Counterintuitive Spring 2023

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.

On the first day of class, when the rewriting and extensive feedback aspects were laid out, I was worried. I can be lazy and writing multiple drafts and incorporating mounds of feedback was not a task I felt up to. However, the workload was quite manageable and I felt compelled to write to the best of my ability, mainly to avoid the scorn of David Hodges’s feedback, which never fails to miss an error or phrase that can be improved. The Stone Money Rewrite serves as a good example of the development processes of my writing. My first draft was lackluster. There was a slew of information provided to potentially include, from the NPR articles to the Milton Friedman essay. I didn’t know where to start. Yet the topic was interesting and really got me thinking about the fictional and absurd quality of money, something we do not stop to question very often. After the feedback, I became more aware of the concept of “cows and chips.” I made sure to include relatable examples in my rewrite, such as references to Monopoly. Overall, the process of rewriting with the feedback allowed me to see where I went wrong, change those areas, and rethink my entire first draft to create more fluid, fleshed-out writing that was not as rushed as first drafts can often be.

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.

Writing my research position caused me to sift through numerous sources of information to craft a paper that dealt with a single, narrow issue:  the therapeutic benefits of video game playing on autism. The Definition, Causal, and Rebuttal rewrites highlight the different discourse areas I had to fuse together to cover my topic. To begin, I utilized several academic journals that explain these issues in medical and scientific jargon. I needed to reach a fuller understanding that I could easily convey to the readers, so I referred to popular sources like NPR and the Huffington Post. Combining these two disparate forms of information caused me to come to a midway point, one that combined the hard-to-understand concepts of the academic journals with the simple prose of average online publications. I came to the conclusion that many works of writing say the same things, just in different language. The writer’s job is to find the way of conveying the ideas that will catch and maintain a reader’s attention.

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.

The Summaries assignment made me analyze the rhetoric of my own and others’ writing. I had to simplify what someone else said by finding the essential points, then craft them into my own style. Following with the theme of the course, I had to pick out what made these articles counterintuitive. For instance, I took the lengthy article on lending companies denying people loans because of their social media content and summed up the purpose in a few paragraphs. I tried to say only what was absolutely necessary for the readers to grasp what was counterintuitive.

The Visual Rewrite was very interesting. 30 second ads fly by, assaulting the subconscious in ways that are hard to pinpoint. Judging my video frame by frame allowed me to see the purpose that the creators put into each visual moment. No frame is unintended. Although entirely visual, this assignment parallels the purpose of writing: no frame should go to waste, just as every word should serve a purpose. Since I watched in silence, I had to surmise who the targeted audience was, which turned out to be adults who are engaged in domestic violence situations. Since several classmates analyzed the same video, I was able to see numerous takes on the scenario, picking up on nuances I had overlooked.  

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.

Since my thesis deals with video games, I found information on several games that backs the assertion that certain ones can alleviate symptoms of autism. Writing my Rebuttal Rewrite, I found out about a game titled Social Clues in a University of Southern California article. I was able to illustrate the game’s creation and gameplay due to the information in the article. Since I had gone down a technical rabbit hole, I needed more than just description. I had to provide the science behind the app, a set of principles known as evidence-based practices. This term led me to an extensive journal that described evidence-based practices and how they are the standard in effective autism treatment. Since Social Clues incorporates these principles, I was able to highlight the specific aspects of the game that make it therapeutic, namely the relatable stories and emotional connections provided in-game.

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 every assignment, I included the appropriate referencing and citations that credit the authors whose writing I used to aid in developing my own ideas. Academic honesty is of utmost importance in college and in all endeavors. Plagiarizing someone’s words undermines all of the work they did, and is a sign of disrespect. In my Stone Money Rewrite, I made sure to give Milton Friedman credit by using his name and referencing the title of his work. I included his name, and the authors of the NPR broadcast I also used, in the Works Cited section. Every piece I wrote in this class included a Works Cited section, ensuring that I can not be accused of plagiarism or academic dishonesty.  
To conclude, I wanted to note that I appreciate the time and work you (Professor) put into this class. I have never done a class entirely online before, and it was always interesting seeing my classmates’ work. The environment will thank us for not wasting the unthinkable amount of paper we otherwise would have. Your knowledge of the ins and outs of writing is impressive.

