Category: A15: Self-Reflective Statement

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.

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to write about for my research paper.  While in class, I wrote down so many ideas such as writing a paper on how sitting in front of a TV  for a long period of time affects teenagers’ brains, or how the killing in Newark, NJ had increased over the years. I thought most about the problems that we face today in the world, and it seems that the most common problem we currently face is police brutality.  I noticed that police brutality is a a wide concept, so I decided to focus on one group —  African Americans.  I found my sources by using the Google Scholar search engine to make sure all of my research was fact-based.  I achieved this goal by making sure all my sources came from a reliable website and made sure I properly informed people about the topic I researched.

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 achieved this goal by making sure the evidence proved the point that I discussed in my paper.  When finding articles on the web for my research, I made sure they came from a reliable source that others could also review.  I gathered many articles before I even started applying them to my paper.  I picked what article to use by finding evidence that fit in each paragraph and examples that I could use. I had to narrow my search by actually writing a question inside of the google web page because if I was just to write “police shooting in 2016,” I would get too many results. So, to help get articles more fitting to my topic, I would search for articles by putting “police shooting of African Americans in 2016 statics.”

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.

In my research paper, I started off not achieving this goal because I actually didn’t have a purpose for this paper. I knew there were many things that I could talk about, but I just didn’t know which one I should choose to discuss.  As I began writing, I started to achieve this goal by creating a thesis, which in other words is an argument for my paper.  My purpose for my paper changed from just how law enforcement killings have increased dramatically to how law enforcement killings among African Americans had increased over the years. I decided to chose African American as the group I would discuss because they are the most common group that stays in the media when it comes to this situation.

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 order for me to meet this goal, I had to make sure that I had a thesis to help start with writing my paper.  With a thesis, I was able to accomplish what evidence I would include in order for it to support my overall thesis of my research paper.  While conducting research for my topic, I had to make sure that the evidence was actually useful and insightful for what I wanted to educate my readers about.  Based on the research I did, I found many articles that stated facts.  At first, I used a article that wasn’t reliable with the statics that were stated in the article, but once I learned how to search for good articles, I found sources good statistics that made sense and would help support my thesis.

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.

I didn’t actually achieve this goal because I was focusing on my thesis while writing so I could make sure my point was made.  I always thought that the thesis was the most important part of the paper because it was supposed to give the reader an idea of what your paper going to be about.  My paper started off as an opinion paper where I was citing information.  For the analysis, I was stating my opinion instead of stating why the source was connecting back to the overall question of the paper.   I stated my opinion on what I actually thought about with the evidence that was stated in the paper.  I changed this view because I realized that a research paper is supposed to inform people on something they may not previously know, but instead I was telling them how I felt about the topic I chose.

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.

When writing anything, especially something research based, I make a point to explore different perspectives and opinions pertaining to my topic because I understand that things are not always what they seem to be. We can’t stop after looking at just one source or reading something only one time because ideas are never stagnant. Concepts and theories are constantly evolving and improving upon themselves to keep up with the climate of the situation and environment they’re born in. I will say I’ve had trouble with this because I can be stubborn and a  mind but I believe that for the most part I’ve accomplished an acceptable level of exploration, discovery and development. I think this statement is best proved in my “Stone Money Rewrite” because the concept of the assignment made me rethink the way I chose to explain my stance on the topic and whether my thoughts and explanations were valid in an argument like this.

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. 

In my paper, “Rebuttal,” I included direct quotes from a few different blogs and figures who have strong and clearly worded opinions pertaining to my thesis. Their statements have helped to support and strengthen my position on the topic of teaching religion in schools. I’ve done my best to explore different stances as well as different sources of information make my arguments and explanations as well rounded and holistic as possible because I understand that these different ideas all play into each other and are all intertwined in one way or another.

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.

I believe that understanding the context of one’s writing writing and the way in which it will be perceived is absolutely vital to the composition of any piece. It doesn’t matter what the intentions are if the reader’s perception is completely different because once they form an idea about they piece it will be very difficult to convince them of anything different. It will be far easier to predict the perception of a piece if the context is well defined in addition to knowing the audience well. In the same way that one should speak differently to a toddler than they  would to a congressman, the writing style and vernacular should change according to who is being addressed. I believe I best demonstrated this skill in my “Visual Rewrite.” I used a simplistic vernacular and described each scene as clearly as I could think to do.

