Hello everyone.
My
name is Daniel Calabretta. I am a second year professional writing major and
political science minor. I am looking to get into the periodical stream come
next year with the prospects of getting into a career in journalism. I am
currently writing for Excalibur in the News Department and looking to start up
a blog of my own very soon.
What do
you want to learn about research?
I would like to
know what categorizes as good research versus mediocre research, and how to
represent both or all sides of a debate without giving unnecessary credibility
to the uninformed and misguided side. I would also want to know what is the most effective and
productive way to conduct research and to ensure that all credible sources are
supported by factual evidence and/or have been peer reviewed.
What
subjects/fields/disciplines are you interested in studying?
The subjects
that I am interested in exploring are sports, politics, and science. For sports
related topics, I would examine the controversial issues such as player
burnout, concussions, the use of performance enhancing substances and, lastly,
why we glorify athletes but ignore them when they are injured or when their
careers have ended. For topics related to politics, I am interested in
discussions about the allocation of funding from every level of the government
for projects that may go against their party platform, but which is still
necessary for democracy to be carried out or to achieve societal objectives. I
am also intrigued by the manner in which politics plays a role in the decision
of allowing particular advertising to be aired or posted on billboards and
buses as well as the extent of the government’s responsibility for the safety
of the population and how much privacy they are allowed to interfere with or
have intercepted. For science-related topics, I would be interested in
exploring the reasons as to why science-education and promotion have taken a
back-seat to business, sports and entertainment when technology, which all
these fields rely on, is created through science. Why is there not more
recognition and appreciation of scientists in Canada? What have the results of
a school system been that predominantly emphasizes language and the arts, but
not scientific knowledge? How can governments threaten scientists with losing
their funding just because their research shows flaws or oversights that need
to be addressed but which may not be politically attractive to those who are
governing?
Have
you ever used information management software like RefWorks or Zotero?
No, I have not
used information management software such as RefWorks or Zotero. I have used
traditional on-line search engine vehicles available in databases such as
JStor, Ebsco, and ProQuest. These databases serve as instrumental and highly
useful resources for academic papers.
Everyone has research experience. Reflect on some of the
information you seek for school, work, a hobby, or in social contexts.
I research all
the time. From the mundane searches, such as researching directions from Google
maps, to a restaurant, theater event, or buying vacations online, I have also
used research to explore new hobbies, how to play specific chords of a song,
set-up instructional videos, cooking, and troubleshooting for my computer.
Do you
have any experience with radio or podcasting? Are you feeling intimidated by
and/or excited about the task of creating a short podcast episode?
While I do not
have experience with radio or podcasting, I am concerned about how to maintain
my tone and heighten the interest of the listener for the duration of the
podcast. I am going to listen to different podcasts to learn how to present the
content in a way that covers a wide-range of topics but that does not confuse
the reader.
Review
the list of podcast shows and topics. Which podcast shows and topics are you
considering for the course project? Explain why.
There
are two podcasts on the list that I find compelling. I will be looking to
emulate one of the two. On the Media as
well as Freakonomics are the ones I
have narrowed it down to:
On
the media- This
particular podcast really intrigues me as the media has such a significant
influence in our lives. Moreover, also
knowing how people’s views and political beliefs are portrayed in the media is
quite appealing. As an individual who is looking to pursue a career in
journalism, I find this podcast interesting as it discusses the ethics of
journalism and what is and is not fair.
Freakonimics- I am extremely interested in the
economics of life from the perspective of individual decisions to group
decisions made by societies or governments. This podcast is engaging as it
activates the skeptic in all of us and allows the individual to critically
analyze controversial topics relating to a vast array of topics.