On one of the first days of class, I remember you talking about God at one point, inquiring whether we are created in his image or if we create him in our own. From that moment on, I knew we were on a similar wavelength. You give off good vibes, Professor. I appreciate your humor and laid-back attitude, and your ability to inspire us to question what we thought we knew and to use our words to dissect absurd and counterintuitive topics. You are not afraid to speak your mind, evident from your copious and insightful feedback. Most professors or teachers will leave ambiguous comments scrawled in illegible red ink on essays. Your lengthy and direct comments always helped me see where I went wrong. Although our class was quiet and none of us may have a very close rapport with you, I think we have all learned a lot about the intricacies of writing. For one, I know we will hesitate the next time we are about to use “you” in our writing.

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.

This class as taught me to really focus in on my work and learn how to take the time to dissect the research that I do making me better understand the topic that I am writing about. For example, in my research for the Natural Hair Movement, my intent was to write about the basics of the movement and not really dig deep into the subject matter. I chose to research more and dig deeper so that I, myself could have a better understanding of my research topic. In doing so, the reader will have a whole understanding of the topic, because I took the time to understand what the natural hair movement was about. This class has really broadened my horizons on research.

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 Comp II, my mind has really opened up to using multiple resources in order to write and prompt and complete essay. Before taking this class I would use one, maybe two sources just because that is all I needed. That was not enough , I now know how to cut the surface and do not be afraid to research deeper, if I didn’t agree with a source try another until I felt as though the website or article was valid enough to put in my topic of research. having multiple literature sources at my disposal is great, rather than just choosing random articles or websites just because it fits into my article, I now know what to look for, and how to look for it. My knowledge on valuable and non-valuable sources have opened up!

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.

Taking the audience into consideration was never my forte in the writing field. Professor Hodges really taught me to include my audience because they will be the one reading the research paper. Before, I never included the audience because I just would assume that by reading this you already would know the background of the topic and therefore why include others into my essay? Taking this course and including the audience in my writings not only improved my papers but also improved my writing technique as well. I gave more detailed information and understood the knowledge of what I was writing about, instead of just not understand my topic and just throwing a paper together as I use to do in the past. Professor Hodges is a tough professor but really pushes the student so that we understand what writing is and how much passion we give will reflect on what others read.

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 freshman year of college i took English 101 and when I started that course my writing and evaluating my writing was terrible. Then I had a great professor who really acknowledged us as writers and gave us a better understanding of how to edit and edit because a writing piece is never finished it always can be revised and rewritten. Leaving English 101 with an A- I really thought my editing skills were top notch, I was wrong, Professor Hodges brought my skills that were already at a high level and took them to a level that I never would of imagined I would be at in life. I am now happy with my evaluation skills and editing skills because I now know that whoever reads my writings will not be confused or lost in my writing because I took the time to rewrite and edit my pieces several times.

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 responsibility for making sure that I do not plagerize has increased by a ton! I never use to realize it was that important not to rewrite what I found in words of a better understanding. I learned how to cite and uses the sources of my writings and put them into my own words. I love citing now because of the fact I gave proof that I may have used this source but I took it to another level and wrote the information that I found in my own words. Professor Hodges really made it a point that we as students do not need to copy and paste, we are at a point where we can gather our own information and put a lovely piece of art together because our minds are so bright!

  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.

This class has taught me to delve into subject matter being taught, and not just take things at face value. For example, the Stone Money assignment taught me to think about money, not just the paper money and coins I use every day, but the way other cultures determines the value of items we would just throw away, such as stones. I was able to see the importance of exploring the subjects we discussed in class, and looking at things from a different perspective. In my research paper, I was given guidance by my professor that helped me conceptualize and develop my thesis. His feedback enabled me to focus on the basic question raised in my research paper when I was wandering too far into areas not relevant to my work. My paper is still a work in progress, but one that is hopefully a successful culmination of all I have learned in this class.

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 how to use various sources in order to write a cohesive argument about social trust and its impact on the ability to self control.   Many of the sources I read contained information that I questioned, so I sought other texts on that information to clarify the idea. I could then either accept the reasoning behind that information or reject it. In all my assignments in this class, I learned to look below the surface of the idea being presented. When I started to investigate the different perspectives of an assignment, I often found that the assignment was not what I was expecting at all. Looking at various sources of information, whether in books or articles, or on online sites such as google scholar, opened up a world of information at my literal fingertips.