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. 

I am not a credible source. I have no grounds to make claims or insist that my opinions are the right ones. Evidentiary support is an absolute must in all of my papers. I try my best to at least provide some kind of justification to any statements I make in my writing unless I believe that the statement itself is justified by general knowledge of the circumstances surrounding my thesis. Specifically in my “Visual Rewrite,” I do my best to justify every assumption I made about the video and its context. Rather than simply stating that the room looked like that of a young teenage boy I explained that the room was decorated in stereotypically male shades of blue and grey as well as plenty of athletic trophies and posters.

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. 

In my “Definition Argument,” I’m very confident in the way I supplied information and how I worded my opinions and statements in their context. I believe I wrote clearly and concisely in a way that was factual and simple. A decent amount of the text was rewritten from several sources in a more concentrated way that filtered out any content that wasn’t entirely central to my central argument in this paper. I did my best make distinctions between facts that I found in my research and statements I made pertaining to my own opinions as well as deliver both in a a way that would contribute to an effective and well rounded argument rather than in a way that would be simply pushing my own beliefs.

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 this semester I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development. This was most evident in my first assignment, Stone Money, where I examined every aspect of the authors work and used each meaning to form a culmination statement. Most of all I was taught that not all statements come a face value, sometimes you you to dig further to get want the author really wants you to know.

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.

My work demonstrates that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. This was one I had trouble with, most of my work was self generated being that I have a lot of thoughts. I did manage to use that draw back how ever to develop my own view points on other people’s work. This was most apparent in my Visual Rewrite where I was able to draw from visual cues and make my own observations.

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 work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments. When reaching out to my audience in my Definition Rewrite I made it clear there was more than just one definition of Alzheimer’s disease. By incorporating the standard definition, its connotation, and also its unknown effects I believe I really opened my readers mind to its complexity.

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.

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 by writing my Proposal+5 by coming up with a solid thesis. I evaluated which would suit my type of argument best and went onto to pick a suitable 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.

My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. This was shown in my Annotated Bibliography assignment where I gathered the resources necessary to make a sound argument for my paper. I hand picked sources to align with my ideals and beliefs, this in turn gave my own opinion a stronger foothold.

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.

We were told that at the end of the semester, we are supposed to produce a 3000 word research paper and it can be based on any topic. Initially I was very excited but was not able to settle on a specific topic. I chose to write on Modern Feminism and included my research in my Proposal +5 but then my professor advised that my plan catalogues the many ways women face discrimination around the world, it won’t make much of an essay. Hence for my white paper I settled on projecting India as the next superpower. I changed the entire concept of my paper and had to go through the whole process of exploration, discovery and development all over again. I was glad I changed the topic because it helped me broaden my understanding regarding my own country and kept me engaged in writing till the end. The work was tedious but it gave me a new outlook on writing. The more you involve in your writing, the better outcome you will be able to produce. Reading, Revising and editing are the key

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 learned that in-order to engage your readers it is important to establish a conversation in your writing. I always thought that establishing conversation simply means citing sources in your article. But my professor taught me that in order to create a conversation and write a meaningful coherent article it is important to define an argument, define its causes and effects and give definite proof supporting your argument. Re-reading and asking for constant feedback from the professor and my peers helped. This is demonstrated in Definition Argument.

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.

Before writing my short arguments, I started by doing critical reading and analysis, made a critical engagement sheet and outlined my thoughts and started finding my sources to support my argument, keeping my audience and purpose in mind. My professor taught me that to be a writer it is important to be unbiased. Giving your own opinions would be an injustice to the reader. So I tried to remain open minded during my casual argument and decided not to jump into any conclusion without in-depth understanding of the topic.

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.

To write a research paper one is bound to do a lot of research and collect appropriate illustrations and evidences to support the argument. Initially I started by just picking up random articles  and citing them in my work which is seen in my Proposal +5 and then my professor advised me to use sources that actually relate to my argument and establish an conversation. I was advised to use google scholar and the rowan database to get strong evidences for my paper. I also took help of wikipedia articles which helped me to establish a clear thought process. Listening to audio podcasts also helped. My use of illustrations and evidences is demonstrated in casual argument, Definition Argument, Proposal +5, and stone money.

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. 

