Outline of Group Project Presentation

Presentation outline for final group project:

Project: Informative Booklet on Resume, Cover letter and Personal Statement writing.

I. Intro
A. Group member reads an introductory paragraph detailing what a resume, cover letter and personal are.
B. Group member reads supplementary paragraph about importance of said documents and provides brief statistics and information regarding their role in the life of a recent college graduate.
C. Group member introduces the concept of skills focused resumes vs. education focused resumes.
II. Skills focused resume example is presented (major structural and content features highlighted)
III. Education focused resume example is presented (major structural and content features highlighted)
IV. Group member begins explanation of resume formatting and structure
A. Basic details of resume formatting explained (bullets, white space, indention, etc...)
B. Group member explains "do's and don'ts" of resume writing
VI. Group member transitions into Cover letter formatting and structure explanation
A. Explains need to spark reader's interest in further reading

B. Explains how skills and or experience will be of assistance

C. Convincing the reader they need to schedule an interview

D. Do's and Don'ts explained

VII. Group member explains difference between cover letter and personal statement

A. Explains need to show current involvement and interest in field of study

B. Explain need to show skills specific to field of application

C. Do's and Don'ts explained (hopefully in a way that is not repetitive of the cover letter)

VIII-XII: Brief Explanations of each group members' individual area of expertise.

A. Each member gives Introduction to their area's "mindset" and duties

B. Each member gives major-specific resume tips (all the while, trying not to repeat each other)

1. Brief Example from each student (file displayed and remarks made on appearance and content)

C. Each member gives major-specific cover letter (personal statement) tips (again, no repeating)

1. Brief Example from each student (file displayed and remarks made on content and approach)

XIII. Closing statement reiterating the importance of these documents and information guiding the listener to further sources of examples and help if needed.

The War on Drugs

I want to take a moment and share a few ideas concerning what has been called "the war on drugs."

A related article on the same issue can be found here:
http://articles.cnn.com/2007-02-13/us/Dobbs.Feb14_1_drug-overdoses-drug-abuse-illegal-drugs?_s=PM:US

There is a great problem sweeping our nation, and it isn't drugs. It is the removal of our constitutional rights. It is government control of our personal habits and behaviors. It is the government's treatment of sick people as if they are criminals. It is the overpopulation of our prisons with non-violent drug offenders.

The fact that someone can go free after being incarcerated less than a decade (in many instances) for committing such crimes as rape, molestation, and yet people who smoke marijuana can potentially go to prison for life is simply absurd, but it is true none the less. Like I said, our nation's prisons are being filled beyond capacity with people selling illegal produce. The war on alcohol during the prohibition days was obviously counterproductive and cost many lives. These days no one would ever say that prohibition was a good thing, and we exalt the individual's right to chose whether or not to drink. We do the same for smoking cigarettes. Studies show that the nicotine in cigarettes is more addictive than cocaine and heroin and they also show it definitely causes cancer. This being the case, it is still up to the individual to chose whether or not to smoke. The principle of the fact is this, you can't go half way on an issue (freedom of expression) and bock out the other half based on ideals and an unrealistic desire to keep the people safe.

I believe that the federal government should not dictate a persons behavior or habits as long as they do not injure or defame others. That being the case, I do not believe that substances such as marijuana and heroin should be illegal. I believe that it is up to the states to provide control over these issues for the protection of children and impose other legislation as they deem fit. I know that it is controversial for me to say these things and let me assure you; I know people who are addicted to drugs and are losing a battle of their own. Do I want them to go out and legally indulge their problem to a lethal degree? By all means no! Under our current system, these people are treated as criminals when they should be treated as sick citizens who need urgent medical assistance. If drugs are made legal, you aren't going to instantly want to do them. The government is not protecting anyone with these laws and it has been proven time and again that these laws instigate the usage of drugs. Ultimately it is up to the state to set laws that protect children from making unwitting mistakes, and it is up to PARENTS to raise their children as responsible citizens who make wise decisions.

The war on drugs has caused far more casualties than the war on alcohol and some say it is leaving a greater trail than the war on terror. Violent drug related crimes are directly related to drug lords seeking more money because of greater demand and higher price due to stricter legislation. The drug lords and drug dealers are hoping that these substances are NEVER made legal because it would mean and end to their power.

