Part One:

           Learning to summarize larger bodies of writing will help improve my comprehension skills. I will become more efficient at picking out the important aspects of a piece and deciding if what the author is saying is credible or not. I’m in the process of studying Business Administration at CSU and efficiency is a quality that will help me with any career in the future. Learning to think critically really helps me gain a better understanding of the ideas that others are presenting. With a better understanding of those ideas, I can better express my own ideas as well as share others’ ideas in an appropriate manner. For example, in class we practiced breaking down articles and filling out the rhetorical situation which helped us identify the critical aspects of a piece. Learning to view texts in different ways has shaped my understanding of writing in several ways. In my mind I have always separated social media from academic writing. I never really thought that they would both intertwine except with major newspaper and magazine companies like Forbes and The Washington Post. I always thought that social media was primarily used as a casual way to connect with people and to promote businesses. I am starting to discover that social media is also a huge part of expressing thoughts and ideas on controversial topics. I found the debate about whether college athletes should be paid or not very intriguing. That piece caught my attention the most between the three we read. The Chicago Tribune posted this article on Facebook about college athletes being asked to sign a waiver that allows the NCAA to use their name and image without giving the athletes compensation. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-ncaa-waivers-met-20150326-story.html#page=1

 Articles and videos found on social media that present a topic open for debate allow people who are interested in the topic to speak up and share their own opinions. Hearing everyday people speak their mind about a specific topic can give me multiple perspectives on the topic which can strengthen my own opinion. Authorship is easier to obtain with posting to the internet in various ways although, it does also allow for more criticism. Anyone who reads an article online can comment about it in any way. With exposure to more people, more criticism can be expected.

Part Two:

            In Seth Davis’ article “Should College Athletes be Paid? Why, They Already Are” he touches on many problematic topics that deal with the issue of whether or not college athletes should be compensated for their work. Davis strongly states that “[…claiming] that college athletes earn ‘nothing’ Pure fiction” (Davis 299). He backs up his statement with facts about free tuition, athletes being in a free market and the “cost of attendance” issue. Another strong point that Davis makes is the possibility of cheating going on in universities with college athletes. He justifies his statement saying that an honor system is only as effective as the university enforces it. Davis uses strong ethos, logos, and pathos throughout his piece that builds his credibility and grabs the attention of someone interested in the topic of compensation with college athletics.

Article: “Should College Athletes be Paid? Why, They Already Are” Seth Davis, Sports Illustrated, 2011