Ethical writing is important. Every writer deserves to be credited for their writing and so citation is important. Hence during the semester I tried not to Jeopardize any of the university policies or code of conduct. I have always maintained a habit of including a works cited page in all my arguments. I might have forgot to cite the article here and there but my professor warned me on time so that I can avoid plagiarism. My works cited can be seen in casual argument, Definition Argument and also in Bibliography.

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 this semester, I have used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development. With one of the very first writing assignments, Stone Money, I have explored many different articles regarding a concept in history that I had previously knew nothing about. While conducting my research, I have discovered information about the stone money concept which led to the result of a short paper that I have written which demonstrated my knowledge and opinions on the concept of money in the past, present and future. In my opinion, I believe that my research has improved greatly from taking this course. I have learned to effectively utilize my resources to the greatest ability.

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.

This semester, I have had the privilege to improve my writing skills in many different categories. One skill that I have had the lack of opportunity to work with would most certainly be this. In my Visual Rewrite, I have learned to place text into conversation to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. As we selected a short silent video ad, I was able to visually analyze and create detailed text about the ad. This type of assignment was new to me, so I adapted and learned through the professor on how to approach this assignment.

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.

Time and time again, our professor has stressed the importance of revising and editing assignments. Each and every assignment that I have posted has been edited more than twice at the least. A perfect paper is impossible to exist. One assignment that can demonstrate my ability to rhetorically analyze the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing as well as other texts and visual arguments is my Definition Rewrite. With this being one of the first short papers relating to my research position paper, I was able to successfully analyze my thesis. In turn, I was able to apply this to the paper to build a solid structure to base my research position paper off of.

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.

This semester was one of the more challenging semesters. With this being my first semester back in over a year due to training, the adjustment was tough. In my opinion, my work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations. I believe that I have met this expectation in the majority of my papers, but more specifically in the Proposal +5. In this assignment, we were required to find five trustworthy sources, but it did not end there. What made this assignment differ from other assignments in the past was the fact that we were required to analyze each source and apply the material that relates to my research topic. This forced me to pre-read my sources to solidify that it would be reliable and applicable to my topic. This significantly helped support my own ideas and interpretations.

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.

One of my pieces of work that can represent this core value is my Research Position Paper. It is of the utmost importance to respectfully cite the work credited from other sources. Even through previous assignments, I have improved one of the most important skills in writing. The research paper was the big test where every source gathered was used for a single paper. The knowledge gained from previous assignments helped me correctly cite every source and incorporate it into the paper. Due to the knowledge and practice, my work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation.

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.

In College Comp II professor Hodges reintroduced an idea that has been fed to me for years. However, because of Professor Hodges I have thoroughly listened and taken this advice to heart. The idea that was presented is simply proofreading and correcting. We as students and writers are advised to constantly check and fix our work because it can only get better. However, most students such as my old self would take an assignment as a one and done deal. That is the definition of content. Although, as Professor Hodges stated in class no one should be content, we should always want better.  I achieved this goal by always asking for feedback on all my work. Aside from just posting on the website I also talked to Professor Hodges during class about work, topics and ideas for writing. Feedback from others is the most important starting point for your revision because more than one opinion opens doors for different ideas. I feel my best representation of taking feedback and correcting is in my Causal Argument Rewrite.

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. 

When writing about any topic you should be well educated before you even think about typing anything. Therefore, gathering information through critical research is key. You cannot develop an opinion or create an argument on a topic you know nothing about. I feel I accomplished this goal in my Proposal +5 because I gathered many sources I felt sided with my argument for my essay as well as other sources that gave light on the issue I was presenting. I gathered articles with opinions, statistics and case studies. The material I gathered helped my writing flow better, become clearer and establish a definite argument. We as writers need other source material to amplify our own stance; it is crucial.

https://rowancounterintuitive.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=8396&action=edit

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.

When it comes to writing a position paper and especially an argumentative piece, we must take into consideration which audience we are writing to. Professor Hodges made sure we understood the importance of having a purpose to writing for a specific audience. I feel I accomplished this goal in my Definition Argument Rewrite because I used valid evidence in my work along with appropriate wording to relate to the audience. The topic that is presented has a certain demographic it reaches out to. Once I realized how prevalent the topic was and took the advice of Professor Hodges as well as classmates I changed certain wording and source material. This was done because In my first draft I was quite naïve towards my audience and a bit irrational. Once I thought of them more my work became better.  

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.

