Monday, January 11, 2016

My name is Jacob Greene, and I am from Denver, North Carolina, a city about 40
minutes northwest of University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I am currently enrolled at this
university with an undeclared major, having just changed from a music major. After a semester
of school, I decided being a music major wasnt for me, and that I wanted to try Computer
Science, but requirements for that major has led me to be undeclared for the time being. I enjoy
playing and writing music, and am currently involved in an Independent Percussion Ensemble,
which competes against other ensembles. I currently do not have a job, but I am currently
looking for work and hope to be hired soon.
I have some background in writing through my experiences with english in high school,
and my first semester UWRT 1101 class. In UWRT 1101, my class was a lot more discussion
based, where the class would look over or read text as a class or independently, to be followed
by a short essay about the things you learned or thought about while thinking about the reading.
We also had an inquiry paper, as well as a research paper, where each student chose a topic
which they found interesting and wrote a paper about the things they have learned about that
subject after research. I am looking forward to having another UWRT class, and hope to take as
many new ideas and innovative thought processes away from this class as my first UWRT
class.
Rhetorical Knowledge - Rhetorical knowledge is ideas and concepts that can be
very broad in which a person has to think about to make their own understanding. Some
ideas can be different between individuals, although none of the ideas will be wrong.
Critical Reading - Critical reading involves someone who really digs deep in
finding a bigger meaning to text. Almost any piece of literature is open for interpretation,
and therefore makes way for our minds to give some influence on what we believe is
important. With this we can formulate our own ideas on what the text is really trying to
say, versus the words the author actually used.
Composing Processes - Composing processes are simply the way individuals
write their papers. Some people write in significantly different methods in order to
complete a paper than other students. The method in which someone finds is most
effective for their use becomes their own composing process.
Knowledge of Conventions - Knowledge of Conventions involves learning about
techniques in which a person writes their paper. Everyone has different techniques in
writing, and knowing what works best for each individual will allow for the best outcome
in their own personal writing.
Critical Reflection - Critical reflection involves someone looking over their own
work and making constructive ideas that could make your work better. This gives the
person something to work towards improving when writing a paper, rather than making
the same mistakes over and over again

Wednesday, January 13th, 2016

A few questions I have about this course involve what learning styles we will be doing in
this class. Are we going to be listening to the teacher talk, working as groups, or something
different. In my UWRT 1101 class, we did a lot of reading blog posts or scholarly writings and
had discussions about them in class. Will this class revolve around that same ideal? Also, what
types of writings are we going to be writing about in this course? I know there is a lot of research
to be done on many of the papers, but what exactly are the papers going to be about; genre,
inquiry, just our own research of a topic, etc.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday, January 18th, 2016

No Class

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday, January 20th, 2016

After reading these 3 articles, the article that stuck with me the most was the first one
about curiosity. I have always been a very curious person, and therefore have spent a lot of my
time trying to figure out things I dont understand. I could relate to this article really closely as
some of those steps I have taken myself with my own curiosity. I really believe that curiosity will
lead people to learning about things they want to learn rather than forcing individuals to learn
about things. Learning through curiosity is much more natural than forced education, and this
article seemed to agree, although it didnt directly say that. Wai talked about once you find
something that sparks curiosity, dropping everything and focusing on that one subject. To an
extent I believe this is true, but of course no one can drop absolutely everything to learn one
thing. Rather, I think you should spend the majority of your time researching and learning about
this topic of interest. I believe this is what he was referring to when he spoke about dropping
everything, rather than literally dropping everything. If approached by the rules Wai outlines in
this article, curiosity can turn into a very good learning experience.
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Continued on next page-

Monday, January 25th, 2016

My greatest mentor would have to be my dads friend and my godfather, Jay Cristino. I
have always looked up to him almost as a father and he has been in my life ever since I was

