Category: P12: Self-Reflective Statement

Reflective- LBirch

Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

This class has given me the opportunity to learn about topics and material that I would not always think about in everyday life. All essays written in this course used Core Value One by receiving help from Professor Hodges. This class also gave me the chance to write multiple versions of each essay based on the comments given by Professor Hodges. When writing the definition argument essay, the professor gave me in-depth feedback on the first and second drafts. Another example would be for the Safer Saws assignment, the class discussed multiple videos and articles that were read and given. This taught me to look at claims and possibly find evidence they may have. As the class continues, I will be able to use this core value to improve my writing and research.

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

By using Core Value Two, I learned to interpret the meaning of an argument and the message the writer may be sending. All sources used in my essays were read and closely analyzed in order to understand the information presented. Some information seemed questionable or did not have evidence to be reliable. In the PTSD claims assignment, the one source used was viewed and read to clarify the real meaning of each claim. I learned to look beyond what was actually written in order to understand the argument the author presented. Multiple sources were read, and some were not used in any essays because they did not have the valuable information needed. As various sources of information were viewed, whether they were in books or online articles, a vast amount of content was analyzed to give me needed information on a topic I was not knowledgeable in.

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

A very early piece of work that was done to analyze the purpose texts was the summaries assignment. The texts read in this assignment were two counterintuitive arguments that had different meanings. Each was looked at in a different way, but the writers for both had their own side to a topic. For example, the author of the free heroin article has their side on this topic. This author showed the side of why institutions giving heroin users free heroin would be valuable. On the opposite side, an article about this may argue why it would not be valuable. I also read an article for this assignment about end of life care and how it was counterintuitive. This author argued spending money on end of life care was worth it, and should not be something you debate to spend on. With this assignment, I learned there may be many different sides to one story.

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

In my visual rhetoric assignment, I needed to show my understanding of a PSA video without any audio. Visual cues and ideas are used to demonstrate the meaning of this video. The evidence I used was only based on the visuals of each frame of the video, and I showed I supported my ideas by writing based on what I saw. For example, the room in the video seemed strange; a stuffed raccoon was on the table, odd ceramic statues were around the room, etc. I used this evidence to determine the tone of the video and what the person may be saying. Another example of this core value being used was in my rebuttal essay. The sources read and used for this article supported my argument that smoke detectors actually cause fires. The sources used in this essay show evidence of how this could possibly happen and times fires did start because of them. Finding sources seemed challenging at first. After time, evidence started to accumulate that supported my argument and helped support my own ideas better.

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

The white paper that was started at the beginning of the semester compiles all of my sources and articles used throughout the class. Credit is given to the authors of each source and is cited with all correct information. In all essays written this semester, citations were needed in order to appropriately use this information and materials. I summarize what the authors state, but continuously credit where I get my information from. Throughout my research paper, all information used received in-text citations, and also in a Reference section in the end. No text read should be used in one’s own writing without the appropriate citations (website received from, author’s name, date published, and date used).

Self-Reflective Statement- Ugandanknuckles

Core Value I. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

Throughout the semester, we wrote and revised different argument essays. The first draft of my rebuttal essay was repeatedly revised and strengthened as the semester progressed. As the end of the semester neared, we eventually needed to make a second draft of our pieces, and I learned I had made a lot of mistakes in my paragraphs. From using the forbidden word “y-o-u” to just general issues in how I was conveying my argument, there was a lot to fix. The drafts are hyper linked to lead to the original and corrected essays.

Core Value II. My work demonstrates that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities.

I have had my professor’s help to very great extent throughout my different works. Taking a look at my rebuttal essay, we see that I was able to turn my professor’s criticisms into a revised piece. For example, I was very confused as to how to get my rebuttal essay to make sense, especially after I rewrote it entirely when I changed my topic. As it turned out, his original advice to me made more sense after reworking it from my initial topic. My rebuttal essay is hyperlinked to my rewritten version.

Core Value III. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

My initial writings were done from the viewpoint that mantras are garbage. After struggling with the topic for a bit, I asked people what they thought of mantras. Contrary to my initial belief, people agreed with me. After that, I changed my work to argue the opposite of what I had initially been so that I had real opposition, and that can be viewed in both my white paper and in the differences between my Causal Argument paper and my other works. All of the works mentioned are hyperlinked.

Core Value IV: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

In all of my assignments I use different sources from all over the internet. I was relatively naive when it came to the topic of mantras, so it was important for me to do my research. This is best displayed in my definition essay and my definition rewrite.  I used direct quotes from my sources to help backup my arguments, as well as make myself more knowledgeable on the topic.

Core Value V. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation.

Whenever I used outside sources for my essays, I used informal citations in my essay, and then I included a works cited section at the bottom of each page. It’s important to cite your references properly as it is important to give credit to other people for their work. I used sources in all of my essays, but I used the most sources in my rebuttal rewrite essay. I made a works cited for all four of the sources I used, and I used informal citations in my works when needed.

