Research Reflection

It has been eighteen years since I graduated from college in South Korea. I came back to school again, but surprisingly, this time in the United States. Going back to school is very exciting and also extremely frightening at the same time because English is a second language to me. I have lived in America for two years, but I am still not confident in English. This English class was a big challenge for me. Basically, my goal was to write and understand the language better. I took ESL classes before at FRCC. It was a good program, but I felt something was missing. There was a limit to learning English for beginners. I wanted to go further. I wanted to evaluate myself while taking this class. Although writing in English gave me tremendous stress, I have learned a lot. My stress about writing in English has been alleviated a little bit, and I seem to have a better sense of how to write in English.

Writing the research paper was stressful and a big challenge. It required a lot of time and work to finish. I wanted to write about my country, South Korea. The research I did in this class focused on what caused high suicide rates in Korea. Since I chose a topic about the suicide rate in Korea, I had to go through many news articles to find relevant materials for my research. I was very surprised that teenagers’ suicide rate, caused by poor academic performance, is very high. Although I had already experienced the Korean education system, the competition seems to have become more serious. If I did not research this topic, I would not have understood why so many Korean students commit suicide. The most striking realization I came to was that Korean society has many big problems. For example, the competitive educational environment, lack of jobs, and lack of welfare systems are all becoming more serious problems than I thought. I had a lot of difficulties when I prepared the research paper. At first, I just wasted a lot of time reading articles because I did not know how to start a research paper and what kind of sources I should cite to support my opinion. I spent a whole day and only wrote just a few sentences, which was so frustrating. However, I was able to select good information over time. Absolutely, it was very important to take time to prepare a research paper.  After choosing sources, it was difficult to paraphrase them in my own words because I do not have a rich English vocabulary. Sometimes I used the wrong words. One thing I did well in my paper was to organize it by age of suicide victims so that readers could better understand what happened to teenagers, young adults, and elderly people.

My professor, Jennifer Zukowski, pointed out that my grammar is awkward. I think this is because I think in Korean first and then translate to English, so my grammar has a Korean style. My tutor has helped me a lot to fix incorrect grammar. I need to increase my vocabulary and practice writing in English directly without first thinking in Korean. I know that I still have a lot of improvements to make, and I will try harder to write a good paper. This English class was good preparation for writing more essays. While I was preparing this research paper, my fear of English disappeared a little, and I gained some confidence. Writing a research paper was hard, but it was worth it. I enjoyed this class and I have improved my writing skills, which will help me with my writing in the future.

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Blog Post: Rubric Criteria

1. Coherence: I tried to write my research paper with order. I am sure that it is easy to follow.

2. Use of counterargument: I need to construct my counterargument is well expressed.

3. Organization: I need to reorganize  my conclusion which is finished a little bit abrupt.

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Blog Post-Rough Draft Improvement.

• 3 ways I Improved my Draft.

         1. I improved my counter argument with examples.
         2. I used more data to improve my opinion.
         3. I fixed citation to fit MLA format.

• 3 Ways Maritza Improved her Draft.

         1. Maritza improved F.P in the conclusion.
         2. She used more statistics for details.
         3. She is working on worked cited

Chapter 17: Integrating Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism

Personal Reaction:
When I was reading this chapter, I noticed that plagiarism is a very serious issue. If I plagiarize on purpose or by accident, both are not acceptable. I learned how to utilize sources that I selected for my research paper without plagiarism.  I did not know distracting it was if I used too many quotations. I think paraphrasing and summarizing are difficult for me when I cite someone's ideas and opinions because I have to use my own words. I should learn many synonyms and take time to research sources.


Professional Reaction:
The most important point in this chapter is how to avoid plagiarism. How can we prevent plagiarism?This chapter provides three ways: paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting. It is important that when we put together our sources in writing, use these three ways practically with a set plan and enough time.

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Blog Post: Ethos Pathos Logos

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Definition: Ethos is an applea to fame, expertise. By using ethos, I can convince my readers based on mutual trust.

Support idea: Mr. Han, psychologist, explains why South Korea has a high suicide rate among the Korean teenagers. 

 

Definition: Pathos is an applea to emotion, feeling. By using pathos, I can arouse my readers's emotinal reponse.

Support idea: If the government of South Korea does not fix the copetitive education system, Korean teeagers' suicide rate will not fall.

 

Definigion: Logos is an applea to fact. By using loges, I can provide accurate information to my leaders.

Support idea: According to this reseach, South Korea has a top suicide rate in OECD for eleven years in a row.   



