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 I first stepped into the classroom, Professors Hodges made us take a piece of paper and rip it up. I thought this was unusual and assumed this man was senile, but as it turns out it symbolized something, it symbolized that as a writer we need to write our essays and not be done with them. Each essay we wrote was just the beginning of getting our thoughts onto paper but then completely rewriting it several times to make sure it was the best damn thing that we could write. If requested, Professors Hodges would give us feedback, and while he did not hold back it allowed me to open my mind and understand what he is saying to actually improve my writing. I was able to take one idea and then expand on it in all different directions. Each rough draft got better and better until there was nothing left to be done on it.

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 always hated going into things without prior knowledge. I tend to believe that I’m able to have a conversation about anything and know at least something about it, but this year that stopped. Ive always been the kid to have something to say and know little on the subject and its gotten me through life until now. When I walked into this classroom it would seem that my entire mind went blank and I understood nothing. I didnt like conversing with my classmates at first for fear of being wrong or knowing nothing, but after awhile I was able to warm up with the classmates and get their perspectives on certain issues. Also Professor Hodges made sure that we were able to back up any of our citations with core facts and not just random words.

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’ve always known that when a person is writing a paper to write it in the perspective of the person that is intended to read it. One would not write a paper about quantum physics and expect a seven year old to read it. I was able to take this semester to work on sharpening these skills and making sure I was writing for those that would read my papers. I learned what words to use that made it harder to read but not making it impossible for some readers. I spent time researching things so that my reader knew it was not opinionated but supported by cold hard facts.

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 began this semester by barely using any facts in my papers, I did not want to flood my audience with facts nor did I have enough to support any side that I would take in my papers. I learned to use words to create certain environments and used facts to make sure my readers understood that it was not simply just a random person talking about something they knew nothing about.

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.

Throughout the course I have been learning to cite sources correctly in order to avoid plagiarizing. When quoting a fact from a source I made sure that it was quoted correctly and not just thrown into the essay. I also learned how to hyperlink sites in my works, like in my Definition Rewrite, so that if a person was curious about my source, the webpage was located right where the fact is.