Once again, it is important to gather information to back up our claims as writers. We cannot simply state our opinions as fact, we need research to back up our claims. In my Definition rewrite I accomplished this goal as well. I went out and searched for scholarly articles to back up my claims. I then used statistics to make those claims valid and substantial. Sometimes the audience agrees more with statistics and other times its more opinion related, therefore you must have sources that accomplish both. Real evidence supporting a writers argument is the best way to persuade a reader in agreeing with us.

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. 

For a paper to be viewed as successful and fair you must treat all material in proper way. This involves providing evidence for your stance on an issue and doing so in an appropriate manner. You must cite every piece of work that is not yours. A writer cannot take anothers opinion and evidence and deem it his own. This would be the epitome of unethical. Finally, it is only fair to not be one sides and look at the opinion of your opposing side. Take into consideration the opinions and facts they have and it will not only challenge us as writers, but help us dig deeper into our research to prove our points. My personal example of how I accomplished this goal is in my Rebuttal Rewrite . In the rewrite I present the opposing side of my arguments common view points and present this in a manner in which is fair and concrete. The data that was used was scholarly and properly cited. The rewrite was ethically sound.

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.

I have demonstrated core value one that I have made revisions to my work in my Definition Rewrite. I kept working on my Definition argument to make it better for my portfolio. I added more of the stuff I researched later on after I wrote my first draft. I learned that the more I rewrite and make my can prove the paper. In class, I learned that rewriting can never stop because once I see a flaw in an essay I have to go back and fixit to make sure that the paper flows throughout the paper.

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 demonstrated core value two in my Rebuttal Argument. I understood that not a lot o people would be on board with the idea of not having helmets. I rebutted against my position so that I could eliminate the flaws in my essay. It helped me to counter argue the readers position because I listed what the readers may side with than talked about why that would be bad and then gave my reasons why it would be a bad idea.

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.

I have demonstrated core value three about my audience being the industries that are creating helmets and the NFL as a whole. For example, in my hypothesis on my white paper wanted to let  the NFL and the helmet industries know that the football league should change the rules and how the way they tackle in general.

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.

I have demonstrated core value four in my Causal Rewrite. I showed that my research helps to illustrate my position on football helmets and how dangerous they are. In my the fifth paragraph of my causal rewrite when I talked paraphrased what Steven Laurey states in the TED talks speech. I showed the evidence of what I learned in during the time I research through the sources that I have come up with.

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.

I have demonstrated core value five in my argumentative papers that in order to win my reader over I would have to do my research and find why the position I am write about is right. Using correct citation can help strengthen my paper because it shows the reader that I did my research on the topic that I am siding on.

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.

In this course I learned that writing is more than creating one draft and being done with it, as I am used to. In this course, I found myself constantly revising my work to the point where the original was almost completely different than the final draft. The piece that most displays this value is my Causal Argument. I originally wrote my causal argument about standardized tests causing minority students to be at a disadvantage. However, Professor Hodges left feedback that brought up points that I had not originally considered. One of the points that I had not considered was where I initially contradicted myself. I had stated that minority students were not prepared fully for standardized tests but then later stated that teachers in minority schools teach to much to the test. Even though when I posted it I thought my essay was good, having someone else read it allowed me to rethink my logic. I reworked the entire argument to make a stronger and more clear piece and by the end almost every aspect of it had changed.

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. 

While preparing for my research paper, it was important to read many different texts from a range of sources in order to get a full grasp on my topic. While analyzing different sources it was clear to see that, although some were more similar than others, all the sources in one way or another contained similar ideas and worked off of each other. Therefore, in my work it was important to show all of the ideas that I had learned  and highlight the differences between different sources. The work that most shows Core Value II is my Definition Argument. In that piece, where I attempt to define “test equity,” I cited three sources to make my case. All three pieces shared similar ideas about the fundamentals of standardized testing but all came to unique conclusions. Therefore, I used the conclusions that each of the sources used in order to create a conversation about test equity.

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.

Throughout this course, I have learned that every work has a purpose and intended audience. In my Visual Rewrite, I displayed this core value by analyzing the purpose of the 30 second ad “How Much Would You Like to Lose?” The purpose of the assignment was to show that every aspect of the ad was placed there for a particular purpose. In this ad, even the man and woman’s clothes were placed for a purpose. First, the man and women were dressed elegantly which indicate that they were on a date. Later, the man’s clothing began to change into raggedy garments. Then, the couple’s body language change where the woman began to shift away from the man as if she was no longer interested in him and the man begun to display looks of shame.  For this ad, the intended audience was those who drink and it showed the audience the dangers of buzzed driving. Without thoroughly analyzing the piece, I would not have been able to fully understand the purpose of the ad. I was able to incorporate this concept into my other pieces during the semester.

