Week 1 Thlogg

In class right now we are learning the conventions of genres. As a class it seems that few students understood what it truly meant to break down the conventions of a genre, leading to all of us learning just how specific on can get when they look within something that is classified as a genre. As Zach said, its like the Russian dolls we see as a kid, more specific genres fit within larger more general genres, but it is the very specific genres, aka the tiny Russian dolls, that we are trying to hone in on and learn to write about. This gets very difficult to do, especially when we are asked well what does that really mean what are you getting at in reference to something we tried to sum up generically. This week we have been pushed more and more to become specific with the things we are calling conventions within genres. It isn’t enough to say weapons, but rather we need to say a specific type of weapon. As seen in response 1 of our in class work, it wasn't enough to say drama was a convention, something more specific like interpersonal conflict was what was wanted instead. We also learned about two different kinds of thinking and when they are to be used or rather when we unconsciously use them. the first is called first order thinking, which in my own words is more of a stream of consciousness that doesn't always have a structure. This is commonly used when speaking with fiends and writing rough drafts. The second kind of thinking we use is called secondary thinking. This is used in a formal setting when trying to use precise language. This type of thinking is known to be used with critical thinking such as with editing essays and always has a formal structure.

About Me

My name is Kayla Smith and I'm a sophomore at UCSB. I'm a full time environmental science major, work for Starbucks 20-30 hours a week, and do an internship with an organization called Your Children's Trees. At this internship we plant trees every Saturday morning on UCSB's Coal Oil Point reserve and go to science nights at local elementary schools to teach children about trees. The environment is my passion and I plan to have a career in which I impact international environmental policy with the United Nations Environmental Program. This love for the environment can be seen in many aspects of my life, more recently my trip to Ecuador where I did reforestation in Bahia de Caraquez and San Clemente over spring break. I'm always trying to find more reasons to be outside, and therefore have grown to love hobbies such as hiking, surfing, swimming, and long distance running as well as doing oil paintings of the environment, more specifically sunsets. I find nature to be the most beautiful and love to depict it in my art. In my life my main goal is to help the environment recover and set up methods that will continue to improve its health and protect it long after I am gone. I am also a very family oriented person and make sure that no matter what is going in my work or school life that I am there if needed. Family, work, school, and my passion for the environment are key components to who I am.