 



Chapter 16: Finding and Evaluating Sources

Actually I am very worried about writing a research paper which contains facts and statistics. Through this chapter, I have learned that the best place to find accurate information is the college library. Although I am living in a flood of information, still I do not know how to distinguish valuable information. It is not easy to sort out what information is true. I did not know that using Wikipedia is not appropriate. This chapter explains how to find accurate sources and how to evaluate them  to support a research paper. This chapter shows helpful ways of finding information in the library or on the Internet. This chapter also explains important things that I should keep in mind while evaluating sources such as verifying accurate, objective, current,and comprehensive information. I should take advantage of information for the purpose of my research paper. This chapter is the best guide for writing my research paper .

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Video Assignment

Evaluating Internet sources

Part one

I have not decided about my research paper’s topic yet. However, I found some information about suicide rates in South Korea for this assignment. The site I saw was http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150830000310. I noticed that my county, South Korea, has the highest rates of suicide among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. This site provides a lot of information about suicide rates compare to other countries. According to this article, the suicide rates among students are increasing.

Evaluation of Website

•      This site clearly states the author and organization name, The Korea Herald.
•       The purpose of this site is to inform. The information is not biased, it gives accurate      information to readers.
•    This site has been updated.
•          The link is relevant and appropriate for the topic.

Part two

The article I found from the database is “The Impact of Improving Suicide Death Classification in South Korea: A Comparison with Japan and Hong Kong.” This article also provides a lot of information about suicide rates in South Korea, but this article analyzes the topic more professionally.

Works cited

Chan, Chee Hon, et al. "The Impact of Improving Suicide Death Classification in South Korea: a Comparison with Japan and Hong Kong." Plos ONE 10.5 (2015): 1-9. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.

Yoon, Minsik. "South Korea Still Has Top OECD Suicide Rate."Http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150830000310. The Korea Herald, 30 Aug. 2015. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.

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Blog Review #2

Among our class blogs, there are two blogs which I am very interested in. One is “Five Brains are Better Than One, and the other is “TECHNOGORGE”.

I think these two blogs have catchy titles which will cause people to be curious. The blog “Five Brains are Better Than One” also caught my attention with color. The soft red color of the blog attracted my attention. Otherwise “TECHNOGORGE” seems to have subdued color, but I think the gray color is compatible with the title perfectly.

These blogs did a great job, however, I chose “Five Brains are Better than One” based on the Blog Quality Criteria. This blog has a catchy title, attractive color, good structure so it is easy to find other links, and good writing.

Overall, “Five Brains are Better Than One” is good in appearance as well as easy to understand.

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Chapter 14: Argumentation

We often argue with friends, family, or co-workers in our daily life. For example, “Is a vegetarian diet really good for your health?”, or “Do second marriages have a higher divorce rate than first-marriages?” I cannot stake my claim with just my opinion.  A small argument could turn into a fight if I do not have logical evidence.  An argument is not a fight.  An argument is making a point about a subject and supporting it with evidence. What I learned from this chapter is how argumentation and persuasion are different, and I also learned that an argument can be supported with 3 types of evidence such as logic, ethics, and emotions. I am perplexed that I have to recognize how I can avoid many logical fallacies while writing an argumentation essay. I think the most important point in this chapter is choosing a debatable topic, and supporting the topic with evidence, which should be relevant, representative, typical, and sufficient.

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Irina's Thesis Statement

People should spend time in wilderness, and that will benefits them in different ways like intellectually, spiritually, and benefits to the whole world.,

Out Line
-Example 1 - Positive correlation between  nature and the intellectuality.
-Example 2 - A personal experiecne to practice spiritual in nature
-Example 2 - A reserch about a strong connection between nature and life

Logical Fellacy

1. Red Herring: The fallacy in which writer directs the reader from the main issue to another issue. 

2. How to avoid red herring?

- Keep in your mind about the thesis statement and the main topic sentence.

- Try to be logical as you move from one idea to another.

- Keep appropriate track on your ideas.

Exemplification Essay Thesis Statement

Love can be expressed in words, but it can also be shown in many little ways.  

Exemplification

1. To show the main idea.

2. His experience many events where people were afraid of him.

3.  Staples walks the streets at night because he has insomnia.

4.  The power to frighten and intimidate.

5. Move with care, give enough room to people, and be calm in any difficult situations.

Purpose and Audience

1. "It was in the echo of that terrified women's footfalls that i first began to know the unwieldy inheritance I'd come into- the ability to alter public space in ugly ways." He implied it.

2. Combination of both. Its is appropriate because he mentioned both sides.

3. Racial profiling and discrimination. He challenged himself by being more careful.

4. He is trying to emphasize his main point and bring reader's attention. yes, he succeeded because his first sentence is intersecting and feel like to read more.

Style and Structure

1. To show more clearly with facts that people are afraid of black people. yes, he could but that sentence make his statement stronger.