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 the Safer Saws assignment, I was able to ascertain that the purpose of some of the texts I read where far different from other texts because of the lobbying efforts of the writer. For example, if the writers were representative of the saw manufacturers, then they would contain the argument that the free market would determine whether the Safer Saw would flourish as a business. I then read the purposeful writing of the consumer safety advocates, the injured plaintiffs, the customers, and other participants. I realized that every story has several sides, and that perspective is everything. I learned that writers often write their arguments tailored to their own purpose, and I could almost always find a written counterargument to any paper. I found the causal argument assignment and the rebuttal argument especially helpful in my writing, as it made me look at my thesis in a completely different way. Analyzing my writing this way definitely improved my paper.

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 causal argument assignment, my first draft was more rhetorical writing than actual proof. My professor was quick to point that out, and I was able to then satisfy the expectations of academic writing by using the sources I had outlined in my proposal, and other sources I found as I worked on my essay. I rewrote my causal argument to contain evidence to back up my theory that social trust is essential to delay gratification, and that a child’s background and experience that lacks trust leads to a lack of self control. My research began with the Marshmallow Study, and that led to subsequent studies that disagreed with the original findings that self control was a unitary trait. It became relatively easy to find evidence to support my theory, and I was able to write my paper with claims supported by scientific studies.

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 believe that a writer has the responsibility to present a point of view as fairly as possible. For example, nothing turns me off quicker than a writer who derides anyone who disagrees with a position. Or a writer who skews actual science to try and support a weak position. Or a writer who obviously “dumbs down” complex ideas because there is a perception that the reader is stupid. There is also no excuse to blatantly copy another’s work and claim it as original. When writing my research paper, I made sure to properly cite my sources. This has a twofold purpose. It gives credit to the original researcher or writer, and it links the information if the reader wishes to explore further.

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 not been the most effective and confident writer. Typically, when I wrote papers in high school, I would get B’s and be satisfied. However, high school is entirely different than college so I was stressed out about CompositionII before it even began. On the first day of class, Professor Hodges told us to take out a piece of paper and rip it up. To be honest, I thought he was crazy. I didn’t find any purpose behind us ripping up paper that I could have used to write notes for a different class. He then went into discussion on how his course would be all about rewriting. Something I needed to do desperately but was always too lazy. At that very moment, I knew my writing would improve with the help of Professor Hodges and myself. The first assignment we were given was Stone Money and I was very intimidated because I was confused on the topic and was not good at proving my point through my text. After lots of critical but effective feedback, I was able to develop stronger points in my Stone Money Rewrite and that helped me throughout the remaining of the semester.

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. 

Normally when I would analyze my writing, I moved at a speedy pace. This caused me to overlook multiple errors plenty of times, which could result in poor grades if my teachers didn’t take any heed to it. Professor Hodges course is not like any other English course I’ve taken. Most Professors will tell you that you’ve made errors in your work but not go into depth about them. He on the other hand cares about our success in the course. I had a tough time coming up with a counterintutive topic for my research paper and when I did my Proposal+5 it was evident. Professor Hodges took the time to comment on my post and assisted me in finding other considerable topics that had a numberless amount of sources to back it up. That’s when I was able to develop my Redo Proposal+5.  This allowed me to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from numerous sources that was used in my Definition Rewrite,  Causal Rewrite and Rebuttal Rewrite.

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.

Other than becoming an assertive writer, my other goal was to learn how to take my audience into consideration when writing papers. I wouldn’t provide a lot of facts and sources on my topic as if my audience had background knowledge on it, prior to reading my essays. Although I was aware that I had a continuous habit of doing this, I didn’t stop. I waited until Professor Hodges pointed it out and then made changes from there with his help. After several rewrites and finally getting it together, my writing made a significant improvement as I was able to keep my audience in mind by providing more information when developing my arguments.

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.

Since we always have to rewrite our papers in this course, I have now become a fan of looking for things within my paper to edit. In my Visual Assignment, while analyzing the video I missed more than enough points that I could have made. Luckily, in my Visual Rewrite, I had the opportunity to review the video over again and make points that I didn’t the first time. I felt like I have made the expectations of academic writing because I evaluated and incorporated illustrations, that even someone who didn’t watch the video would be able to visualize it because of the amount of vital information I provided.

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. 

