E-Portfolio Table of Contents

Table of Contents Looking Back… A Reflective Letter Thinking Critically Thinking Critically, Original Work I Know My Audience I Know My Audience, Original Work Thinking It Over… Thinking It Over… Original and Revised One of My Favorites My Favorite Original In Conclusion…

In Conclusion...

This class and the final project have been a long learning process for me. I hope that by my postings you are able to see how much I have grown in this class and how my writing abilities have been strengthened. Hopefully you enjoyed what I wrote. Thank you for taking the time to read what I have to say.

Looking Back... A Reflective Letter

Looking back…

    I am many things. I am a daughter and a sister. I am a girlfriend and a friend. I am a student and an employee. Most importantly, I am a Christian; a child of God. I attended a Christian School up until graduation and have been involved in my church for as long as I can remember. What I believe and have experienced throughout my life has shaped my worldview and how I think and write. I love learning about the body and how things work, which is why I have made it my goal to become a radiation therapist. I believe that my faith in God and my love for other people will help me to help others who are suffering from cancer.

By exploring the different units in the class, I have learned that there are many things that are a part of who we are. I have learned that there are many factors involved in having one’s own identity. Identity is more than where we live and who we know. According to the cultural assumptions in the introduction to the Identity unit, Culture shapes every identity and personal choices create how others think of a person (5-13). In the identity unit, we had to question the assumptions that were listed in the introduction. I found that the assumptions were all basically true but there is way more than those assumptions that are a part of one’s identity. The identity unit taught me to look into a person and their identity and find possible reasons of why that individual acts or lives a certain way. I learned to look past stereotypes and preconceived judgments to look into a person and see who they really are.

Communities are a part of every person’s life. Before the community unit, I did not really think of everything as a community. Communities are all around us. I had never before thought of a gym, or a school as a community. After completing the Community unit I now see many things as a community. Before the community unit I had never realized how important a community is in our lives. Communities give people a place to fit in and support other members. A community can be a church, neighborhood, place of work, or basically anything else where a group of people with similar beliefs and hobbies are able to relate and spend time together. This class has given me a new view of what it means to be a part of a community. Communities are in our lives to gives us a structure. Communities are an important part of life.

The readings from the final unit on Tradition reminded me that traditions are constantly changing. Each generation has their own twist on an old tradition. Not only have the traditions changed, but they way in which things were traditionally done are also changing regularly. This unit pointed out some of the changed traditions and the how the way things were traditionally done have been changed. In the essay Let Me Find My Own Husband by Sarita James, James’ parents wanted her to marry a young man whom they approved of. James at first did not like the man that her parents approved of. Since James’ parents choosing a match was tradition, James finally decided to allow her parents to match her up with the approved of man. James began to feel excited about her future with this man until he went to India. Before leaving, the suitable man had promised to come back and marry Sarita James. In the end, the suitable man broke James’ heart (379-384). After being let down, James decided that when the right man comes along, whether he is considered suitable by her parents or not, she would just see what would happen. James was no longer tied to the tradition of her parents choosing a match for her. This essay was a great example of a tradition being changed. The tradition unit was a good look into the changing world and reminded me that things in life are always changing.

The assignments throughout the class allowed me to learn from and interpret the readings and think deeper into them. The discussion boards throughout the quarter were a good way to communicate and share ideas with class mates. The discussion boards were very helpful in all of the units because being able to read other people’s posts opened new views on many of the topics. Reading other posts allowed me to see something that I could not find myself in the readings. The discussion boards made me think analytically and helped me grow in my abilities to analyze movies and readings. The papers and the timed write made me think deeper and come up with quality work that showed my knowledge of the units. The “paper talks” were very helpful because they allowed classmates to help each other and point out parts of each other’s papers that we might not have seen. The “paper talk” discussion boards helped us to write quality papers with the help of fellow classmates. Without the discussion boards I probably would not have done as well on my papers. The unit homework helped me to better understand the assigned writings.

All of the units have taught me that the world is full of different cultures and different types of people. The class overall has helped me to celebrate the different cultures and colorful communities that make up our world. The diverse people that form the various communities all have something special that makes them who they are. I learned in this class that there are many things that make a person who they are. Taking this class has taught me to look at the world and see the distinctions of cultural traditions, communities, and identities.

