My Final Advice

To the future students of Angie's Business Writing Class:

First, I will say that Angie is a great teacher! So, you are blessed to be in her class. So, what are the tips to success in her class? Well, it is important that you do all of the work. The class work really is not that bad. Just do your best and if you have questions, ask for help! And make sure that you do your blogs. Don't wait till the last minute. I found doing them during the week was best, but sometimes it has to wait till the weekend. The main thing is don't forget to do them! Also, when it comes to the big project you will have, it is important to pick a group you will work well with. You will be spending a good amount of time together outside of class, so make sure everyone in your group is willing to put in their fair share of work. And another tip, be organized when doing the group project. Make sure everyone knows what they are assigned.

As a whole, this class is really not that bad. I know that I was not looking forward to it, because it is writing but Angie does her best to make the class fun. I think that you will enjoy having her as your teacher and the most important thing is to just do your work and you might just come out with an A!

ETHICS ASSIGNMENT

Mandie and I are doing are ethics assignment on the Standford Prison Experiment. I first learned about this study in my intro to psychology class. I was appalled at first to think that a study like this went on. In case you don't know anything about this experiment, it was held on Standford University's campus in the 1970's. A psychologist known as Zimbardo did the experiment. The purpose was to see if the prisoners and guards acted just like real prisoners and guards. The participants volunteered to do this with the expectation of getting money for doing it. The participants were split into prisoners and wardens. The wardens were dressed just like real prison guards and the prisoners were dressed in prison clothes. The problem was that the wardens started abusing the prisoners physically and emotionally. The prisoners wanted out but they were not allowed by the wardens. Zimbardo observed this but did nothing to stop it until another psychologist helped him to realize the severity of the experiment. He was so caught up in the experiment that he could not see the true reality of the experiment.

I thought this was a horrible experiment. How could he let the study continue when he saw for himself how the prisoners were being treated. This experiment to me was unethical from the beginning. There was no reason that the study should have continued. The wardens took there roles to seriously and enjoyed the power they had over the prisoners. It did show how power can affect you. One thing is that we have learned from this experiment about what not to do in a psychology experiment or any other kind of experiment.

Unethical Issues in the Work Place

I think this article helps bring to light how often unethical events happen at work. I thought that it was a very high rate of business that are doing unethical work. That is not a pleasant thought. I think that it is good that people do report this, but I also think the reasons people don't are understandable. Being unsure of what the business will do with this information is a big one. I think the important thing to take from this article is that these kinds of issues are happening. It's important to be aware and we should report when we find unethical work being carried out.

Web writing v. writing on paper

The difference between web writing and writing on paper is that you need to be brief and to the point when writing on the web. Also, make sure that the most important information is at the beginning when writing on the web. Because the attention span of the reader is very short the most important thing is to get the main point out at the beginning. You can also do this when writing on paper but you can also save the main point to the end depending on you argument. Another difference is that what you write needs to be right to the point. No flowery words, just simple. Also, make sure the paragraphs are shorter than writing on paper.

Similarities between paper writing and web writing is that you can use headings in both writing types. Doing this can help the reader know exactly what each section is about and easily navigate their way through a website or a paper. Also, for both you need to make sure your grammar is correct. Now, with certain things on the web you can use "slang" language but if you are creating a website for your business that is inappropriate. So, grammar is important in both.

When transferring a document to the web it is a good idea to convert the document to a PDF file. This way the reader can see the document in its original form. It is also important to consider the following things when transferring the document:

• guidelines for the website you are putting the document on
• get permission if the document has a copyright on it
• make sure the document is in the correct file format
• make sure pictures in the document download quickly
  

Christmas Joy (aka CJ)