Not only do I provide evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations but I also respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas and to fairly cite my sources. Not only is plagiarism an academic violation that can result in a F and possibly get you kicked out of school. It also restrains students from providing citations for their sources. Throughout this course, we were assigned to cite for every source listed in our assignments. This has not only saved me from failing this course but has helped me in my Annotated Bibliography, when I had to provide information on the source and how I intended to use it in my research paper.

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.

While I was always taught that writing is a process, I had never appreciated rewrites. I always considered them a waste of time, something teachers in high school told me to do for extra busy work. I had never been put in a position where rewrites became relevant and incredibly important to my work, and even if I had, feedback was always vague, limited, and ultimately useless to me. In this class, not only did I receive extensive feedback on my work, the I received a paragraph by paragraph layout of what needed to be fixed, making the rewriting process that I always dreaded much easier and understandable. In this case, I believe my best application of this work was in my Definition Rewrite, for which I had received constructive criticism and even the occasional encouraging compliment. Especially while rewriting my Definition argument, I learned the importance of reevaluating previous work and better appreciated the numerous chances and encouragement to work towards a higher standard of writing.

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. 

Posting my work and having the opportunity to see other’s progress was an interesting and helpful process in expanding on my own skills. Having my ideas out for the class to see was actually very profound, and I used that opening to my advantage. There were a handful of peers that, after the first few assignment, I would keeps tabs on and evaluate their work and feedback, trying to emulate the good and eliminate the bad in my own pieces. One specific instance that comes to mind is the Visual Rhetoric Rewrite. Myself and several others ended up breaking down the same video, which to me was a blessing in disguise. I hated sharing the same topic with another student in the past, but due to the nature of this course and how our work is posted, I was able to dissect other’s feedback and comments, which opened my eyes to details I had not seen before. I had never analyzed a video so thoroughly and completely before in terms of what each movement and picture meant, and being a theatre major, I appreciated learning a lesson that I can apply to my craft.

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.

Another topic I would have trouble with is remembering my audience. I have difficulty remembering that my reader does not know the same information I do, and I have a duty to relay my research understandably. I learned this lesson early on in the Stone Money Rewrite. Having been just introduced to the class, I slacked on the original post, but once I had gotten my first dose of feedback from Professor Hodges, I understood the quality of work expected. There was a large well of information represented in the Stone Money assignment, and after reading and listening to the material, myself and a number of classmates wrote as though our audience knew exactly what was being discussed. In my rewrite, I attempted to include a common theme between each piece of information and included more background on the societies I commented on. The further we got into the semester, I tried to keep up the idea that my audience has little to no context about my topic, and to educate them before moving on.

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.

Because I am not a doctor, my opinion on the subject of mental health in my final paper may not be well received without facts and evidence to support me. My passion for this subject fueled my research to find first hand interviews with comedians as well as scholarly articles and studies to further support and explain the correlation between mental health issues and performers in an attempt to be as credible as possible. At first, I was concerned I would not find enough worthy material, but over time was able to find intriguing studies to get a conversation started. My work on my Causal and Definition arguments incorporate concepts that I believed relevant and interesting, backed up by medical and scientific fact. While my arguments are sometimes a bit jumbled, each and every one comes 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.

This value, in my opinion, is one of the most important. As I went through high school and find myself in my sophomore year of college, I find that intelligent conversation is not always a pretty sight, as not everyone is on my side of the fight. Throughout this semester, we have taken complex concepts such as money, mental health (PTSD, specifically), and medical malpractice into debate, finding ways to keep the conversation afloat and keeping our minds open to other perspectives. My topic for my final paper incorporates the tricky subject of mental health, and wether or not instability in necessary to be a good performer. Mental health issues, while still being debated, are a hot button topic; not everyone agrees that mental illness is harmful, or that it is even real to begin with, and I must convince that part of my audience to see my point of view and become open to change without turning them off completely. With the help of several studies and scholarly findings, I can use my own findings, backed up by credible sources, to persuade my audience to, at the very least, consider my point without forcing my ideas down their throats.

Although not necessary, I’d like to include a final, overall statement about my time in this class. I’ve never had an instructor so dedicated to providing the tools needed to succeed. The thought-provoking in class debates, extensive and constructive feedback, and, yes, even the occasional riddle, had me genuinely opening up to my peers’ thoughts and opinions. Even though my face was probably blank from lack of sleep, I promise I still appreciate the effort Professor Hodges put into this class. Thanks for helping me like writing and debating again.