unit2 – Page 6 – WRT 205 Summer 2021

Discussion Questions Week of 7/12

The search tools that I have been using to find my sources are using key words and filters to find ones that relate to what my ideas are and make sure that they are the type of sources that I am looking to use. In the case that this does not work or I do not like anything that came up, I go to one of the sources that is relevant to my idea and look through what contributed to it, look at other pieces that the author(s) worked on, and look at if it came from a bigger source and go through it if it did. In the case that I did not find a source I liked, I would try using different key words and even take a step back and look again later to see if something would catch my eye that did not the first time.

I am planning to switch from discrimination among people with disabilities to discrimination against people in the LGBTQ+ community. In doing this, I hope to find sources that discuss examples and situations where people were discriminated against. I want to make sure that people who have experienced this type of discrimination and what they did in response, if anything. In order to find this I plan to start out the same way I found my article for my unit 1 expanding the canon as I explained above. I am hoping to make a point about how people being discriminated at all is unacceptable, people being discriminated against something they cannot control is cruel in every way.

Discussion prompts for Week of 7/12

This week’s work centers around focusing and surveying, and we’re going to stick with that theme in discussion. I’d like you to consider an analogy to photography here. When you’re getting ready to take a picture, you need to make a whole lot of decisions. That starts with deciding what your subject is going to be–what you’re going to focus on. In the course of making that decision, you’re also weighing what else is around that focal point, deciding what to include and exclude based on how you frame the image (whether and how much you zoom, how you refocus if you do zoom in, and deciding whether and how to overlay filters and other effects).

image that depicts a person focusing camera lens

That’s kind of how research works–figuring out what’s worth focusing on requires a lot of surveying the landscape to see what’s out there and what’s interesting, and then making a series of decisions about how to compose a final image that you think others will want to see. We’re entering the surveying phase now–looking to see what’s out there and then deciding where to focus and how to frame the shot.

Please respond to both of the prompts below by the end of the day on Wednesday, 7/14, and then tune back in later in the week to respond to a couple of your classmates’ posts.

What search tools have you tried, and what are you noticing about them–how they work, what kinds of sources you turn up with different tools, what specialized features (i.e. Advanced Search features) seem especially helpful? If you’re running into roadblocks, explain what you’ve tried, so we can offer suggestions to help you keep moving forward.
Plot some research goals for yourself. As you can see in the unit 2 assignment sheet you will need to have at least 1 scholarly source, and at least 1 primary source (check out the post below for a rundown of what constitutes a primary source). You’re welcome to include a variety of sources beyond that, but will want to ensure that your sources represent a range of different viewpoints and contributions. What kinds of texts are you hoping to find? Which fields and voices do you want to make sure are represented? How will you work to find them?

As you’re preparing to answer these questions, be sure to read through this refresher on different source types.

Please categorize your post as “Discussions/Homework,” and tag it with “weekof7/12,” “unit2,” and [your name].

Overview for Week of 7/12

I’ll be getting you feedback on your recent posts and on your focusing flowchart within the next 48 hours, so please be on the lookout for that, and use that to get started on your research for sources for your research portfolio.

Read on for the particulars of what’s due this week, but first, let me give you a bit more of the Big Picture of Unit 2.

In this Unit, you will be assembling a set of sources–representing a mix of voices of various stakeholders, a variety of source types (including primary, scholarly, and others), and a range of perspectives. Your primary tasks in this unit will be making decisions about what sources to include and becoming conversant with those sources. In this unit, we’ll focus on these elements:

locating sources (working with the SU library databases and other tools)
evaluating sources (assessing their value, credibility, and utility to your project)
writing about your sources (in a couple of note-taking and discussion exercises, and in longer annotations that are part of your portfolio)

You’ll be building a research project with these and other sources down the road in Unit 3. This unit will let you take your time developing a strong foundation for that work, so that your research can be intentional, critical, and productive (and not just quote-dropping or patching together other people’s words and ideas). This will allow you to make something new, a valuable contribution to the world of knowledge on the subject you choose to explore.

Read on for this week’s tasks.

