Genre Analysis: The Secret Genius of Taylor Swift

For this week’s online assignment, I listened to the podcast titled “The Secret Genius of Taylor Swift.”  The story is basically informative, and is a podcast in which the speaker wants to announce what she discovered about Taylor Swift and how Taylor Swift manages to get her listeners and fans to buy her albums in this economy, even when there are many easy ways to download music for free.  The podcast is broken down into the normal components of a traditional essay or annotated map- there’s the introduction, the plot, and the conclusion.  Also, there are intriguing details and facts that back up what the speaker is saying about Taylor Swift and the facts basically are a source for her information.  The speaker uses quotes from normal people, too (well at least a regular citizen teenage girl who is a fan of Taylor Swift) to give listeners an inside source on the thoughts of actual fans of Taylor Swift. 

The speaker of this podcast opens up the introduction with a question to make the listeners want to keep listening for the answer.  “Who sells a lot of albums these days.  She does.”  Then, the speaker of this podcast plays an excerpt of one of Taylor Swift’s songs on her new album, “We Are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together” to answer the question.  The way the speaker includes clips of various songs of Taylor Swift keeps the listeners intrigued, as well. 

Throughout the entire podcast, the speaker lists facts and information to develop her plot, while keeping segments of Taylor Swift’s songs in the background.  The facts are sourced and cited, just like a standard paper or assignment.  You can’t just give facts without backing it up.  There are multiple quotes of regular people that the speaker includes throughout the plot as well.

In the conclusion, the speaker summarizes basically everything she had said throughout the entire podcast.  Also, she leaves the listeners with some more information that would make them want to perhaps maybe consider buying Taylor Swift’s new album, “Red,” and lists the places that the album is available for purchase.  She then proceeds to close out the podcast by saying her name and asks the fan of Taylor Swift what a good song to close the podcast would be.  The girl says to end the podcast with the song “22” off Taylor Swift’s new album, and that’s how the podcast ends.  Overall, the podcast had a good opening statement and grabbed listeners’ attention by asking a question, and it ended well by closing with a new song off the new album.  

Here is a link to the podcast:

 http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/11/09/164742426/the-secret-genius-of-taylor-swift

Project 2 Reflection: Interesting

In all honesty, I liked project two so much better than project one.  I feel as though evaluating something is much easier to do than to analyze it.  Also, the writing portion of project two was fairly easy.  At first I was really nervous with the amount of words we had to write, but breaking it down into chunks, with having 800 words for the synopsis and then 300 words for each of the annotations, made it better.  Even though we had to write more words in project two, it was easier to write because we broke it down into chunks, rather than writing a straight paper.  However, one of the things I should not have done for this project was procrastinate.  To be totally honest, I waited until the Sunday that the rough draft was due to actually do my rough draft, which made it extremely stressful.  The project itself should not have been so stressful, but since I waited to do it last minute, I created unnecessary stress.  I learned that I do not like procrastinating, and I definitely will not do that again next time.  Also, one of the other things I learned during this project was how to use the Hayden library’s website. When I went to find sources for this project, it was the first time I actually went inside and used the Hayden library.  It was kind of overwhelming because I did not know where anything was or where to go.  I was surprised with how big the library is, but now I will use it in the future. 

In my project, I feel as though I crafted a pretty strong evaluation.  I am not really sure how I will apply my work outside of the university, though.  Maybe I will start thinking more about things in an evaluating sense, rather than just to look at things as they are.  If I put together the aspects of project one and project two and apply it to the world outside of the university, I can think of things in a whole new level, with analysis and evaluation. 

The main thing that I had difficulty with in this project was the actual map part.  I am pretty sure I spent most of my time figuring out how to do the map, rather than the writing.  It took me hours to figure out, and I am still not even sure I did it correctly.  I should have gone to workshop so I could learn how to do it correctly.  Next time I have a problem with an assignment, I am definitely going to workshop. Even after all the difficulties I had with the map, I liked project two better than project one.

Research Sources: Residential Halls

Research Sources:  Residential Halls

 

For project number two, I am going to evaluate the living environment of the different residential halls on the Arizona State University campus.  After visiting friends from different dormitories, I have realized that there are many similarities and differences amongst the residential halls.  This is going to be evaluated in my project, along with the amenities provided in the different residential halls.  I want to explore this topic because I think it would be fun making connections between the different living arrangements offered to the students of Arizona State University. Making a map of the dormitories should not be too difficult because they are scattered throughout the Arizona State University campus.  My sources for the project are the following:

 

First Impressions of Residence Hall Students [microform] / Younos M. Mokhtarzada and William E. Sedl
Mokhtarzada, Younos M.
[S.l.] : Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 1973. 8 p.

