introductory portfolio rough draft-Josh Goetz

The first essay that we wrote in this spring’s 1133 writing class was a text based paper on a topic of interest relevant to Denver, or Colorado as a whole. I chose to write about the current beetle epidemic in the Rocky Mountains. The mountain pine beetle is causing devastating harm to the Majestic Lodgepole Pines. I felt that this topic had validity in the environmental situation in Colorado; there is a growing threat of tragic forest fires because of the increased amount of dead trees. This paper was my first paper of the quarter and I struggled with using my sources to support my own ideas and to establish ethos behind the quotes that I did use. As the quarter progressed I found myself more able to use quotes more effectively.
The intention of this paper is to find whether freshman at the University of Denver use Facebook to keep in touch with friends or as a distraction from their school work. The research I do will hopefully be typical of most freshmen at universities across the United States. I want to see what students think of the influence of Facebook. This is a topic that is relevant in the life of a college student and the world that we live in because we are so absorbed by wireless communities. We are never more than a click away from our emails, Facebook, or Twitter because we are logged in on our phones, laptops, and other forms of technology. The technological advances that have been made are changing the dynamics in the classroom and the distractions that students have to deal with. This generation has to stay focused while these distractions are always present. Since there is no way to escape technology we have to learn to live with it. This qualitative paper was a struggle for me because I had never done anything like it before. In high school I would just write book reports and to actually take my own data and relate it to others and make inferences from my data was a learning experience for me. I found that I achieved a deeper level of understanding of the data representation and improved greatly from my first draft to my last. I found that I was able to quickly transition myself into this type of more scientific writing.
This Google Maps Project was intended to observe and report on Denver’s rhetorical situation. The topic that my group chose to do was to analyze the different purposes and influences that local art has in Denver. There are many examples of public art from graffiti to city sponsored art displays. The Denver Public Art Program was passed in the late 1980s and opened the door for public art in Denver. Any large scale city expansion project is required to spend one percent of their costs on art. This bill has improved the city’s beauty by mandating a focus on art in the development of the city. This bill has led to over 150 public art displays around the metro area. Local art is also expanding into new horizons due to the counter-culture movement. Local artists are being featured in local businesses around the city. This mutualism is growing by blending and expanding industries. Local artists whose art does not fit the style of art galleries or is not meant for the audience that attends art walks would not be given a chance to expand and be influential. The introduction of art into retail businesses allow these artists to get on the map with their productions.
We found that there is a vast range in art around the city so after some concluding we decided to narrow it down to four locations that would summarize the types of art that we were looking to observe. First we examined public art using examples from the Mustang on Pena Boulevard on the way to the Denver International Airport which is generally the first piece of art that any visitor sees upon their arrival at DIA. The second public display of art that we observed was the blue bear that peeks inside of the Colorado Convention Center. The other two sources catered to the other side of local art. We found that there was a connection between local businesses and local artists. We used Division West a store that sells trendy young men’s clothing that also premiers a new local artist every month by using their art to decorate the shop and offers the pieces to their customers. The other location was located downtown which was a high end exotic car dealership named the Motorsports Gallery which sells foreign cars but filled its shop’s walls with art from locals. We analyzed the differences in the types of art that we saw around the city and the different purposes for which they were intended. This project was also something new for me but I felt much more at home while writing than I have in the past. I felt like I was able to relate to the topic and provide useful insight. When gathering research I felt much more attached to this writing and by actually going out into the city I was able to collect a vibe and feel that I successfully explained my reactions to the reader.
Throughout this quarter I feel that my writing improved greatly especially in types of writing that I had not previously experimented with. This class gave me opportunities to expand my realms of writing and to write on topics that I felt were important to the city in which I live. I felt a sense of attachment to the projects that I did because of how they were relative to my place of residence.