Considering Genre

• I am going to commit to the Quick Reference Guide for project 1 since I like the voice that I found through blogging and I want to continue to shape it. Plus writing is not really my thing so I'm trying to get it out of the way as fast as possible if I'm being perfectly honest.

• The genre conventions that I need to develop for next week's production phase are voice, style, outline or general layout, catchy title, and the content needs to be like a person's skirt -- long enough to cover everything, but short enough to keep it interesting. Since the purpose of a QRG is to inform the audience of a new debate or argument that has recently arisen in the simplest and easiest terms possible, I need to use everyday language and explain the story as if they have no idea what the heck I'm talking about.

• I am absolutely peeing my pants in nervousness for the production phase since I have a chem and ecology exam next week that I also need to study for so this will definitely be interesting. I really need to be on track with time management and not slack off as much as I want to (which is going to be really hard). No more Grey's Anatomy for me this week, until next time Dr. McDreamy.

Fruzza182. "Colorize Patrick Dempsey." 1/7/09 via deviantart.com. Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivs Works 3.0 License.
Until we meet again on Netflix/probably in my dreams Patrick Dempsey.

Cluster of Stakeholders

Ok so again, procrastinating is very bad. That being said, Coggle is an actual life saver and made my life 1000 times easier. Here's my Coggle to my project 1 topic (the South African virginity grant debate if you forgot). Hope you enjoy!

Koncensus. "Extra Happy Kid." 3/29/13 via flickr.com. Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.

Remember when we were young and happy and had no responsibilities at all? Yeah me neither.

Evaluation of General Sources

I finally chose my topic which I am super psyched about. Also, I am making a promise, in writing, that I will never procrastinate ever again. Details aren't needed, just know that I may or may not have an ulcer by the end of the semester.

Gilbert, Adam. "How to Stop Stress Eating." 6/25/15 via mybodytutor.com. Licensed for Noncommercial Reuse.

Literally me at this moment. 

South African District Offers Student Grants to Girls Who Remain Virgins... sounds crazy sexist right? See for yourself.

• The first word in the URL is the Examiner, which is the name of an online newspaper under the politics and human interest story sections. This makes the source very reliable since it comes straight from the newspaper site.

• Larry Clifton is the author and he is a Tampa City Buzz Examiner. He has experience as a freelance writer and a print reporter as well as a BA degree from Eckerd College in Florida. This makes him readily equipped to handle this story I believe.

• The news itself is still very new, but the last time this story was updated was on January 25, 2016. This ensures that the story remains up-to-date and is not lacking any new information that has yet to be found (if there even is any).

• The reason why Clifton wrote this article was to sum up the conflict between the South African government with the rising tuition crises mixed with sexism with the mayor awarding female students money for school if they choose to abstain from sex (monitored by medical examinations performed by a doctor). Men are excluded from this opportunity since it is apparently expected of men to have sex? 

• As far as pictures go, there is a picture of books with an apple on it to represent that the story has to do with education. It's pretty standard and boring if you ask me, definitely doesn't grab my attention, he probably just couldn't find another picture or had to meet a deadline under a time crunch (I know the feeling). There's also a few hyperlinks that lead you to various sources that go more in depth with the story.

• Unlike me, Clifton seems pretty unbiased about the main topic of the story. He does, however, admit that the South African school system is going down a pretty slippery slope and that they are continuing to get worse and worse. He portrays both sides of the story pretty fairly and evenly though.

• There are a couple different links throughout the article that all relate and talk about the same story of South African women getting an abstinence grant. 

South Africa Girls Given Student Grants to Remain Virgins... Just when you thought women had the right to control their own bodies.

• This story is originally published in an online news site that is Qatar-ran (an Arab country for those of you who didn't know -- like me). It is still a credible global news site.

• Azad Essa is the author of this story and he has the credibility and context to adequately write this story since he is a journalist that covers the sub-Saharan African region, which is where this story takes place.

• This story is still pretty new and the last time it was updated was January 25, 2016. This means that the story is as updated as possible since it was updated less than a week ago.

• Essa wrote this story to reveal that the students' fight is not over and that the fight for women's rights are not over as well. This is a story that is the crossroads of the rising tuition crisis and the state trying to combat that problem with implementing sexist scholarships and grants, which will only perpetuate gender inequality and stereotypes.

• The picture used was pretty powerful since it captured student and women protesters fighting back against the outdated sexist stereotypes they are being rewarded to uphold. The links provide additional information on the topic that isn't fully covered in the article.

