I have learned so much throughout this course. After I completed my final portfolio I saw that I learned how to write in various ways. I learned how to write about myself and how to evaulate my morals. I really enjoyed learning how to do service learning. This was the my favorite assignment because I got the chance to connect with new people. I also enjoyed learning how to do an elevator speech. I know a speech like this will come up some time in my life and I will know how to do it. There is one thing that I could have done differenlty. For instance, I could have used my time more wisely. I believe if this was done then I could have done better on some of my work. There is not a lot that I would change because mostly everything went well throughout this course. I would keep my writing style the same if I had to do it all over again. I made sure that all my work was turned in on time which is important. I really liked peer reviewing others work. I did learn that proofreading and revising work can really be effective. Also, I learned that taking the advice from my peers can be really helpful. Finally, I learned that I can learn through an online course. I learned that I can teach myself how to learn. I feel like I have accomplished something major by completing this online class. This is because I am a person that has always had to be sitting in a classroom learning my demonstration or by listening. I am glad that I made it to the end.
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Courtney Watkins
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Courtney Watkins
Since I am rapping up my final portfolio it is a good decision for me to start doing some serious revision to my portfolio. Like Professor said, it does not take long to revise your work and it is really worth it to do so. I actually already started proofreading my work and I found some few minor mistakes. Also, before I even started to revise my work I read the reviews from my peers again and they were really helpful. The poem, “The Impotence of Proofreading” was very entertaining. I really liked how he changed the words about english into funny wordingd that would make everyone laugh. I think he is very creative for making something like that. I actually watched the video more than twice and everytime I watched it I was thinking about our professor. I think it is even more funny that our professor chose this video for us to watch. This just brings back memories about all the interesting videos I have seen in the past lessons for this course. The important part was that I got the message he wanted to get across which is there is no prostitute for carefully editing your own work. I must say that I am glad that I have gotten this far in this course. I have came very in this course and learned so much. I have not yet finishsed fully editing my writing for my final portfolio. After doing some editing already I know that it is important because otherwise, I will senseless mistakes which could really have an impact on my grade. Farewell, to you all.
McGuire, Michael. “Final Editing Strategies.” learning.writing101. learning.writing101, 2012 . Web. 3 May. 2012. -
Courtney Watkins
The presentation “What is Style” was really informative. It gave me a lot of ideas and advice for my future revisions and writing. I have always wanted to be able to write in a way where my writing can be viewed as creative, down-to-earth and intellectual also. I learned that creative writing can be done by using style which attracts the audience or keeps the reader tuned in. I was able to understand the difference between show and tell after reading Ernest Hemingway’s piece and then the one you wrote. I have a clear understanding of how to write and tell an audience what’s going on and also, how to show what’s going on with descriptive wording. I also realize that I can learn new writing techniques by observing the way others write. For example, I read Tim O’Brian wrote and it was very smooth. Learning to write creatively is a good way to improve skills. It is also a good way to connect with people. After reviewing all of the examples of selections written from other authors I have learned how to write descriptively. I know that it is important to be able to give reader a vison of what I have written. After listening to this presentation I had some new ideas that I can use when I revise the work I have done. I know there is a lot of improvement that needs to be done.Just as I have done with all the other readings and listening selections, I will take what I have learned her and use it to develop my writing skills.
McGuire, Michael. “Writing Style what is it?.” learning.writing101. writing101, 2012. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. -
Courtney Watkins
The reading Selections from Languages Matters was very interesting, knowledgeable and contriving. It liked how the passage opened up referring to Romeo and Juliet because I think that play really demonstrates and has a lot to do with writing. I never really thought deeply about the meanings behind certain names. Unless the name was a culture that has a definition, I did not think names really had a significant meaning behind them. I do agree with some points that were made in this article. The author stated that without words people would not be able to form categories. I believe this is true because there would be no way to classify everyone as an individual or as a group. For instance, an African American has terms such as black and African to classify their race. If all words were nonexistent there would not be a way to define anyone. Words do have meanings behind them. I wanted to do the small exercise that was asked of readers in the passage, so I did. I am an African American, female, model, and patient. I made a list if terms that describe and stated whether they were derogatory, neutral, or positive. I soon realized how significant descriptions are. I never really realized that there were some words that can be offensive to people when you describe their character. Overall, this was a very good reading. I learned a lot from this passage and I will be able to use what I have learned throughout the rest of this course and also throughout my lifetime.
