Joshua Daniel 12/13/19
Abstract
The purpose of this essay is to highlight the things I have learned from the course. I will describe to what extent I was able to master these topics:
- Explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations.
- Develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing.
- Recognize and practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations.
- Engage in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.
- Understand and use print and digital technologies to address a range of audiences.
- Locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias.
- Compose texts that integrate your stance with appropriate sources using strategies such as summary, critical analysis, interpretation, synthesis, and argumentation.
Joshua Daniel 12/13/19
English 11000
Professor Noelle Nagales
Final Self Reflection Essay
This semester I had the privilege to be in Professor Nagales’ Honors English 11000 course. I learned how to become a better writer through various methods. Throughout the course, I was able to explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations. I developed strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing. I was taught how to recognize and practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations. In class, I often engaged in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes. In order to gather information for research and to submit homework, I had to understand and use print and digital technologies to address a range of audiences. When learning about the research paper writing process, I learned how to locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias. In the end, I was able to compose texts that integrate my stance with appropriate sources using strategies such as summary, critical analysis, interpretation, synthesis, and argumentation. My time in this class was extremely rewarding and it changed my outlook on writing as a whole.
The first thing that comes to mind about this course was the amount of reading and annotating I had done for countless passages. From my free write on “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid to the research studies I read on the effect of reading on overall academic growth, I read a ton of literature spanning several genres and topics. This course enabled me to hone my skills of reading carefully and extracting the pieces of information that was crucial to my argument. Throughout the course, I was able to explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations.
Over the course of the semester, I learned how to identify several rhetorical terms and strategies. This skill was greatly bolstered by the professor providing me with worksheets on every lesson that enabled us to practice what we learned in the lectures. One of the assignments that really helped me with the rhetorical situations were the worksheets the professor asked me to complete. This strategy really helped me to better understand certain passages we read such as Walt Wolfram’s “Everyone Has an Accent” as well as Robert MacNeil’s “English Belongs to Everybody.” We also learned how to construct a rhetorical precis that would embellish our analysis on certain works.
I developed strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing. Many of the essays I wrote over the course of this semester consisted of many hours of careful revision and patient brainstorming. If I ever had a question about the essay or if I had hit a writer’s block, I was just an email away from help. This course bolstered my practice of revising my work with immense scrutiny and carefulness. The professor’s constant suggestions helped me to develop new ideas on how to continue or change my paper.
In many ways, English 11000 was more than just an English class. In class, I often engaged in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes. We would regularly talk about different works we had to read for homework. We would often discuss the deeper meaning behind words or what the author was really trying to get at. For instance, we watched Donald Glover’s “This is America” video song which highlighted the social injustice that takes place in our country and had a great discussion afterward. Also, we discussed in great detail about the writing process and the tedious process of brainstorming, jotting down, and revision.
In order to gather information for research and to submit homework, I had to understand and use print and digital technologies to address a range of audiences. To hand in my work, we as a class used Blackboard. The software enables us to hand in our work online to my professor. It also has discussion rooms where I can work with my classmates. Often times, I also utilized print technology to hand in my papers and worksheets to the professor. In order to create an online portfolio, we utilized the CCNY student commons center. The professor led us step by step in creating unique sites where we can post our work.
When learning about the research paper writing process, I learned how to locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias. When we began the research paper phase of the course, our professor scheduled us an appointment with one of the librarians. During the appointment we learned how to navigate the CCNY library database. The instructor demonstrated how to use certain keywords to help us find the information we were looking for faster. This tutorial helped me find peer-reviewed sources for my exploratory essay.
In the end, I was able to write essays that clearly stated my argument and developed that argument step by step. This class taught me how to use peer reviewed sources and cite them correctly. I also learned how to quote the author correctly. I believe this class has honed my skills in each of the aforementioned aspects. I am certain that I am a better reader and writer now than when I started this course. This course has enabled me to be more confident in my writing, and at times to have a little fun with it. In conclusion, professor Nagales’ class has renewed my passion for writing and has taught me valuable lessons on how to write a cohesive work of literature.
Wolfram, Walt. “Everyone Has an Accent.” Teaching Tolerance, www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2000/everyone-has-an-accent.
Lippi-Green, Rosina L. English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States. Routledge, 2012.
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