Reflection: Remediation Assignment
On Part 1
As I started to approach the remediated piece, I first did some research on Greek life and other people’s perspectives and considerations. An article from US News Education considered cost, alcohol use, limitations, stereotypes, connections, events, and a sense of belonging. It was helpful to see how other people in the Greek system view the benefits and drawbacks of joining the Greek community before I wrote my own critique. I was very concerned about being “fair” to all sides and not offensive, but critical.
In the first draft, I didn’t deviate far from the original essay that the re-purposed piece was supposed to be modeled on. I tried to add the Greek life argument, instead of rewriting something with the original content in mind. Consequently, the second draft began as a blank page. My professor, Ray McDaniel, helped me elaborate on my topic and discover what my true argument was, as well as pinpoint how to best convey it. It was the idea of disassociation (and that word specifically) that really allowed me to drastically change my original draft. He also suggested the metaphor of Greek life as a machine. What were the parts? What were the inputs? If members are the inputs, they aren’t what’s broken. The machine itself is broken or the parts are wearing out.
I also needed more background on the history of Greek life. I had some information about my own chapter from meetings and initiation, but not enough to make sweeping generalizations about when Greek life originated and why. I thought that was useful for my argument because the Greek system has certainly evolved in past 150 years in meaningful ways that affect its members. Websites confirmed what I had already known about the approximate dates and purposes of Greek life.
In preparing for the final draft, I sent the piece to my “Greek” parents to get a feel for an audience’s reaction. My dad told me about his experience in Greek Life in the 1960s at U of M and detailed where the community placed emphasis and how the social scene differed from my account. He also reminded me that not ever fraternity and sorority would cause a dissociation. He really pushed me to develop a clearer vision for what I wanted to see come of Greek Life, so I added that to the conclusion.
This assignment really challenged me to construct an argument that was entirely my own. I’m glad I chose something controversial because it forced me to analyze the issues from multiple perspectives, keeping my audience and purpose in mind. I also enjoyed how, as a college student in the Greek system, I could find examples of my argument in my day-to-day life. This is definitely one of the most thought-provoking assignments I’ve tackled.
On Part 2
The piece required me to use new media to tell the story I had written in my repurposed work on Greek life. I greatly enjoy working with video software like iMovie and Final Cut Pro, but ultimately decided to create a podcast. I had done a lot of video editing, but never attempted a podcast, so I knew I’d learn something completely new.
One of the biggest challenges in creating this piece was deciding on the tone and style for the podcast itself. I wanted it to sound professional and appeal to a vast audience, so I modeled the podcast after National Public Radio (NPR). Their radio hosts are calm, speak clearly, and are rarely accusatory when they ask questions. I wanted the interviewer to challenge the subject without sounding like a political interrogation. I also felt that NPR covered a wide range of subjects that attract a wide audience base. By calling my podcast “American Culture,” the name sounded appealing to Americans in general. A conversation about Greek life is something that could be discussed realistically on an NPR show, so I felt confident in my decision to use a lot of their stylistic choices.
The CBS news program "60 Minutes" influenced the length and structure of the interview. I’ve watched shows like "60 Minutes" and ABC New’s "20/20" growing up and admired how the interviewers could learn so much about a topic in a short period of time, usually twenty minutes. Therefore, in designing my own questions in the drafting process, I kept these news programs in mind. How could my questions reveal a a lot of information and move the story forward in about twenty minutes? I wanted the podcast to still have a narrative and be easy for the listener to follow. To make it realistic, I allowed the interviewer to question the subject and ask her for clarification on certain ideas.
Overall, I’m pleased with my eighteen minute episode of “American Culture.” I learned how to use Apple’s Garageband software to adjust sound levels and add music. I also created a Sound Hound account to easily import my podcast to my website.