Reflection

After completing unit one of this class, I am able to look back on this unit and what it taught me about how I write and the writing skills I posses. This unit helped me to refine basic writing and research skills, but I was ale to learn a great deal about my writing process.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror

During this unit I found that my writing process is incredibly disorganized. I started to realize this after writing the first draft of the QRG and then having to write a second draft; I found that it was very hard for me to edit and build off the first draft I had written. I found that I was able to work much better when ignoring my first draft completely and instead trying to apply the lessons I learned from it to a completely different paper. I also found this in my thought cluster; my ideas became jumbled and nonsensical when I tried to organize them in the cluster. I found it much easier to work with these ideas when I kept them in my mind rather than when they were "organized" in the cluster. This led me to realize just how haphazard my writing process is and that most of the time, organization in the writing process hinders rather then helps me. After realizing this, I was able to write my final QRG easily by embracing the seemingly disorganized approach to writing where I didn't write any outlines or drafts, but just wrote the QRG by combining my original ideas with what I had learned from my drafts.

QRG Anotated Bibliography

AquaBounty Technologies. http://aquabounty.com/ (accessed Sep 23, 2015)

This webpage is the home site of the company AquaBounty Technologies. The information on this site is supplied by AquaBounty technologies. I can use this article as a link that will allow readers to gain insights on what AquaBounty Technologies does and what their ethos is.

Cooper, A and Kurzer, P, Consumer Activism, EU Institutions and Global Markets: The Struggle over Biotech Foods. Journal of Public Policy [online] May, 2007, p. 103. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy1.library.arizona.edu/stable/40072017 (accessed Sep 3, 2015)

The article was written to examine and further the academic discussion about how the populace can overrule large institutions if they band together and refuse to cooperate with the institution. The information was gathered by examining how EU decrees about GMOs were cancelled out by the actions of the European public. It concludes that in order for large institution's degrees to work, they have to have at least a moderate amount of public support. I can use this source to highlight the opposition to genetically modified foods.

Congress.gov. H.R. 1599- Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1599. (Accessed Sep 23, 2015)

This article was written to give information on H.R. 1599. The information was gained from the bill itself. I can use this article as hyperlink that allows me to let the reader examine the details of the bill in question on their own instead of having to put the details in my article.

DW. EU Passes Controversial GMO Food Law. http://www.dw.com (accessed Sep 1, 2015)

The article was written to inform the public about a new GMO law that the EU passed. The article talks about a new law that allows European countries to expand their production of genetically modified crops. I can use this article to outline the controversy and set up context for the controversy.

Friends of the Earth. http://www.foe.org/ (accessed Sep 23, 2015)

This web page was created to give the public information on the environmental group Friends of the Earth. The information supplied on the website is provided by the group itself. I can use this article as a link to show the ethos of the group that some sources are affiliated with.

Huffington Post. Bill Nye Explains Why He Changed His Mind About GMOs. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/11/bill-nye-gmos-changed-mind_n_7245092.html. (Accessed Sep 11, 2015).

This article was written to inform the public about Bill Nye's views on GMOs. The information was gathered during an interview and its main idea is that Bill Nye used to oppose GMOs but he now supports them. I can use this article to show an argument that caused someone to switch sides in the GMO debate.


Lappe, M, Tasting Technology: the Agricultural Revolution in Genetically Engineered Plants. Gastronomica [online] Winter, 2001, p. 25. JSTOR. http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy1.library.arizona.edu/stable/10.1525/gfc.2001.1.1.25 (accessed Sep 3, 2015)

The article was written to discuss the differences in taste and possible health dangers that some people claim are posed by genetically engineered crops. The article makes its point by citing other studies that were done in the past. It focuses on the potential dangers of using genetically engineered plants. I can use this article to showcase the side that claims GMOs are dangerous and should not be used.

Learning mind. The Recombinant DNA Controversy: where will Genetic Engineering Lead Us? http://www.learning-mind.com (accessed Sep 1, 2015)

The article is written to point out the potential dangers of genetic engineering if it goes too far. The article states where genetic engineering is currently and where it could go from there. The article claims that genetically modified foods are just the tip of the iceberg for genetic engineering. I can use this article to highlight the fears of some members of the public or as a what if scenario.

The Motley Fool. Why a GMO-Free Chipotle Mexican Grill is Terrible News. http://www.fool.com (Sep 3, 2015)

The article was written to point out how, by refusing to serve a genetically modified food, Chipotle could be hurting its future. The article uses current market prices and common financial wisdom to make its point. It states that the change will increase Chipotle's prices and possibly hurt its business. I can use this article to voice the argument of the pro-GMO side of the debate.


National Public Radio. Genetically Modified Salmon: Coming to a River Near You? http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/06/24/413755699/genetically-modified-salmon-coming-to-a-river-near-you. (Accessed Sep. 11, 2015).

This article was written to inform the public about the ongoing debate about whether genetically modified salmon should be allowed to be produced and sold. The main idea of the article is that creating genetically modified salmon could lead to them escaping and damaging the environment. I can use this article to highlight the possible dangers posed by genetically engineered foods.

National Public Radio. House to States: Don't You Dare Demand GMO Labels. http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/07/23/425664015/house-to-states-dont-you-dare-demand-gmo-labels. (Accessed Sep 10, 2015).

The article was written to inform the public about a development in the debate over whether GMO foods should be mandated to have labels. The information was gathered from announcements and rulings made by congress. The main idea is that congress shot down a mandatory labeling bill. I can use this article to highlight the clash between governments and the people over GMO foods.

