Writer's Journal #1 -
One of the things I found surprising about the course outcomes was just how many ideas, strategies and methods have been set as goals for us writers to achieve by the end of the composition. In high school, I was introduced to critical thinking, reading, and composition and certain processes to develop better writing, but rhetorical knowledge was something I never really grasped, so I am expecting that outcome to be a little more confusing to me than the other outcomes. These outcomes show me just how vastly different academic writing is compared to my regular, mundane writing I create in my everyday life. Rhetorical knowledge will surely be a challenge for me, but I am excited to gain experience in it so I can improve the context in my writing by adding purposeful shifts in tone, voice, design, etc.
One of the things I found surprising about the course outcomes was just how many ideas, strategies and methods have been set as goals for us writers to achieve by the end of the composition. In high school, I was introduced to critical thinking, reading, and composition and certain processes to develop better writing, but rhetorical knowledge was something I never really grasped, so I am expecting that outcome to be a little more confusing to me than the other outcomes. These outcomes show me just how vastly different academic writing is compared to my regular, mundane writing I create in my everyday life. Rhetorical knowledge will surely be a challenge for me, but I am excited to gain experience in it so I can improve the context in my writing by adding purposeful shifts in tone, voice, design, etc.
Writer's Journal #2 -
The question "how does one learn to write?" can be a difficult one to answer. It requires a detailed response and in my opinion, is based on life experience. Writing requires substance, and there's no better way to acquire substance than through life itself. The 'learning process" begins at a young age, and in it includes different methods and strategies individuals develop as they grow older and continue to write. My understanding of the 'learning process' comes primarily from two places, in my opinion. First, it comes receiving an education, beginning at a young age. Everything we learn in school continues this process and therefore we become better writers. Second, the experiences one goes through contributes to this process because that's where ideas and substance comes from.
The question "how does one learn to write?" can be a difficult one to answer. It requires a detailed response and in my opinion, is based on life experience. Writing requires substance, and there's no better way to acquire substance than through life itself. The 'learning process" begins at a young age, and in it includes different methods and strategies individuals develop as they grow older and continue to write. My understanding of the 'learning process' comes primarily from two places, in my opinion. First, it comes receiving an education, beginning at a young age. Everything we learn in school continues this process and therefore we become better writers. Second, the experiences one goes through contributes to this process because that's where ideas and substance comes from.
Writer's Journal #3 -
I think reflection in all walks of life is important, it helps evaluate our lives and see where we can change or improve to make it better. Therefore, I believe the same can be applied to our own writing. By reflecting and analyzing our own writing, we can see where our process leads us to, and how our decisions develop our writing in a certain way. Reflective writing differs from other types of writing by its sense of purpose. It is meant for the writer to acknowledge his or her own writing, discovering ways to perhaps improve various areas of their writing. Some ways I might reflect on my own writing is by asking myself simple questions as I am writing to ensure a reflective response and correct analysis of whatever I may be writing. I think reflective writing relates the closest to the rhetorical knowledge outcome because of the concepts described in that outcome.
I think reflection in all walks of life is important, it helps evaluate our lives and see where we can change or improve to make it better. Therefore, I believe the same can be applied to our own writing. By reflecting and analyzing our own writing, we can see where our process leads us to, and how our decisions develop our writing in a certain way. Reflective writing differs from other types of writing by its sense of purpose. It is meant for the writer to acknowledge his or her own writing, discovering ways to perhaps improve various areas of their writing. Some ways I might reflect on my own writing is by asking myself simple questions as I am writing to ensure a reflective response and correct analysis of whatever I may be writing. I think reflective writing relates the closest to the rhetorical knowledge outcome because of the concepts described in that outcome.