Over spring break our family dog died. CJ was 15 years old. So, as our family said he had a good life. It was really hard to go home and not see him there laying around the house in his normal places. I remember when we got CJ. It was around Christmas (it might have even been Christmas Eve) when CJ was brought to our house. I was only five then so he has always been around for me. We named his Christmas Joy because we got him at Christmas but we called him CJ. Anyway, it is always hard when you lose a pet since they are apart of the family. One thing I can say about the dog is that he has had some pretty close calls. When we were younger by brother was playing baseball in the backyard and after swinging the bat he let go and CJ ran right into the bat. It knocked him out cold. We thought for sure we had lost him. But he survived, thankfully. Crazy dog :) We all loved him and will miss the little slobbery dog :)

Cheating on Resumes

I think that it is very sad that cheating on resumes is becoming a popular option for people. Its important that when creating your resume that you are honest and do not cover up areas you do not like. I agree with the article that this hurts the "honest" job searchers but I feel like if they are honest then the right job will be out there and the person who lied will most likely no longer have a job. I think the important lesson to learn is to make sure that everything on your resume is correct and that there is no embellishments. This way you can get the job you want and keep it.

Presentations

I enjoyed all of the presentations but there were a few that stuck out for me. I really enjoyed Keith's presentation on mules. It was very interesting. I didn't know much about mules. Keith kept my attention the entire time. I learned a lot about mules, like that they are not really stubborn its just they know what they can and can't do. I thought that this was a unique and interesting topic to speak about. Also, I really liked Casey's presentation. It was really neat to learn about that area of Africa (I forgot what the name of the place she went to though). I thought the pictures were absolutely beautiful. The presentation made me want to go to Africa! I really enjoyed both of these presentations!

Mock Interview

This week I had my mock interview. I felt like this was a good experience. I have had interviews in the past that did not go well, so I feel like any practice I get is always very helpful. Going into this interview I was more relaxed which was very helpful. The questions that Angie asked were good. The question about my past failures was very helpful. It is always hard to talk about areas you have failed in but it was good practice giving examples and getting feedback from Angie. Some of the most important things I feel like I have learned is to be relaxed and confident during the interview. Also, it is important to take my time in answering so that I give the best answer possible. Overall, I feel like the mock interview was helpful.

Spring Break

Since this week we can write about whatever we want I am unsure of what I want to write about. So, I guess I will just talk about the tentative plans I have for spring break. Some of my friends and I are planning on going to Washington, D.C. for spring break. One of my roommates has not been there before so that should be fun. I know that they are setting out itineraries for what we should do each day. It should be fun all five of us crammed into one car driving to D.C. :) I am excited about where we are staying. Some friends of ours that have already graduated from Clemson live there and so we will be staying with them. So, I am really excited about getting to see them. I am definitely ready for a break from school work and its only three weeks away. It always seems like school flies by really fast during the spring semester. Anyway, these are my tentative plans for my spring break!!!

Cover Letters

I thought the website was very helpful. I have already had to write a mock cover letter for another class, but this has definitely helped. I did not realize that the cover letter is more or less all about the company and what you know and how you can benefit that company. The sample cover letter was helpful to see how long it should be. I also did not realize that you could include a hand written p.s. at the end of the cover letter. That was an interesting little bit of information that I did not know. Also, it was helpful to know that you can include testimonials that will help sell you to the company. Overall, I thought this was a helpful website. Knowing that each cover letter I write should be tailored to that company or business well definitely be helpful in the future when I start applying for jobs after graduation.

Interviewing Skills

The articles from this website were very helpful. The two that I have chosen to write about are called "An Interview Strategy: Telling Stories" and "How to Deal With Interview Stress." Knowing how to tell stories about how I handle situations in the past and that this will help me in interviews is helpful. It was helpful that they gave a time limit for your stories (between 30-90 seconds) and ideas to develop your stories with. The article dealing with stress was also really helpful. The relaxation tips were really helpful. Also, the part about not panicking when when there is a pause during the interview is helpful. Because during a past interview I had an awkward pause, so now knowing relaxation tips to get back on track during the interview will be helpful for the next time I have one. I feel like this will be helpful when I go for an interview for a "real" job and the "mock" interview. Knowing how to present myself in an professional and confident manner is very important.