“What we call ourselves and others: Names, Solidarity, and Stereotypes.” Bauer, Laurie, James Holmes and Paul Warren. Language Matters. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. 293-307 PDF -
Courtney Watkins
I uploaded my paper and for some reason the font begins to get really small. I do not know how to fix this I have tried multiple times ?
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Courtney Watkins
Can anyone please explain to me how to cite a source in MLA format from interviewing person. Also, are we supposed to have sources from books or anything else. Like what is the research that professor is asking for? Is it just research from the people we choose to interview? This is for our upcoming project due on April 16th.
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Courtney Watkins
I chose to take a stroll in my neighborhood to find a picture. Since I do not have access to a camera, I knew that I would have to view in on a specific area when I discovered one. I actually had a good idea of what area I wanted to describe. A pear tree is down the block from my home and I absolutely love it. This tree sits right in front of someone’s home. I was not sure if there was going to be any pears on the tree because of the weather changes. Today was a nice day to take a walk so I did. As I was walking up to the pear tree, I saw a few pears hanging down from stems. This tree has so much definition to it. It is not really a tall tree. One can actually walk past and there head will be touching the leaves if they are about 5’6 or above. It is kind of wind but not too big. There are plentiful amounts of leaves on the tree; therefore, one can describe it as being a full tree. What makes this tree significant is that it has a variety of colors. I actually decided to stand in the street and look at it. From this angle, I can see many purple leaves. Looking at the bigger picture, I see a medium sized red house in the background of the tree. There is an American flag on the left side of the house closer to the garage. One would have to stand in the street, closer to the curb, and right in front of the tree to view this picture. If you were to crop this picture, what would stand is an ambush of leaves with a few pears hanging from purple leaves. Overall, this picture symbolizes a typical neighborhood home that has a unique pear tree in front of it. This picture shows the true beauty of nature.
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Alex Jellema
Your paragraph really gave a great, detailed description of the pear tree. It was really easy for me to imagine what it looked like.
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Courtney Watkins
The dialogue of Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor was very interesting to me. Before I looked up the word interdependence, I did my best to try to define it myself. I figured it meant being interactive with others to gain dependence. After researching the definition, I soon figured out that I was close in my guessing. The word means the quality or condition of being interdependent, or mutually reliant on each other. The title of this dialogue and its meaning really does reflect on this selection. I really did enjoy reading this because even though it was a personal conversation between two people, there was a message in it delivered to all. Often times, we overlook the things in life that may not have much effect on us but has much effect to others. Reading Sunaura Taylor break down the aspects of what it means to walk, I had a very different outlook on walking. Butler and Taylor really did a very good job at looking deep into life situations. I also got a chance to understand the situations that disable people go through. S. Taylor spoke about some challenges that she faces and the embarrassing moments she has. I have a disable great grandmother who is blind in one eye and cannot walk, so she relies on her wheel chair. I also have a disable grandfather who relies on his walker as well. I always knew that life can be hard for them sometimes but I never really thought about the rough daily situations they may face. After reading this article, I really got the opportunity to understand how life can be for disable people. Now when I see people with disabilities I will try to be a helpful hand to them without making them feel uncomfortable.