Writer's Journal #4 -
I believe writing collaboratively is definitely a challenging experience to writers, especially a novice writer looking to improve. It makes a writer have to think about someone other than themselves in order to achieve the goal in writing. I personally find the idea of collaborating on my writing both exciting and intimidating. I'm always looking for ways to improve in anything, but I also don't want to disappoint my peers. I can definitely learn new ways of thinking when writing collaboratively. Everybody is different, so gaining new insight and strategies is always helpful. I believe the WPA values the social aspects of the writing process because it encourages people to work together to achieve a common goal, which is to make great writing. This says a lot about how valuable collaboration is in academic writing.
I believe writing collaboratively is definitely a challenging experience to writers, especially a novice writer looking to improve. It makes a writer have to think about someone other than themselves in order to achieve the goal in writing. I personally find the idea of collaborating on my writing both exciting and intimidating. I'm always looking for ways to improve in anything, but I also don't want to disappoint my peers. I can definitely learn new ways of thinking when writing collaboratively. Everybody is different, so gaining new insight and strategies is always helpful. I believe the WPA values the social aspects of the writing process because it encourages people to work together to achieve a common goal, which is to make great writing. This says a lot about how valuable collaboration is in academic writing.
Writer's Journal #5 -
Based on all of the information I've gathered thus far, I would describe "rhetoric" as a way of writing to persuade or impress an audience in order to convince them of a point or idea. The 'rhetorical situation" seems to me to be writing affected by certain events or ideas that influence the author, who in turn implement it in their writing in order to achieve the "rhetoric." A good example of a recent writing experience I had using rhetoric was a simple discussion about soccer. I was arguing a specific rule of the game to an audience who I would say were moderate to avid soccer fans. I wrote about my stance, gave them specific evidence pertaining to the discussion at hand, and in the end managed to convince a good amount of people about my stance. It seems to me that rhetoric is an extremely important tool to have in writing for future endeavors because of the power it has to convey your message to other people. Seeing "rhetorical knowledge" as the first outcome in the WPA list shows just how powerful and important this writing tool is. So far, it seems to me that rhetoric knowledge might be the most important goal to achieve in terms of improving substance in your writing and adding detail to it.
Based on all of the information I've gathered thus far, I would describe "rhetoric" as a way of writing to persuade or impress an audience in order to convince them of a point or idea. The 'rhetorical situation" seems to me to be writing affected by certain events or ideas that influence the author, who in turn implement it in their writing in order to achieve the "rhetoric." A good example of a recent writing experience I had using rhetoric was a simple discussion about soccer. I was arguing a specific rule of the game to an audience who I would say were moderate to avid soccer fans. I wrote about my stance, gave them specific evidence pertaining to the discussion at hand, and in the end managed to convince a good amount of people about my stance. It seems to me that rhetoric is an extremely important tool to have in writing for future endeavors because of the power it has to convey your message to other people. Seeing "rhetorical knowledge" as the first outcome in the WPA list shows just how powerful and important this writing tool is. So far, it seems to me that rhetoric knowledge might be the most important goal to achieve in terms of improving substance in your writing and adding detail to it.
Writer's Journal #6 -
Writing has a played a tremendous role in my life so far. I recently came to realize just how powerful words and language are, the importance it carries and the influence it can have on people. Growing up I had a moderate relationship with writing, I never hated it but I never really found passion for it. I would write essays, research papers, etc., but I never really made a personal connection to the words I was writing. As I got older, matured and gained more wisdom, I began to appreciate more the importance of writing. I'm hopeful that improving my writing may open more doors for me in the open and broaden my horizons when it comes to making life decisions. I'll gather all the knowledge I've acquired to to hopefully implement it in my future writing. I hope to gain new knowledge to improve my writing. Specifically, how to articulate my words properly so I can better convey my message to my audience. I am setting my expectation fairly high, because I believe with the right tools and help I can achieve my writing goals. I believe other members in this course may have similar goals, so my expectation for them is the same as my own.