The pieces of work that I have chosen for my portfolio are pieces that I worked really hard on during the class. My example for well done critical thinking was a discussion board post from the Identity unit. This discussion board was about living in tribes. I chose my blog post, Family Tradition for Dinner, for my revision piece. For the awareness of audience and voice piece I have chosen the Tradition Unit Discussion Board 2 which was about the changing trends in our culture. For the final piece to show my Writer’s Choice, I have chosen The Contents of My Purse from my blog. These pieces have all taken some time and effort in this class.

Now that you know a little more about who I am and how this class has helped me grow, I hope that you will take time to read and enjoy my work. The pieces I have listed earlier will be posted further down. Thank you for taking the time to read my work.

                        -Amanda Joy VandenBosch

I Know My Audience. Original Work

Tradition Discussion Board 2

Cultural traditions are constantly changing. With every new invention comes a change in society. Traditions are based on both stereotypes and reality. When a popular icon or famous person does something new, the world follows. In Face of an Angel, by David Sterritt, Sterritt talks about the traditional role of African Americans in films. Sterritt claims that the reason why African Americans are depicted in films as angels and saviors is because white people feel bad about forcing African Americans into slavery hundreds of years ago. In the past, African Americans used to be the bad guys in films, playing the roles of rappers or criminals. African Americans are now playing high importance roles of people with big degrees and leaders. Pop culture has changed the way that some people feel about African Americans according to Sterritt.

In You- Only Better, by Christine Rosen, culture has changed the way that people look and appearance and aging. It has become the popular and must do thing to get Botox and somehow try to reverse the signs of aging. The ability to change your appearance has changed the way that people look at themselves. People are now noticing what they see as flaws and changing them just because they can. Traditionally, you live with the face you were born with. People aged naturally and their appearance showed their age. Since the popularization of plastic surgery, people have the option to change their appearance. If you don't like the way you look, then change it! People used to be thankful that they don't actually have something wrong with them. Now, if there is one tiny thing that they don't like about how they look, they can change it if they have the money. Culture has influenced people to care a little too much about how they look. For some reason it is very bad to show and reveal your age, so people are getting surgery and Botox to reverse the aging signs. It is no longer acceptable to have an imperfect appearance among the wealthy people who can afford plastic surgery.

Cultural trends have changed the way that people function. Ellen DeGeneres describes the many advancements in technology and how they have changed our culture. The laziness of society has created different devices that allow is to function without trying really hard. DeGeneres talks about cell phones and how the use of them has allowed us to be able to talk to people everywhere we go. We no longer have to stay at home to talk to people over the telephone. The moving things in airports have allowed people to either walk less or get to places faster. Americans want things done quickly with not much work going into it. Life is now about convenience instead of hard work.

I Know My Audience

Awareness of Audience and Voice

Tradition Discussion Board 2

            A piece that shows the awareness of my audience is the second discussion board from the tradition unit. Our assignment for this discussion board was to either affirm or challenge a popular assumption about pop culture. I chose to write about the assumption that “Pop culture and current trends challenge our long-held traditions and bring about change as well as transformation in our cultures.” I found this assumption to be true since pop culture is constantly changing and traditions change along with it. I felt that this piece showed that I was aware of my audience because everyone who pays the smallest attention to pop culture can understand what I am saying. Everyone knows that I am talking about in this piece because we see it all over the media and in our lives. I believe that my paragraph about the frequent use of plastic surgery and Botox to reverse aging is a good example showing that I knew my audience because most average Americans with an average income would agree with me when I say that countless plastic surgeries and Botox usages are a little over the tops to keep a young, fresh face. In this posting I chose to write about things that everybody knows about and sees in their lives. Everybody knows about cell phones, escalators and Botox. Everybody can see where I am coming from in my point of view from my writing.

