This course focused heavily on research, from our first assignment to our final magazine project. In the beginning of this semester, we researched multiple social justice issues in order to find our main focus. When we started the semester, I knew that I wanted to focus my social justice issue around water conservation. For two years, I have been advocating alongside the non-profit organization Friends of Great Salt Lake for the conservation of our state water supply.

 

This group’s main focus and outreach is based solely on environmental education. As a staff member, I helped this group advocate for the preservation of Great Salt Lake by guiding fourth grade students through the ecosystems surrounding Great Salt Lake. Throughout my career with this advocacy group, I became gravely aware of the ways consequences that human negligence has on ecosystems surrounding the lake, humanity, the environment and climate, and our very own water supply. The more I learned about the pressing issues affecting our water and the detrimental impact that our own ignorance of the situation could cause, I knew that my purpose was to spread awareness and to help brainstorm and propose solutions to combat these issues.

I began this semester thinking that I wanted to focus my social justice issue around the impact of industrial agriculture on water, as I had recently been “schooled” on the impact that this industry has. However, as I began my research on water conservation, I found another issue that was posing an immediate threat to our nation’s water supply: The construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. I decided to shift my focus to the protests, impacts, law and treaty violations, and construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline because I realized that the media was “blacking out” important information regarding this issue. I wanted to be able to use the work and research I was doing in class to inform my peers about the devastating impact that this pipeline would have to the water supply of over 18 million people. I wanted to provide credible evidence about what was happening at Standing Rock, and inform my peers about ways to help the protesters combat the pipeline. The best part about me choosing this path, is that I achieved my goal! Several of my friends who are business owners and musicians conducted benefit shows and fundraisers to raise awareness and money for the opposition of this pipeline, including the band Hot Vodka, Max Pain and the Groovies, and local tattoo shop Heart of Gold.

 

 

I chose specific genres for each of my projects so that I could tie them together in my final project. Each piece I wrote this semester was written to link together. I chose to write a memoir over my personal fear about the rapid depletion of our water supply, in hopes to enlighten my audience that our water supply is not something that is everlasting. I chose a profile to create a beacon for those who have become informed about the issue and want to know who to support and follow when it comes to water conservation advocacy. I chose to create an informative article to highlight the specifics of the situation. Finally, I chose a position to inform my peers that the media coverage about this issue was untrustworthy and to encourage them to conduct their own elaborate research.

 

For each of these projects, I chose a variety of styles to convey my message. My memoir focused on pathos. I wanted my audience to understand the fear, anger, and sadness I am filled with because of our own human negligence. I wanted my audience to absorb each of these emotions and relate to these emotions themselves. My profile project, information effect, and persuasion effect were designed to showcase ethos and logos. I wanted my audience to understand what was going on and showcase the disturbing moral compass of not only the oil companies but also the media displayed in this particular situation. My biggest adaptation was my Information Effect. The piece itself was strong, detailed, and heavily researched, however, the organization of the piece was lacking. I decided to reform the entire piece into an organized web page that would easily highlight and showcase pertinent information in a thoughtful, interesting, and well-organized manner. This revision allowed me to go back and site sources appropriately and add information in areas that could use reinforcement. My profile and persuasion pieces I kept in the same mediums and revised only slightly. I thought that these pieces were both sound enough to use for my final project. If I had more time, I would have like to translate my profile a bit more. I created my profile on Windows Movie Maker, and I was limited with the graphics and transitions. I would like to go back and redo that particular piece to make it a bit more aesthetically pleasing. My persuasion piece was probably my favorite piece I completed throughout the semester. I took a satirical approach to this piece. This was my first attempt at satire, and those who I shared the piece with seemed to really enjoy it, while also learning new information about the DAPL. Overall, I think my persuasion piece was the most rhetorically sound piece included in my final project.

 

When it came down to revise and design our magazine project as a collaborative effort, I learned a lot. I learned that communication is key, and that designation of responsibilities is extremely important. I think our group would have benefited from better communication and in-person meetings. We predominately communicated via text, our discussion board, and through Canvas Inbox. I think that an in-person meeting would have helped us to designate responsibilities and communicate more effectively. I also had to come to the realization that some people put more effort into writing that others. I learned that writing is a skill that is refined over time, similar to drawing or painting. Some people wish to hone the craft, and some do not. When our magazine went up, and we were about to turn it in, I noticed that most of the revisions/grammar/spelling corrections I suggested and made were not included when my team members posted their work to their pages. As the Lead Writer, this threw me into a panic. I scrambled to correct spelling and grammar at the last minute. Had our group had better communication, we could have gotten our final pieces posted sooner, and the last few hours of the project would have been much less hectic for me, personally.  As I was tying up loose ends in the final hours before publishing our web page, I was frustrated that I was the Lead Writer, and that I was the person that had to take on the responsibility of other group members’ negligence. However, now that the project is polished and posted, I’m glad I was the Lead Writer. I don’t know if anyone else in my group would have taken the responsibility or had the proper skill to read through each piece carefully to ensure that they were free of grammatical error, and identify ways that the pieces could read and flow nicely.