Writing has a played a tremendous role in my life so far. I recently came to realize just how powerful words and language are, the importance it carries and the influence it can have on people. Growing up I had a moderate relationship with writing, I never hated it but I never really found passion for it. I would write essays, research papers, etc., but I never really made a personal connection to the words I was writing. As I got older, matured and gained more wisdom, I began to appreciate more the importance of writing. I'm hopeful that improving my writing may open more doors for me in the open and broaden my horizons when it comes to making life decisions. I'll gather all the knowledge I've acquired to to hopefully implement it in my future writing. I hope to gain new knowledge to improve my writing. Specifically, how to articulate my words properly so I can better convey my message to my audience. I am setting my expectation fairly high, because I believe with the right tools and help I can achieve my writing goals. I believe other members in this course may have similar goals, so my expectation for them is the same as my own.
Writer's Journal #7 -
After seeing different ways people generate ideas on the discussion forum, I have found out, even if just a little bit, how creative and different a lot of people are. Viewing these different approaches have influenced the way I may generate ideas because now I have new ideas and different methods of thinking have an effect on me. For example, one of my peers suggested making a list to generate new ideas, which is surprisingly something I hadn't thought of because I like to come up with ideas on the fly and stick to them. So now that I have that new method of thinking, in the future when I have a project or assignment to do, I may look to that method to help me come up with ideas to improve my work. Finding a method similar to mine is also interesting because although it may be the same method, the way of thinking is different so therefore new ideas can be conjured. Overall, it is interesting to see just how different everybody is at coming up with creative ways to help improve their own writing.
After seeing different ways people generate ideas on the discussion forum, I have found out, even if just a little bit, how creative and different a lot of people are. Viewing these different approaches have influenced the way I may generate ideas because now I have new ideas and different methods of thinking have an effect on me. For example, one of my peers suggested making a list to generate new ideas, which is surprisingly something I hadn't thought of because I like to come up with ideas on the fly and stick to them. So now that I have that new method of thinking, in the future when I have a project or assignment to do, I may look to that method to help me come up with ideas to improve my work. Finding a method similar to mine is also interesting because although it may be the same method, the way of thinking is different so therefore new ideas can be conjured. Overall, it is interesting to see just how different everybody is at coming up with creative ways to help improve their own writing.
Writer's Journal #8 -
I believe my outward appearance reflects my cultural identity to a certain extent. I keep my outfits and appearance fairly simple, depending on the occasion or day, so it does restrict what I am portraying to the world.
A routine of mine that I believe reflects my cultural identity is my passion for sports, specifically soccer. Growing up in my culture, soccer is a major part of it and it has been a part of my since I can remember.
Growing up and maturing have influenced and even changed my beliefs and values to a certain extent. Politically, I would consider myself right down the middle, as opposed to my culture associating more towards a liberal state of mind. Therefore, I believe some of my beliefs and values reflect my cultural identity to a certain extent.
My favorite types of food most certainly reflect my cultural identity, as they represent who I am and where I come from.
Where I live has a huge impact on my cultural identity, Your environment and who you know and grow up with have a huge effect on a person that they may not even realize. Where I live it is safe to way it is mostly liberal, therefore I'd say I have some liberal tendencies, most of which I agree with. But I also have been able to make my own decisions and not take everything around me to influence me one-hundred percent.
Being judged for my appearance or who I am is nothing new to me. There have been many instances where simply because I would be wearing my hat backwards, I can totally feel the judgmental eyes on me. The best part for me is showing how I really am naturally, without having to prove anything to anyone.
I believe my outward appearance reflects my cultural identity to a certain extent. I keep my outfits and appearance fairly simple, depending on the occasion or day, so it does restrict what I am portraying to the world.
A routine of mine that I believe reflects my cultural identity is my passion for sports, specifically soccer. Growing up in my culture, soccer is a major part of it and it has been a part of my since I can remember.
Growing up and maturing have influenced and even changed my beliefs and values to a certain extent. Politically, I would consider myself right down the middle, as opposed to my culture associating more towards a liberal state of mind. Therefore, I believe some of my beliefs and values reflect my cultural identity to a certain extent.
