Reflection Paper

Course Reflection

I never knew how challenging writing could be until I took ENC 1102. I assumed all you really needed to do was sit at a computer desk and just write. When I opened my syllabus for the first time, I looked at the course objectives and realize that was not the case. I honestly did not believe I could achieve the objectives laid out in the syllabus. I never had been a good writer and the objectives seemed a little out of my writing capabilities. However, as time went on, I progressed in the class and learned how to become a better writer. While finishing my literary review, I had accomplished most of the objectives and had gained knowledge in something I am really interested about.

Objective 1: Student will demonstrate an awareness of the dynamic relationship between rhetorical situation, discourse community, genre and inquiry

                From what I learned in the class, discourse communities are important to the writer. Being a part of different discourse communities effects the way you write to the audience. A scientist would have a different form of communicating his ideas to the scientific community then a historian to fellow historians. Understanding this concept allowed me to put my audience in perspective when I write. My paper on females in the military made me a part of the discourse community due to my prior service. I changed the way I wrote the paper to accommodate my audience and to provide them with information that is easy to understand. This aspect made me into a better writer by making me aware of the audience I am writing too.

                Inquiry research allowed me to make my work original. Papers that I have written before had always been paraphrasing others work or stating facts. I have never had to come up with a question and research the answer. This made my paper unique. I located a gap and discovered the reasons behind it. This type of research allows a writer to have genuine originality.

                Learning these concept will help me for future papers to come. Employer look for people who can find answers and inquiry research is the method to get there. Also understanding the discourse community can make my writing more comprehensible to the audience that my research aims. Looking back at the course, these traits were essential to the progression of my future writing.

 Objective 4: Students will produce complex, analytic, persuasive arguments that matter in academic contexts

                For the topic I chosen, there were many scholarly research that had been conducted. This made it fairly difficult to connect information and read through all the sources. As my research went on, my research question changed to accommodate for the information I was finding. My research question started off as to “Why is there discrimination to females in the military?” to “What are the social norms that target females in the military?” The second question focus more on the cause of discrimination instead of just stating the discrimination. After changing the question, I realized the information I was researching could be connected more easily.

                Researching can be overwhelming. As my first couple of draft of my literary review can prove, I tend to go on tangent and not focus strictly on the topic I am writing about. I learned to stick with the information that supported my points the best.

                After the surveys and interviews had been conducted, I learned that my research actually had relevance. What I was researching in my paper was an actual poorly discussed cause to the discrimination of females in the military. The results I received were not expected and allowed me to introduce a new argument to the research out in world.

Objective 5: Students will develop flexible strategies for revising, editing and proofreading writing.  

                Grammar has always been my worst enemy. As I mentioned before, I never been a good writer and the class really challenged me to get better. The immense amount of office hours that were available eased the pain to the painful grades I received. Being able to get face to face advice on my paper made it easier for me to revise.

                Concision was important to the development of my paper. I had never realized the amount of “fluff” writing I put into my research. I fill my research with many empty phrases or random quotes. All this did for my paper was make the reader lose interest and made my writing more cluttered. After the removal of these phrases and quotes, my writing was more direct and to the point.

Conclusion:

                By the end of this semester, my writing had improved. My writing still might need some work but now I understand how to complete a proper research assignment. The course objectives at first frighten me but now looking back, I am glad I learned them. The research I got to perform in the class gave me a voice in the argument.