Reading:

“Can company culture survive Zoom?”
chapters 6 and 7 of TSIS
chapter 2 (“Forwarding”) of Rewriting
this overview of different types of sources

Writing and discussion work:

discussion posts (your posts due Wednesday, replies to classmates’ posts due Saturday). Here’s the link to the prompts.
2 note-taking exercises (1 due Wednesday, and the other due Sunday)–this begins with you locating possible sources, and then working with 2 different techniques spelled out on this handout on notetaking techniques

WRT 205 notetaking techniques Download

Types of sources

As you see on the unit 2 assignment sheet you will need to have at least 1 primary source and 1 scholarly source in your research portfolio.

We’ve talked a bit about scholarly sources already–take a look back at this post for a refresher.

Now let’s talk about what a primary source is.

A primary source is typically one based on direct first-hand experience or observation of an event or issue. What constitutes a primary source will vary by discipline/research topic. For example, in history, a primary source might be a document or artifact that dates to the time period under consideration (a letter written by a soldier during the Civil War, for example, or a photograph taken at that moment in time). In literature, a primary source might be the poem or other literary work that the author is analyzing. In the sciences (both social sciences and “hard” sciences), primary sources might be data from experiments conducted or field notes recording one’s observations or actual artifacts from that research process.

There are certainly situations in which opinion polls/surveys constitute primary sources, as well, providing fresh, direct insight into attitudes on a topic. Similarly, narrative sources (blog posts, interviews, autobiographical writings) might constitute primary sources, too. The basic idea is that a primary source gets us as close as possible to a particular phenomenon or topic, providing us information that is as unfiltered and direct as can be had.

And let’s consider what a secondary source is.

By contrast, most of the sources you find yourself working with are secondary sources, which include primary sources among their evidence. Such sources provide you with commentary and analysis that is at least one step removed from the topic itself. Note that both types–primary and secondary–are valuable in any research inquiry. Primary sources, because they are so individualized, really don’t work in isolation. They need the context of additional analysis, such as is provided by secondary sources, to be meaningful. This is yet one more reason why an array of sources, serving different functions and representing different perspectives, is so critical to the success of researched writing.

We need a balanced diet of information.

And one more note on the subject of source types: it’s worth striving for a “balanced diet” of information. Scholarly sources are kind of like broccoli–maybe not as tasty and easy as some other types, but with a lot of valuable nutrients. They’re good for the overall health of our inquiry, even if they’re not our favorite go-to item. For more on this analogy, I encourage you to watch this really accessible and interesting TED talk by JP Rangaswami:

Discussion 7/8

Question 1 Response

Now that I have read everyone’s expanding the canon posts, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of inclusion and what it means to be diverse. Each post offered an alternate perspective into different forms of diversity/inclusion and altered my viewpoints on the lives of different groups of people. I liked reading Caitlin’s post because it included firsthand examples of women in the police force and their experiences while working. Kaitlyn mentioned that spreading awareness is a key aspect of bring about change with respect to workplace diversity. I like this idea in particular because it resonated well with my own writing, being that we both referenced articles that did not provide clear solutions but instead insisted on promoting awareness that would then lead to the effective result. I also really liked her choice of incorporating facts and statistics through the use of a Ted talk rather than direct quotation. This made her writing seems more personable while still providing strong evidence for her topic.

Question 3 Response

Bogost’s writing seemed to flow seamlessly despite covering a range of ideas related to technology and diversity. Each paragraph served as a segway from the current idea to the next. The paragraph that demonstrates this flow of ideas the best is the 14th paragraph in which Bogos states “But integration is much harder than diversity. Isbell thinks that two separate conditions need to be met in order to accomplish it: “One is that the new folks are both capable and confident. The other is that the old folks are willing.” This paragraph although brief, sets up the stage for the “problem” of the article. By clearly outlining the conditions that need to be made in order to see effective change in the tech industry, Bogos not only transitions into how to each of these criteria can be met but he also provides sound evidence from research and strategy specialists at Google. As a collective, the paragraphs in “The Problem With Diversity in Computing” support each other by working as a collective to spread awareness about the what diversity in tech should/could look like.

Discussion 7/8

I found Sherris’s cannon contribution extremely engaging, and informative. Not only was her topic interesting, but her writing style and word choice was solid. The summary of the article provided me with a greater understanding about biased hiring assessments as well as allowed me to connect other articles I have read about how many tests in general are extremely bias and unfair (Like the SAT or state administered standardized tests). I had no idea that employers were mostly unaware of these biases, but I applaud the author for referencing the severe consequences for employers who discriminate.