My favorite types of food most certainly reflect my cultural identity, as they represent who I am and where I come from.
Where I live has a huge impact on my cultural identity, Your environment and who you know and grow up with have a huge effect on a person that they may not even realize. Where I live it is safe to way it is mostly liberal, therefore I'd say I have some liberal tendencies, most of which I agree with. But I also have been able to make my own decisions and not take everything around me to influence me one-hundred percent.
Being judged for my appearance or who I am is nothing new to me. There have been many instances where simply because I would be wearing my hat backwards, I can totally feel the judgmental eyes on me. The best part for me is showing how I really am naturally, without having to prove anything to anyone.
Writer's Journal #9 -
In order to talk about a song that I feel is especially relevant to my identity I must first dive into my background, appreciation and passion for music. Growing up I always felt a connection to music, but unfortunately I never had the opportunity to develop any physical connection to it, i.e. learning an instrument or creating music in some sort of way. When I finally became an adult, I was able to add to my love for music by learning production of music. I did this for a few years but never took it seriously as I would have liked to, which resulted in an absence of creating music for some years to come. I never stopped appreciating music for what it was, and recently I built up the courage and discipline to learn an instrument, the piano. So now when I have to choose a song that describes my identity, which music makes a lot of, I have decided to choose the song 'Closer' by the artist Goapele. I love all kinds of music across all types of genres, but when I hear this neo-soul song, I can feel it breathe life into me. If you ask anyone else who's heard this song, I'm sure they can attest to what I am saying. From the instruments, to the production, to the artists magical and soothing voice, to the meaning of the song, it captures everything I love and appreciate for music. We all have some dreams we'd like to achieve, be it big or small, and this song will surely inspire people to do just that. I will continue to love music for the rest of my years, and I will always connect with this song and let it represent who I am as a person.
In order to talk about a song that I feel is especially relevant to my identity I must first dive into my background, appreciation and passion for music. Growing up I always felt a connection to music, but unfortunately I never had the opportunity to develop any physical connection to it, i.e. learning an instrument or creating music in some sort of way. When I finally became an adult, I was able to add to my love for music by learning production of music. I did this for a few years but never took it seriously as I would have liked to, which resulted in an absence of creating music for some years to come. I never stopped appreciating music for what it was, and recently I built up the courage and discipline to learn an instrument, the piano. So now when I have to choose a song that describes my identity, which music makes a lot of, I have decided to choose the song 'Closer' by the artist Goapele. I love all kinds of music across all types of genres, but when I hear this neo-soul song, I can feel it breathe life into me. If you ask anyone else who's heard this song, I'm sure they can attest to what I am saying. From the instruments, to the production, to the artists magical and soothing voice, to the meaning of the song, it captures everything I love and appreciate for music. We all have some dreams we'd like to achieve, be it big or small, and this song will surely inspire people to do just that. I will continue to love music for the rest of my years, and I will always connect with this song and let it represent who I am as a person.
Writer's Journal #10 -
The discussion forums definitely show a variety of methods people use to approach drafting. Some people like to make lists prior to writing to lay out their ideas. Other's, such as myself, tend to write it out first and then look back and improve on it. Other's ask questions they would like to answer in their writing so they make sure the topic is covered. In the end, these differences are important because they allow different writer's to unlock new ways of drafting, which can benefit them in the long run.
The discussion forums definitely show a variety of methods people use to approach drafting. Some people like to make lists prior to writing to lay out their ideas. Other's, such as myself, tend to write it out first and then look back and improve on it. Other's ask questions they would like to answer in their writing so they make sure the topic is covered. In the end, these differences are important because they allow different writer's to unlock new ways of drafting, which can benefit them in the long run.
Writer's Journal #11 -
What I found most surprising about composing my first writing project was just how much reflecting I had to do about the topic I wrote about. I think this was unexpected because I wasn't planning on writing an autoethnography, where I had to write about myself. The way we had to write about the topic was very different to other writing pieces I've done that involve having to write about myself.