Reflective-Dohertyk9

Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

I wouldn’t say that I was a beginner in writing when I began this course; I took a number of similar classes throughout high school, in addition to Composition I in the Fall 2017. However, Composition II has vastly improved my writing, challenging me in a way that many of my previous courses have failed to do. I was given and took advantage of many opportunities for feedback; the perfect example being my White Paper. I set out to prove an entirely different concept at the beginning of the semester; that rape wasn’t real because consent is impossible to define. By the time I attempted to write my definition and causal arguments, I was at a complete loss. Despite all of my research, I could not come close to proving that consent was impossible to define, or that this caused anything. Yet after a thorough conference with my professor, I had a much better understanding of what the data I spent so long researching actually proved. Because of feedback and an ongoing discussion of the data, I was able to clarify my argument and find a concept worthy of proving.

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

Many of the class discussions were designed in a counterintuitive manner, a way in which I rarely seek to look at the world. I approached these discussions in the same critical way as everything I encounter, but I noted that they always required a lot of thought before I could determine whether to refute the idea or agree with it. At one point, when the professor posed that we “don’t have a thought in our heads,” I found it impossible to agree. I couldn’t leave the class without hearing some sort of support for his claim, because I had always considered myself to have much more in my head than “I’m hungry,” or any similarly basic, passing thought. The professor then explained to me that he considered more complicated arguments in our minds to be mental writing, an idea which I could not deny the logic of. After all, there is certainly a separation between passing thoughts and analyses of bigger concepts. I’ve spent the classes since thoroughly engaging in mental “writing” about the topics we have discussed, seeking to prove the validity or falsehood of the professor’s wholly counterintuitive concepts. A prime example of a concept that I approached in such a manner was that of “Stone Money.” Admittedly, I spent the majority of the time that I was listening to the audio shaking my head and scoffing. The summary of my bank account balance is a very real number to me. However, the explanation of the Yap’s monetary system, and then Brazil’s solution to its inflation crisis, and even the strange practices within United States itself struck me as odd, and I began to question whether money was real or imagined. I reviewed all of the evidence presented to me, and was even able to find new evidence to reinforce the idea and demonstrate that the Yap’s system is mirrored in our own system today. I haven’t looked at the pieces of green cloth in my wallet the same way since.

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

Nothing demonstrates the many facets of a single case better than the Safer Saws assignment. The audience wholly determined the argument. Steve Gass was outraged and argued that because he advanced the safety of saws, it should be implemented in all saws to prevent amputations, and he should be compensated for the idea. Product reviewers think that it would be ridiculous to demand the proposed changes from saw companies; it would tack on a hefty cost that severely cuts profit. The companies themselves don’t want to pay large sums of money for changes that could cause their bankruptcy. This assignment increased my awareness of just how multifaceted all arguments are. I was required to evaluate a myriad of different points, all with differing methods of portraying their argument; Steve Gass made a video displaying the effectiveness of his saw, even placing his own safety on the line to show his unwavering trust in his creation. Product reviewers attempted the same with the competition’s version of SawStop, but ultimately (and unwittingly) proved that Steve Gass’s technology was the more effective of the two. Other reviewers presented their arguments in articles, and/or utilized pictures of amputees whose injuries could have been prevented with SawStop technology. In conjunction with one of my professor’s lectures, the Safer Saws assignment facilitated my understanding that “a black sneaker is not the opposite of a white sneaker, because there is no opposite of a sneaker,” (Professor Hodges’s lecture.) I have since applied this to writing and reviewing my own works. I now always consider who my audience will be and what potential counterarguments readers might pose, so that I can adequately refute their questions before they are even asked.  

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

The visual rhetoric assignment embodies this core value. The professor asked the class not to listen to the audio as we analyzed our chosen videos, allowing whatever bias the music created to be removed from our individual analyses. Because he requested that we stop the video and note it second-by-second, I was able to learn much more about the visual argument that the video presented. In my original analysis, I simply described the details and didn’t pose any questions as to the meaning of the video; any sort of argument it displayed was lost on me because the content didn’t seem to imply much of anything. Looking deeper into the first second, I was more engaged with the visual work and asked a number of questions in relation to the video. Although the video I chose for my visual rhetoric assignment seemed to borrow its theme from an outside source, the video that we analyzed in class made clear to me what I should ordinarily be able to take out of a visual argument. I have to admit that it was impressive how many subtle messages were hidden in every second of the video; if we hadn’t stopped the video every second, I might have missed them. This assignment undoubtedly allowed me to hone my ability to recognize these seemingly insignificant details and add them into my own works. In my revision of my visual rhetoric, I noted many more details that were not clear to me in my first draft.

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

 Those who grossly misinterpret or skew data to support their own weak argument, who try to convince me of blatantly false information, or glaring contradictions, instantly lose my respect. Personally, I seek to avoid such grave mistakes by prioritizing citations and accurate representations of content. As an author, I would loathe inaccurate interpretations of my own writing, so I make sure to conscientiously review my use of quotations or paraphrasing to avoid subjecting the author to that same frustration. Throughout the semester, I have cited sources in each written assignment, even including the sources that I used very minimally. My White Paper is a compilation of all the sources I have reviewed to educate myself on my topic. I intend to use only a select few of them in my complete research paper, but have noted them nonetheless. I would expect anyone else to do the same. 