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 my work, it has been important to evaluate many pieces from a variety of different sources. The assignment that most reflects Core Value IV is my Bibliography where I cited the twelve sources I used in my Research Paper. I clearly did not have enough research or experience to write an entire research paper on standardized testing so I had to find sources to support my ideas to persuade my audience. Some of my sources were research studies, such as Kenneth Wodtke’s “Exploratory Observational Study of Standardized Group Testing in Kindergarten,” which allowed me to use real-life observations to relate to my general thesis. Other sources were surveys or statistics, such as NAEP’s data on the achievement gap, which I was able to incorporate to further persuade my readers. I naturally incorporated all of the sources from my bibliography to create solid evidence to support my argument about standardized testing.

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. 

In my research paper, I expressed the complex and controversial debate that surrounds standardized testing in American public schools. As with anything controversial, it was important to express my ideas as fairly as possible. It was also important to acknowledge opinions that differ from mine and refute them respectfully and fairly. In my Rebuttal Rewrite, I was able to accomplish that. The source that I chose to refute, Latasha Gandy’s “Don’t Believe the Hype, Standardized Testing is Good for Children, Families, and Schools,” the author conveyed a set of beliefs that were completely different than the ones that I was conveying in my research paper. She believed that standardized testing was the most important tool in fighting educational justice in America. Although I did not agree with her argument, it was still important to acknowledge her points and clearly state the basis of her argument. By showing my readers this point, I was able to respectfully refute her argument by using the sources I had gathered in order to support my own points.

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.

One of the largest lessons that I have taken away from college composition is the recursive, never-ending cycle of good writing. Good writing is never finished. Last year in comp, I learned a great deal about proofreading. But yet, this semester I have learned more about changing my work than ever before. Every assignment this semester has been thoughtfully proofread and edited, but real revision began during my Visual Rewrites. The first moving image assignment was enjoyable, which made revision a fun recursive process. At the beginning of the semester, I struggled with revision, but we learned more tools to aid us in our revision towards the end of the semester which helped me greatly.

Not only are recursive stages of revision dire for great writing, but recursive discovery for the topic you are writing about is just as important. Without a broad knowledge of what you will be writing about, your writing will not be great. I was sure to create a legitimate interest in topics discoursed during class to make better writing. Informative writing creates curiosity within the reader, that becomes possible when the writer educates themselves on their subject of discourse. Further, lack of knowledge in your topic of writing will result in a bored audience. Gun control has always been a topic of discourse within my family which has resulted in a genuine interest on the problem. Therefore, gun control was the ideal research topic for me.

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.

By sorting all of our composition work into an online blog, a large platform that allows for a large community for discourse amongst various topics has been created. In my writing I was allowed discourse between my professor and I in order to improve my writing, as well as discourse amongst my fellow anonymous students. By receiving anonymous discourse from other students in my class, I am able to analyze a diverse view separate from my own that has helped tremendously in preparation for my research paper. And by forcing anonymity, this creates a bias barrier that encourages honest, although sometimes brutal, criticism that acts as a motivator towards the student to improve their writing in their recursive stages.

Throughout the semester, I have received large amounts of feedback from my professor and even a fair share from my peers. On my Definition Argument assignment, Darnell18 commented at me, “I like how you cover details on a variety of guns. The subject matter is very informative”. This dialogue between my audience and I helps me better understand what the audience wants to hear.

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.

In writing for my Research paper, I provided readers of the blog with unbiased and accurate information. Nowadays, it is challenging to find unbiased information. In response, I made a mission to supply that to the readers of the blog. In doing this, I was sure to search for observational data as opposed to subjective analysis. Subjective information is unreliable and strays from the work I am attempting to provide. By rhetorically analyzing the purpose, audience, and contents of my writing, I was able to provide accurate information effectively to the readers of the website.

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.

Without a premise, a conclusion has no meaning. Illustrations and evidence are of dire importance to support the writer’s ideas and deductions. As stated before, I wanted to deliver unbiased, accurate information to the readers. Therefore, I limited my sources to unbiased electronic web pages and documentaries in order to receive the most precise information as possible. I was sure to evaluate each website before it’s use to be sure that it’s facts and data were accurate and true, and that each website lacked subjective observation as to avoid such data to achieve my composition goal.