2.It is an effective  way how  he start his explanation. 

3. Yes, a lot of examples. Yes, they are representative. 

4. chronological order.

5. assassin, bandit, criminal, gang member, gangster, goon, killer,rowdy, troublemaker.

Journal Entry

No.

 

Writing Workshop

3. Not too accurate. maybe he means that gangs get together to intimidate.

 Combining the Patterns

yes, several examples would have better explained how a youth becomes a thug, because there are various ways.

Chapter 8: Exemplification

I am taking an English class in the Boulder public library. There are many students from other countries: Japan, China, Russia, Mexico and Venezuela. We are not good at English, so when we talk to each other in English, we use a lot of examples to make each other understand. I think using examples is the best way to describe exactly what I want to say.

      After reading this chapter, I learned various ways to use examples in writing. I thought using examples is just a tool to help people understand. But what I was surprised about is that examples are also used in writing to add interest or persuasiveness. For example, I start a conversation with "Did you know?" when I want to get my friend's attention. I think speaking and writing use the same skill to attract interest.

      I think the most important point in this chapter is to learn how to use examples in writing properly following these strategies:

• Using examples to explain and clarify to help readers understand what topic is
• Using examples to add interest to keep the readers' attention
• Using examples to persuade readers that topic is valid, reasonable, and worth considering

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Blog Review

     We all have different favorite blogs. Oksoon's favorite blog is Underground New York Public Library. Irina's favorite blog is Mark Reads, and Maritza's favorite blog is Mental_Floss. We all reviewed them and came to a conclusion that Mental_Floss is the best one.
      In Mental_Floss blog, there is a lot of information in the different forms like interesting facts, big questions, hypersonic, videos, lists, and quizzes.In contrast, Underground New York Public Library has the good information about books, but it has not sufficient information. In Mark Reads blog it is a little hard to understand for us. Unlike on Mental_Floss everything is well  organized and easy to understand.
     In our point of view,  the Mental_Floss blog is  the most informative to follow. However, it is the people's choice which blog they want to follow.

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By: Irina Pokharel, Oksoon Park, Maritza Roman

Blog Role

RamblingsofArk.blogspot.com

FiveBrainsareBetterThanOne.blogspot.com

CreativeMinds276.blogspot.com

jamesthetheifgray.blogspot.com

sdegottalovepizza.blogspot.com

technogourge.wordpress.com

http://mentalfloss.com/

Outline

Introduction:
Thesis statement: "See, the e-blurt, like so many modes of personal expression, is all about power." 
Body
Supporting point 1:
"Im busier than you, hence I am more powerful than you."
Supporting point 2:
 Nowadays there is no proper signs of grammar while writting emails, like it used to be before a long time ago.
Supporting point3:
"If the reader cannot understand what you are saying in an email then that shows the work have done is incomplete"
Conclusion:
"Which only confirms what I've always felt about power; that the people who really understand it don't say anything at all."
By: Maritza Roman Irina Pokharel Oksoon Park

Arrangement

     This chapter shows how to arrange an essay effectively.  I still struggle to write essays in English because I am a foreigner from South Korea.  Yet, I learned many things while I was reading this chapter.  This book uses many examples to show how to organize an essay, which I like.  It really helps me a lot to understand. It showed the basic process of how to build my writing.
     Most of all, an essay should have a purpose. Narration essays, for example, and cause and effect essays can be written in different patterns.  Then, this chapter shows how to write the introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs.
     I learned how I can put the thesis statement in the introduction, how to support the main topic in the body paragraphs, and how to restate the thesis statement in the conclusion. There are many examples, such as transition words, types of support, and many exercises which I can practice.
     I think the most important point in this reading is build up a formal outline.  I think it will help a lot when having a hard time writing.  I hope I can finish this English class successfully through these effective methods.

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Interview

The new semester has started.  I came from South Korea, and I am taking this English class to develop my English skill.  I expect to meet new people.  I interviewed Irina during our first English class. There are a few special things about her.
First, Irina is not a poet, but she likes to write. She uses narrative writing form most often, and she has a habit to write to-do lists. Second, Irina is familiar with the computer. She owns a computer and get online at home. She know how to use Microsoft Word and social networking. She likes to say hello to her family and friends through Facebook and Instagram. Finally, although she is not familiar with the FRCC library, she uses the online FRCC library. She finds some information when she needs to.
Irina and I have a lot in common. We both use English as a second language. She came from Nepal and I am Korean. Irina has set writing goals for this class to know how to develop and organize writing and use citations properly. I also want to develop my writing with a better vocabulary. We both have a fear of workshopping and argument writing because we are not good at English. I hope we both achieve our goals eventually through this class.

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