Andy Thomas_intro essay

For my First paper, I have been instructed to write an essay on the topic of my choosing using research from sources found through library research and databases. The assignment is entirely text based and seems to model a standard academic essay that I might be required to write for any other class.
For my particular paper, I intend to explore the pros and cons of natural gas drilling in Colorado. I feel as if this is becoming an increasingly important issue to both this state, and the country as a whole. With increased discussion and emphasis on new “green” technologies, I believe that the issue of natural gas will only become more important in the future, and understanding it now is of the utmost importance.
To complete my research for this topic, I intended to heavily use Internet databases and news sources. I planned to use databases to find scholarly works that would help me better understand the logic behind the controversies surrounding this topic, and then use news sources to gain a perspective of what the local people, who are most directly impacted, felt about this issue.
I felt that this essay best resembled other works that I have written. Thus, I feel it is the best indication of the type of writer that I am. I felt that this essay helped me grow in my ability to find quality sources, and it helped me improve my ability to incorporate them into my writing.
The second assignment asked me to conduct qualitative research on a topic of my choosing. It forced me to gain background information on the topic and then conduct original qualitative research involving other students.
For this paper, I plan to explore the pros, cons, and logic behind general education requirements, and how these are perceived by students at DU. I have found that many students are often strongly opposed to general education requirements, despite their nearly universal presents in academics throughout the country. For this reason I wish to explore why, either why there is a possible discrepancy between these two forces.
To do this I wish to conduct several interviews with students, preferably of different backgrounds and opinions on the topic. I wish to ask what their opinions are of the current gen. ed. requirements, how they feel these requirements should be addressed, and whether they understand and agree with the logic behind them.
I wished to address this particular topic because, especially as a first year student, I felt it particularly concerned my peers and myself. I felt it was an issue that many had strong and very varied feelings about, both students as well as administrators.
Qualitative research was not a topic I had ever been asked to do before this assignment. Thus, I felt that I was able to gain a new understanding of how to conduct research. I feel that I was able to incorporate techniques from my earlier project into this one as well as build on my writing skills while including outside research.
My final project was a unique assignment that incorporated Google Maps to complete it. I was asked to choose a topic dealing with something about the city of Denver. Then I had to go into the city and make observations about my topic, then record these and make a “Google map”. This required me to mark where in the city I had made these observations and discuss their significance.
For my Denver area map research project, I wished to examine the local music scene of the city. I feel as if music is an interesting reflection of a culture, and as a new resident to Denver this is something I wished to understand further. Additionally, music is something that I enjoy and the prospect of gaining a greater understanding of Colorado’s local music seemed to be an interesting project.
To conduct our research, my group and I will plan on attending a few local concerts and use our own experiences as evidence. We planed on viewing both local bands as well as other more national bands. We did this so as to determine not only what the city of Denver can produce, but also attract. We attended several concerts of both local and non-local bands, splitting the two about equally.
This final project required me to include most of the research skills I had previously learned or developed throughout the course. It also forced me to explore new interactive research techniques.