Prostitution is another thing that falls into this category. I think prostitution should be legal when it involves two adults consenting to the act and dealing with the consequences. Does this make me a "prostitution supporter"? No!  Prostitution is wrong in my estimation and I will preach against it at any opportunity, but I cannot tell someone what to do and what not to do, and according to the constitution - neither can the government. It is also a point worthy of noting that the war on drugs and the criminalization of individuals in need of help has driven many of these women to prostitution. I would argue that prostitution is a major byproduct of the war on drugs (not just drugs themselves).

I am not a "pro-drugs" person either. I am a citizen who wants the constitution to be upheld. I want to see a government controlling and curtailing violent acts of humans on other humans and animals. I want to see a smaller government who steps out of people's personal lives and choices and gives them true freedom.

ANALYSIS OF RHETORICAL SITUATION:

timeliness: I think this topic is very timely as the next presidential election is approaching. It is important that people begin thinking constitutionally and stop thinking idealistically in terms of the laws that our government should uphold. I am sure that anyone who is interested in the upcoming race will know who I am voting for, and I hope this sheds a bit of light on the subject (hack and slash as it were).

Context: The context of this topic is obviously in the realm of politics. An article such as this (a more polished version, I'm sure) might appear in some periodical such as Time magazine or a news paper or even on TV. I have seen this topic infiltrating all sorts of media and spanning different contexts: from video games to religious doctrine.

Audience: I would expect the audience of such an editorial to be those types of people looking for a fresh slate in terms of the upcoming elections. This being the case, this topic is not a moot on at all. Like I said in the editorial itself, the war on drugs extends out into the war on terrorism, violence, and prostitution. Excessive government control is the core issue and I think even those who are not "politically minded" could find a place in this discussion.

Intention: My intention with this article initially is to offend. The freedom of speech and expression is just that, I have the write to believe and practice things that maybe different from what you believe to be best, but we cannot control each other unless something violent is occurring. To be honest, however, my goal is for people to get over their preconceived notions of right and wrong and stop and think about what the government's role in our lives is.

Progress report: Group Writing

Intro:
The document my group is assembling is an informative handbook.  The purpose of this handbook is to aid future students in creating an effective cover letter and resume. So far, my group and I have spent the last couple of weeks gathering ideas and working on a formal proposal for the project.

Facts and Discussion:
The amount of work that has actually been done so far is pretty small. What I mean is, the amount of actual progress toward a completed document. Right now, the group is still in the planning phase. Like I said, we are collaboratively working on our proposal. This has been effective in getting everyone on the same page as far as what we should expect of the document as a group and not individuals. The next phase is the core format of the document (handbook) itself. Our initial idea was to provide a useful tool for students, giving them practical advice through every step of the resume/cover letter writing process. To do this, we are taking advantage of the fact that everyone in our group is of a different major. Every one of us has a different rhetorical situation that is shaping what we write. We want to address each of these different contexts, but we have to do it in a systematic way. My main concern was that the document will seem too different between categories. Because of this, my goal is to work on a format for each section. There are critical points that are common to all majors when writing professional documents (or "when facing their rhetorical situation"). I want each section to address the same points, but from the different angles of the specific major. This will ensure continuity and symmetry in the writing.

Conclusions:
Apart from these things, I feel like we are well on our way to producing a worthy document. I keep reminding myself that planning and patience is more important than just throwing out a document that will later need to be greatly amended. I am fortunate enough to be a part of a group of individuals who are good communicators and good students. This eases a lot of my stress as well.

Recommendations:
The next big step after finishing the proposal is writing. While it may feel like there is a lot of time to get things done, I will recommend one thing: do a little every day. If we can write a couple of sentences each day towards our section of the booklet, it will only take about a week to get each section done. Then, the group can work on the important introduction and conclusion sections together. My main goal is for the writing to be done with a couple of weeks to spare. I want the last 2 weeks to be spent on the appearance of the document. Having the writing completed beforehand will ease much of the stress, and finding a middle ground in terms of design will be much easier. Also, I believe that we should arrange our work schedule in such a way that we have most of our writing completed before any of the "final exam" stress starts kicking in for those of us who have other classes.