• Essa is very clearly on the side of abolishing this sexist grant, or at least allowing men to also apply for the grant. This can be seen through his obvious remarks and the picture of a women protesting the grant.

• The links provided lead to various other articles that go more in-depth over a specific detail that the original article wasn't able to cover. Actually really helpful.

Oh Reddit...It Was an Interesting Experience

It is once again time to climb down into the basement of the internet. That place you always see people go into, but never come out of. You guessed it, Reddit. I swear, you can wander around that place for hours until before you know it you're reading threads about the evolution of the crayola crayon (guilty).

Worley, Stephen Von. "Velo's Crayola Color Chart, 1903-2010." 1/15/10 via datapointed.net. Licensed for Noncommercial Reuse. 

This is what a true procrastinator finds interesting.

• There are so many crazy arguments on Reddit, it's actually kind of funny. Especially since most people that choose to debate don't have a whole lot of credibility or context for that matter. Probably some of my favorite forums that I found have to do with feminism or gender identity because for some reason those are two psychological debates that people seem to have very strong opinions on (go figure). 

• I have some crazy news for you guys. If you haven't already heard, South African students have been protesting over the crazy increase in tuition that their government is trying to impose. If that isn't bad enough, the mayor is offering a grant to 16 female students if they remain a virgin. That's right, it's 2016 and people are still trying to control what rights a woman has to her own body. This has been a major story that's been circulating through all the social justice/psychology forums and definitely has all my fellow feminists up in arms. 

• Another super crazy story is the Zika virus that's been spreading like wildfire through Latin America, and El Salvador just made it a whole lot worse (in terms of equal rights). Latin American countries have given numerous warnings about the risks of getting pregnant with this virus going around. However, El Salvador over here decided to one-up everyone and declare an actual law that bans being pregnant until 2018. That's right, a law was passed that yet again puts limits on what a woman can or can't do with her body.

• The people in these forums seem to meet at the cross between civil rights and psychology, which makes for very interesting topics. Debating whether or not a certain event has to do with shaping the way an entire culture thinks or dissecting certain government actions from the basis of its psychological effects in the community, can make for a very interesting conversation. This was definitely not the type of political/psychological debate I was expecting that's for sure.

Evaluation of News Magazine Stories and Meninism

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I admit to being shamelessly basic. I spent, no joke, two hours reading articles about celebrity gossip (especially about the Duggar family!) because I kept getting sidetracked while looking for articles to write about. Anyway, I was able to eventually find a couple of articles that were interesting and didn't have to do with the Kanye West and Wiz Kalifa fallout.

• Keeping with the gender neutrality track to satisfy my inner social activist, Mark Lewis wrote a really interesting article for Time Magazine about a preschool in Norway, Vikaasen, that took a pretty radical stand against gender stereotyping. They decided to cancel their annual carnival celebration because they said it reinforces the typical gender roles by boys dressing up as overly-macho superheroes and the girls dress up like frilly princesses. Although these aren't necessarily bad for kids to want to dress up as these things, the principal, Renate Kvivesen, said that if a kid didn't want to dress up as either/or, she doesn't want them to feel left out or teased by the other kids. 

• Another super interesting story that I ate up as a feminist was an article written by Tom Jacobs for The Week about how language reinforces the wage gap. There was a study that showed countries whose languages had a sex-based gender system tended to have larger wage gaps  and gender roles were more heavily enforced in workplaces. The study concluded that countries whose primary language was more gender-neutral tended to have a lower gender wage gap. I find it so crazy how much a language can influence a culture, but that makes a lot of sense now that I think about it.

• Ok so all of Norway seems really chill and super open and progressive. For God's sake 40% of Norwegian lawmakers and the prime minister are all women. I mean the principal would definitely be the most sympathetic since she's the one who proposed the idea of banning the carnival, but all the parents who were involved were very polite and understanding of the situation. Something that's completely 100% absent from American school systems.

• I would have to say that Jacobs himself is the most sympathetic character, since he gives a voice and pathos to the researchers findings. He not only introduced a problem, but also coupled a reason as to why the problem exists, which opens up the possibilities for ways to solve the problem.

• Literally I don't even know who the least sympathetic person would be. They were all so nice. The one parent who disagreed with what was happening literally said at the end, "I appreciate that they try to open the kids' minds [though]." What is that? Where are all the raging Republicans promising hellfire to all those who succumb to these radical, unbiblical social changes? 