The Art of Persuasion

I choose to write about Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech. I love to hear his speeches. Each one is always very powerful. To me, I feel like his entire speech used ethos. He uses many examples of Biblical accounts and examples of events that happened in U.S. history. He establishes himself with his breadth of knowledge. He appealed to logos at the very beginning of his speech. He states that, "something is happening in Memphis, something is happening in our world." This is a logical statement. There is something happening through the civil rights movement. My favorite appeal that he uses in this speech is pathos. An example of this in his speech was when he used the parable of the Good Samaritan. He says, "That's the question before you tonight. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to my job. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?" The question is not, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" The question is, "If I do not stop to help the sanitaiton workers, what will happen to them?" That's the question." This is a powerful statement and is motivating the people of Memphis to action.

This speech by Martin Luther King Jr. is just as persuasive and powerful as his speech called "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Both of these speeches use ethos and logos. But I think that pathos is the most powerful piece of rhetoric that he uses. This speech("I've Been to the Mountaintop") compared to the presentation in class I feel was more persuasive. They talked about using ethos, logos, and pathos but the speech overall is not as persuasive. Overall, Martin Luther King Jr. is a very powerful and persuasive speaker and uses ethos, logos, and pathos very well.

To find Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" go to this website: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm.

10 Years

It's hard to think about but in ten years I will be 30! Wow! Its seems far away but I know it will be here soon enough. In ten years I plan on having graduated from graduate school in speech pathology. I am not sure if I want to work in the school system or the hospital. But either way I would like to work with kids, especially those with special needs. I had a job last summer working at a outpatient rehab with kids and adults. I loved the kids. I enjoyed working with the kids who had autism, down syndrome, and other special needs.
I am not sure if I will still be living in South Carolina or not. I like South Carolina but it might be fun to live in a big city. I like Charleston and Greenville, but I am open right now to going to other places. As for being married, I could be married or I may not be married. If it happens it happens, if it doesn't it doesn't. I am open to whatever may happen in this area.
Also, I would like to have traveled to Europe. I really want to go to Italy, England, Austria, Switzerland, etc. I would love to do this after I graduate from college or graduate school. I think that it would be an awesome experience. Ok, these are things that I would like to have accomplished by the time I am 30!

We are becoming the web

I believe that the title of the video means that the computer is becoming us and that we are becoming the machine/computer. Now a days you can go on the Internet and find basically anything you need to know from around the world. There is even websites that allow you to beocme friends with people you know and don't know online, like myspace and facebook. Web 2.0 affects people entering the working world by giving people ample opportunities to find jobs. Most jobs allow you to apply online. You can even place your resume on Monster.com. This allows for anybody about to go into the workforce to find a job and do research about the job they are interested in getting. People who are already in the workforce have many advantages form Web 2.0. They can easily research anything they need right form their desk. Any and all information is right at your hands with just a click of a button. Many people can even do their jobs online as well as communicate with people over seas in an instant. I think that at the end of the video when it says we will have to rethink everything, it means that the computer has changed our world. Now that it has changed us and is continuing to change us we have to rethink some things. The video mentioned privacy, family, identity, and ethics. These are things that need to be thought about online. Privacy is important because you do not want anyone to be able to get information about you online. You want to have privacy while you are online. Because the Internet has done so much in improving our communication and technology we have to rethink everything that once was normal before the internet.

Introduction

Hi! My name is Catherine and I am from Florence, SC. I am a junior majoring in Health Science with a concentration in Health Promotion and Education. When I graduate, I plan on going to graduate school for Speech Therapy. I worked this past summer at a hospital with speech therapists and I really enjoyed it! So, I look forward to going to graduate school in the not so distant future. Here at Clemson I am involved in a Christian organization called the Navigators. I have been involved since my freshman year and enjoy going to our meetings each week. In my spare time I like to read and watch movies but this rarely happens during my busy semesters. Ok, hope you enjoyed learning a little bit more info about me!