Blog #4
No blog for Composition II; No class
Follow up on Week 3 – For Intro to Ethnography, the pictures related to my FACIL Map are attached in the link to google drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1osGPemMn4XqHZr7DO6JaStoE3bAdRG3O/view?usp=drive_link

Blog #5
In Intro to Ethnography, we learned the definition of auto-ethnography, which is a form of research that uses experiences from your own life to relate, observe, and document the culture and life around you. It can take the form of music, food, clothing, or a particular group relative to your own experiences. I always thought research had to be black-and-white. Factual. I never truly appreciated the place subjectivity has in legitimate research, providing context and a humane lens to regular scientific observation.

I started with that because it relates to the novel we read in Composition II called ‘Horror Story’ written by Carmen Maria Machado. I usually avoid the horror genre but it was interesting to see how fiction could be a vehicle to express the findings from ones life and experiences to reach and connect to other audiences.

Blog #6
In Intro to Ethnography, one of the articles we covered detailed how to take basic field note observations and resources using our 5 senses in descriptive, quantitative, and qualitative language. I start with this because this ties into the documentary we watched in Composition II. In a way, I think it could kind of fall under the category of auto-ethnographic research. It takes the personal experiences of marginalized communities affected by AIDs/AutoImmunes in all forms, people discriminated by factors outside of their control against a narrow-minded population in which society is tipped into their favor. I found it not only eye-opening but these experiences as well as their way of navigating the political system, opened my eyes to the truth within documentaries. A way to turn ethnographic findings/or a collection of documented data into something of value, historical significance and widespread impact.

Blog #7
In Composition II, we’re going further into our writing assignment. We brushed up on standard academic writing format, such as citations and utilizing OneSearch as a database for our connected/threaded arguments. And the structure of these papers actually reminds me of the readings in our Intro to Ethnography class, ironically enough in terms of the structured argument about the power and influence unions have on the working class.