Ongoing drafting and revision plans ...

To help you focus effectively on completing our current assignment, I’d like you to reflect on Monday’s writing workshop. How do you feel about this assignment? What’s working well for you? What remains challenging? Based on your discussion with your peers and their feedback, what are the top three issues that you think you should prioritize as you continue to draft and revise?

Professor Eberly

Do you feel that there are issues on campus that students are aware of? Is being environmental friendly on the top of the list of priorities? How about the lack of diversity? Are students aware of these issues, or do you think that they are to wrapped up in their own personal problems that they overlook them? Is it important to these issues become recognized? But what steps can be done to solve them?

Going green seems to be a trend or a fad that has evolved overnight. The world is becoming more environmental conscious but is DU? How important is it that our campus is making efforts towards a better environment. Regarding the actions that our campus has taken, do you think that recycling is easy accessible on campus? Daniels College of Business has made efforts to set up more recycling bins, but are they really effective? Would they be more effective in places such as Sturm, Jazzmans, or in Penrose? Do you personally recycle, why or why not? Should recycling be mandatory for everyone on campus or is it not important?

Do you think that diversity is an issue on campus? DU is known as one the least diverse schools, but diversity does not only mean a difference in race and ethnicity. Do you feel that there is enough cultural diversity as well as intellectual diversity on campus? Are you aware of the campus events created to help solve the diversity issues? If so, do you attend events like the Diversity Retreat? Why, or why not?

McJobs, Stigma's and Socioeconomic Divergence - Nina & Ben

What we'd like to explore in this blog posting is how everyone views individuals who have the kind of menial low wage blue-collar jobs that Ehrenreich takes on in her novel. Have you had a job that would fall under this category, and if so how does your experience relate to Ehrenreich's? Have you ever been embarrassed to tell somebody where you work? Do you view professionals differently than those who have a McJob? What kind of generalizations to you consciously or unconsciously make about that individual? Do you think we as Americans place labels on working-class citizens? Is there a certain kind of stigma that comes with being a waitress, cashier or maid?

If this doesn't give you enough to go on, or if you want something with a little more ummph to it, consider this question: does it seem that while Ehrenreich is working these particular jobs, she sees herself in a different class than her coworkers? If yes, do you believe that belief is justified? Do you think that Ehrenreich is perpetuating the idea that who we are as a person has a lot to do with how we earn a living? We would argue that Ehrenreich, in fact, does emphasize the importance of an employment position as a defining characteristic of who a person is, and by generalizing and even marginalizing her coworkers in these low-wage employment positions, she is actually contributing to the ever growing gap in America between the lower class and the middle/upper class. Do you think this belief is justified?

Hanna and Devyn-Ethics of Qualitative Research

As we briefly discussed in class the other day, it seems like there is controversy over whether the type of research that we see in Nickel and Dimed is an ethical type of research to conduct. You have human subjects and in this case, the subjects don't even know that they are being studied. Do you think that this type of research is ethical? Should people be able to study other human beings without informing them or letting them consent? Are there certain scenarios where you think that it is acceptable, or on the other hand, not acceptable, to do this kind of research? Also, consider the impact of having to be ethical on the realism of your study? Do you think it is possible to disclose what you are researching and not have your subjects change their behavior?m Please feel free to respond to these questions or post any other response you may have to the ethics of qualitative research.

Writing, interpreting and revising ...

To begin class today (4/14), I’d like you to reflect on last Wednesday’s writing workshop and the feedback you received on the first draft of our current assignment. What did you gain as a writer from this experience? What have you learned about doing interpretive or text-based research so far? How are you planning to revise your essay in the next week?

Changing Perceptions

Do you remember the first time you saw a homeless person? If you were raised in an urban environment, the answer is probably no. However, many people have a specific, identifiable memory for their first encounter with the homeless. Maybe you were downtown visiting the museum on a field trip. Perhaps your church was doing an outreach program, or your family was visiting another city on vacation. Describe, if you can, the first time you saw a homeless person--your emotional or logical reaction, what your parents told you, etc.
Now that we are adults living in Denver, there is no doubt that homeless people are just a part of our lives. How have your perceptions of them altered? Does that affect your behavior? For example, do you give a homeless woman money if she begs for it? Do you concentrate on a point in the distance while you walk past a group of homeless people? Or do you have any voluntary interaction with them, either through the school, your church, or a
Finally, how do you expect interacting with the homeless at Project Homeless Connect to change your perception and treatment of the homeless?

Reflections on college transition-Sarah and Jessica

Continuing on to college is an exciting time; a new surrounding, a new group of friends, new classes and exciting clubs and organizations to get involved in. However, it is a big transition from high school in a short two months. Whether or not a person is moving away from their home town or going to a local school, college is a frightening and overwhelming period in a student’s life.

Not only is the academic transition difficult, the social transition is as well. It is hard to find that balance between school and social life in such a new environment, and for many students, the first environment with (almost) complete freedom. Many students go from an extremely busy schedule to having far too much free time. Other students feel overwhelmed by the pressures associated with social life in college, like drinking, drugs, their figure, etc. It is easy to get wrapped up into too much partying and not enough studying, or the other way around. Not that too much focus on academics is negative, but there needs to be a healthy balance for a good transition and experience. But it is difficult to find that balance without the skills and past experience of being independent and making choices.

Most students in Europe, after graduation from high school, take at least a year off before they go off to college. They use this time to travel, to work, or just to take some time off from academics. In one sense, this could be a good time to let the “burn out” from college fade and give students some time to figure out what they like to do. In this year, they are able to “discover” who they are, or at least try to. On the other hand, it could decrease the likelihood of students returning to school, because they enjoy the freedom of living in the real world.
It is evident that the college is a big transition period, and also one of the biggest decisions in a person’s life.

Do you think that two months (from high school to college) is enough time to prepare for such a big transition? Being independent or in an environment away from parents is a situation that people handle differently depending on an individual’s background. Do you think there would be less drinking/partying/social issues if students had a year or two to mature before college? We all have different experiences that brought us all together here at DU. How has your college experience been? Do you think that your experience would have been better or worse if you took more time off between high school and high school? How has your experience in college been overall? How did you handle this transitional period? What advice would you give to incoming freshman?