born. He is a great role model of how a man should act, and he has a great sense of humor. He
is also a very talkative, friendly person. He knew when to correct me on things I was doing
wrong, and how to positively reinforce the things I was doing right. He also told me about things
I may face in the everyday world as I got older, in order to prepare for those events. He has
always been a great model of someone who has high values and looks out for other people.
Although he doesnt have any kids of his own, he is very wise with his own experiences as a kid,
and wants everyone to live their life to the best of their ability. Just his presence in my life has
allowed him to become a great role-model in my life, and I will always look up to him as if he is a
father.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday, January 27th, 2016
Dear Drumsticks,
Thank you for being in my life. I love you. You have brought me so much joy for many
years. Every time I pick you up to play something, you take me to a whole new universe. This
universe is free of all things bad, and it just you and me, drumsticks. We are always having the
happiest of times; just me and you enjoying our sweet time together. The positive connection we
have is so rhythmic and always present within us. Everytime Im with you I have the best times
of my life. If I am with you for just a few seconds or for hours upon hours, I cherish every
moment of it. All the worries of the world go away when Im with you, and not many people can
do that. You will always mean something to me, and I hope you stay in my life for many years to
come.
Love, Jacob
Genre:
In UWRT 1101, we talked about genre briefly as anything that can fall into a category.
The main thing I remember was the Genre project I made about a piece of music, called
Symphony #1 by Daniel Bukvich. This project was something that had something different from
the norm in our genre. With my project, it involved music, specifically sheet music. Typically
when people think of that genre, they see the five lines and notes on the page. Symphony #1
was different because it was music represented by different symbols on a timeline basis. This is
an example of how something falls in a genre, but doesnt have the typical qualities of normal
ideas or items in that genre. Therefore, genre is a representation of something, when mentioned
to someone, has a certain picture of normal content.

Note: Rhetorical Knowledge, Genre, Knowledge of Conventions: Reader Expectations

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday, February 1, 2016

My favorite idea from the Navigating Genre essay by Dirk was the idea of the ransom
letter. The different ransom letters were all really interesting to read. They all had the same
general ideas in them; referring to the individual having Bobs daughter, price for return, where
and when Bob needs to meet the individual to get his daughter back, etc. Although they hold the
same things within them, the format of each is very different. The third ransom letter would
never be written to someone after kidnapping their child, because it comes across as friendly,
and the second is too unintelligent, making it sound like someone would be able to pull off a
kidnapping in the first place. I think this was interesting because although they all have the
same ideas and present the same material, they all are intended for different purposes and
audiences. Depending on the situation, the purpose may change.
Big Ideas from Navigating Genre by Dirk:
1) Although Information may fall into one category, they all have their own intended
purpose
What pisses you off?
Being thrown into new situations
People who are unprepared
Arrogant people
Girls trying to be flashy
Guys trying to be cool
Lies
Writers block
Bad Parents not taking care of children
Slow internet connections
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Continued on next page-

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

In the essay Synesthesia, it has features such as examples of people who have it and
their own experiences with it. Although some essays have reflections from other individuals
within their papers, some dont quite use as many as she did. It is quite common that someone
would cite from other people though and put their ideas into their own work. Another

commonality of this essay in relation to typical essays is the form of paragraphs based upon
new ideas. Every paragraph was dependant on a certain idea, like most essays. She also wrote
about something she was interested in and could relate to, something else found in many
essays.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday, February 8th, 2016
I believe I am coming really close to finding a really good inquiry question. I am bouncing
between two ideas right now in my list of four ideas, but am really leaning toward one, as it was
my first idea and first spark of curiosity. I am really excited to begin researching my topic,
whether it be on religion or silence. Both of these topics interest me a lot, although I believe I
can find more information on religion. I have yet to make a decision between the two, but I am
starting to heavily lean towards religion, because its a topic that has recently sparked interest in
me and I want to learn more about it. I dont want to just look at my religion though, and want to
focus on the ideas others have too and why people chose the ideas they do. Im hoping it will
help me understand religion better and where I fall in my practices in relation to others.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday, February 10th, 2016
My inquiry question goes along the lines of why people choose to believe in the religions
they believe in. Most people have a good understanding of their own beliefs, and some know
why they believe what they believe. Others may not even know their full religious beliefs, and
therefore may need to know a little bit about their own beliefs. I believe my paper should involve
a bit of history about religion; where and why it started. It should also explain a few, not
necessarily all, of the main belief systems and summarize them in order for the audience to
understand other religions better in relation to their own. This information is imperative for
allowing the reader to understand the information presented to them throughout my inquiry
paper. Some of their attitudes might be bad, being as religion is a very touchy subject for some
people, and religious beliefs really shouldnt be battled. Therefore, when presenting the
information, it needs to have the least amount of bias as possible, in order to keep the results
facts and not swayed by too much opinion. If too much opinions are added, some audience
members may turn their heads from the paper and really dislike it.
Peer Review Video Ideas:
peer is very open-ended...what exactly is a peer
dont say I liked a lot when peer editing. You are trying to help the write better
dont be afraid to ask questions as the writer to the reviewer...get feedback from
your peers
I believe peer review is very important on how writers can learn how to gain better writing skills.
Without the help from peers, the writer doesnt exactly know where the flaws in their paper are.

