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.

Taking Composition I my first semester here at Rowan gave me a huge sense of satisfaction when it came to improving my writing. In this class I was able to change my beliefs and explore new ideas that would have never crossed my mind. A perfect example of this is in my LTE. I was able to do a lot of research which opened me up to the dangers of Jaywalking and how it is a real problem facing busy cities. Through the use of feedback from classmates and my professor, I was able to change my thoughts completely which helped me a lot writing future pieces.

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. 

The class discussions held by the professor have enhanced my writing tremendously by allowing me to analyze ideas and concepts much more critically rather than taking these words at face value. I found myself having difficulty answering these questions posed in class because I would always be the person to try to formulate the perfect answer based on my previous knowledge, but then I would be three steps behind in the discussion. My Editorial Piece emulates this perfectly because I handed it in just before the deadline because I have passion for music and I wanted to do the most research and analysis as possible in order to hand in what I believed is my best draft.

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.

Being able to hook readers from opposing views of your point is one of the key details about professional writing. Its no easy task however, because I had to drastically change the way I viewed certain topics in order to relate to a different audience. Again, I believe my LTE pertaining to Jaywalking captured this idea perfectly. A lot of the articles I read relating to this topic were extremely eye opening which made me realize the purpose of the articles. I really had to think much deeper about how different audiences would react to my ideas. This changed my views of Jaywalking dramatically.

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.

In persuasive writing, the only thing that can make an argument credible is evidence. The more pertinent evidence an article contains makes it much more credible to readers. I pride myself in choosing quality evidence for readers to think about in my writing. I hate it when I read statistics in articles that are just put in to make the article seem more credible. On the contrary, I enjoy putting in information that makes readers think much more and is relevant to my article. My best example of that is in my Editorial. I used statistics in this article, but I also connected it to rappers’ personal lives, which I believe made it much more interesting for readers.

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. 

It is essential in writing to be fair and use appropriate citation when necessary. Passing off sources or other ideas in your writing as ones own is not only unfair but it is unethical. It is also important not to skew people’s words or ideas because that just reflects poorly on the writer’s behalf when they try and prove arguments. In all of my writing pieces as a whole, I cite all my sources fairly and make sure other people’s words are used exactly how they are said.