Throughout the duration of this semester, I have taken on a number of assignments which have given me the ability to look back in retrospect on the things which I have learned, and progress I have made as a writer through this course. I feel as though I can say with some level of confidence that through the assignments in phases 1 through 3, I have addressed most of the learning objectives for the course, and have thus improved my abilities in both reading and writing.

One of the course learning objectives which most stood out to me, and one which I feel I achieved, was objective 6. More specifically, this objective discusses locating research sources and evaluating them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness and bias. I feel as though the assignments I completed this semester aided in my understanding of this objective because they required me to examine a variety of sources and determine for myself if they were worth using in my own writing. As an example, for my phase 3 assignment, I was tasked with writing a research essay. This essay required me to find academic sources online and sources which I felt were appropriate and informative in order to compile them to formulate an effective argument. Doing so allowed me to sharpen my skills when it comes to using the resources at my disposal to select sources which are both effective and helpful for the assignment which I am trying to complete.

The image above showcases the sources which I used for my research essay assignment, some of which were academic, which pertains to the goal of objective 6. 

 Similarly, I feel as though this assignment allowed me to also accomplish objectives 7 and 8. Objective 7 pertains to composing texts with a stance, and using strategies like synthesis, summary, analysis and argumentation, and objective 8 pertains to the application of citation conventions. I feel as though I achieved objective 7 because with my research paper, I had to make a clear stance and argument, which in my case was on the topic of public transit and car dependency in the US. This required me to combine what I already knew with the information I gathered from the sources I found online, and the ability to synthesize the information you gather from online sources is a crucial one. “Despite some differing sentiment, Wiersma, Bertolini, and Straatemeier’s work echoes much of the same thinking as Kamga’s work does. Both of the aforementioned articles serve to convey the importance of creating viable and practical alternatives to driving by introducing public transit into a region,” (Diaz). This quote from my research essay demonstrates my ability to synthesize and combine different sources, and showcase the ways in which they build off of one another to further my argument.  Furthermore, the assignment also required me to analyze what the authors of the respective texts were saying, and in doing so, I was able to further my skills with regards to absorbing the most key information from an academic source and turn it into something I can use for my own argument. I also feel as though I achieved objective 8 because for my research essay, I had to properly employ the use of MLA citations throughout my essay, and I can definitely say that through the assignment and the help of the writing center, my understanding of citation conventions was furthered. An example includes the following quote from my research essay: “This topic is explored by ‘Adapting spatial conditions to reduce car dependency in mid-sized ‘post growth’ European city regions: The case of South Limburg, Netherlands,’ which is an article by Jake Wiersma, L. Bertolini, and T. Straatemeier. According to the aforementioned text, car-dependency can be defined as “a lack of travel options to daily destinations” (Wiersma, Bertolini, Straatemeier Abstract)” (Diaz). This showcases how I learned to implement proper MLA citations in my writing, and properly employ the use of outside sources into my work.   

Another objective which I feel I achieved was the first one, which discusses how attitudes towards linguistic standards can both empower and oppress language users. This one pertains more so to my phase 1 assignment, where I discussed my relationship with language growing up, and how my appreciation of language grew as I got older. More specifically, I came to realize how having an understanding of multiple languages (English and Spanish) was a strength, and the value which it held, in spite of the fact that people are often treated negatively based on their cultural identity or the way they speak a certain language. Furthermore, the assignment also helped me reflect on my appreciation for the different dialects a language, such as Spanish, can have, because even though some might tell you there is a correct way to speak a language, the reality is that the only correct way is whatever way helps you communicate your point. For me, this assignment helped me to realize and reflect on how people can often be discriminated against because the way in which they speak does not align with what one might consider to be the “proper” means of speech. A specific example of how the assignment helped me to accomplish/achieve this objective was when I said “For instance, Dominican Spanish is known for having a set of conventions which you would not find in other forms of Spanish. What’s kind of interesting about this is that when I got to the point where I was taking Spanish classes in middle school and high school, I had realized that my perception of the language was “warped” to some extent, which is to say that my understanding of what “standard” Spanish is was shaped by what I had grown up hearing and listening to around me. I didn’t know growing up that there were different Spanish dialects, I just assumed that there was one correct way of speaking it, which was the way my family members spoke it. As such, this kind of forced me to rethink the way in which I went about learning the language, seeing as I could now appreciate the reality that there was no singular right or wrong way to speak it.” (Diaz). To me, this showcases how my personal linguistics journey led me to understand and perceive how the linguistic standards we hold as a society, both in and out of the English language, can sometimes cause damage and confusion when we uphold the false idea that there is a singular “correct” way to speak. 

Another goal or objective which I achieved through my work was #5, which pertains to using digital technologies to address a variety of audiences. For my phase 2 assignment, I used different mediums, such as an op-ed as well as two memes in order to appeal to an audience and to get my message across about the topic of public transit and car dependency. I think this objective was important because it highlights how one must consider who their audience is, because the way you communicate something is almost more important than what you are trying to convey.

I feel as though there were some objectives which I still could work on achieving. For instance, I feel as though analysis of rhetorical genres and recognizing rhetorical strategies (Objective 2) are things which, while I don’t necessarily struggle with them, are not something I really feel like I strengthened via my assignments throughout the semester. Therefore, I feel as though those might be places of potential improvement or future focus. The assignments we completed this semester served to strengthen other skills, but I cannot say with certainty that rhetorical strategies and genre analysis was something I really perfected during this time. Furthermore, I might also benefit from working on objective 3, which discusses reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, etc. The reason why I say I could work on this is because my revisional strategies this semester have been limited in that I did not actively search out feedback or use the resources at my disposal to get alternative perspectives on my work. While I do not feel my grades or work suffered drastically for it, it is always beneficial to gain insight on one’s work and see how they can improve, and as such, I want to be able to make better use of workshopping opportunities to gain useful insight for my writing.  

Lastly, I feel as though when it comes to objective 4, which pertains to key rhetorical terms and strategies, I feel as though while it is not something I struggle with, I might benefit from incorporating that more into my work, thus reinforcing my understanding of rhetorical terms and strategies. The assignments we covered throughout the class, aside from when we analyzed texts in class, did not place a huge emphasis on the outright analysis on rhetorical terms, and as such, maybe I could practice.