Writers Memo

To: Prof. Tania Lopez From: Maria Alejandra Guerrero Re: 1st Draft of Project Proposal Date: July 5th, 2013

My Process I have to admit that writing and investigating for this draft has been really emotional for me since it was such an interesting topic. It was really shocking for me to see those articles and to know how such big companies are affecting the lives of many offering damaging products, costing their lives. I used to enjoy fast food but when I saw documentaries such as the "Food Inc." and "Super-Size me", I realized how they were producing their foods and how it affected the human body. I recently been through changes, meaning I've been worried about my health and my diet, and I am pretty glad to do those changes. The topic has always interested me, since those hamburgers and pizzas always looked deliciously tentative to me, I have to know the process they take in order for me to enjoy them. Problems It was difficult for me to transform my topic of choice into a relevant discourse community. I took the recommendations my professor gave me by relating the topic to the companies and how they manipulate their consumers by tricking them and making them think their food isn't bad after all. It is quite difficult to find trustworthy sources for the psychological part because many people are being manipulated with different things and they relate to the product by different meanings. Strengths My strength in writing this paper is that I am confident and much focused with my topic since it has been fascinating for me and I am more than eager to know every single detail in order to perform well in my assignment. Weaknesses My draft is pretty simple and general, meaning it is straight to the point. In my draft I am talking about how my project would look like and the information it will contain. Questions I have about my draft Some of the questions I have about my draft is that if the public is really interested in my paper and if the topic that I chose is relevant to current situations in the United States.

Project Proposal To: Prof. Lopez and Students Enrolled in ENC 1102 - Summer B From: Maria Alejandra Guerrero Date: July 5th, 2013. Re: How fast-food restaurants affect teenage obesity physically and psychologically in the United States. Description of Discourse Community: The fast-food industry has been very promising financially for the United States, but recently they have been exposed as to being extremely unhealthy and anti-hygienic. Many teenagers have been consuming such products many times, even on a daily basis without even taking into consideration the side effects that consuming those products may bring to their health. It was already known by many that fast-foods aren't healthy at all, but people didnt know exactly how harmful they can be. Many of these companies offer servings such as the happy meal that far exceeds the average caloric intake a human being needs in order to be healthy on a daily basis. Many of these products are highly injected with hormones and other chemicals which can even cause diseases not only for the animals, but for their consumers. Recently there have been claims about how they used artificial meats instead of a traditional chicken, pork, or beef in their meals, causing it to be less tasteful and more damaging for the final consumer. TOPIC CHOICE: The Research Question: The main questions that I wish to address in my paper will be: What are the main mechanisms used by the fast-food industry to "sell" their products? Which of these mechanisms are most effective for teenagers (as an audience)? Are teenagers primarily consuming because of a matter of habit or by temptation? Exigency: I would like to know more about this discourse community because obesity has been increasing over the past years in the United States, and even though that companies come up with what they call "solutions" so that their customers can keep purchasing their products. The government has come up with alternatives and regulations in order to prevent teenage obesity, but it still has been a struggling issue. It is also of interest that such companies have been keeping their processes so privately, that what it only does is to raise questions to the public. My main purpose on my paper is to inform the audience on such matter and to raise awareness on the community.

Research Plan for Annotated Bibliography: The sources that I plan to use on my paper will be basically primary sources. I plan on using articles, interviews, documentaries, and some experiments in order for my paper to be completely accurate and my information to translate my purpose and vision on my document. It will be a long-lasting research, meaning that I have to allocate at least 6-7 hours. I plan on using articles because I can find basically any information needed in order to write some parts of my paper. The interviews will be conducted to the fast-food consumer and to professionals that will know the possible side effects that eating too much fat and carbs will do to someone's body. I will try to make an experiment in order to see how I feel and my causes on eating fast-food, so that my paper will also reflect my angle on such topic. My sources need to be completely current since my main concern on the topic is that this issue is present nowadays in the United States. I can determine the location and availability of my sources since I practically know the people that I plan on interviewing and ask them for a minute of their time. A research challenge I anticipate is the reliability and the scarcity of the information that I wish to find.

Maria Guerrero