            Since taking this class I believe that I have grown in my ability to write about topics that everybody will know something about and will be able to respond to. The blogs for each unit have forced me to grow in my ability to pick out parts of the unit and apply them to real life. Being able to apply things I’ve learned to real life has helped me to be able to speak to the audience better. As a reader, the public postings have taught me to ask questions and think about where the writer could be coming from and to find the writers point of view in their posting. My reading and writing abilities have strengthened because of the discussion board postings.

           

My Favoite Original

The Contents of My Purse

My purse is full of a variety of items. In one pocket I have my wallet, a check book and another account ledger. In my sparkly wallet I have my I.D., a gas credit card, a little bit if cash, gift cards to Olive Garden, Starbucks and another espresso stand. It also contains my food handler’s permit and my debit card. I have a variety of coffee punch cards and my proof of car insurance card. There are also a few pennies and nickels. As I search through another pocket I find my keys. On my keys I have my flip out Volkswagen key, a flashlight, my house key, a gym card, an Adidas employee card and an American Eagle card. My keys are all held together by an Everett Silvertips lanyard. As I dig deeper in my purse I find my red Nikon digital camera. I find a bottle of ibuprofen, an empty pack of gum and some more candy. In the same pocket I also have to pairs of gloves. One pair is black with the Adidas logo on them and the other pair is black and pink and meant fro dirt biking. There are a few pens, a mirror and a new, pink iPod nano. As I browse through the last pocket I find a variety of lip glosses and chap sticks. This pocket also contains hand sanitizers and lotions. That completes the list of what is in my purse.

The contents of my wallet can tell a lot of what I am involved in or interested in. The gym membership card shows that I am active. The Adidas employee card shows that I have a job that fits in with my interest of exercise. The mirror and the lip glosses (although I rarely use them) show that I care about my appearance. All of the coffee cards show that I like coffee. My gloves show that I frequently have cold hands. I have many things in my purse that can unlock some information about what my interests are and who I am.

If someone who didn't know me was looking through the belongings in my purse, they would probably have many assumptions about me and some would be true and others would probably be false. From all the coffee cards people would probably assume that I am addicted to coffee; which I am not. I get coffee maybe once a week and try to keep it at that. After seeing my dirt bike gloves people may assume that I ride dirt bikes. I have ridden dirt bikes but it is not something that I do often. If the people look at my checking and savings account records they would assume that I save most of my money and spend little. Based on the Adidas employee card and the Food Handler's Permit they would assume that I either work at a restaurant or, of course, at Adidas. Based on all of the lip glosses, they would probably assume that I care a lot about my appearance. This assumption wouldn't be completely true. I do try not to look horrible but often times I don't take a lot time to get ready and it is not my top priority to look my best. Different people would have different assumptions about me based on the contents of my purse.

If people were judging me based solely on the contents of my purse, they would not be able to tell that I am a Christian and that my faith is important to me. People would not be able to tell that I am a shy person and that I am generally a loner. There is nothing in my purse that points toward the love for my family and my boyfriend. People would not be able to tell that they are really important to me. There are many things that people could not know about me based on my belongings. People would not realize that I am a hard worker at my job and in school. There is no way of knowing a person based on what their belongings are. One can make a number of assumptions but can't know anything for sure based on a person's belongings.

One of My Favorites

Writer’s Choice

The Contents of My Purse

Blog post #1

Introduction

            For the Writer’s choice portion, I decided to use the blog posting “The Contents of My Purse.” This was an easy decision because this piece stood out to me through all of the other work that I have done in this class. This piece stood out to me because it was fun to write. Digging through my belongings and imagining what someone might think of me if they saw what my purse contained was entertaining. This piece was also one of the easiest writings in the class. I believe that the contents of a woman’s purse can tell a lot about them. Although this piece may not be the best written, I just had a good time writing it and that is why I chose it for the Writer’s choice portion.

Thinking it Over... Original and Revised.