Even if they do know, sometimes they dont know a good way to fix the problem such as
rewording a sentence, whereas talking to another student may lead them to find another way to
word it that sounds much better. It also allows you, as the writer, understand how your audience
will perceive your paper. Sometimes the writer may intend one thing, but when someone else
reads it, it comes across in a whole different way.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday, February 15th, 2016Inquiry Proposal Conferences
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday, February 17th, 2016

Inquiry Proposal Conferences

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday, February 22nd, 2016

Daybook Writing on Inquiry Proposal Second Draft

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday, February 24th, 2016

A good conversation involves two or more people who talk to each other often and who
talk about similar ideas. They can elaborate on their own thought about what the other person is
saying, and therefore has a lot to say about what the other individual has said. A bad
conversation is made when one of the people dont form sentences as well as the other person.
Maybe they cant relate to your ideas and therefore they dont quite know how to respond to
what the other person is trying to say. These features can be related to writing because we need
to make sure that our intended audience can relate and understand the material we are writing
in order to have their own opinions and fully develop the concepts written. Therefore, the writer
must write clearly and wit clearly understandable diction in order for the reader to comprehend
what the writer is trying to say.
They Say, I Say Statements
They say that having a music classes in school isnt as productive as other
courses, but I say that you learn even more skills and reinforce other skills already
learned in music classes.
They say that Donald Trump will be the best president the U.S. has ever had, but
I dont think he will make a good president. His radical ideas will be hard to push through
Congress.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday, February 29th, 2016

Appositive practice(Highlighted in Red):

Donald Trump, a radical republican, is a presidential nominee for the 2016
election.
Bryan, my best friend from high school, got married yesterday.
I really love learning about computer science, the programming of computers.
Marching band, a really athletic sport involving instruments, is usually played at
halftime during football games.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016

Workshop w/ Librarian

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday, March 7th, 2016

Spring Break

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday, March 9th, 2016 Spring Break

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday, March 14th, 2016
The quote by Stephen King on this weeks topic is pretty relevant to what I am living through
now. I believe what he is trying to say is that a lot of people look up to others, while the people
they look up to simply just do their job like anyone else does. I believe I fall into that category of
being an amateur waiting for inspiration. I tend to look up to those around me and listen to what
they they have to say. Sometimes I even fantasize where i may be in 5 or 10 years, hoping that
ill be doing something I enjoy. Therefore, I look up to even just ordinary people such as my
parents.
Practice with Templates Introducing Standard Views - TSIS Chpt. 1
My whole life I have heard it said that heaven is good and hell is bad. Not all
people may follow the same viewpoint I have though.
Common sense seems to dictate that afterlives are a good outlet for viewing the
end of life.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday, March 16th, 2016
Plan for paper using current sources

 Introduce with Dhavala video. Introduces history. Do more research on history

and origins.
Follow up with Eliade World Guide. Give some examples of certain religions
beliefs of the afterlife. Search more into what options there are for beliefs in afterlife or
non-afterlife.
Follow up that with Gillman, describing certain philosophical and theoretical ideas
behind why afterlives are believed in. Do a lot more heavy research as to why people
believe.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday, March 21st, 2016
My experiences with racism are very small, although I may be surrounded by it. Since I have
personally never been affected by racism, I believe it makes me very unaware of what it is to
truly be a racist, and therefore dont really observe it well either. Although I may not be
completely aware in viewing it, I do know that it exists and do believe it is something that really
should be avoided at all costs. Everyone is a human being and deserves to be treated with the
same rights as everyone else, no matter where they come from. The color of someones skin
shouldnt determine who they are as an individual, and we should instead get to know
individuals for who they are.
The examples of Synesthesia and The Dark Side are similar in the fact they present some
idea and support it with their own ideas, with support from other sources. The Dark Side
seemed to have a lot more of an opinionated swing to it, but both still managed to get the point
across and prove their thesis. From both of these readings, I realized that it is okay to have
some more of your opinion in the paper, and to not completely fill it with statistics, because that
would be very boring to read. Initially, I wanted to keep my own opinions out of my paper, but
now i realize it might be a good idea to give some of my own insight.