My major is Public Health and I specially am interested in healthcare disparities, so I was excited to read and view Kate’s piece. I specifically enjoyed watching her media clip. The video was very powerful because it showed a first-hand experience of an individual facing disparities in the healthcare system. I think that seeing a specific situation of oppression and how the person feels about it and deals with it can be very educational for people who struggle to understand. I think that this clip was a great addition and supports Kates argument that little steps go a long way.

In Bogost’s Article, I think his flashpoint moment is when he quotes Amy Webb who discussed her experience with racism and sexism at an airport. I think Webb’s quote “someone like me wasn’t in the room” when discussing the process and outcome of technological innovations is very eye-opening and powerful. I think this is the clear moment where the reader can understand the importance of the piece and see the direction this piece of writings going to take. In making this comment, Bogost urges the readers to consider is what Webb ties continual racism and sexism to the lack of diversity in certain areas of work. This idea pushes us to think how difference in race, gender, (dis)abilities, and socioeconomic status really influences our thought process and the ideas we bring to the table. Those unfamiliar with this school of thought may be interested to know that it boils down to the lack of diversity in the workforce has contributed to the detrimental cycle that oppressed groups experiences.

**I tried pulling templates from multiple chapters. I feel like it sounds a little awkward/forced.

Discussion / Homework 7/5

Response #1

After reviewing everyone’s contributions to our shared knowledge of diversity and organizational culture, a couple of things stood out. I found Joanna’s post on Is it safe to bring myself to work? Understanding LGBTQ experiences of workplace dignity to be quite compelling. I was moved by the personal experiences she quoted from members of the LGBTQIA+ community. I particularly identified with a quote from the gay college professor who described his process for applying for jobs and where he applied. I am a Black woman who has gone through the same checklist when looking for a job location, a place to live or a place to vacation. I think it’s imperative that our group do further exploration on the intersection of race, gender, gender identity, sexual preference, disability and socioeconomic status.

I have also determined that one very hot topic that we haven’t touched on is how Critical Race Theory plays a role in understanding how to address diversity in organizational culture. Julia’s post on the lack of diversity among business school faculty shed some light on why learning about the theory is important. In the article, Reproducing Inequity: the Role of Race in the Business School Faculty Search, Professors Grier and Poole deemed it was crucial to understand why there is a lack of diversity in faculty and used Critical Race Theory as a guide to figure it out.

Another post I found to be illuminating was Kathleen’s. She brought to my attention something I had never considered. Healthcare workers and organizations can be biased against people with disabilities. It never crossed my mind that those who are much more frequently around people who are differently abled than the general population, could be biased. I thought the video clip included in the post, Bridging the Gap: Improving Healthcare Access for People with Disabilities wonderfully captured the struggles people with disabilities endure when seeking healthcare. Although this problem is narrowly confined to healthcare organizations and practitioners, there is still an overarching issue of equity and how to instill it in any workplace.

In many ways I am already immersed in the examination of diversity and organizational culture due to my union and DEI committee roles at work. Despite that, I am more clearly seeing a thread that goes through a variety of issues. Namely, you cannot separate diversity from equity or inclusion. You must aim for all three.

Response #3

Ian Bogost, author of the article, The Problem with Diversity in Computing utilizes a number of techniques for transitioning between paragraphs. After telling readers a tale about a woman with a broken ankle at the airport in the first paragraph, he fills us in on why the woman is relevant to the article in the second paragraph. Here Bogost lets us know that Amy Webb is both a professor and author of The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans and Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity. Bogost establishes that Ms. Webb is knowledgeable about tech and based on the title of her book, takes issue with the tech industry. Although he doesn’t expressly say so, Bogost then begins to build a case for how tech at the airport discriminates against women by simply quoting Webb about her experience, “I’m looking at the screen,” she says of the image that appeared from her scan, “and my cast, head, and breasts were big blocks of yellow.” Next, the author further solidifies his argument by stating, “While waiting for the ensuing pat-down, she watched a couple of other women go through. Same thing: blocks of yellow across their breasts.”

