Final Blog Post

 We—and in reality, you—have covered a lot of ground this semester (Blog, Memoir, Textual Analysis, Researched Argument, Website Project and their several parts). What was your favorite assignment and why? What was your least favorite assignment, and why?

My favorite assignment was the Researched Argument. I enjoyed being able to choose my own subject to study and research, and I found the genre very straightforward and useful in wording my arguments and presenting my views. I learned a lot through my research about bias in the media and environmental issues, and my views on certain topics changed significantly over the course of writing the paper. Finally, the editing and revision process for this project was very useful to me, and I intend on using those revision tools in the future.

My least favorite assignment was the Memoir. Since it was the first writing I did for this class, I was not very confident in its quality, even with the final draft. I felt that my writing was limited by having to find a specific pop culture text that related to a major life event. Ideally, composing a piece about my own life would require the least effort of all these assignment- no research, just memories. However, I had a lot of trouble pinning down a single pop culture text instead of many that influenced me. In the end, I felt my chosen subject still didn't satisfy the spirit of the assignment, so I was not satisfied with the assignment overall.

Through the process of each assignment, you built composition and writing skills that apply more broadly (such as generating ideas, drafting, revising/editing/proofreading, collaborating, beginning and ending, describing, narrating, reading critically, analyzing, researching, arguing, framing others’ work, guiding readers to name a few). Of the skills you built upon this semester, which ones do you think will be the most helpful in your future studies and/or employment?

As I mentioned briefly above, I learned a great deal about how to edit and revise based on one's audience and their feedback. Also, the editing and revision tools - reverse outlines, peer reviews, logos/ethos/pathos - all showed me ways of bettering my writing after the rough draft, something I rarely did in high school English classes. I believe that the ability to look at my own writing objectively and improve it through these methods will help me present my ideas clearly and effectively for a career in environmental science, where factual reports and analyses are common.

How has your understanding of the Rhetorical Situation changed this semester? How can you apply this knowledge to your future studies and/or employment?

The Rhetorical Situation was a concept with which I was familiar before this course, but not by that name. Over the course of this semester, I learned more about how writing for audience and with a certain tone, among other things, can influence how a piece is received. My understanding of the Rhetorical Situation has also improved how I structure my writing. The constant reinforcement of the Rhetorical Situation really did help me write in a way that clearly communicates what I wish my audience to read. 

I believe that I can use the Audience, Tone, and Genre elements of the Rhetorical Situation in my future career. As a major in environmental science, any reports, analyses, or researched argument papers I write would certainly benefit from a professional tone and a logical, straightforward genre - two elements that we used extensively in this course.