Taylor, Astra “Interdependence” Judith Butler with Sunaura Taylor 186-213 -
Courtney Watkins
I really enjoyed reading this article. It was very informative and I actually learned a lot from it. The main discussion of this article was about the cycle of socialization. There was a lot of valid information given and it actually gave me a chance to enlighten myself. I learned that our social identity profile shapes our socialization. My favorite part of the reading was the chart that was incorporated in the selection. The chart really broke down the cycle of life. From the top to the bottom, I really related to the chart. The result of the chart really made me think about life. They had to arrows asking people to choose which route they are going to take. Of course no one wants to settle for the “do nothing” section so there was the section that directed people to make a change. The end of the chapter was an interesting part to read. This section was called “Direction for Change”. There was lot or terminology that I did not understand but somehow it all made sense to me. It basically explained how as humans, we can change the world, “The Cycle of Liberation. The purpose of this selection was to inform people about who we are and the way our life works. Also, the purpose was to let people know that we are stuck in a systematic training that should be changed. After reading this article it did make me think twice about the way the world is.
Bobbie. “The Cycle of Socialization.” 15-21. Medium. Mar. 21 2012., Harro -
Courtney Watkins
I really enjoyed watching the video of Sister Helen. The first thing that caught my attention was that it looked as if she was in the ghetto. My first impression of Sister Helen as that she was very down to earth. After I learned that her husband and her sons died and she open her house to people that were in need of help, I became very interested in her. I think it’s nice of her to open home to these male addicts that are trying to recover. I love how she talks to people. I like how she knows she has to be hard on people to get them to progress. I like how Sister Helen states that what she’s doing is not a drug treatment but it’s a clean safe environment. Everyone around her seemed to be very comfortable with her methods. I liked how she prays with these people because it shows that they all believe in a higher power. Also, it shows that these people are really trying to do better. As the video went on I really got to see how straight forward Sister Helen really is. One of her clients name was Ashish and she was very hard on him. I believe this is because she didn’t want him to fail. She believed in him and it would have hurt her more if failed. In the video Sister Helen as well as her clients tells stories about their life. They are really honest with themselves and others. I feel that when I write I should be honest with my writings and tell some stories about myself to get readers attentions. She’s actually humorous to me because of the way she talks to people. From the statements Sister Helen says, she is using her house as a second chance in her life. I believe she is taking this chance and doing a very good job with it.
Film by Rob Fruchtman and Rebecca Cammisa “Sister Helen” Copyright © 2012 Hulu. All rights reserved -
Courtney Watkins
Chapter two of why the white rice was basically giving information on the college writing styles ad techniques. The chapter really focused on explaining that it is good to take risks and reach out when writing. I learned that when writing it is okay to reveal something personal about myself. A lot of the times I seem to be unsure about what I am writing about. Therefore, I should begin to speak with confidence and conviction as mentioned in this chapter. The section that was most beneficial to me was section 2.6.6 “the work of authority and finding the right balance”. This is because when I write I often loose focus on what I am writing about or I get lost within the points I try to make. I believe that is because I need to work on the structure of my writing as well as finding a balance in my work. The tips given in this chapter really helped me. I understand now that ownership can give m writings stability. This means that if I start to take control of my writing and giving personal information can give my work more stability. I also, learned that free-writing is a major part of the beginning of writing a paper. I always seem to get stuck when I free-write but with the help of this section of chapter two I learned that there are techniques to free-writing that can help me become better at it. I really like how there was a full image example of a mind map provided. This gave me an idea of how to create one of my own. Overall, this was a very good chapter that provides good information on how to become a better writer.
McGuire, Michael. “Chapter 2.” Why White Rice? Thinking Through Writing. Kendall Hunt Pub, 2010.30.Print -
Courtney Watkins
Professor McGuire, I’m not sure if the assingment was to be posted the way we normally do. I submitted it as ready for review. Is that the correct way and is that our blog cite you are referring to ?
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Prof McGuire
Are you talking about the Letter to the Editor? If so, yes. It should have been posted as usual as “ready for review” on your course blog. After peer review this week, you can send it to the paper.
