Post #1: Topic Interest
I think my favorite part about PTW is its wide scope and how there are a lot of different avenues you can take when studying it. Just in our first class, I was introduced to so many ideas and could see so many different angles and perspectives about the topic, which will help me generate ideas for my capstone and other posts. I mentioned this in class, but I write for Sun News here on campus, and I'm thinking of picking my topic somewhere in the field of journalism or media, because that is also very broad. I'm leaning toward focusing on how sentence structure, syntax, and word choice affect how information is effectively communicated. The way a sentence is phrased can affect how the audience interprets the information, and putting emphasis on certain parts of the sentence can convey how easy/difficult it is for people to understand it. The entire focus is to make sure the information is clearly communicated, which is especially important in the world of journalism.
Worksheet for developing goal and research questions
TOPIC | GOAL | QUESTIONS | TYPE | METHODS |
Mistakes in journalistic writing and how they can be fixed | Determine what these mistakes may be and how to avoid them | -Which mistakes are most common? -How can they be avoided? -How does the wording of a sentence affect how the audience reads it? | Qualitative, maybe empirical | Analyzing news stories/articles, understanding the effectiveness of sentence structure, word choice, content organization, etc. |
Hi Rylee, this is a great first blog post. I think a topic in the field of journalism or media sounds intriguing. There's a lot of potential in that field because, like you said, it is very broad. I'm currently taking a communications course about voice and civility in political discourse. It's been very interesting thus far because we've talked about how people can interpret information based on how it's communicated, which is similar to what you wrote in this blog post. I think this would be an excellent topic to explore in this class. I really like the last sentence you wrote about making sure information is clearly communicated. Whether that's in the field of journalism or technical writing, it matters just the same. Effective communication is so important, and it's up to us as writers in this fields to make sure our information is clearly communicated. Great work with your brainstorming this week. It sounds like you are off to a great start.
ReplyDeleteHello Rylee, I think this is a great idea worth exploring! How a writer structures their sentence tells the reader (or purposely tries to hide) so much about what their about to read. Comparing things like the language difference between the instructions section of any manual to the legal language in the same pamphlet could be a great comparative. Would you want to focus on the ethics in this practice, study the nature of it and how its applied, or find another way to look at this topic? You could also look into the decline in public trust in journalism because of bad actors using obfuscating language to shape narratives. I think you're starting with a great topic and understanding and wish you luck this semester.
ReplyDeleteHey Rylee! I believe that the best work comes from topics that genuinely interest the author. I know that you are passionate about journalism. I think that if you use that passion towards your project, you will see great results. As far as the topic itself goes, I love the idea. As a society, we all perceive information differently based on how we define it. We all have different definitions of the same word or phrase. So the idea that sentence structure can deeply affect meaning, is one that very much interests me as a reader. I would be very excited to read more about what this topic leads you to find. As you work through these ideas, I am sure you will be able to create a very solid foundation for your topic.
ReplyDeleteRylee, this is a great idea! It is current and relevant not only to a wide audience but also to you personally, given your connection to journalism. This topic will provide you with a wide array of choices in primary and secondary sources. I also love the opportunities to expand on this topic. You could delve into how the chosen syntax changes with the intended audience, or explore the ethical dilemmas faced in journalism when it comes to how meaning can be altered.
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