Final Blog Posting

I feel that I have mostly improved on my problem with procrastination. Over this semester I have been doing my assignments and papers earlier than the night before, which is a good accomplishment for me. I feel that getting my homework done earlier has helped me to be less stressed out this semester. I still struggle with writing a little bit. I think if I enjoyed writing more, then I would probably be able to put more creativeness into it.I think this class was conducted very well. The professor was well organized, explained all of the assignments thoroughly and helped us whenever needed. I can't think of any changes that should be made to the course.As far as the assignments go, I think they all were pretty well explained. I think that our final paper wasn't exactly as straight forward about what to have in it, but you could figure it out. I think the amount of conferences we had were plenty because they were just a good overview of our paper we had just done and a good reminder of what our current grade was.

Week 14

What is your favorite piece of data and why?

I think my favorite piece of data source was my observations that I made. I feel this way for many reasons. The main reason I liked my observations the best is because they were the most enjoyable data to collect. Through observing my subculture I have been able to interact with my old teammates, coaches, and meet the new teammates as well. Another positive to observing the team was being back home. The observations helped me analyze and organize my paper better too because it was in my words and easy to recall what I had wrote down. All in all, I think actually being at the field site and observing the culture is by far the best way to get information and use it accordingly.

Cut-Ups

If one employee isn't ‘vibing’ well with a customer, another employee will smoothly intervene and take over. These cheerleaders are what kept the crowd going. Every time the sea of red roared, I would ask my dad or mom what had happened. I know she answered all of the questions honestly, and I was not sure that all of the people I interviewed answered truthfully. Anyway, as I sat there in the audience, observing the show the choirs were putting on, I began to see why I was in choir in the first place.

brain storming

3 possible titles:

1. Dancing as an Activity, Passion, and Love
2. The Inside Meaning of 5, 6, 7, 8
3. A Look at High School Dance Teams On and Off the Floor

Main theme titles/sections:

1. Who Am I and Where Do I Fit In
2. Benefits of Joining the Rhythmettes
3. Making Money
4. An In Depth Look At the Season
5. Why Do You Care
6. Are They Actually Slutty
7. Wrapping It All Up

Week 13

I will be telling the story about observing tryouts.

Tryouts for the Rhythmette dance team are held at the end of April sometimes early May. Tryouts are a two day process with many emotions wrapped along in those two days. As I arrived for tryouts the girls participating in this stressful event were on the floor stretching along with the other girls both old members and future hopeful members. Each dancer is given a piece of paper with a number on it which is pinned to their shirt. This number is what the judges use to pick the team members for the next year. The old members also have to re tryout. After the girls were done stretching I noticed some of the looks of their faces as if they wanted to just run and hide and not go through with this experience, possibly because of their nerves, I was not too sure. The first day the girls were drilled with doing kicks, kick lines, turns, both single and double, and at the very end of the day they were taught a short, quick, somewhat easy dance. Many of them seemed to be catching on by the end of that day. The next day they all came back to the cafeteria to finish their second day of tryouts. The day started off with stretching, then jumped straight into the most intense part of the whole process. The girls were split into groups of four and had to perform the dance they had learned in that group in the cafeteria with the music with just their group and no other help at all, while being watched intensely by the judges. After groups were done performing and walking out of the cafeteria with the other girls I saw a mix of emotions. Some girls said they felt like they did their best, others felt as if they were just too nervous to perform at their best. I felt bad for them, because I remember that pressure behind tryouts. After all of the groups are done performing in front of the judges, the judges get together for about 15 to 20 minutes to make their final decision about who will be on the next year's Rhythmette dance team. Once the judges have reached their decision, the girls are handed a letter that is stapled closed with their number on the front of it. They are told this will tell them whether or not they made the team, and they are instructed not to open it until after they have left the building. Many girls simply couldn't wait that long. After they were opening their letters outside of the cafeteria I saw a whole sprawl of different emotions, some were extremely happy and jumping up and down, others were crying, some were okay with the results, and some were very mad. The next day the new team met and congratulated everyone for making the team.

6 Word Memoirs

Own Life - College Is Challenging, As Is Life

Subculture - We Dance Because We Love To

Week 12

My understanding of the word rhetoric is that it is used when talking about language. My definition of rhetoric would be - a way in which someone uses or speaks with language. I am not very familiar with this word though in an actual meaning based way. I think the way we act, speak, and maybe even possibly dress would all be things that constitute rhetoric. The only times I have ever really heard the word rhetoric being used is English classes and possibly even my sociology class once. I am not for sure though. I think in our American society the word rhetoric is probably most commonly used in a business setting by high class or well educated people. I think the word rhetoric is most commonly used in a positive way. I think there might possibly be a rhetoric that goes along with my subculture. If there was one it would probably be the way the team dresses and acts. It could possibly even be the words the team members use. I think I would first learn a better meaning and understanding of the word rhetoric before I would use it in my final project or my mini ethnography. Once I understood the meaning better I might use it to describe my subculture or just for better word usage to represent the subculture well.