PARTY IN THE U.S.A.

            Gary Althen in his chapter “American Values and Assumptions” highlights American values and how they differ from those of other countries. I have lived in America my entire life, only travelling out of the country once, and I found that all the values Althen highlighted were apparent in American society, to a certain extent. No matter what, these American values established with the birth of this nation have persevered, despite wars, protests, and changes throughout the country.             One American value Althen touched upon, time, seemed to be speaking to me directly. As a freshman at San Diego State University I am majoring in Hospitality with an emphasis in Meetings and Events. With this degree I hope to plan events, particularly weddings. Many people ask how I stumbled upon this choice for degree, because it is so specific and uncommon. Honestly, my answe...

            In Barack Obama’s speech “A More Perfect Union” he addresses the rumors that have dispersed about him during the 2008 presidential election. Obama was accused of various things throughout the election, unfortunately having to address them to reestablish himself as a candidate. In this speech, Obama responds to American concerns with strategies that allow him to relate to his audience and restore his trustworthiness as a political candidate.             Despite being accused of having a foreign country as origin, looking different, and being Muslim, Obama cordially addresses the American public, referring to himself and Americans as “we”. Grouping himself along with his accusers allowed Obama to convey the idea that he was no different than ordinary Americans. He proposes a solution for questioning Americans, stating that “we cannot solve the challenges of our tim...

In Teresa Thonney’s article “Teaching the Conventions of Academic Discourse” she generalizes ways to approach academic writing, suggesting professors use these conventions to teach their classes. Conveniently, Thonney incorporated six suggestions early on in her article, making it easy to read. By structuring the article and separating it into sections with subheadings, it allowed her article to flow easily, something we can all appreciate. Although students are not the main audience, I found her suggestions to teachers helpful in my own writing.             Thonney’s first convention, “Academic Writers Respond to What Others Have Written about Their Topic”, is something I often did in my RWS 100 class. Throughout the semester we were asked to respond to other texts, evaluate their arguments, and provide evidence as to why it was weak or strong. I was constantly referring to other authors, addressing important topics, and elabora...