• Definitely the least sympathetic character are the people the researchers have to argue against. I like to call them the invisible characters, they're not mentioned, but they're very real. These characters are the reason why the researchers have to defend their study because there are undoubtedly some self-proclaimed "meninists" who love to sit around and catcall women on the streets then get offended when they feel uncomfortable. 

Balkan, Aral. "Get Well Soon." via independent.co.uk. 

Twitter and What I (Eventually) Found There

I think this is a good time to admit that I 1. Don't actually have a twitter and 2. Don't really know how it works. And before you ask, no, I am not doing this to try and "enhance" my quality of life like a technological vegan. Nor do I have some personal vendetta against the evils of social media. I am simply a lazy college student, pure and simple. So, as I was stumbling through different psychology accounts on twitter, I found some pretty interesting stuff that jumped out at me.

• @PsychNews was the first legitimate psychology account with real information. Surprisingly, most general psychology accounts on twitter are more horoscope-based than actual science-based. But this account discussed stories that mostly had to do with race or gender -- two huge topics that have been plastered all over social media for the past couple years. 

• However, @PsychologyNow followed stories that appeared to be more medical rather than the psychology of gender or race. For instance, there has been a lot of talk recently about mothers being screened for depression during their prenatal care since new studies have been released suggesting that postpartum depression can develop before birth.

• One really interesting story I found was tweeted by @PsychNews and was originally an article posted on BBC, "Do We Need More Than Two Genders?" Where different medical professionals came together in an interview to clarify that gender should not necessarily be seen as binary, but rather as a wide spectrum. Honestly, I love how the world is becoming more and more progressive, but honestly, I don't understand why we have to have labels and gender identities in the first place. Maybe that's just the idealist in me who also hopes to one day find my own Dr. McDreamy (Grey's Anatomy reference, I'm not crazy). 

AskMen Editors. "Patrick Dempsey." Via askmen.com. Licensed for noncommercial reuse.

The one and only, Dr. McDreamy/Patrick Dempsey/my future husband

• Another interesting story that I kept seeing pop up was the discussion about the screening for postpartum depression for moms during prenatal care. Tweeted by @PsychNews it was originally an article titled "Screening for Depression Recommended for Adults, Including Pregnant and Postpartum Women." According to the USPSTF, depression is one of the leading disabilities in teenagers and adults both and they've been pushing to get a mandatory screening for everyone over 18. But now they're narrowing their demands which would make it mandatory for pregnant women and new mothers to be screened for depression to help the mom stay in good health and protect the baby.

• Once I stopped being a grandma and actually figured out how to use twitter, it was hard at first to sift between the angsty feeds that were all about "finding your true soulmate with psychology" versus feeds that actually had an ounce of scientific standing. I was actually surprised to find so many feeds that had to do with social issues like race and gender (something my inner social justice warrior really appreciated). 

Evaluation of New York Times Stories and Puppies

Ok so this guy Richard A. Friedman is an absolute stud in the psychology world and wrote, "Teenagers, Medication, and Suicide" for the New York Times. Oh yeah and did I mention he's  a professor of Clinical Psychology at Cornell's Medical College, he's the attending psychiatrist at New York--Presbyterian Hospital, and he's the freaking director of pharmacology at the Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic? I am seriously so starstruck writing this right now, I need to calm down.

• In his article, the protagonist is any teenager/young adult that's struggling with a mental illness and would really benefit from antidepressants. Actually, I guess antidepressants could also be seen as the main character too. I am loving this new take on antidepressants being portrayed as the lifesaving medicine that they are (I can feel my inner social justice warrior coming out so try to bear with me). Thank you Friedman for setting the record straight you beautiful man you.

• There's not really a "where" that Friedman discusses, but more of a "when." He mentions studies that found that after the FDA's initial black-box warning on antidepressants in the early 2000s, teen suicide has actually increased with a decrease in antidepressant use. Coincidence? I think not! 

• There is definitely a disagreement going on: Friedman is calling for the recall of the FDA's black-box warning stating that by taking antidepressants as a teenager, you may be subjected to judgment by your peers. No I'm just kidding, the warning states that there may be an increased risk in suicide if you take it. This warning has successfully decreased the number of teenagers on antidepressants. However, 90% of teen victims of suicide had a diagnosable mental disorder that antidepressants could've helped. So really, what good has this warning done?

