For my project, I will be examining the reasoning behind why female underrepresentation in STEM exists. To accomplish this, I will be evaluating various elements that may cause female underrepresentation. I will be using different sources to help me analyze my subject, mostly from my research portfolio that I completed at the end of unit two. These include popular sources, scholarly/academic articles, media such as TED talks, along with anything else that I may stumble upon that may be relevant to by subject. These sources will then translate into a paper which is written in a popular article format, such as a magazine. It will be around two pages typed, in length.
For my analysis I will be focusing on something different than when I emphasized the gravity that biological factors have in unit two. For this unit, I would like to dig deeper into some of the social factors that may influence female underrepresentation. The sources that I gathered in unit two focused on these factors (social), so I look forward to sharing them more with the class. After presenting my evidence, my analysis will lead the reader to understand that various factors lead to underrepresentation. Although certain factors may not be controlled, many are determined by our own choices.
In order to be successful in conveying my thoughts surrounding the reasons behind the underrepresentation of women, it is crucial to determine my target audience. For this project, I will be targeting college students. I believe college students are a great audience to target because many often have preconceived notions surrounding the reasons why something is the way it is. I think being able to present information to my peers in a concise manner would be beneficial not only to the audience to learn more about the topic but also for myself. I think it would be great to understand how to convey a message that is important but also engaging with people my age.
I look forward to exploring this subject further and cannot wait for the end result.
Sounds like a solid plan, Julia. As you proceed, it will be helpful for you to examine some examples of the genre that you’re planning to write in–look for some magazines that target the same audience, and take note of their rhetorical choices (length, tone, vocabulary, use of graphics, etc.), so that you can develop something in that same vein.
Let me know if you’d like to talk about this some more.