The most challenging thing about writing my first project was having to come up with events and examples that still stayed in line with the topic. Not wanting to get carried away with the experiences and making sure to always go back to the point of the writing. In the future, I'll use the same strategies I used for this project to make sure to always refer back to the thesis.
In my opinion, the most critical part of the writing process is knowing how rhetoric and the 'rhetoric situation' can greatly impact your writing. I was keeping that in mind as I was writing my first project, and I learned a lot about how knowing how to implement those terms can improve my writing process significantly.
It would definitely be about knowing how to use rhetoric in your writing. Knowing how to be persuasive in your writing so you can draw your audience in and believe in your writing is a tremendous power.
I believe they value reflection and reflective writing because it gives the writer an opportunity to analyze their writing, where they can implement certain techniques and thus improve their overall writing.
What I found most surprising about composing my first writing project was just how much reflecting I had to do about the topic I wrote about. I think this was unexpected because I wasn't planning on writing an autoethnography, where I had to write about myself. The way we had to write about the topic was very different to other writing pieces I've done that involve having to write about myself.
The most challenging thing about writing my first project was having to come up with events and examples that still stayed in line with the topic. Not wanting to get carried away with the experiences and making sure to always go back to the point of the writing. In the future, I'll use the same strategies I used for this project to make sure to always refer back to the thesis.
In my opinion, the most critical part of the writing process is knowing how rhetoric and the 'rhetoric situation' can greatly impact your writing. I was keeping that in mind as I was writing my first project, and I learned a lot about how knowing how to implement those terms can improve my writing process significantly.
It would definitely be about knowing how to use rhetoric in your writing. Knowing how to be persuasive in your writing so you can draw your audience in and believe in your writing is a tremendous power.
I believe they value reflection and reflective writing because it gives the writer an opportunity to analyze their writing, where they can implement certain techniques and thus improve their overall writing.
Writer's Journal #12 -
Writer's Journal #13 -
The space I decided to observe for this practice of ethnography was a restaurant I frequent at least two or three times a week. When I sat down to observe this place, I noticed many things. First off, the workers that I saw are the same workers I see every time I go. The waiters are the usual, friendly Hispanic gentlemen serving and cleaning the tables. This is an interesting place because seeing as this is a Vietnamese restaurant, the language primarily spoken is Vietnamese. But I could also hear the Spanish language being spoken from said waiters. It is clearly a Vietnamese setting, as I could see their language written various times on the wall, a Buddha statue on the counter where you pay, and other traditional Vietnamese pieces. This is a very casual place where everybody is welcomed. It is a medium-sized location for a restaurant, usually customers don't have to wait but at times when the weather is cold and everyone is inside, there is a wait time. This place tells about a place where people can come in, eat delicious food and be on their way. There is nothing that stands out in this place, and that in itself makes this place a remarkable place to be when the mood is right.
The space I decided to observe for this practice of ethnography was a restaurant I frequent at least two or three times a week. When I sat down to observe this place, I noticed many things. First off, the workers that I saw are the same workers I see every time I go. The waiters are the usual, friendly Hispanic gentlemen serving and cleaning the tables. This is an interesting place because seeing as this is a Vietnamese restaurant, the language primarily spoken is Vietnamese. But I could also hear the Spanish language being spoken from said waiters. It is clearly a Vietnamese setting, as I could see their language written various times on the wall, a Buddha statue on the counter where you pay, and other traditional Vietnamese pieces. This is a very casual place where everybody is welcomed. It is a medium-sized location for a restaurant, usually customers don't have to wait but at times when the weather is cold and everyone is inside, there is a wait time. This place tells about a place where people can come in, eat delicious food and be on their way. There is nothing that stands out in this place, and that in itself makes this place a remarkable place to be when the mood is right.
Writer's Journal #14 -
Writer's Journal #15 -
Writer's Journal #16 -