 Summary: This short book is about ninety - seven new residents who move into residence halls at the University of Maryland, and they answer a questionnaire about their first weeks in the new living environment (which varies from two to four weeks).  The students’ previous living environment were different, so the survey would not be completely biased, ranging from some students who have lived in residence halls before, to some that never have, and some that have stayed with friends.  The students declare what they like and dislike about the new living environment, and propose what they would like to change or improve about life in the resident hall.  This story is going to help me with my project because I am going to be able to relate how students feel about their new living environments.

 

Utilizing Student Development Strategies to Develop a Residential Life Program [microform] : A Formu
Smith, Kemper D., III.
[S.l.] : Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 1985. 19 p.

Summary:  This article is about developing a program for residential life, and it is also about the residential programs that are part of the residential halls.  This source is going to help me with my project because I will be able to connect the decisions of making programs for residential life with the way students feel about their dormitories.

 

The Impact of Residential Hall Living on Student Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy [microform] / Anne Mc
Juhasz, Anne McCreary.
[S.l.] : Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse, 1987. 22 p.

Summary:  This source describes the residential environment and the emotions students experience while living in residential halls.  Seventy students are examined and share their experiences with living in a residential hall.  This is going to help me with my project because I am going to be able to connect with the emotions of actual students in residential halls.

 

 

 

  

Evaluation: Awkward.

Awkward is a television show on MTV that has had two seasons.  In the first season of the show "Awkward." viewers were introduced the main character and all of her problems.  The season starts out with people thinking that the main character, Jenna, tried to commit suicide when, in reality, she wasn't trying to at all.  Things became incredibly awkward for Jenna, hence the title.

The first season deals all about the awkward situations Jenna gets herself into.  She doesn't even try to make the situations happen; they just do and people end up thinking something totally completely false, the situation is just bad.  She falls for the most dreamy guy at school and ends up having a secret fling with him, but he never does anything about it.  Jenna finally gives up hope on this guy, Mattie, and starts to realize her feelings for his best friend, who has been pursuing her.  The best friend, Jake, never knew about the situation between her and Mattie, so he never thought it was awkward whenever they hung out, but Mattie and Jenna definitely knew the situation and knew that Jake didn't know.  The situation is later revealed in season two, after Jenna actually starts dating Jake and realizes that she is in love.

The season two finale was only a few weeks ago and things got heated.  Jake learned the secret between Jenna and Mattie and felt betrayed.  Jenna ended up having to choose between the two, along with a bunch of complicated situations between her and her best friends and parents and random people.  The season ends with her deciding to be with Mattie, which I totally disagree with.  I think Jenna should have been with Jake, but apparently she believed otherwise.  Jake ended up making out with Jenna's best friend, Tamara, in the final episode, so who knows what is going to happen next.

I'm really excited to see what the next season is going to be like.  I don't watch too much television; Awkward is basically the only show I watch. As much as I wished Jenna would have chosen Jake instead of Mattie, I feel as though Jake and Tamara would be a cute couple, and I guess Jenna and Mattie are adorable together, too.  I just can't wait until the next season comes out.

Project One Reflection

While working on the latest project, I felt as though I did well in the observation aspect.  I noticed a bunch of details and incorporated them into my analysis; however, I failed to emphasize the actual “analysis” aspect.  I need to edit my rough draft quite a bit in order to meet the expectations for the analysis because I did it wrong.  I did not compare and relate my observations to the writings of Vanclay or the other authors of the short stories that we read in class, so I need to do that in my final draft.  Also, I failed to ask questions- why?  Why is the color scheme in the location I chose the way it is?  Why did they decide to make the location?  Why is it set up and decorated the way it is?  These are all questions that I needed to ask myself in the rough draft that would make my paper more of an analysis than an essay.  I’ll just ask these questions in my final draft.

As you can probably infer from the statements above, I don’t feel as though my paper reached a depth of analysis that was asked for.  I barely even analyzed it.  I mostly did just a descriptive essay, noting every single detail to a point where the reader could imagine the place and picture it perfectly in his or her head.  I basically am going to have to re-write most of my paper in order to do it correctly.  I also need to include Vanclay or one of the other authors somewhere in my paper and quote him and relate to his observations and works.

