Muray_In-class Portfolio Draft

Dear Reader,

The purpose behind my Google map was to delineate the marijuana culture in Denver, Colorado. With two other University of Denver classmates, we pinpointed various locations that reflect the marijuana culture. Our locations are diverse, ranging from dispensaries to convention centers. My personal hope for this project was to discuss the relationship between the legalization of medical marijuana in Denver and the city’s already “laid-back” atmosphere. Colorado is a state famous for it’s liberal and progressive thinking and citizens. I wanted to reflect on how this new American movement of medical marijuana legalization has infiltrated and influenced the culture of this Colorado city.The research, which was conducted via interviews and observations, wasn’t too difficult to conduct. However, it required a lot of time, because we traveled to various parts of Denver. Not only was it a good experience to witness many different parts of Denver where marijuana is present, but it also provided a great opportunity to explore Denver.Living in a city that permits medical marijuana is rare in the United States. I find it interesting to see if this legalization can change the culture of the city or not. Our research was to attempt to notice some cultural changes made by the legalization of marijuana. Overall, I find our Google map to be an effective and correct illustration of Denver’s marijuana culture.

Kelley Murray

Dear Reader,

This essay delineates research gathered through a qualitative study I conducted concerning the purpose and validity of the University of Denver’s greek system. The research was gathered via an anonymous survey conducted on 50 DU under-graduate students. The survey asked various questions about greek life, student activity, and greek participation. The survey’s results were used as the main source for my paper, and supported my investigation and analysis if whether campus greek life is an imperative, positive, and/or negative aspect of the University of Denver’s social community. I also used outside research, which can be found throughout the review of literature in my essay, to gain a better understanding of the silence influence and presence greek life plays on a college campus.

The topic of greek life at the University of Denver is one that interests me for various reasons. Firstly, I am an active member in Denver’s Greek life community, and would like to gain another perspective on DU’s Greek life. As a member, I feel that Denver’s greek community is “unique” compared to other universities in being less selective/exclusive. I am in interested in knowing if students feel as if the greek life is a vital being of the University of Denver’s campus life, if it does serve a purpose, and if it is just not for four years, or for life, but for something more.

-Kelley Murray

Dear Reader,

This is a research text-based paper that discusses the controversy of art censorship in Colorado. I conducted my research by reading various scholarly texts. I found this topic important, because censorship can be very destructive to a healthy society and culture. I was very interested in learning about the current issue of censorship in the Denver community.In my WRIT 1133 course, I learned various ways to analyze and effectively write an academic paper. The course better informed me on how to appropriately identify and assess an argument through various mediums of research. I never have considered myself to be a “strong” writer. However, with the aid of WRIT 1133 I fee like I have developed into a more confident writer.