Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

I demonstrated the practice of recursive stages in many of my works this semester and took advantage of Professor Hodge’s willingness to give good feedback. This is especially apparent in my editorial. I originally struggled attempting to write a piece not solely presenting facts. I also had an unclear argument in my work and did not fully know what I wanted to present. I asked for feedback from Professor Hodges and was given a lot of helpful tips. I made drastic changes to my piece taking his advice into account. I asked for advice on multiple occasions and created a work much better than my original draft based on outside advice. Using his feedback I was able to develop and present a clear argument.

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

By carefully reading and understanding other’s work, I was able to express my own viewpoints. This is especially clear in my editorial. In this work, I read an article on cell phone use in the theater to express my own argument. I used several sources to support a thesis of my own. By reviewing the opinions and actions of others, I was able to find a view of my own to express. I was also able to use the work of others to strengthen and legitimize my argument. I found sources that showed examples of theater professionals negatively reacting to the use of cell phones during their performances proving that it is a serious issue to those in the community.

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

Understanding the purpose and audience of a piece is an important aspect of any piece of writing. I demonstrated this understanding in my letter to the editor. I read an article on childhood grief after the loss of a parent. I understood that the article was targeted at both adults who have dealt with childhood grief, but also those who have never encountered this. I used this to create a work that explores the grief of those who have lost a non family member. I wrote this piece with the intention of informing those who have not experienced this and to connect with those who have.

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

My editorial displays my ability to locate, evaluate, and incorporate evidence into my own ideas. I read an article on cell phone use in the theater environment and used it to enhance my own views. I used the article to introduce my thoughts. I read additional sources such as other articles to add to my own argument. I used stories of actors becoming upset by the use of cell phones in the theater to prove that those working in the Broadway community take great offense to these actions. I used these sources to support my thesis that cell phone use in Broadway theaters should be more severely monitored.

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

Giving credit where credit is due is an extremely important task. This is a task that I took care in completing in all of my works. The work that shows this skill set most is my op-ed. In this work I used several sources and took care in ensuring the reader knows that they are not my ideas. In addition, I used these works truthfully to the intentions of their authors and did not use their words maliciously. I used outside forces to show that certain careers hold less of a pay gap than others and that the careers with a smaller pay gap are those that cater towards those who hold a nurturing nature,