Category: Taking It Public

Final Project

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For my final project, I created an infographic poster about understanding intersectionality, thinking intersectionality, and avoiding bias. Again, my key audience would be young adults or college students.

The perfect scenario where my work would be seen would be in an elevator going to class or waiting in a hallway, where students actually have the time to read something and engage with it. Although intersectionality and bias are such important subjects that do not just deserve to be delivered on a poster, I realized it would be an excellent start when it comes to educating. So many peers are not fully aware of intersectionality’s implications, and if my poster could help some further their thinking and knowledge, I believe I did my job correctly.

Not only did I display information and graphics, but a QR code and more sources for students to look up to learn more information. Thanks to Julia and Edward’s advice, this QR code allows students to go to a website called “Bias Hurts,” which involves real accounts from oppressed people engaging in a real-life conversation. I felt that this was very effective to include, and I hope that you do too.

Unit 3 Reflection

When it comes to deciding what to focus on within the larger body of material in unit 2, I found it reasonably trouble-free. While doing my work for Unit 2, there were gaps I found throughout various sources. The most significant gap I saw was the lack of a simple explanation for defining terms. Most sources quickly jumped into more complex analysis when I wanted to find clear and straightforward sources that created a foundation. I knew that for Unit 3, I would discover background, essential information for people my age. This way, a further complex analysis could eventually be understood, and there could be room for educational growth.


The most important thing that I learned while researching for this project, in Units 2 and 3, was that if I wanted to propose precise, foundational work, I had to make my writing clear. Not only did I have to make it clear, but brief and straight to the point. However, I feel as if I did this, but it has always been a struggle that I still have to work towards. I found myself wanting to say so much, but since my infographic/ poster platform does not allow for much room, it was very challenging. I had to include the information that I felt was most important while scratching the data that did not present the same importance. This was very hard since my topic regarding intersectionality and bias is so important. However, thanks to my peers and Professor Oakes, I was able to learn some tricks. I could still include quotes from real people by implementing a QR code, which happened to work out better than including written quotations on the page.


Since my target audience was people my age, I did not have an issue with using a specific tone of voice. I wrote as if I usually would while also addressing the readers using “you” and “we”. I did this to not only keep my poster personable and relatable but to have readers intrigued. When someone talks directly to me, I am bound to listen, whereas if someone is talking to a group as a whole, I subconsciously feel less inclined to listen. I thought this was an interesting tactic because my work does speak to a whole while also directly talking to individuals within it. Writing for this platform felt more normal to me, and I might implement it in my work here at SU. I found it rewarding to engage with people my age and inform them on important issues and fun.


What I valued the most about this work was what I mentioned above, engaging from afar with people my age about critical subjects that tend to be overlooked. I loved it the most because I found a gap within all my sources and created one myself. I was always looking for a clear conception of information that could help develop a foundation, so I tried my hardest to make one myself. If I were not educated on intersectionality and bias, I believe my infographic poster would intrigue me, and I would surely educate myself even more after reading it. However, since I made it myself, this is “biased,” so I hope my students and peers can engage with it and learn from it. That is what is most important, I have found.

Unit 3 Reflection

Originally I was going to research discrimination against people who are disabled both physically and mentally. However, I decided to instead do research on discrimination against people who are apart of the LGBTQ+ community. The reason I decided to change my topic was because I have disabilities that while are nothing like what most people are discriminated for, I do have a hard time doing what comes easily to other people. I choose to stay away from that topic because I wanted to learn about something that I did not know as much about. Finding articles about LGBTQ+ discrimination was unfortunately easy. I choose articles that each had something different to contribute to my research and my portfolio. All six articles, while discussing the same concept and had overarching ideas and themes, had something different to explain about discrimination. I applied different source finding skills like web of knowledge, subject searching, and backlink checker to help me find some of my favorite sources that ended up in my portfolio.I learned a lot about my topic. I learned that there is so much I do not know about it which is leading me to think that there is a lot about other topics that I think I know a lot about and don’t. I also learned more productive ways to search for sources, when I started researching the way I always have I was having a hard time finding articles that were both relevant and would contribute important information to my portfolio. After learning how to use different ways to search for them, the sources almost fell into my lap. Not to mention, my favorite and most interesting topics came from the different ways that I complicated my research.