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Courtney Watkins
This week I decided to do my journal on a book that I’ve been reading that is associated with the research I used on my service/ activist guide. My service/ activist guide was on the controversial issue of homosexuals in our country.This first chapter I read really focused on informing readers of the study of homosexuality. The book states that homosexuality has been heavily and well-documented over this previous century. Studies have reconstructed homosexuality and been made to be viewed more as a positive lifstyle. The book explained that two perspectives have been developed to explain the impact of gay liberation. The first of the two states that gay liberation was the ultimate result of several centuries of reform movements campaigning for equality for sexual minorities. The second theory of gay liberation says that, like all sexual liberation, it was formed by men for men and it is about men and male desire. The chapter then goes on to explain how these two perspectives often critize each other. What I liked about this chapter is that the author that is speaking on his knowledge is not taking sides nor judging the issue at hand. The author explains some possible issues that detour people from supporting gay rights. For example, the fact that AIDS are occurring rapidly within the homosexuals turns some people away from gays. Even though, I am a supporter of gay right and I do not judge homosexuals at all, I still believe that it is important that the author mentioned the issues of AIDS and other things that may be the barrier standing between the non-supporters of gays. I think it is important for the homosexuals to recognize the possible reasons of why they aren’t being accepted. This chapter also explains the orgins of homosexuality. I belive this information is very essential so people can understand where homosexuals come from and why they feel the way they feel. In my opinion, I believe that everyone is equal and nobody should be judged by the color of their skin, the content of their character, or their personal beliefs.
Edwards,Tim. Erotics & Politics Gay Malee Sexuality, Masculinity and Feminism. New York:Tim Edwards 1994.1-13.Print.-
Patrycja Gola
I too support gay rights but agree that AIDS plays a big part in why people do not accpept homosexuals. It is an important issue that will cause people to be against same sex partners. I know a little about the origins of homosexuality, I believe it was actually accepted back in the day in Italy where it began but I kind of want to read this book now to find out the exact history behind it all.
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Courtney Watkins
In my own words I would say critical thinking means, the beyond average thought or thoughts a person or people brainstorms about ;To overlook the imple thought and think deeply into the situation and to make sense of the thought.
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Courtney Watkins
I really enjoyed reading Chapter 4 of WWR. There was alot of writing techniques that was presented in this section. One subject that caught my attention was the sections involving information about writing a thesis. Usually when I write papers I struggle with finding a good thesis for my paper. In the chapter it states that the thesis tells you what you’re going to write about. That is important for me to remember. Also, I am one that loves to write but I find it difficult to write essays sometimes, mainly because I find it a bit difficult to develope my ideas. After reading sections 4.2 through 4.2.3 I learned a thing or two. Asking questions about your writing can ensure one that they are completing the task. Developing ideas can be a challenge but a good way to do it is by uusing a thesis and letting it guide your writing. I learned is that I should ask my instructor how they would pefer me to go about writing my thesis. By doing this I can ensure myself that I would be writing my paper the way the professor would perfer giving myself an oppurtunity to earn a good grade. I know that writing takes up alot of time and it won’t always be an easy task. Therefore, I will be more patient with myself and allow my thoughts to come to mind. Also, when I write I won’t just be writing to meet the lenght thats required. Though, I should keep in mind the length of my paper, it shouldn’t be the main focus when I am writing an essay. This Chapter really help me to be able to focus more on my writing skills. I realized that writing isn’t easy and there are ways and steps to become a better writer.
DeVillez, Eric. “You Can Do It in the Garden or in an Elevator, Writing Is Critical Thinking.” Why White Rice? Thinking Through Writing. Kendall Hunt, 2010. 77-99. Print -
Courtney Watkins
After reading chapter 7 I had a way better understanding of how to actually do a research paper. The chapter started off making me think about do people really own ideas. Before even reading the entire passage I did have my opinion on that I do believe peoplecome up with their own ideas but I think it goes to ar to say one own’s the idea. As I continued to read the chapter I learned a lot about the logic behind writing a research paper. Honestly, in my previous research papers I would just do the research on the topic, state facts and then elaborate on what other writers statements. This chapter let me know that it’s more thhan that. I learned that instead of just writing about the opinions or statements of other writers you should converse with the writers statements as well.I see now that a research paper shouldn’t be strictly about research. It’s about taking the research ad applying it in term of your own opinion. Giving feedback on what another writer has proposed can give a paper more body and intrigue other readers. Also, throughout highschool up until how plagiarism has been highly stressed on how students must avoid this action and I never really understood the full concept of why. After reading the examples mentioned in the book about if someone writes a song and then their friend turns around and steals it. I know I would be upset if someone stole an idea from me and made it out to be their own. This made me understand that even though I never think to steals anything from people whether it’s an idea or even materialistic things, there are many people in this world that does this. Therefore, I understand why plagiarism is take so seriously. With this being said I payed close attention to the ways to prevent plagiarism. Chapter 7 gave me a lot of useful information that I believe will help me be a better writer and also, this information wiill help me on our next project/assignment.
