Reclaiming My Topic

Step 3:
When my research began I thought of genetic research as something i wanted to do with my life but i just didn't know enough about to choose it as my career. That's the main reason I chose the topic i did. I wanted to learn more about it so I'd know if i needed to do this for the rest of my life. As my research progressed i became more interested in the subject matter and discovered there was more controversy about the subject than i had originally thought. There differences about the rhetoric used and that phrasing itself was important. I also came to discover there were many complexities when discussing genetic research. The genes and the human genome are all very complicated and sometimes difficult to understand but i believe that my research has made it easier for me to understand and better explore my topic. Also has I researched my sources seemed to sound alike, however on reading them i began to discover that they had the same topic but said different things about the subject. So though my articles are all based around the same concept they have different ideas and that makes my argument easier to formulate. I have yet to determine a concrete thesis statement but i think I'm going somewhere along the lines of the need for genetic testing to be widespread, without discrimination of any kind, as well as a definition of the terms gene therapy and gene research. This also raises the argument that discrimination is inherent in genetic testing and research, which is an argument i will have to refute. Mainly I'm concerned that i will not be able to formulate all the information into a cohesive paper. Fortunately there is a lot of information on my subject and if one source turns out to be a dead end it will be easy to find another one that will be more relevant. After doing my research I have essentially decided that i don't want to be geneticist. It's really interesting and innovative but i just don't know if I'm willing to devote that much of my time and life to being locked away in a room mutating DNA.




Moments, Stories, People, and Scenes
The articles I've read that i like the most are the ones about curing diseases. However those are a double edged sword. Though many of the stories tell about good things that have come from genetic research there are unforeseeable downsides because humans simply don't know enough about our genes to be mutilating them. There are still a grand majority of genes that are said to do nothing but add structural integrity, but we don't know. And mutating our DNA is a scary thought when we really don't what we are doing. Though research has been performed on subjects to see the effects of these mutating drugs the results are not inclusive, just because the patients show no outward signs of dire consequences does not mean they do not exist. Some of these mutations could cause organs to inadvertently fail because one protein is being made wrong. Hence where all the controversy about genetic research springs. Some claim it is playing god and is something we should not meddle with. Which is a valid point that babies are being engineered to be how you want them to be. But does finding a cure for cancer by mulnipalating DNA count under the umbrella argument of "playing god". I don't think so. However, i do believe that more research needs to be done before real advances are made in gene targeting medicines. And this can only be done by mapping thousands of individual genomes to create a larger picture of human DNA as a whole. By researching these individuals genomes one can discover the common links between strands of DNA and can begin to discover commonalities between genetic sequences. For instance, someone with sickle cell anemia denotes themselves to have their genome mapped.



Dialogue

Lily:Why is genetic research important to today's society?

Me: Genetic research is important to today's society because it has the potential to cure many life threatening diseases such as AIDS and cancer. It actually has the potential to eliminate disease altogether.

Lily: How is this possible?

Me: The curing of diseases throught the use of genetics is made possible by the mapping of the Human Genome. When many different genomes from different people are complied, similarites can be made and pinpointing the genes which cause these diseases is made easier. Also genetic research can study the DNA of viruses and a person could be given a medicine that specifically target the DNA of that virus, essentially rendering it harmless.

Lily: Isn't mutating DNA dangerous?

Me: Yes. At the current state of research there are not enough human genomes mapped to give concrete causes for all diseases by specific genes. This can be fixed if the price of having a geonome mapped is dropped significantly, eseentially if the process becomes more efficient. Every addition to the overall human genome will help scientists better understand which genes cause certain diseases. Also as more are mapped scientists should be better able to understand the purpose of the genees which apparently provide nothing more than sturtural intergrity. Therefore mutating DNA is not as safe as it has the potential to be.

Lily: Could this information be used to design babies or even adults, kind of like a strange, new kind of plastic surgery?

Me: Yes. The mapping of the human genome did not start with this purpose. The main goal of the Human Genome Project.


So What?
Genetic research has amazing potential to cure diseases and make the human race on a whole a stronger species. However, much more research is necessary for these lofty dreams to be realized. The most important thing is more genomes need to be mapped so that a database can be complied to pinpoint the purposes of genes. When that happens the true advances in medical science can be achieved.