I learned that writing is more than an essay. I also learned that reporting is some of the most important writing that anyone could do. The way that I, and my peers, delivered the research that we find could have a big impact on the way in which people understood our information and viewed us as a writer. I learned that there are more ways to share what I’ve learned than what I thought. I can put my writing into whatever form or genre that I want it to be in and which ever way that I feel will be the most productive and effective. I learned that giving and receiving feedback are one of the most important things about writing. Receiving and using feedback is a productive way to engage readers and hear what changes should be made that may have been looked over. That also taught me how to figure out what to prioritize. Another set of eyes will tell you what you’re missing, what is the most important, and what is maybe not necessary to your point. I learned that the most important thing is who you are writing to and how they are going to feel about what you say and how you say it. when reporting on research, it’s important to be sensitive and sympathetic especially when reporting on topics that are as important as discrimination.

I learned a few very important things that I plan to take with me from this project and this course. I did learn how to search for sources much more productively than in the past. Something that I think is extremely important that I learned is that the way we phrase things can be very important when writing and especially when writing about a sensitive topic. I caught myself a few times writing something and then thinking “wait, is this the politically correct way to say this and will people take offense to it?”. This helped me realize that what I say and how I say it can make a big impact no matter what I am talking about.

Final Project

Unit-3-ProjectDownload

My audience is mainly people who work in offices and schools that are interacting with people who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. I think that everyone can benefit from my memo but I tailored it to people who are working with and hiring people who they do not know their entire background.

My purpose is to share the information that I learned to express to others that we do not know the whole story, no matter how much we think we do. This project really opened my eyes to what I did not actually know.

I created a memo because it is a short and easy way to spread information. It can be forwarded in emails, posted on bulletin boards, ect. I felt that it would be the most productive way to spread the information to my intended audience and everyone else who might be interested.

Instructions for submitting your final work

With the end of the summer term quickly approaching, you’ve got some key deadlines this week. Read on for instructions and deadline info.

First off, if you have any missing assignments, you can submit those through the end of the day on Friday, 8/27. I cannot accept any work after that time. We’re headed directly into the fall semester, so it’s essential that we get this summer term wrapped up on time.

Now, for the week’s main events:

Research project

Final projects will be due by the end of the day on Wednesday, 8/25. Please post your project to the blog, and be sure to do the following:

  • if your project takes the form of anything other than a blog post (for which you could use Expressions to build your document), please insert your project into the post as a universally usable file (i.e. PDF) or link. Use the “+” button on your post to do this (scroll down to the Media section and choose “File”).
  • in the body of your post, include a brief outline of the rhetorical situation for your text–the audience, purpose, mode of delivery/publication, etc. (Remember that you have full control over this and can create whatever hypothetical situation you desire.)
  • categorize your post as “Taking it public,” and tag it with “final project,” “unit3,” “weekof8/23,” and [your name].

Course reflection

Your Unit 3/final course reflection will be due by the end of the day on Friday, 8/27. Please refer to the unit 3 assignment sheet for the prompt for this 500-word post. Please note:

  • this should read like an essay (not just a Q&A)
  • you should categorize this post as “Taking it public,” and tag it with “weekof8/23,” “reflection,” “unit3,” and [your name].

Thanks for all your hard work this summer. You’ve been great colleagues to one another–engaged and supportive. I know this next few weeks will be busy, but I hope you will check back in to review one another’s projects. You’ve all done some great work, and it’s been really rewarding to see you share your ideas with one another.

Audience, audience, audience

Know the 3 most important factors in real estate? Location, location, location.

Well, for writing, it’s audience.

Take a look at the rubric for your Unit 3 project, and you’ll see this come up again and again–note how many of these items hinge on textual features that are appropriate to the audience. That’s why you need to have a very clear picture of who your audience is, so that you can better assess what they will need and expect from you, so that you can deliver.

Presenting your research in an audience-appropriate fashion is the critical to the success of your communication. You might have terrific information and important new ideas to share, but if you can’t make them land with your audience, there’s little point in you writing in the first place.

That’s why we’ve spent the last couple of weeks looking at texts that weren’t scholarly articles or straightforward academic-style essays. Those genres work really well for certain audiences and purposes–to communicate cutting-edge new ideas to other people with some background knowledge/expertise in the field–but they don’t work well for everybody all the time. We depend upon other genres to communicate in other situations.