Swanson, Troy.“Mash It Up … Gracefully Using Sources.” Why White Rice?: Thinking Through Writing. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt, 2010. 163-173. Print -
Courtney Watkins
Chapter 3 of WWR was an interesting chapter in this book. I found that the author Thomas Dow did a lot of talking about life situations that he faced or even just his outlook on the college life. I found that there was alot of excess information which made me loose interest in what I was reading. Though I felt this was I did understand the logic behind the points he made. I could relate to the feelings of inadequacy that Eric Devillez spoke about. Even though this is my first year I college, there have been times even in highschool where I’ve felt that I was clueless as to what was going on. For a long time, I was somewhat embarassed at the fact that I always seem to catch on slower than others when it came to assignments or just anything that was being explained by teachers. I always had to have a further explaination on how to do things. Eric made me understand that not being able to have an complete understanding on something is normal and most likely I’m not the only one who has this issue. Also, this reading enhanced my vocabulary by learning a new word, autonomy. The most memorable part of this statement was “create autonomy, a pursuit of mastery, and a sense of purpose is in everything you do.” This means alot and actually can be a guideline for life, well at least mines. This chapter also gave me some useful tactics to help me in areas that I find myself struggling with. For example, section 3.2 let me understand that sometimes it may be hard to find a focus point on what you write on. The focus points given in the chapter really helped me and I plan to use them whenever I feel necessary. I learned that asking yourself questions then answering them with details can help develop an essay.Overall, I thought this chapter was beneficial for me to read because it gave information that I believe will become useful in my future in college. Although, I did feel as if the authors elaborations on topics caused me to loss interest, I did understand the purpose behind his storytelling.
McGuire, Mike, and Thomas Dow. Why White Rice? Thinking Through Writing. Kendall Hunt Pub, 2010. Print.-
Prof McGuire
Your missing some details in your citation. Take another look.
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Courtney Watkins
The first story was very interesting to me. I found it a bit challenging because I didn’t really understand the concept of the story the first time I read it. The story was about a man who had been feeling and weird and having anxiety and he had been at unease. Those feelings were not normal to the man considering that he had only been feeling this way for about a year. Days had been normal but to the man they weren’t. The man picked up a newspaer one day and saw a picture of a soldiers body. The picture seemed unusual to him, therefore he began to observe it. What I thought was strange was how the man felt violated about the picture of the dead soldier because the death didn’t happen in his own country. I didn’t really understand the logic of this story, therefore, I do not know how it applys to the work we will do this semester. The only possible assumption I can come up with is that this story is to show that we wil have to think outside the box in some situations.
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Courtney Watkins
After doing research on the two terms activism and service, I discovered that there is a difference between the two. The definition term of activism means the doctrine or practice of vigorous actio or involvement as a means of achieving political or other goals, sometimes by demonstration, protests, ect. Activism is a theory that the relationships between the mind and the obects of perception depends upon the action of the mind. The term service is the act of helpful activity, help, and to do someone a service. Service means tobe at use forsomething or someone. When I think of service I think of the act of working. When you work you are at service for the person you work for and the people you are providing our services to. I don’t really know how to explain it in my own words. The definition seems to have a to do with the action of the mind. So maybe this means that one does work or learns by being active with their mind. Judging by the defiitions, it seems that I will be doing more of activism during this course. I know we have service opportunites offered for us to participate in but that doesn’t seem to be what the course will revolve around. Service seems to be a way of active learning while activism seems to be a way of passive learning.
