Reflection of English 103 Class

My time in English 103 has been very satisfying thus far heading into spring break. I feel like this class is fairly easy if you are able to keep up the work administered to you, while paying attention in class. It's also important to attend every class because absences tend to sneak up on you fast. I took AP English with a magnificent teacher so heading into the course, I was familiar with the format of how to write a paper, as well as how to go about writing a research paper. Things such as a hook line to begin your paper and a thesis statement coming in the introduction and conclusion were tasks that I was very aware of. Also, I wrote many papers analyzing different books we read in high school so analyzing a youtube video came fairly easy. It took some time to get all the juices flowing again, but it was nice to get back into the swing of things and being able to put pencil to paper. One thing that was new to me was all the information on visual rhetoric that I was previously oblivious to. I knew persuasion existed, but I did not know about all the different types of persuasion that can be used in every advertisement, comic, song, commercial, and billboard. The different ideas integrated into a single advertisement are thought about long and hard, while obviously being planned. The visual rhetoric writing assignment was a new experience, but I was pleased with the overall job I did on the paper. For the current research paper, it is took a little time to get accustomed back to searching for sources and citing them in your paper. After writing two or three research papers in high school, I'm slowly becoming more and more familiar with the job the writer has and the argument he is attempting to make. I feel like this class has the potential to help out in any other English I may take for obvious reasons. First, writing some more papers never hurts your ability to get your brain flowing and becoming a better writer. Next, I feel like you can apply the concepts we have studied so far to your every day life and pick up on things that normal people who did not take this class will not. Overall, this class has been fun, and I'm looking forward to the last few weeks .

Research Log Post II

Our job this week was to create the outline that would guideline our research paper. The point of an outline is to help you get your thoughts together and ideas flowing, so it makes writing your paper that much easier.

I. Introduction
Capture the audience's attention by opening the paper with a quote or rhetorical question
Introduce my topic and briefly state the argument I'm making on the topic and prevalence of concussion in sports

II. Background on Concussions
State the scientific definition of a concussion; talk about what actually happens to your brain during a concussion

III. Move into argument
Use equipment as an example of how the number of concussions can be cut down
Talk about rule changes that have attempted to cut down on helmet-to-helmet contact in football
Long term health effects of concussions; detrimental issues that come with repeatable blows to the head

IV. Look at other side
What is being taken away with the strict rule changes on hitting the QB in professional and college football? competitive edge taken away
Players are beginning to shy away from contact bc they don't want to be fined for doing their job

Research Log Post #1

I chose to research the effect that concussions can have on the life of athletes at every level. 

A list of sources I can gather and write about include: 

1. What a concussion is and the medical impact it can have on your life

2. A professional's athlete story of how a concussion may have negatively impacted his career

3. Physical, mental, and emotional side effects concussions can have 

4. Laws made by the NFL, as well as the government in attempt to reduce the amount of concussion seen in athletes.

5. New technology and equipment that reduces the risk of getting a concussion in the first place