Self-Reflective Statement – summergirl1999

 

Core Values

Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

Throughout the semester I used a variety of social and interactive practices. Although our focus throughout the semester was our 3000-word research paper, we learned many things and did interactive activities and that helped a lot. By learning about other social topics that are interesting other than just our topic about what we wrote our paper about helped me get my ideas flowing. In the beginning of the semester we read and listened to a podcast about “Stone Money,” which was about currency in other places. We spoke about it in class, and many classmates gave their own opinions on the topic and it made the conversation very interesting and educational.

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

Throughout the semester I learned how to better my critical reading skills. I know how to look at texts and create more meaning from the ideas. A task we had to complete this semester was called “Safer Saws.” Before this semester I would have probably read the different articles and create meaning from the general point. But now with proper training and practice, I recognized the different claims the different people of the article were making. Analyzing people and their points more clearly in texts and articles, shows the different aspects of the piece. Especially when the text is relevant to today’s society, identifying the type of claim a quote or text is gives it more complexity.

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

Throughout the semester I can definitely say that my writing has improved in many aspects. Starting off the semester I was nervous about the long 3000-word research paper that was mandatory to turn in at the end of the semester. I am not nervous anymore, because I know I accomplished complexity throughout my paper. In my paper, but more specifically throughout my rebuttal essay my writing demonstrates that I analyzed the purpose, audience, context, and visual representation of my work. My purpose throughout my essay was to inform students about college, especially in my Rebuttal Argument I use a clear visual representation of two fictional students, Student A and C who both attended college but have different outcomes.

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

Throughout my research essay, especially through my Causal Argument, I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations. In my causal essay, I give plenty of detail and background on the advantages and disadvantages of a college education. I also bring up two different students, Student A and Student C who both went to college but encountered a different outcome, which I used as a visual illustration throughout my essay. There is a great amount of information and detail for the argument, I evaluated the information and quotes that are provided for both pro and con for having a college education. Throughout my essay I mention my own evidence and thoughts.

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation.

While writing an essay, especially an argumentative essay it is very significant to include information, fact, and detail for both sides of the argument. The job as a writer for an argumentative essay is to persuade the reader to agree with the point that is emphasized within the paper. My writing demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. one of the keys. While writing my argumentative essay, especially my Causal Essay, I came across many sources, some that were untrustworthy and highly opinionated, I made sure I looked over sources closely. One of the many keys of writing a research essay, is using reliable and trustworthy sources.

Extra Material (not required)

Summergirl, I appreciate that you answered these questions, but they were provided by the Writing Arts Department as brainstormers, not part of the actual assignment requirements. I’ve moved them to the bottom of your post so your classmates won’t be confused and think they need to answer them as part of the Self-Reflective assignment.

Paper 1: Definition Argument

Writing is an art within itself; it takes a lot of effort and time. Finding sources took time because there are many aspects of the paper, and it is tricky to find reliable sources. Finding the sources was a more complicated process. Writing an annotated bibliography was very helpful because instead of taking the time for searching for what source I need, it was easy to have a brief summary of what the article was about. Having a conference with my professor was very helpful, it gave me more insight of my topic and taught me how to properly cite APA style.

Although my research paper is for my comp 2 class and an important grade, my topic is much bigger than that. My topic is about the pros and cons of a college education, which is a topic that is not spoken about that much but is a big decision. My ideas evolved from the work of others from websites and people stating facts and opinions about college, but I added most of my own thoughts and ideas.

One of my many sources for my research paper is from Forbes, called “How Today’s Student Loan Debt is Failing Future Generations.” Forbes is a well-known and credible source. It is important to use credible sources because if people read an argumentative paper without knowing what side they are on using quotes and information from credible sources can influence a person’s opinion.

Paper 2: Causal Argument

I used the combination of sources that I chose for my research paper because the sources give backup facts on my argument, my sources also give insight on my research topic. Each source that I used for my research paper played a distinct role because they give insight on my topic, give details about ivy league colleges, and details about white collar work.

Doubts some readers might have while reading my paper is the cons about college, since college is such a pushed issue within American society people that are pro college fully would probably be uneasy about the con facts about college.

Paper 3: Proposal Argument

My three papers show a multi-stage process, within each paper holds its own valuable information debating both sides, providing information, and scenarios to inform people about college as a whole, not just the benefits of a degree which is preached to most Americans.

Unique considerations that go into making a strong proposal argument is the thesis. Thesis’s in research papers are very important because it is the core of the argument and paper, including a strong thesis in a research paper makes the paper and the point trying to be made strong.

“I will examine the large amount of student debt in the United States of America. Student debt impacts graduates negatively in American society. Most Americans go to college to earn a college degree, so they do not have to struggle that much in life.” My target audience was students who are debating going to college or want to start pursuing something without attending college. I was appealing to that audience by starting off the proposal with the words “student debt,” students especially college students know those scary words, “student debt” can be an eye-catching phrase.