New York Times. Chipotle Sued Over GMO-Free Menu Claims. http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/08/31/business/31reuters-chipotle-mexican-lawsuit-gmo.html?_r=0. (Accessed Sep 10, 2015).

This article was written to inform the public about a lawsuit filed against Chipotle. The main idea of the article is that Chipotle is being sued. I can use this article to show consumer push back against GMO foods and to show how difficult it can be to completely eliminate GMO foods in the modern world.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Questions and Answers on Food from Genetically Engineered Plants. http://www.fda.gov (accessed Sep 3, 2015)

This article was written to answer questions people have about genetically modified foods. The article gets its point across by answering questions. It states that many of the fears about GMOs are unfounded. I can use this article to examine how the pro-GMO side of the debate tries to allay the fears of the anti-GMO side.

Revised Paragraph

My original paragraph was, "One major reason some people oppose GMOs is that they believe that GMOs are detrimental to the environment. Their major concern is that cross pollination and interbreeding between GMOs and natural organisms will lead to the natural organisms being bred out of existence due to the optimized nature of the GMOs. An example of this can be seen with genetically modified salmon. A Massachusetts company called AquaBounty Technologies has been developing a type of genetically modified salmon for 20 years. These salmon have been genetically modified to grow twice as fast as regular salmon; this has caused some scientists to say that if these fish escape their growing facilities, they could out compete non-modified salmon due to their increased size and increased appetites."

https://www.flickr.com/photos/gord99/5108952410/

My revised paragraph is,"One major reason some people oppose GMOs is that they believe that GMOs are detrimental to the environment. They fear that GMOs will crossbreed with natural organisms and eventually breed the natural organisms out of existence because of the ideal traits the GMOs possess. An example of this can be seen with genetically modified salmon. A Massachusetts company called AquaBounty Technologies has been developing a type of genetically modified salmon for 20 years. Some scientists are saying that these salmon, which have been genetically engineered to grow twice as fast as normal salmon, could out-compete the non-modified salmon and completely change the eco-systems of the ocean. "
My revised paragraph is better than my original paragraph because it uses more active voice and less passive voice than my original paragraph did. I also rearranged several sentences to have them parallel the topic sentence of the paragraph, which is about the environmental harm that GMOs could cause. This makes the meaning of the paragraph clearer by focusing the sentences on the topic of the paragraph, which cuts out unnecessary points, and by cutting out extra words that obscure what is trying to be said.

Link to QRG draft

This is the link to my QRG draft

Peer Review and Revised Thesis Statement

After looking at two of my classmate's papers and having mine reviewed as well, I believe that I have gained a better understanding of my paper and the mistakes I made in it. One mistake I identified in my own paper after reading those of my peers, was that I did not directly cite enough of my sources. I just made statements about how studies or evidence exists instead of giving specific examples of this evidence from my sources, which causes the information in my QRG to be incomplete and therefore, not very helpful for a reader. I also found mistakes in the organization of my draft when reading those of my peers. I found that they eased the reader into their subject with background information while I just threw the reader into the deep end. This requires the reader to have prior knowledge of my topic in order to understand my QRG, which defeats the point of writing a QRG.

http://teleread.com/teleread-links/morning-links-perception-business-editing-happens-donated-library-books/

I learned that some of my points are repetitive from the peer reviews of my draft. I never would have realized this if my paper had not been reviewed by my peers. This is revelation will allow me to cut out unnecessary passages of my QRG and replace them with ones that have more meaning and contribute to the paper more. It also allows me to focus on writing in a more varied style which will improve my writing in all situations.

My thesis before this process was, "Despite the efforts of governments around the world to convince the public that GMO foods are a safe way to produce more food for less cost, a majority of the public believes that GMOs are harmful to the environment and when consumed and make a concerted effort not to support their use. This conflict is exacerbated by dissenting scientific research on both sides." After the peer review process, I changed my thesis to, "Despite the assurances of governmental institutions that GMOs are a safe way to produce more food at lower prices, a majority of the public and many environmentalists believe that GMOs are harmful when consumed and are damaging to the environment."

Thoughts on Drafting

After finishing the first draft of my QRG, I can now look back on the process that went into writing the draft. By doing this I will be able to evaluate my writing process and identify areas that are good and those that need improvement.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pikes_Peak_summit_view_1.JPG

The information from the books about PIE was extremely helpful throughout the writing process. This information helped me to organize my information effectively within the separate paragraphs of my draft. This style of paragraph allows for some flexibility in structure and content but always ensures that the ideas are organized in a manner that makes sense and strengthens the argument being made. This type of paragraph is both easy for the reader to understand and for the writer to write. Without the book's information on this topic, I probably would have written my paragraphs slightly differently, which might have resulted in them being less effective.

Most other information in the book was relatively unhelpful. To start, the book concerns itself with conventions and advice in how to write a rhetorical analysis, which is different from what the QRG is. This means that some of the information in the book doesn't apply to the QRG, which greatly reduces its value. Also, the book give information on how to write standard papers in a standard format; while this is in general a good thing to do, I personally believe that the most effective texts are those that are able to express their ideas in a unique way or from a unique perspective. The rules in the book are good in general, but if followed exactly, will lead to a solid but commonplace paper being the result. This also limits the usefulness of the information in the book to me.

Writing a QRG was certainly a new experience for me, but it was one that I found came naturally to me. I have always been good, sometimes too good, at expressing my ideas quickly and succinctly, which made this style a very easy one for me adapt to.

Quotation Practice

legend
red: signal phrases
blue: ellipses
yellow: source's authority
green: context