Another article that is actually pretty interesting (but a lot darker in my opinion) is on the topic of the morality of Physician-assisted suicide with patients who are incurably ill. Five states in America has passed this law, with certain regulations of course, and Clyde Haberman wrote "Stigma Around Physician-Assisted Dying Lingers" in response to all the buzz surrounding the moral dilemma. 

• I am tempted to say that the story's main characters are the doctors who are struggling with this moral dilemma, but then that would be taking the spotlight away from the heart of the matter -- the patients who are struggling with a terminal illness. This debate wouldn't even be taking place if it wasn't for these people who want to die with at least a little dignity. 

• This story takes place in every hospital where physician-assisted suicides are allowed, but the fact that only five states have legalized this procedure says a lot about how the public morally view this debate. However, the people who are voting against this bill are people who are not struggling with the reality of a terminal illness.

• Heck yes there's a debate, it's the biggest debate there is, how much power should doctors hold in their hands? If they can make the call to take a patient off life support, why can't they help terminally ill people die with a little dignity before they start to deteriorate even more? Sure it would be so difficult for any doctor to know that they are killing their patient, but isn't the doctor's first job is to think of their patient? And if the patient wants to bring an end to their suffering shouldn't they be allowed to do so? 

Federspiel, Manuela. "Dogs, Cute, Chihuahuas." 10/25/15 via pixabay.com. CC0 Public Domain License.

I know the last article was pretty dark and depressing, but if for some reason you find this debate super interesting, I have another article on it, but this time it's from a patient's perspective. It made me shed a tear, not even joking. So if you're looking for good cry then this article is for you. Anyway, here's a picture of an adorable, fluffy little puppy to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Course Projects and Time Management (or Lack Thereof)

I think the most stressful thing any student can do is to go through and read every project that is to be completed for a class in detail. Of course it's beneficial to get a grasp of what's to be expected, but it can also be extremely terrifying. It's actually more scary than any Hollywood horror movie, any student can confirm this. I was forced to subject myself to this form of cruel and unusual torture and these are some of the thoughts racing through my mind as my fight-or-flight reaction kicked in.

Kelley, Ciara. "It's Almost Finals Week and This is an Accurate Representation of My Life." 12/06/2015 via twitter.com.

• Upon reviewing the rubrics, I can safely say that I am wholly unprepared to take control of the reins on these projects. Reading through everything made me realize how little I know about types of writing that don't revolve around book reports or a traditional prompt. I thrive on structure and guidelines and I don't know how I will complete these projects without them. This will be one hell of an adventure that's for sure.

• Honestly, despite my obvious hesitation, I am actually really excited to be able to write about a topic that I am genuinely interested in and actually take part in the conversation I'll be writing about. I could talk for hours about any aspect of psychology, so I am beyond excited to be able to have complete freedom in choosing my topic and which conversation I want to follow and talk about and how I choose to do so. I think these projects are going to be really eye-opening to the "real" world and I think it'll be a lot of work, but definitely worth it. 

• Just by looking through the guidelines for all the major projects I know for a fact that I will need to go through and create personal deadlines for myself in order to stay on top of such a massive and individualized project. I also need to go through and make a guideline for each media format and major project to keep for myself and make sure that I'm staying on track and including the necessary elements. I definitely can't procrastinate and I need to make this class a priority. Actually my roommate, during finals week, had this great idea and planned out her entire day by the hour to make sure she stayed on task and didn't slack off. I need a system like hers for this class.

• My past English teachers have prepared me by really focusing on research and how to use research to help shape my arguments. Also, my senior English teacher was a major freak about developing voice and I couldn't thank her enough for helping to make me feel comfortable with my writing.

• I don't have any specific questions that popped into my head while reading over the assignment sheets, it's more like I'm walking through a misty haze of confusion. I understand the main points of each project; now I just need to solidify the little details. I'm sure that will happen the more we talk in class and I grasp a deeper understanding of the class dynamic.

Update: After reading Nicki Escalante and Jianna LoCricchio's post about their thoughts on the course projects made me feel a little better. I'm not the only one who's freaking out at least a little bit, which I'm starting to think now is normal. I feel like reading these posts completed the five stages of grief for me. I have finally come to terms and accepted the fact that I'm going to have to complete these assignments one way or another and that it might not actually be impossible. So thank you, Nicki and Julianna for helping me through these hard times. 