Bogost then seamlessly goes into the third paragraph where he says, “It was because of underwire bras, she later learned, which the system sometimes can’t distinguish from potential weapons. She’s had other problems with the machines, too, including that her mop of thick, curly hair sometimes confuses them.” Later the author adds his own personal anecdote about the topic, “(My colleague Hannah Giorgis, who also has a lot of curly hair, confirms that she, too, suffers a cranial pat-down every time she goes to the airport.)”. Without saying it directly, Bogost has illustrated to the reader that women are being singled out as potential threats simply due to their physical differences and therefore discriminated against.

Discussion 7/8

It was so nice to read everyone else’s assignments and see all the different directions we chose to pursue even though we were given the same prompts. I found it really interesting that the majority of us chose very different topics and yet still managed to stay connected under the umbrella of diversity in the workplace. Personally, I chose to narrow down the larger topic of diversity by concentrating on the smaller issue of women working in the police force, so I also really liked how Joanna did the same thing but with a different group of marginalized people: members of the LGBTQ+ community. Joanna utilized many images that really helped drive her points home and I found it very moving when she included the quotes from LGBTQ+ people and their real life work experiences. Another expansion to the canon that comes to mind is Sherri’s. Her decision to include a trailer to an HBO documentary was very enticing and made me much more interested. I also liked the direction she took with the prompt because it expanded on the topic of hiring and the troubles that people with autism tend to experience during that process.

3.The transition that stuck out to me the most occurred between paragraphs twelve and thirteen. The last line of the twelfth paragraph is “”Diversity is just membership,” Isbell said. “Integration is influence, power, and partnership.”” This line leads into the next, “But integration is much harder than diversity”. This particular transition was very compelling for me because I believe it is the one that changed the direction of the entire article. Before paragraph twelve, the article mostly concentrated on representation in computing, but as we can see with this transition, its new focus is now on integration and its importance. Leading up to this transition, Bogost quotes Isbell saying “Are we interested in diversity, or are we interested in integration?”. This makes the reader contemplate everything they had previously heard thus far and prepared them for the change in tone for the rest of the article. After these paragraphs, the article focuses more on bigger companies and how discrimination occurs despite some of their good intentions.

Discussion Questions Week of 7/5

Response to #1

I am very impressed by everyone’s article choices and discussions for the Expanding the Canon assignment. As a group, we explored so many issues from sexual orientation to gender to race to disability and so on. I especially enjoyed Ed’s post on how CEO behavior affects diversity and organizational culture. This topic was similar to the one I selected (Strategic Diversity Leadership) but Ed took it further and highlighted the practical steps that CEOs can take by linking to a Forbes article. The comics Ed used were funny and helped illuminate the issues in a different way. Sherri’s post on the dark side of personality tests hit home for me. I have taken several online personality tests over the past month as I applied for various jobs, and now I am a little scared about how this information will be used. I think Sherri’s use of bold statistics strengthened her post, and I really liked the movie trailer too. Kathleen’s post on the assumptions that healthcare workers make about disabled people was eye-opening because it showed that bias can exist in the most unlikely places. This post featured my favorite media element, the video of Melissa Crisp-Cooper. Watching her daily activities and her interactions with the doctors created empathy and made the issue come to life.

When I think of these thoughtful blog posts and all of the other articles that we’ve read (and that came up in my searches), I got this overwhelming feeling, as if the problems were getting larger the more people studied them and tried to solve them. A big complex question started to form in my mind. Something like, are we expecting too much from our workplaces? Or, maybe another way to put it is, are we offloading our personal responsibility to treat each other fairly and with respect to this thing called a “workplace.” Anyway, that is how I am seeing this topic differently at the moment.

Response to #2

Reading Ian Bogost’s article, “The Problem With Diversity in Computing,” was sort of like following a person carrying a flashlight in the daytime pointing out fairly obvious things. “That there is a picnic table, and oh, we also have a diversity problem in the computer industry.” Yawn. “Hey look, over there. STEM pipeline programs aren’t working.” Double yawn. Diversity problems and inclusion are everywhere, and Bogost does a solid job describing the ones in the tech industry. However, after getting the opinions of various academic types, he doesn’t do much more than throw up his hands, concluding his article with a statement that would keep a philosopher up all night: “the problem with computing is computing.” But along the way, Bogost’s flashlight shines briefly on an issue that I believe lies at the heart of the diversity problem in the tech industry, and that’s the wealth and power that have been created and concentrated in Silicon Valley. In my experience, people with power don’t like to give it up or even share it. Bogost calls computing professionals “a tribe separated from the general public,” but he misses a chance to explore this idea further. We need to shine the flashlight into the faces of the leaders of the tribe, the CEOs who are shaping every aspect of society, and put them on the spot. Ask them: “What did you do this week to give up some of your personal wealth or power to make your company or the tech industry more diverse and inclusive?” In my view, these leaders have a professional and personal responsibility to work on the problem, and until we hold them accountable, the problem will remain.