My annotated bibliography is a direct representation of the sources I located and evaluated, and also explains how I incorporated illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and conclusions.

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.

“My worthy opponent is wrong.” This quote told to us in class sticks out in my head with every argumentative paper I write. In class I learned the importance to be civil in our rebuttal arguments, and to respect our opponent, but to crush them in our knowledge and compositional skills. My work demonstrates this by showing that general knowledge is generally wrong, respectfully. My work also politely attempts to prove that our perceptions are not to be trusted, and that observational data is our key to advancement as a society.

Further, I learned the ethical responsibility of providing accurate citation to show respect for the sources that made my writing what it is. Without proper citation, the advancement of knowledge is halted because the validity of the information will be questionable.

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.

For any work to become great, it is important to look at its shortcomings and work off of that. An important part of Professor Hodges’ class is getting feedback for an essay, and then rewriting the essay based on what was suggested. The best example of me demonstrating this core value is seen in my Causal Argument essay. After completing the original essay, I talked directly with Professor Hodges and through his help, I was able to drastically change and improve upon what I had originally written. For example, one of my original paragraphs lacked a clear argument and had a lot of sentences that shared a similar meaning. To elaborate, it said that there was a connection between socioeconomic status and aggression, but in numerous sentences. It also brought up this being the government’s fault, but that line of thought went nowhere. With his feedback, I condensed what was originally written to a few sentences, wrote more to create a better argument, and restructured it all to be more coherent. So now it goes from establishing that some people are at a disadvantage, those people could end up in a lower class, a lower class leads to a higher level of aggression, and this increased aggression can lead to committing crimes. It wraps up by establishing that this is the government’s responsibility and as such, they may blame others to subvert attention.

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.

While it is important to use information to back up an argument, it is very easy to simply parrot what someone else is saying. In order to avoid this, one would have to read and analyze the text that they plan to use, and see how they can incorporate it into an essay which says something new on a topic. I followed this core value best within my Rebuttal Argument essay. To elaborate, I had found that the American Psychological Association found a correlation between violent video games and increased aggression. However, it does not directly support the case that violent video games can lead to criminal activity, so I used this to my advantage. I expressed how aggression can be a broad term, and as such, one can not say for sure that the aggression from video games can lead to murders.

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.

An important part of creating good writing is to understand the rhetorical elements. In other words, analyzing the purpose, audience, and context of a writing. By doing this, one can become a better writer overall. I went along with this core value in my Visual Rhetoric Analysis. In this assignment, I had to watch a thirty second PSA without audio, and try to figure out various things about it such as symbolism, purpose, audience, etc. I accomplished this by analyzing the video second by second. I looked at all of the various details of the frame to understand the argument that was being made. By the end, I had a clear understanding of what the PSA was trying to portray and how it expressed this. It was a PSA on texting while driving. It established a good Samaritan who was extremely selfless. In the end, he texts while driving, showing that even the best people can make the mistake of texting while driving. It is a bad thing to do, but those who do it are not inherently bad.

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 order to make a good argument, one should have sufficient evidence to back up the claims they are making. Without this, an argument can be chalked up as a baseless theory, lacking any sort of credibility. However, when evidence is used properly, an argument is enhanced and becomes more persuasive. I demonstrated this core value with my Causal Argument essay. In this essay, I brought up various points such as socioeconomic class determining levels of aggression, and poor parenting leading to increased aggression in a child. Alone, these claims mean nothing, but I offered evidence in the form of experiments which show my claims have merit to them, and makes the argument stronger as a whole. I also acquired the information of the experiments through databases since it is important to acquire evidence from a credible source.

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.

A major part of writing anything is to cite where you got your information from, and use the information appropriately. As a student of a university, it is important for me to uphold this ethic, and not plagiarize other people’s work. Even if it were not forbidden, it is only appropriate for others to be credited for the things they worked on. I upheld this core value in my Rebuttal Argument essay. In it, I drew upon a graph, article, and essay in order to get my points across. Whenever I was referring to something in the text, I made sure to clarify what it was and who wrote it. I also created a works cited in order to properly document the sources I used within the essay, and to give proper credit to those who made the respective sources.