In the future, I plan on improving my skill of analysis by asking questions.  Instead of just looking at something and observing, I am actually going to try to think about the reasons why the place is the way it is.  Analysis isn’t just looking and observing and taking in what you see, and being like “Oh hey, that’s cool.  The walls are maroon and gold.”  Instead, it’s taking all of that in, and also thinking to yourself “Hmm, they painted those walls maroon and gold like the school colors.  I wonder if they did that intentionally.”  Next time I try to analyze something, I’ll ask more questions instead of just observing things for what they are.

Project #1 Worksheet

Project #1 Worksheet                                                          

Your Place:  San Pablo First Floor Lounge

What are the intended functions of the place?                      

The intended functions of the place are  to provide a safe area for students to hang out, watch television, cook, or do homework, as well as many other things.

What overt messages does the place send (i.e., openly communicated through signs)?

The place sends out a friendly, welcoming, spacious message.

What covert messages does the place send (i.e., hidden messages)?

None

Have previous users left traces behind in the place?

Sometimes if people don’t clean up their messes, you can tell that they were there before.

Has the place been re-appropriated (i.e., beyond its original functions)?

I don’t think the place has been re-appropriated.

What social or cultural customs did you observe (i.e., rules governing appropriate behavior)?

The appropriate behavior is to just be respectful and follow the ASU Code of Conduct.

Who has access to the place?  Are there insiders and outsiders?

Anyone who lives or works in the San Pablo dormitories has access to the first floor lounge.  Also, those people are allowed to invite any people over to come in as well, they just have to be let in by the people that live or work there.

Who owns the place?

Whoever owns the San Pablo dorms owns the first floor lounge probably.

What is the place’s value (i.e., monetary or otherwise)?

It provides a space to hang out for people in the San Pablo dorms.

Are there official representations of the place (i.e., online, in promotional materials)?  Do they accurately capture the place as you experienced it?

I don’t think there are any official representations of the San Pablo first floor lounge.

Is the place in transition, a changing place?

The San Pablo first floor lounge is pretty much a non-changing place.

What conflicts or tensions are there in the place?

There aren’t really any conflicts or tensions in the place.

What is the place’s history?  Do you see evidence of the past there in the present?

There are no pictures or evidence of the past there in the present.

How does this place differentiate itself from other places?  What other places is it similar to, but how is it different from those places?

It’s different from other places because it is completely white.  There aren’t any colors besides the colors of the chair.

What questions do you have about your place?

Most things at ASU are organized in the school’s colors.  How come the first floor lounge isn’t?  Why is are the chairs red, blue and brown and not maroon and gold?

Key Features / Profiles (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 165-166)

An interesting subject.  What is unusual about your place?  Alternatively, is there something ordinary about it that you can show in an intriguing way? 

The place is completely white except for the chairs.

Any necessary background.  What background information will you need to include about the place in order to situate readers?

I’m not really sure what background information I will need to include about the place in order to situate readers.

An interesting angle.  Rather than trying to tell readers everything about the place, what angle(s) might you use?

I need to you an angle in which they can picture the space perfectly.

A firsthand account.  Did you interact with people in the place or participate in some way?  What experiences did you have there that you can write about using “I”?  (Yes, first person point of view is encouraged, especially for this paper.)

I have interacted with a bunch of people in the place.  It hold lots of experiences for me.

Engaging details.  What specific information must you include in your description of the place?  What potential does your place have for the use of sensory images, figurative language, dialogue, anecdotes, and showing rather than telling?  What do you want the dominant impression to be?

I must include all the senses and use figurative language.

Generating Ideas and Text (taken from the Norton Field Guide (Goggin and Bullock) Chapter 16, pages 168-169)

Explore what you already know about your subject.  Why do you find this place interesting?  What did you already know about it?

I found this place interesting because it holds a lot of good experiences for me.

If you’re planning to interview someone, prepare questions.  What would you like to ask someone in the place in order to better understand it?

I don’t really have a question to ask in order to better understand it.

Do additional research.  Does your place have an online component?  How else might you gather additional research?

I don’t think the place has an online component in which I could gather additional research.

Analyze your findings.  What patterns, images, or recurring ideas or phrases did you use to describe your place?  What contrasts or discrepancies do you see?

The re-occurring image of the first floor lounge is that it’s white.  Almost everything in the lounge is white except for the chairs.

Come up with an angle.  What is most memorable about your subject?  What most interests you?  What will interest your audience?

There are too many good memories about my place to choose one most memorable one.  Everything about the lounge in the first floor of San Pablo interests me and should interest my audience, as well.