Discussion Questions Week of 7/5

1) I have appreciated the opportunity to read everyone’s posts and their interpretation of this assignment.

As a student in Knowledge Management with classmates from around the world, I found Julia’s issue of “Reproducing inequity: the role of race in the business school faculty search”, to be of statistical interest. The article proceeds to enlighten us that an overwhelming 67% of full-time faculty at business schools are white. The research noted that to be effective in creating an inclusive environment, everyone must be enthusiastic and open to change. Exactly! Without reading about this research, I might have assumed (and you know what happens when you do that)…that highly educated individuals might embrace diversity and all that it contributes to a school’s educational value. As the students so eloquently discussed in the YouTube video, in the business world they will encounter diversity as well as different mindsets. By having a diverse faculty as instructors their education would reflect the world in which they’ll be working. I also found the graphic with data from the opinions of white and black faculty to be quite eye opening. White faculty members consider their department to be more committed to inclusion while black faculty may believe that department efforts to promote inclusion are unsatisfactory. As a result, many feel as though the department does not take inclusion seriously.

So Julia your article got me thinking…I found this in the Daily Orange from March 2021

In early March, the Board of Trustees special committee announced a $50 million investment toward faculty diversification. The university has also increased the number of learning communities geared toward underrepresented communities and hired additional counseling professionals from marginalized identities.

Students question SU’s commitment to diversity, report shows

I guess we’ll see Syracuse University!

Another contribution that I enjoyed reading was Kayla’s contribution on “The association between unemployment status and physical health among veterans and civilians in the United States” by Than V. Tran, Julie Canfield, & Keith Chan. I appreciated increasing public awareness of the struggles of marginalized people face. In my classes at Syracuse, so many of my classmates are military or former military. In addition to unemployment health concerns for veterans the TED talk pointed out that two thirds of veterans struggle to adjusting to civilian life. This has definitely opened my eyes to the great challenges of veterans and I’m glad that Syracuse University has the National Veterans Resource Center that can assist our military in their educational endeavors.

In our Expanding the Canon posts, classmates offered many different aspects of diversity and organizational culture. I enjoyed exploring these differences in a safe and positive environment. This unit has been about understanding each other and moving from an environment of tolerance to celebrating the diversity within each individual.

3) Transitions allow you to signal clearly when you are changing direction. This change could be in the subject or emphasis. One thing that should be noted Bogost could never be accused of using too many strong transitions. There was not a however or nevertheless to be found…his transitions were very slick and seamless. I kept re-reading the article to find transitions, they were not overly obvious and strong.

I’m about to demonstrate my quantitative nature right now which might not score me points with a qualitative writing teacher but … but is utilized as a transition word to begin paragraphs four times as well as in countless sentences. I just found that interesting.

As far as transitions, I noted the first one at the first but… “But that’s an aspirational hope. This is when Bogost emphasizes a viewpoint. Another transition I noted is after (yes another but) “But their impact might be a drop in the bucket”. This transition has particular emphasis by utilizing that strong phrase. The writer is contrasting good efforts however realistically those efforts have a minimal impact.

Another transition is “But integration is much harder than diversity.” Since this transition is at the start of a paragraph, it signals a connection (in this case a contrast) between idea segments.

I noticed that Bogost used Webb’s name as a transition to connect paragraphs…

“When Amy Webb, Webb, who is a professor at New York University, Webb’s experience is, Webb points to China, In Webb’s view, But to Webb, For Webb”

It appears that Webb is the transition between many parts of Bogost’s writing. Bogost in his writing has the ability to connect with his audience. The situations are relatable and by using smooth transitions it is an easy read.