The Research Process Version 2.0

I found that finding an article to do rhetorical analysis on was quite easy. There are many arguments and debates surrounding genetic research and so it made the search for an argumentative article very easy. In reading this article I discovered a new term that concerns genetic research, gene therapy. My article discusses how the use of this word can be used to get around many laws and regulations that surround gene research. However, I was not able to complete a draft of my rhetorical analysis. I procrastinated and ran out of time, and with thiry minutes left to go until I had to leave to go to school I decided I would rather lose credit for this draft and write one that I could be proud of for my conference, rather than something I would have to completely rewrite. As far as the research process goes it is progresses rather well. As I said before there is a plethora of information that i can use to support my arguments about genetic research and gene therapy.

Rhetorical Analysis Article

"Genetic research as therapy: implications of 'gene therapy' for informed consent" by
Churchill LR, Collins ML, King NM, Pemberton SG, Wailoo KA.


Link to article

On the research process so far...

During last Wednesday's English class I searched for an article about genetic research. I was surprised to find that there were many articles about my subject, many of which were the angle I wanted to pursue for my research. After finding my one article for my synthesis essay, I read the article that day. It was really interesting and made me glad that I had picked the subject of genetic research because it is interesting to me. However, my paper may become difficult to write because there are a lot of technical and scientific terms for the coding of genes and proteins so this might make the subject boring to the reader or difficult to understand. Therefore, I'm going to have to find a way to simplify the information in a way that keeps it informative but also interesting and understandable. I think this will be the main obstacle I will have to overcome in my research process.

Summary Article

Genetic research and genetic information: a health information professional's perspective on the benefits and risks.

Interest Inventory

Places
Ireland
New Zealand
Australia
Brazil
Alaska
Trends
skinny jeans
belted shirts
return to 80's fashion
voting participation
save the planet
Things
computers
buttons
hair products
material possessions
dyslexia
Technologies
genetic research
cloning
stem cell research
genetic diseases
iPod
iPhone
mP3 players
People
Bill Clinton
barack obama
johnny depp
gerard butler
Controversies
watergate scandal
government phone tapping
Internet safety
animal rights
women's rights
History
religious revolutions
imperialism
ancient china
ancient japan
Jobs
research biologist
geneticist
sanitation engineer
lawyer
Habits
nail biting
nicotine addiction
alcoholism
Hobbies
minature airplane flying
fishing
reading
writing
music
sports
games




ALCOHOLISM
What can be done to treat an alcohol addiction?

Is it a genetic disorder?

What effect does it have on family and friends?

What methods of intervention or treatment are proven to work?


GENETIC RESEARCH
What kind of problems could the investigation of genes help solve?

What diseases are effected by genes and which are not?

What kind of things are produced with genetic manipulation?

How is genetic research relative to today's society?

What kind of knowledge or background does a genetic researcher need to have?

Reflecting on "The Bothersome Beauty of Pigeons"

-"Pigeons are punks. Looking them in the eye, I'm sure they know this but they just don't care. Yet looking at pigeons also reminds me of my own arrogance, and I both hate them and love them for it."
-"For many children the pigeons are the first contact they have with animals. If a pigeon lands on a child's shoulder, it will paint a good picture in their mind and who then know that animals are worth caring for" ("Proposed").
-The main idea of the essay seems to be exploring the intrinsic quality of humans to want to connect with nature. Though it seemed that initially the author was trying to learn and understand the love hate relationship between humans and pigeons.
-The essay could be interspersed with anecdotes and personal experiences that presented facts but also made the topic more real, much like the author did in the essay in the book. Also it would be helpful to find interesting facts that would intrigue the reader but not bore them.
-The essay was different from the understood norm of research papers mainly due to it's informal nature. It seemed more like a narrative than a research paper that uses many facts strung together by a few sentences. It doesn't really make research more interesting to me because I already find the discovery of new information interesting. The essay does demonstrate that a research is more about discovering something you had not thought about before and in so doing you discover something about yourself.
-I related to the essay in that I empathized with both sides of the argument. Though I have never had the experience of feeding pigeons in a town square, or dealt with them as a pest problem I could imagine the feelings that both instances would create. I learned pigeon poop destroys marble, and there are people out there who really hate pigeons.