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2016

Since doing these readings from TSIS, there are many things that relate to my thesis. One of
these things include using quotes and telling the reader whether I agree or disagree with a
subject. There are many different religious beliefs about the afterlife, and therefore I may not
agree with all of them when I write my thesis. Therefore, I should tell about how I may not agree
with somethings, but other things I do. There will also be a lot of referring to other sources in
order to bring across quality information to the reader. Without the information, the paper will be
very opinionated and will lose a lot of credibility.
TSIS Chpt 3 Big Points:

If you decide to use a quote, make sure it is relevant to your argument

Make sure there is some frame in which to insert your quotation more naturally

Includes templates for introducing and explaining quotes

TSIS Chpt 3 Template Practice:

Introducing:
According to Dhavala, People attributed much that happened to the spirits and
to magic (Dhavala 2:16).
In Gillmans view, The term eschatology refers to that sub-field of theology
devoted to the discussion (logos) of the last things (eschatos) (Gillman 39).
Explaining:
In other words, Dhavala believes that many of the people raised during the time
in the Stone Age tried to make sense of the things around them, and therefore
conceptualized their own ideas to try and understand it.
Gillmans point is that eschatology directly relates to the afterlife according to
religion.
TSIS Chpt 4 Big Points:
3 ways to effectively respond to something in a paper: Agree, Disagree or Both
Good to start the I say directly saying whether you agree or disagree
If you agree or disagree with something, make sure you elaborate why you are in
the position you are in.
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Continued on next pageMonday, March 28th, 2016

There are many different they says from different perspectives from all around the world related
to my inquiry. Many people have different beliefs about the afterlife, and therefore there are
many different approaches that can be taken. With all of this information, there are many ways
that I agree and disagree with these individuals. Some afterlifes seem pretty legit in my opinion,
where others dont seem quite as possible.
Reading about Tanner brings in multiple different perspectives, and supports them with her own
ideas. Ong, Kerg and Daly, Tracy and Burk, Elbow, Rosef, and McCormick are some sources
she used. Pulls all of their thoughts together to prove a point.
The Agonism in the Academy by Deborah Tanner has very good support structures that can
relate to my own inquiry. For example, she starts by explaining about the academy and what
agonism is. This can relate because I need to let the reader know what the afterlife is and

maybe even what religion is for people who may not know much about it. I can give examples
from other sources of what they believe these things represent, such as the sources she used to
support her ideas and lead to arguments.
TSIS Chpt 5 Template Practice Gillman overlooks what I consider as an important point about different religious
beliefs.
According to both Dhavala and Gillman, religion dates all the way back to the
Stone Age.
My view, however, contrary to what Dhavala has argued, is that the afterlife is a
central part of some religions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday, March 30th, 2016

WID on Annotated Bibliography

TSIS Chpt 6 Template Practice

Theorists, of course, may want to question whether spirits can be resurrected
into a new life on Earth.
TSIS Chpt 7 Template Practice
These findings have important implications for the broader domain of revealing
the existence of an afterlife.
Ultimately, what is at stake here is religious beliefs being superior over science or
visa versa.
Monday, April 4th, 2016
Annotated Bibliography Conferences
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday, April 6th, 2016

Annotated Bibliography Conferences

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday, April 11th, 2016

Within my thesis paper, along with throughout this semester, I have really tried to dig
deep into reflections on my work. Often times, I include multiple reflections, in which I describe a
lot about my own process of writing and my thoughts as I am writing the paper. This helps me
learn my own mentalities when writing a paper. I also believe my composing process has
changed quite a bit throughout my college courses. I do a lot more research before writing my
papers now than I did back in high school. This helps me write a paper more efficiently time-

wise and structure-wise. The They Say, I Say book has also given me insight as to the ideas I
have been using in my writing all along, but giving it a better definition.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday, April 13th, 2016

Paradigm Percussion - Dayton, Ohio / Class Cancel

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday, April 18th, 2016

WID on Thesis Paper

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Wednesday, April 20th, 2016

Portfolio/Final Reflection Workday

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday, April 25th, 2016

I believe that articulating our learning and thinking means that we can more clearly
express our ideas than before. Maybe before someone struggled with writing a paper; They
didnt know how to correctly write sentences or structure paragraphs. With the help of others,
we need to learn the concepts of how to write and process. Learning these methods and
processing is a thing that also needs to be learned, and the only way to articulate that process is
by repetition. One may not be a sufficient learner or thinker at first, but over a certain period of
time, these skills will grow as the mind develops.
Wednesday, April 27th, 2016

Portfolio/Final Reflection Workday

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Monday, May 2nd, 2016

Share Portfolio