Write Stripes

I believe that this project could of great value to our student body, however, I don't feel that it has any particular application or purpose in my own studies. I think that most people in our class have agreed upon the fact that our student body, as a whole, is not well informed about the upcoming election. Either they're too busy to keep up with such concerns, or they just don't care. So for us to provide them with information about issues that will be of primary concern in the upcoming election would be profitable to everyone as a whole. Since we only have a short time and a small class, we can really only provide information on a very small selection of issuses. Although, this may inspire some to go out and get more information or research some other topics on their own. So, the project does have a useful purpose to the student body, but as for myself, I still question whether or not it will help me in any way. Of course, through my research for the project and from hearing others information, I will become more informed, but thats not necessarily providing me with any technical writing skills -- skills that I don't feel will even be vital to my future success.
In doing our project, I think that our primary focus should be to provide as much information about the current issues to others as we can, in a way that is completely unbiased. Impartiality is extremely important for us. It won't do any good for us to present only one side of an issue to someone who has no clue what the issue is in the first place. So as our project persists, I think that that is one thing everyone needs to remember. Being honors students, I feel that we all have the ability to do well on this project and produce something that will be significant to the entire student body of Clemson University.

I think the major class project appears to be a good way to increase college student awareness of the upcoming 2004 elections. However, at this point in the project I don't feel like it is going to be very fun. I think that for any type of intervention, espeically one with a goal of increasing awareness, to be successful it will take a lot of planning and work and I honestly don't think that our class has enough time to dedicate to producing a really thorough project. Hopefully I will be wrong and all things will work out wonderfully. (Now for a more positive viewpoint) At the completion of the projects I feel that we will be very rehearsed and knowledgeable in the the 2004 elections. If the projects are completed correctly with a concise unbiased view of the information than only positive outcomes can be expected from our audience.
As for the idea of creating voter guides I think that it is a very good thought and I hope that they will be used by the student body. Personally, this project will help me get updated on what to expect in 2004 because just like many other college students, issues such as the platforms of the candidates is not a major concern. Here again the importance of the project is reinforced because not many people know what is going on for the 2004 elections and they really should.
The project will be good practice for future careers no matter what field of interest. I know at some point the skills attained in this class will be used elsewhere. However, I would rather learn how to hypothetically put the project together instead of actually doing it, but as the old adage goes "Practice makes perfect." One other concern addresses the emphasis that is placed on our class being an honors class. I know that honors students are expected to excell far beyond the average, but just because we are honors doesn't mean that we have more time than any other student who is taking a standard techinical writing class. Don't get me wrong, I am glad that our class is doing something different and an intense challenge is good every now and again, but I don't want to miss out on learning some of the basic technical writing skills that will be critical in the real world. However, I am assured that somehow an overview of what I need to know from a basic memo to an extensive proposal will be covered in some capactiy and not just assumed as common knowledge based off the classes honors classification.

I think the project does have merit and is a legitimate endeavor for a class such as ours. Political unawareness and apathy are problems that face not only the students on our campus but the majority of the United States as well. I think this project will help to change that attitude, at least to some degree, on our campus and will, if nothing else, get the word out about some of the major issues that will be contested in the 2004 elections. Also, with the diverse interests and specializations within our class, we should be able to raise issues that will concern a wide variety of people. I do question, however, the usefulness that will actually come from our final product. College students, as a group, have historically been absent at the polls on voting days and tend to ignore their right to vote. That being said, I'm not sure that any information we provide to the campus will influence the actual votes in 2004.
Despite this doubt, I do believe that the consequences of not raising awareness of political issues could have detrimental results in the future. An unaware population cannot possibly be relied on to select its leaders wisely. Without knowing the issues, the public can be easily swayed by media coverage, negative ad campaigns, and charismatic personalities (not that we aren't already!). These are not the standards by which to choose a leader and doing so could lead to serious consequences.
Well, thats all for me. See you in class!

I believe that this project has very legimate applications for the student body of Clemson University. I believe that college students as a whole are not well informed on voting issues and the candidates. It is sad really when you look at how uninformed we as a generation truly are, especially in comparision to our parents generation (i.e. Vietnam War Era). I'm unsure as to whether our lack of knowledge on political issues stems from apathy or lack of available unbiased information. Either way it is no excuse. That is why this project is important if the reason why students here at Clemson are uninformed is due to apathy, then it is our responsibility as fellows students and citizens to make them want to care. If the uninformedness (I don't think thats a word, but I think you get my drift) stems from no comprehensive source of unbiased information then that makes this project all the more important, if we as students in Engl H314, can give students the information that they need in an easily understandable and unbiased format then we will have made a real difference here on campus. As for the consequences of raising awareness of political issues here on campus, I can only think of positive ones. We will have a politically aware campus in which people care about what happens in our country. This will foster debates and more open discussions of political issues, which will in turn make for a more complete learning experience here at Clemson. The most important thing to remember about this project, I think, is that we are trying to imform people on both sides of a myriad of issues, not trying to give one view point. If we give bias information or only one side of an issue than I think we will have failed in our attempt to inform.
I guess that's about all I have to say, I feel very daring being the first person to post, so if I went too off course of what was expected, sorry Dr. Fishman.

For your first post, I'd like you to think about the major project for this class--the composition and distribution of voter guides that explain technical aspects of the issues that will be central to the 2004 election. Discuss why such a thing is (or is not) useful, necessary, and a legitimate endeavor for a class like yours (an honors, upper-level writing class composed of students with diverse interests, abilities, specializations and backgrounds.) Consider the consequences of raising (and/or not raising) awareness of these issues, especially among your fellow students. Think of this as a low-risk forum in which to discuss the "whys" as well as the "hows" of this project.

Greetings,

Welcome to the blog for ENGL 314. Look here at least twice weekly for prompts (and of course, feel free to write your own.)