GOAL 1: I used a multi-stage, recursive, and social process for my writing and took into consideration feedback from my instructor, classmates, and other readers.

The goal of the first core value is to understand that writing is a practice which involves a multi-stage, recursive and social process. The very first day of class Professor Hodges made it clear that all writing is crap; so I knew there would be an intense feedback and rewrite process. I can honestly say I did not enjoy that process in the beginning, probably because Professor Hodges did not hold back at all with his feedback on my first post. Initially it was discouraging, but now I look forward to the criticism because it only makes me more confident in my writing, once I apply the changes I need to. I now try to ask as many people as I can to revise my essay before posting it, I start with my roommate and than turn to my family. I do this because one day I would love to post a piece of writing and have Professor Hodges find nothing wrong with it. (Even though that might be mission impossible.)


GOAL 2: I read source materials closely and analyzed them critically to learn how and why texts create meaning.

The goal of the second core value is to read source materials closely and analyze them critically to learn why text creates meaning. In the beginning of this course I did what every lazy Freshman would do, and that was skim over the text until I gathered enough information to write about it. Then one day Professor Hodges analyzed a students assignment for the whole class too see. He read and thought out loud, taking the class through his complete thought process. The way he broke down every sentence so critically and carefully inspired me to quit “skimming” for good. Once I started to inherit Professor Hodge’s way of analyzing I found writing to be extremely easier. I also found myself to be more of a perfectionist; I wanted every sentence to have meaning, and portray my thoughts and ideas perfectly.


GOAL 3: I wrote with a particular audience in mind, allowing my purpose to shape the language and methods I used not just to communicate information but to persuade readers.

As a writer there are many goals that should be accomplished through your work. The goal of the third core value is to engage the reader, and most importantly persuade them to agree with your standpoint. To reach this goal one must write with a defined purpose and a specific audience in mind. Although A:06 is not my best work, I wrote to a specific audience. Teenagers are stubborn and think they are indestructible, my goal was to show them the scary truth behind sleep deprivation. That is why I filled my essay with facts and had a simple vocabulary. Now if I was writing about politics or the results of a professional sports game, my audience would be different. I would need to change my terminology to reach them while still including my point of view.
GOAL 4: I demonstrated my information literacy by synthesizing my own experience with new insights and information from a range of outside sources to produce new material.

In this course the New York Times was our textbook. I am grateful of that because after reading articles and articles for each new assignment I became educated in current news and live topics. However, with the New York Times you are dealing with strong opinions of other authors, this made it difficult for me to find my own voice.These articles are so well written and so persuasive, so when it came time for me to write my own opinion I just wanted to agree with the original author. This became a challenge that I needed to overcome. But I found my voice, and can now integrate my own opinions and ideas in my writings. I also perfected my citation skills, because as I explained, you are dealing with the opinions of other authors in the New York Times, therefore you need to give credit where credit is due.

GOAL 5: My writing is ethical. Writing about meaningful topics, I have engaged responsibly with them and represented my ideas and the ideas of others honestly, fairly, and logically.

Writing has never been a talent of mine; I am a science major for a reason. I truly admire those who can intricately put their thoughts and ideas into flowing, strong sentences. I attended a performing arts school from kindergarden to 8th grade. Creative writing was one of the required courses I needed to take (and yes I struggled in it.) Through those 9 years of school I learned to love and respect the art of writing. I know the hours of work, revision after revision it takes to produce a piece of writing; so I would never disrespect the ideas of another author. Luckily, in this course we were able to pick our own articles to write about. This allowed to me to write about topics I cared about and found meaning in. It also made starting and completing my assignments a lot easier. Another part in completely achieving the fifth goal is properly citing work; since I have such respect for writers I always make it my priority to cite the authors I include in my work. There are also many serious repercussions for plagiarism (as there should be) that I would never want to encounter.