Original Version

Family Tradition for Dinner

Ever since I can remember my family has always eaten dinner together around the table. Before the dinner is ready, either my sister or I would set the table and put all the dishes out. Once the food was ready we would out the food on the table and sit down to pray. At every dinner my dad, me and my sister would watch pray. After prayer we began eating whatever my mom made that night. Usually a casserole. We would talk about our days, how school and work went and whatever else was going on in our lives. After we were finished eating my mom would read family devotions and we would close in prayer. My sister and I would then take turns clearing the table and putting the dishes in the dishwasher.
Lately we have not been as consistent and we used to about eating dinner together. With my dad on a different diet, me working and my sister gone at college, we don't eat together as often as we used to. Our lives are getting busier so it can be more of a struggle to make time for a family dinner, but we still do it a few times a week when I am not working or out with friends. I don't really know too many families other than mine that pray and read devotions at dinner. It is always refreshing to be in a home where the family takes time to pray and eat dinner together. The devotions we read is a booklet that I get from my church. Dinner wouldn't always last very long. Usually 30 minutes at the most unless something exciting had happened that day.
This family tradition is one that i hope to carry on with my family when I have my own children. I think that spending time as a family together will be a great thing and teaching my kids to pray every night will be great.

Revised Version

A Family that Prays Together Stays Together

Dinner time has always been a special time of the day for my family. Ever since I can remember my family has sat down around the table at dinner time and ate as a family. Prior to dinner, either my sister or I would set the table and get everything out and ready for dinner while one of my parents was making dinner. Once the food was ready we would all sit around the table together and pray before our meal. First, my sister would pray, then me, and then finally my dad would pray. When I was younger I was always a little embarrassed when people would come over for dinner because none of my other friends ever prayed before a meal and especially not three times. It would always be awkward when the guest would open their eyes and start to eat until the second prayer would begin and they would feel embarrassed. Being older, I now am grateful for the prayer time that my family shared around the dinner time because having been made to pray out loud before every dinner taught me how to pray in front of people. This skill has helped me in other parts of my life.

After the prayers, it was finally time to eat. Usually when my mom made dinner it was some kind of casserole. The times when my dad fixed dinner, we often had salmon or any type of barbequed food. As a young girl, I never liked what my parents were fixing for that dinner so I always asked to go out to dinner and rarely succeeded in getting my family to go out to dinner. While eating dinner, we would talk to each other and ask questions about our days and our plans for the next day. Dinner lasted around thirty minutes which gave us plenty of time to catch up on each others’ lives.

When we were all finished eating, it was time for my mom to read the family devotions. The devotions were read out of a small booklet that had a corresponding Bible verse with each message. Upon completion of reading the devotions, my mom would say another prayer and dinner time was over. It was now time for my sister and I to clear the table and help my mom wash the dishes.

As a child, I would have rather just eaten and gotten dinner over with. Looking back, I appreciated the times that my family spent together. The dinner time tradition has changed in recent years since my sister is now away at college and I am working a lot of nights. This change has made it difficult to eat dinner together and we are now eating out or picking up food more frequently. Although this has changed, my family is still very strongly connected. I hope that I will be able to carry out this tradition with my own family because I think it has a huge impact on the closeness of a family.

Thinking it Over...

            For my revision piece I chose to revise the blog posting about a family tradition that centers on food. In the assignment, we were asked to think of a family tradition; either a holiday, meal time, kinds of foods, or anything that is a tradition in our families that centers on food. I chose to write about the way my family eats dinner together. I chose to revise this assignment even though I got a good grade on it because it seemed lacking to me. It did not contain any personal perspective in the original piece; it was only a description of my family does. Both the original and the revised piece have the same information, but the revised piece tells how I felt about my family tradition as a child and now. I added insight on the revised version of how it was when company was over and they weren’t used to praying before the meal. I feel that my revised version has strengthened the assignment and has made this posting a lot more interesting for the reader. I also believe that it is a much better description of what happened at the dinner table.

Thinking Critically Original Work

"We want to live in tribes... [people] are looking to be told what group they belong to. And once they do that, that want to know "What are the rules" (123).

"What are the rules?"

