by Laura Lai/ Essay
It is said that
beautiful things or happenings usually do not last long. So is with the fun of
the Academic and Business Writing course.
It is already the third week – some fun is gone – there are still three weeks
to go – some more fun to come – and, then, the writing fun is over.
It is time to think of the final writing project. We are given time to think about how to write: academic or business style. We are given time to choose what to write: a statement of purpose, a cover letter, a movie/book review, a product review, or an essay about a social issue that is important to me. What shall I write?
This course’s
professor, Dr. Sokolik, recommended we write the thing that is most
appealing to us. From this point of view, the least appealing to me is the
product review not necessarily because I do not have any product in mind, because if it was so, I could research a modern product and make it a
review. I would practice this product review writing only for this course. And
that would be it – I am not at all a good salesperson. I also do not like to
be persuaded to buy something or to persuade others to buy things, because
people know best their needs and their budgets.
The first most
appealing to me is the cover letter because it answers a need – my need as a
job seeker. But … I do not think I will do it as a final project for the
university; first, because it is just a few concise eye-catching sentences for
a potential employer. Second, given my difficulties to get a job so far, I
assume I will be practicing writing millions of such concise eye-catching
sentences until a potential employer will contact me, if any. I do not think
that I shall do that as a final paper for Berkeley. Third, I am a registered
student for this course, I am interested in writing something that is at least
500 words – meaning, at least one page, one well-written page.
This brings me to three last options
– all appealing to me. It is about the statement of purpose, the movie/book
review, or an essay about a personally preoccupying social issue. What is the
most appealing to me of the three of them?
Statements of
purpose I wrote plenty so far. And many of them have been successful. I must
have explained well my back-then academic career interest, and I must have
explained well the way the further step was intertwined with the previous one,
or the way a summer/winter school (or a conference) was linked to the step I
was making! A statement of purpose is usually around 1000 to 1500 words
(meaning two-three pages) and it sounds more appropriate for a final writing
project. I could retake my Ph.D. statement of purpose.
I remember that while I was writing my MA thesis on nationalism, I was coming across federalism as the reverse of the coin, and I was wondering if it was truly so. Then I had the chance of a one-year internship in Brussels in an organization on federalism that, in the end, proved to be a great mischance. This allowed me to understand federalism more, particularly the way Europeans were envisioning it and the way they were envisioning it in practice. I could also see the institutional supra-national dynamic getting towards a federal state just to copy the United States of America. Wondering about the theoretical fundamentals on which this new European whatever was building itself, I decided to apply for Ph.D. on this topic. I got accepted as an external student (meaning not working for the university doing research to advance the thesis) and on the Belgium educational law that allowed doctoral research as long as twelve years – still, a lot! At the end of my internship, I also got approved for a one-year non-profit book project at my initiative that was about explaining to youngsters the way European federalism looked at that moment. It was a great success, it was translated into at least ten European languages – I wrote it in English. But some youngsters from among the federalists could not mind their own business and started a war on a personal basis to fail my book project and my Ph.D. The former was a success, but for the latter, I got tired of working days and studying nights, especially since they were having lots of friends that they all had to pursue – from the social position they were – the personal war in which some engaged. And I was receiving letters to go there, to answer that, to come, to go, to interrupt yourself, to queue there, to stress, to tire, to exhaust and, in the end, to leave – which I did. I left convinced that I had to deal with a bunch of mean and stupid people – all of them with connections, but none of them with Ph.D. ambitions. But writing such a Ph.D. statement of purpose would bring back bad memories. Is it worth scratching on the old wound when I am having so much fun with this course on Academic and Business Writing? No! Absolutely not!
The movie/book
review as well as the essay can stand for a final writing paper that is
beautiful, culturally enriching and that does not bring back any kind of bad
memories. Furthermore, in terms of length, they both can be 500 words – the
essay even more. On one page, one can write a text that can be specific, can be
formal, and in the right tone and the student can practice English, both
vocabulary and grammar. It can count for a final writing paper for Berkeley,
University of California. And they are both appealing to me.
If Dr. Sokolik would be in front of me waiting for an answer today – even now! - on the topic I would choose for the final project, I would say that I take the movie review. First, because all my life I have been a movie lover – I love the way this art tells a story! As a child I could not know that behind the cinema way of telling a story, somebody writes it – I found out that later. And I love it. Second, I started reviewing for the ‘review' section of my Writing Blog old movies. I first check on Wikipedia for the most representative movies for a certain year, then I check on the American Film Academy’s website for the awarded ones, and, last, I check on YouTube those I can find. Sometimes I find also those rewarded, sometimes I only find those that was a public success. I review them adding a personal note – since it is for my blog. For example, I once came out with creative writing from a combination of Donald Trump’s visit to the Air Force graduation ceremony and the Top Gun movie. J
This Academic and Business Writing course is an opportunity to research more on the way to academically write a movie review and to continue my series of old movie reviews – that is now at the movies made in 1935, therefore awarded by the American Film Academy in 1936. It is a writing choice that is appealing to me. And so is the essay, but I do not have any topic that preoccupies my mind. What topics preoccupy you? I do not promise to develop it for the final writing paper, but I may develop it while I practice essay writing for my Writing Blog. At least, I would be happy to give it a try.
#cwp2x #writing
#filmreview
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