Investigating Genres and My Taste in Youtubers

While I sit here and think more about how to write in different formats, I am realizing more and more how basic I am. For real. I regularly watch Youtube videos on pop culture (mostly John Green if I am being perfectly honest). I will also shamelessly admit that I get most of my knowledge on current events from teen magazine articles and radio stations when there is a break in between songs. Anyway, I am so excited to finally have a chance to experiment with these different art forms -- especially the video essay.

Rucchii. "Princess Pewdie." 06/11/2013 via deviantart.com. Noncommerical -- No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Another amazing -- and hysterical -- youtuber who I regularly watch.

1. The video essay, based on videos posted by feministfrequency (who I personally vibe with as a fellow feminist), Catherine Heath, and youtuber NerdWriter1 whose video I absolutely loved since it was all about emotions (as a psych major I ate it up) were all very different in execution, but all had the same general purpose: to inform and persuade. Whether it be a video of someone talking directly to the camera, or a narrator voicing over a series of images and videos, or even a more artistic approach to convey a particular point.

2. This genre is typically found on vlogs, but most commonly on Youtube. A lot of people view this genre without even realizing that what they are watching is a visual and audible essay. I know I did. Who would have thought English would actually be relevant in our social lives?

3. The typical audience for this genre changes based on the topic of the video. Typically a Youtube video is geared more towards young adults and kids since we are the generation who grew up surrounded by technology. 

4. What's really intriguing about this media is that it indulges multiple senses at once and requires the audience's full attention. To be able to listen to an argument and have points solidified by visual aids is an ingenious way to keep the audience hooked and tuned in. It's a type of media that literally says, "Hey! Look at me! Pay attention!" Something no other media has the ability to do.

5. I would have to say that a video essay is a form of media that is mostly used to inform, persuade, or prove a point to a specific, and mostly younger, audience. This form has taken off with the age of the internet where everything now is online. A video essay is most appropriate when an author wants to connect personally and really engage the audience while also having a lot of creative freedom.

Question: what's your favorite Youtube video that follows these rules?

Update: Ok so going through and reading other people's posts on this prompt made me feel like my posts are written very informally. Compared to Sarah Moskowitz's post about video essays, I felt like she got to the point faster than I did and her writing seems a lot more sophisticated (which I very much admire). Also, Eyal Ron's post about QRG's was also written in a more traditional way. This makes me a tad nervous about writing this semester, mainly since I really like writing more informally and I hope I get to continue with this new voice I'm discovering through blogging.

My Crazy, OCD Writing Process

To be warned: I am usually a very serious writer, but I am trying to loosen up and add some flavor to my writing style so bear with me! This will be a journey for both of us so if you have any tips or advice to share I would love to hear them.

1. I would definitely say that my writing style is closest to a Heavy Planner. To be honest, it all started when I realized I was lazy. I just put all my effort in the beginning then slowly slacked off. It's like sprinting the 100 meter race versus running the two mile race in track. At first you have to have to give a hell of a lot of energy in the beginning, but then you get to sit back and laugh at all the fools still running.

2. As mentioned above, I prefer to think and outline before I actually sit down to write so that way I save time and I can organize my thoughts and think more clearly. That way  it's more like connecting the dots. I still revise my paper, but more for grammar and conventions versus content. When I revise I like to think I am just going through and cleaning up my paper rather than completely breaking it down and rebuilding it. It's a win-win: my paper is turned in on time and I get to sleep peacefully at night.

3. I've been pretty successful in the past so I figure if it ain't broke don't fix it right? Also, it stresses me out less since I have specific steps I take into writing my essay: heavy outlining, drafting, light revising then voila! You have a finished essay and no ulcers. Especially in college with a million other things to think about it is a lot easier to write a decent draft in one sitting and then not have to stress over redoing it later.

4. I don't know if it would be beneficial to try a different writing approach. I feel like I would get really stressed out and not be able to keep my thoughts together. I am a huge control freak and I feel like I would have a total meltdown if I tried to just jump into an essay like a Heavy Reviser would. To give you an idea, I get really excited when I see color-coded notes and I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to getting organized (but that's for another time).

Bollay, Brittney. "Self Portrait As A Stressed-Out Bride To Be." 10/15/2006 via flickr.com. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License.

I don't know about you, but this is how I feel whenever I sit down to start organizing my thoughts for a paper. This was actually my exact face when I sat down to write this blog. Anyway, I'm curious -- who else thinks being super organized in the beginning is the way to go?