The Amish Charter essay was a good example of group members following the rules. The Amish members devoted their lives to live by the rules listed in the charter. The members did not care if there was any cost to being a part of this group but followed the rules unswervingly.  "Regardless of any possible cost to themselves, the members are required to put into practice what is required by duty, honor, personal loyalty, and religious calling. The fundamental values and common ends of the group, recognized by the people and accepted by them, have been designated as the charter" (140 The Amish Charter). If a person does not like what the community values, then they will not join the community. The members must believe and agree with everything that the community stands for. You have to follow the rules to actually belong and be a part of a community. The Amish community had strict rules and it takes commitment to be a part of a community like the Amish community. Members must immerse themselves into the community to be a part of the community and take part in the functions of the community. If one does not follow the rules or act like other members in a community then they probably do not really belong in that community.

"[People] are looking to be told what group they belong to.

In the essay Making the Grade, the author does not like how he is labeled just for being African American and having good grades. This essay contradicts that Bereby said in the previous quote. People don't want to be told where they belong, they want to decide for themselves where they belong. People don't want others to make their decisions for them. Friends are not chosen for you, you choose your own friends. People choose the communities which they want to be a part of, people are not told to be a part of a community. The short essay was a contradiction to this statement. "One of the most dominant stereotypes I see in my generation is the idea that when black students show interest in academics, they're acting white" (259 Making the Grade). From my experience, certain personalities hate being told what to do. People are more likely to rebel than to give in and be a part of what they are told to do. If a person is labeled as something that they don’t want to be, then they will try to change that label by acting in an opposite way.

"We want to live in tribes"

People want to be a part of a group. Most people don't want to be alone their whole lives. The need to fit in is a part of every person. The yearning to fit in is common, especially among young girls. The Secret Society of the Starving is an essay that exemplified the desire to fit in. The girls in this essay starved themselves so that they would feel beautiful and have confidence in their own bodies. "Women with eating disorders really thrive in a lot of ways on being very disconnected. At the same time of course, they have a yearning to be connected. Perfectionism, attention to detail, and a sense of superiority combine to make the pro-ana sites the most meticulous and clinically fluent self representations of a mental disorder you could hope to find, almost checklists of diagnostic criteria expressed in poignantly human terms" (152 A Secret Society of the Starving). These girls formed their own tribes that fit themselves. All of the girls had a similarity. All of the women had something in common. The pro-ana group was formed because the members wanted to talk to and be with people who are like themsleves. In my experiences, people who have a lot in common tend to find friends in each other. It is easier to communicate with somebody who is like you, and this is why the pro-ana members value the connection they share.

Thinking Critically

Community DB 2: Living in Tribes

Critical Thinking Skills

Thinking Critically

Introduction

               
I have always had trouble analyzing what I have read. Before this class, I used to read a text and not take the time to think into it to look beyond the words to find the meaning. This class has made me learn what it means to analyze a reading and how to do it. I learned that if I want to understand what the author is really saying, I would have to compare what the author says to what I already know and assess the reading based off of what I came up with. I chose my post in Community Discussion Board #2 as a good example of my critical thinking skills because I understood and thought that I had a good grasp on the topic for this discussion board. I, like everyone else, have experience in trying to fit in with a group and wanting to belong somewhere. This discussion board was a good example of my critical thinking skills because my post contained a lot of my own insight in the topic of Living in Tribes. I analyzed the information in the required readings and added perspective from my own life.  This Discussion Board was something that I understood and was familiar with and I was confident in my response and knowledge of the topic.  An analysis helps a reader to understand the writing better because an analysis connects the writing with something that is already familiar to them. Connecting something you already know with the writing allows the writing to make sense within your life.

               
The sentences that I have highlighted from the Discussion board are good examples of my ability to analyze a reading. For example, the sentence highlighted in the paragraph titled “What are the rules?” is a good example because I connected what I learned about the Amish from the reading to what I already knew about being a part of a religious group. The Amish Charter essay described the rules of what the Amish required to be a part of their organization. Learning that the Amish have strict guidelines that a member must follow and knowing what it means and requires to be a part of a church; I was able to connect my experience with the text to say that if a person does not agree with, or live according to the guidelines set in place by the church, then they do not fit in with the other members and do not belong in the group. This is true in any group, if one does not agree with or have similar beliefs on very important topics with the other members of their group; there is probably a better group out there for them.

Trial Post

Just set up my e-portfolio blog. Just making sure that everything is working correctly!