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Courtney Watkins
Chapter five in Why White Rice started off grabbing my attention as he talked about how we were all told by our elders to not go outside with our hair wet. I found this statement true and funny because my mother always told me this. Troy Swanson made it clear that it is not a simple task to document sources. He stated that he uses keywords to help him search for cites. I am glad that he gave the website WrongDiagnoises.com because it can be useful and helpful for me to distinguish real and valid information. I liked how Troy Swanson listed five major topics to discuss and elaborated on them. Section 5.1 let me know that it is ok to get information from outside sources because that is what influences readers. In Section 5.2 I just learned that there are all types of information sources which all proivde a different way to help readers to understand topics in different ways. In Section 5.3 the main point that he was trying to get across is that numbers are important when it comes to doing research papers, therefore, they should be used when necessary. In Section 5.4 I learned that as writers you have the right to disagree with any source you use. The right way to show you disagree is by finding other valid sources to show the opposite point of view. In Section 5.5 the main objective was to inform researchers that there is plenty of misleading information sources throughout the web.Therefore, to be a legit writer, we must choose our sources wisely. Overall, Chapter 5 was a good chapter to read. Though I knew some of the things he talked about it is always nice to refresh my memory. Also, I liked how the author gave a different tone to his writing by relating his topics to everyday life. That’s a good way to keep readers attention and it worked on me. When it comes to a research writting assingment that we may have to do, I will come back to this chapter to ensure myself that I am going about my research paper the proper way.
Swanson, Troy. “Dry Your Hair and Don’t Lick the Frozen Flag Pole Reaserching and Infromation Literacy.” Why White Rice?. IA: Kendall Hunt, 2010. 101-132.Print. -
Courtney Watkins
The quiz was a good way to show that as writers you must be careful and aware of where you choose your information from. Exhibit one seemed to be the right place to get statstistical information on women and AIDS. The website was set up the proper way. The website provided viewers with valid information including it’s sources. Also, the website showed a chart that gave an estimated graph on information on women and AIDS. Another bonus feature that the website provided was providing reader with ways to prevent the disease. Exhibit two clearly stated in the title that the information was true but little known facts about women with HIV.The second example was definitely not a valid site to get information. There were not any facts provided at all. The website was based on opinions given from random individuals. I read mostly statements that were irrelevant to facts about the topic. Between both examples, exhibit one is the most reliable source for one to attain information on women and AIDS. The webistie would be helpful to anyone looking to find out more about women of HIV.
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Courtney Watkins
Prof McGuire what exactly is supposed to be done for this Journal entry I am so lost and confused at this point.?
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Courtney Watkins
can anyone help me. i do not know where to find journal entry #1 and i dont know what to do for this assingment?
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Maureen Rich
Hi Courney! I see you posted this a few hours ago, so not sure if you figured it out yet. If not let me know I can help you.
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Courtney Watkins
Hi Maureen!! thank you for commenting, I still have not figured it out so your help is needed please and thankyou.
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Maureen Rich
Courtney, I do apologize, I did not see this last night. I do see you have your post done, so I am assuming you were able to figure it out. The Syllabus has all the information on our homework and what is expected of us.
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Courtney Watkins
Hello my name is Courtney Watkins excited to start working with you all on this online course. I am currently waiting for my gravatar to show up.
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Courtney Watkins
Good Evening Mr. McGuire and everyone. My name is Courtney and this is my second semester at Moraine. I am majoring in Business/Accounting. This is my first online class and I still have to get used to this set-up. I am excited to start this new work and learning method.
Courtney Watkins, and 
Maureen Rich are discussing. 
Alex Jellema is discussing. 
Patrycja Gola is discussing. 
Maureen Rich 10:33 pm on April 13, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I believe the proper format to cite an interview is last name, first name. Personal interview. date.
As far as the sources used, I am not sure so I don’t want to give you the wrong info.
Courtney Watkins 7:40 am on April 14, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
thank you a lot Maureen & can you please tell me what are in-text notes ?