such as an email or a newspaper article. Citing a source in informal writing is unnecessary, because the audience is drastically different. The audience doesn’t need to research and read the other sources, because the audience is more likely the general public.

Conclusion

Political scientists may write in two very different styles, non-academic and academic, but the underlying factor is the same: writing in political science is important and can’t be overlooked. From blog posts to academic articles, each piece of writing is different in structure, language, and reference, with different purposes and audiences.

References

McMullen, R. (2009, March 5). Eritrea’s president is ‘unhinged dictator’. US Embassy.

Retrieved from

https://www.theguardian.com/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/195418

McMullen, R. (2016, April 12). Cheap, deadly heroin headed to Iowa. The Des Moines

Register, Retrieved from

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2016/04/12/cheap-deadly-heroin-headed-iowa/82952996/

McMullen, R. (2016, August 30). Kosovo: Battling for recognition (with Iowa’s help).

Retrieved from

https://intreluiowa.wordpress.com

Rocha, R. R., Knoll, B. R., & Wrinkle, R. D. (2015). Immigration enforcement and the

redistribution of trust. Journal of Politics, 1-32.

Rocha, R. R., & Matsubayashi, T. (2013). “Latino representation and immigration in

local politics.” Urban Affairs Review, 49, 353-380.

Rocha, R. R., & Matsubayashi, T. (2014). “The politics of race and voter id laws in the states: The return of Jim Crow?” Political Research Quarterly, 67, 666-679.

Outline for Informational Report

: 

Introduction

mention different kinds of writing in different professions in the field, formal and informal, use of language made for a public audience or for colleagues

Non-Academic writing: 

define non academic writing, mention format, genre, audience, language, references

cables are written with very specific language and format for a very specific and private audience, use interview part where he describes cables

blog post more informal and written for public audience

newspaper article a bit more formal written for public audience with clear language

Academic writing:

define academic writing, mention format, structure, genre, audience, length

scholarly article about immigration enforcement

scholarly article about politics involving race and voter ID laws

scholarly article about latino immigration and representation in local politics

talk about how all three of these sources show a kind of formal writing professors in political science could do with research and publication, meant more for colleagues, language is more formal and explanations are lengthy, format is that of IMRAD, sources are always cited

Conclusion

differences between non-academic and academic sources, main thing to remember is that there will be writing no matter what profession, what will very is the language, structure, and references 

Brief Analysis of Sources

My three academic sources are scholarly articles all written by Rene Rocha, (along with others) a political science professor at the University of Iowa. The nature of these articles are research based and published papers each about different topics in the political science field. For example, one of the articles is about the politics of race and voter id laws. The role of this article is to inform other political scientists and researchers in this field of study of the research they did and the results they came up with. These three scholarly articles can show contrast with the non-academic sources and show that writing in political science can be lengthy with research involved. In my informational report, I can write about the difference between the scholarly articles and the informal sources, and how they are both necessary for a profession in political science.

Summary of Interview

I interviewed Ambassador McMullen, a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Iowa who spoke about writing as a diplomat and a professor. The nature of writing as a diplomat is short analyses to relay information to policy makers. These are called cables, which he said he had to get used to because they were so concise and were not like the long essays he wrote in college, such as a dissertation. The role of this writing is to inform policy makers of inferences made based on information about the country's issues or circumstances. He emphasized the point that the most important part of the cable over his 30 years as a diplomat became the "so what" instead of the "what." This is because the "what" became easily accessible, but the analysis was still necessary to relay. Cables are very specific to a diplomatic profession, and high school seniors can benefit from knowing this information because it's very different from writing in other professions. He also spoke about writing as a professor, where the most common genre of writing for him is emails. The role of this writing was simply to make appointments, relay information to students, and communicate with other professors. As a diplomat, he said he wrote about 3 times more than as a professor. The type of writing is very different in these two professions, even though obviously his major didn't change, he had both of these opportunities.

References for Informational Report

References

McMullen, R. (2009, March 5). Eritrea’s president is ‘unhinged dictator’. US Embassy. Retrieved from

https://www.theguardian.com/world/us-embassy-cables-documents/195418 

McMullen, R. (2016, April 12). Cheap, deadly heroin headed to Iowa. The Des Moines Register, Retrieved from

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2016/04/12/cheap-deadly-heroin-headed-iowa/82952996/ 

McMullen, R. (2016, August 30). Kosovo: Battling for recognition (with Iowa’s help). Retrieved from

https://intreluiowa.wordpress.com 

Rocha, R. R., Knoll, B. R., & Wrinkle, R. D. (2015). Immigration enforcement and the redistribution of trust. Journal of Politics, 1-32.

Rocha, R. R., & Matsubayashi, T. (2013). “Latino representation and immigration in local politics.” Urban Affairs Review, 49, 353-380. 

Rocha, R. R., & Matsubayashi, T. (2014). “The politics of race and voter id laws in the states: The return of Jim Crow?” Political Research Quarterly, 67, 666-679. 

Exercise 2 on page 50 - Revising Quotations in Past Writing

This is an excerpt from a critical analysis essay I wrote in 2015 about magical realism in One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez:


Magical realism is a literary method that inserts imaginative happenings into a largely realistic world. Lorna Robinson explains that magical realism’s purpose is to show that different people have different realities when she writes: “Communities of people have different ways of explaining the world around them and events that occur to them, and these codes for interpreting reality can clash when brought into contact with each other. Latin American writers and scholars have often said that such a clash produces the atmosphere we have come to label magical realism in literature; construing the theory in quite territorial terms, they have claimed that the specific circumstances of Latin America have produced magical realism” (1). Robinson states that the main goal of magical realism is to show that what to the reader is magical, to other groups is real simply because different groups of people have differing realities. She explains that this clash of people explaining their worlds in contrasting ways is what creates magical realism.

Critics have debated about the existence of magical realism in One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Márquez. In Someone Writes to the Future: Meditations on Hope and Violence in García Márquez, Ariel Dorfman objects to the term magical realism because “People in misdeveloped, twisted lands may not be able to dominate what really happens to them; but they can at least control the stories they tell about how they want what happened to them remembered” (89). Dorfman states that the stories with magical happenings are not magical at all, they are just everyday occurrences modified by the people with time. Dorfman writes that Márquez has these seemingly magical happenings to show how the people cope with their lives. She explains that to make their lives seem more interesting, they can stretch the truth of their lives. Furthermore, Dorfman clarifies this is how legends are born. People pass on a story with alterations each time, until it seems magical to the reader.

Despite these claims, magical realism does indeed exist in One Hundred Years of Solitude. Márquez blends real and imaginary happenings in a way that confuses the reader to what is real and what is not, not because that is his intent, but because different groups of people live different truths. In Macondo what is plausible is implausible and what is bizarre is normal. Ice and false teeth are a wonder to the people of Macondo, but someone ascending to heaven or an insomnia plague is accepted and normal. Gabriel Garcia Márquez uses hyperboles and specific details to successfully apply magical realism in order to demonstrate the difference in reality for varying communities of people.

In this essay I integrated quotations using verbs that make a claim or verbs for expressing agreement. They are introduced with a short summary and then I proceed to show my view while also showing quotes from the opposing side. I show both sides and also clearly convey what I believe.