Reflection Paper

        English 2100 was a fantastic course that really enhanced my writing skills and taught me new things that are quite useful in college. We were notified about all of the assignments at the start of the semester, and the course was separated into four sections based on big assige. The organization of phases into four distinct sections, as well as the calendar with due dates, aided me in staying on top of my work. We were provided step-by-step instructions as well as time to peer-review for each assignment. I was able to make new friends and learn how to provide and receive critical feedback by participating in small group conversations and critiquing one another’s essays. The two essays we wrote about literacy and language opened my eyes to new ways of thinking about language. We explored several forms of English by reading short essays and listening to Ted talks. I had no idea we consciously or unconsciously mock others who speak different dialects of English, although there is no such thing as a correct or bad form of any language. We also overlook to consider their previous experiences. English is like food in that there are so many different ways to prepare the same dish, and they all taste different, and we don’t judge them; we’re just glad we tried something new. Language, in my opinion, is the same. Various forms of English are correct and appropriate, just as all flavors of a single dish are amazing.

        Although the class was incredibly instructive and enjoyable, there was one essay in particular that I struggled to write: the research-based argumentative essay. I believe I struggled with it because I had never written an essay that incorporated synthesis, rhetorical analysis, and so on. Choosing a theme was also challenging because there are so many to pick from. When an instructor sets  a word count, the large quantity and pages make me nervous. It rapidly disappeared as I got started with it. We were given a worksheet to assist us narrow down our choices. And when it came to synthesis, we were shown how to synthesize two separate sources step by step. In addition, we completed an assignment in class where we looked at several ways to identify reputable sources and which databases have the most reliable sources based on what we are writing about. As a freshman who didn’t know how to search for databases, and given that we have access to so many, this lesson was quite valuable. We also had the opportunity to speak with the instructor one-on-one on how to modify and edit our writings. When I turned in my draft, citations and topic sentences were missing, and Noelle taught me the distinction between in-text and reference page citations.

        In the end, this course was precisely constructed to develop writing skills while also introducing new creative writings that encourage students to think outside the box rather than old conventional essays. It also changed my attitude on language; I used to be embarrassed about my English, but now I can write and speak freely without feeling the need to change my words to seem fancy. Because the way you speak does not define your intelligence. And understanding about so many various databases, as well as how and when to utilize them, was really helpful because I will be able to apply that knowledge throughout my college career. I’d also like to thank Noelle for her patience and attention to detail when it came to teaching her lessons.