And that’s why I’ve asked you to get pretty specific in setting forth the rhetorical situation that you’ve conjured for this text you’re creating. In order to understand and evaluate your work, your readers need to know just who you’re aiming to reach and under what circumstances. That’s why I asked you to include an explanatory note with your draft. You’ll do the same with your final revised version.

It’s worth reviewing some of the myriad ways in which audience matters

Decisions about audience and purpose are intrinsically connected–it wouldn’t make sense to provide general knowledge background to people who are already experts, nor would it make sense to lobby entry-level workers for policy change (since they’re not the ones who make those decisions). Your audience and your objective need to be tightly and logically connected.

Your audience dictates various writing choices–how long will you be likely to have your readers’ attention? how much specialized jargon can you use? how much background information will you need to provide? what’s an effective level of detail? what kinds of examples will they be most interested in? what source information will your readers expect to have for their own follow-up? what kind of relationship will you seek to establish with them?

Knowing your audience lets you shape your text to be functional for them–in terms of level of formality, voice, use of graphics/media, visual organization of the text, incorporation of external links, etc.

I encourage you to reflect on these choices as you’re completing the revision exercise this weekend and as you’re revising your final project for submission on Wednesday, 8/25. Please note that due date–the final project is NOT due on the final day of the summer term, in part because you have some other work to complete afterward (your course reflection and any outstanding assignments you might have, AND in part because I know this is a transitional period for many of you who are heading into fall classes and/or other responsibilities. This way you’ll have one big thing cleared off your plate and will be that much closer to moving on.

If you have any questions as you’re working on your revisions, please don’t hesitate to email me. I’m happy to correspond that way or to chat by phone/Zoom. It’s been nice to see some of your faces (albeit on a screen) over the last few weeks. I’ll gladly arrange a time to chat with any of you who would like.

Hope you can all find some time to enjoy this last week of summer. To those of you in NY/New England, best wishes over the next 36 hours–I hope Hurricane Henri decides to shift course and pass offshore. Stay safe.

Research Project Draft- Joanna

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I attached my rough draft/brainstorm sheet for my infographic! I have found a lot of sources and took some notes but I need to organize it and pick out the most important pieces. I created my own template on canva and I made a tentative title. I am nervous all my information will not fit. Let me know what you think! 🙂

Research Project Draft

AI in HR Resource Center Blog

Here’s a link to the blog I created. The content to review is on the Home/Welcome page, Blog page, and Essential Reading page, which includes all of my references. I look forward to getting everyone’s feedback.

As I researched AI in HR this summer, I realized that there isn’t an online resource center dedicated to collecting and sharing information about this issue. I saw an opportunity to create a blog that could eventually grow to become the trusted resource for the community interested in this topic. My target audience includes people concerned with protecting worker and civil rights, including the workers themselves, but more specifically individuals who have some authority to make change, such as disability rights activists, social justice activists, legislators, scholars, journalists, and people working in employment law. My audience also includes business and human resource leaders, developers of AI for HR technologies, and others interested in improving their products and practices.

I realize that the long-term scope of this project is huge, so my goal was to set up a flexible framework for the blog and write a couple of posts to welcome readers and introduce some of the more pressing issues, especially those related to bias and discrimination. Depending on how much revising I need to do by next week, I may also add a sample advocacy letter in that section of the site.

I know it will require lots of effort to draw traffic to a new blog, but I can imagine ways to do that by writing posts on other sites and referencing my blog, using social media, and inviting contributing writers who have many followers. Because different stakeholders have different goals, I will strive to invite contributions from different points of view. Ideally, the blog would grow to become a vibrant forum for the exchange of information and discussion of issues leading to more transparency, more accountability, and real change.

Research Project Draft – Sherri

I am writing an article for business leaders who understand that they should have a solid diversity policy in place but don’t realize that those policies might miss the mark when it comes to their Black employees. These leaders might not know much about the history or current state of Black labor in the U.S. and may view D&I as just making sure there are a variety of different ethnicities at their company. They haven’t really thought much about inclusion and equity. I envision readers will be checking out their online subscription to a business magazine that regularly offers insight into employee matters.

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