Throughout this semester, we have covered various topics and I personally have taken a lot out of this class. My biggest takeaway from this semester in English 1030 was the improvement of my writing ability. I feel much more confident when it comes to writing a paper and feel more comfortable using sources to back up my argument. In high school, I was never given feedback on papers and never learned correct MLA format. I liked how I was able to give and receive feedback on my classmates papers as well as my own. Through our projects this year, I was also able to be more organized when it came to putting together a paper. I feel more confident when it comes to creating an effective thesis statement that can be referred to throughout my paper. Having a powerful argument keeps your audience interested while reading and overall makes the writing process easier. We also learned a lot about analyzing different types to text. Simple visuals such as ads and posters contain so much information that refers back to the argument or suggestion it is trying to make and always targets a specific group of people. Lastly, I really enjoyed how we were able to choose our own topics for our projects. Writing about something you are interested in makes a huge difference in the final product because more time is put into researching the topic and more care is put into the paper. Overall, I feel that this class has bettered my abilities in many different areas and the skills I learned will help me later on in life.
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This week in class, we discussed our final project of the year which is the multimedia project. We finalized our ideas and presented our topics in front of class to get feedback and introduce our means of creating the argument. My group will create a video arguing that Clemson has the best football atmosphere of any school in the country. Saturday's during the fall in Clemson are truly a special time. Clemson has so many great traditions that bring out another level of excitement for Clemson students and fans alike. Traditions such as Howard's Rock, Tiger Walk, The Hill, and tailgating all make Clemson a spectacular place to be during football season and bring together thousands of fans. For this video, we will take parts of scenic videos around campus and scenes of Death Valley during a game to create a story. Between the scenes, we will conduct interviews with Clemson students and ask them their opinions about a game day in Clemson and if they think we have the best atmosphere in college football. It would help to interview students that did not know much about college football before they came to Clemson as well as students that have been to other games around the country and have experienced other school's traditions. It would also be helpful to possibly interview a Clemson football player as they have visited many schools whether it was through playing away games or through a recruiting visit. The audience for this video would be football recruits that are considering Clemson as their final choice. This video would entice them to come and be a part of this special place and get to play on one of the biggest stages in the country.
Over the past few weeks we have worked on our fourth project of the year which was the research paper. We were able to choose our own topics and had to incorporate at least ten sources into the final paper. Through this project I learned a lot about the writing process and specific steps you must take to write a successful paper. The approach I took to complete this assignment was to break it up and do one part of the paper at a time. After I compiled all of my sources, I started writing my introduction and continued with completing the first of three parts of my thesis. Before I continued writing, we had in-class group discussions where we broke up into groups and reviewed each others work. This was very helpful because other people can notice problems with the structure or wording of your paper that you may not realize. After taking advice from my classmates, I wrote the next two parts to my thesis and finished my conclusion with a good amount of time before the paper was due. Having it done early left me time to make changes and receive feedback from Ms. Parker. Overall I enjoyed writing this paper because my topic was something that I have an interest in. The only thing I had trouble with was finding enough scholarly sources to backup my argument.
On Wednesday in class, we started brainstorming our multimedia project. I am excited to begin this project because my group chose a topic we all are passionate about. We will continue to brainstorm the type of media we will create and how to incorporate our argument into the method we choose. On Monday in class, we discussed Chapter 8 and introduced our last project of the semester, the multimedia project. Chapter 8 talked about various methods to create multimodal arguments designed to target specific audiences. One popular multimodal genre is an op-ad. An op-ad is a compact persuasive text that uses rhetorical appeals to convey its message. An op-ad advertises an opinion or strong stand on an issue, not a commercial product. Another example is photo essay in which photographs instead of printed text convey the argument. Visuals collaborate with the verbal and become the primary mode of argumentation. Another format is a newsletter where powerful visuals capture the attention of an audience and encourage them to read the text. Next is a website where viewers can encounter your visual argument through interlinked pages. Authors create a homepage and a navigation scheme to guide readers through the argument. A podcast can also develop an argument as the narrator can conduct interviews to use as primary sources in the audio. Lastly, an online video is another popular format as videos are uploaded everyday on channels such as YouTube. Video blogs, reviews, and reports all serve as great ways to create an argument and reach an audience.
On Friday, we had class in the library with Kirsten Dean. During that time, we went over copyrights and other restrictions regarding editing or using another person's work online. This presentation will be very helpful moving forward with the multimedia project. We also got a tour of the Adobe Studio on the fourth floor of the library. The studio contains many useful tools and technology to help put together our projects. This week in class we discussed the five major parts that go into organizing a research paper: introductions, thesis statements, body paragraphs, conclusions, and MLA format. The introduction to a paper basically gives the reader some background of what the paper will be about. It serves to entice the reader by giving broad statements on the topic through examples, analogies, or startling statistics. One key to writing a strong introduction would be to write confidently by making a clear stance and being to the point. The thesis statement, usually the last sentence of the introduction paragraph, summarizes the main claim of the paper which will be supported through evidence. Strong thesis statements condense the main points of the paper into one sentence and set the tone for the reader. The body paragraphs include the support for the thesis and should be more specific as the paper goes on. They must successfully support the argument and give credibility to the sources used. The conclusion restates the main points of the paper and the thesis statement. It should emphasize the significance of what was written and should leave an impact on the reader. As for MLA format, the paper should include the works cited page, proper heading, and page numbers.
We also did peer and group reviews of our first drafts of our papers. These reviews are very helpful because some people catch errors that I sometimes do not see when reading over my work. Everyone is very helpful as they point out parts that I should fix as well as the strengths of my writing. These reviews answer my questions and concerns and overall make me a better writer. This week in class, we discussed how to incorporate counterarguments into our research papers. A counterargument is an argument that is opposed to your thesis. It provides the view of a person who disagrees with your stance. Incorporating counterarguments into our writing establishes our ethos because it proves that we have considered both sides of a particular argument. One important factor in choosing a counterargument is its popularity. By choosing a popular counterargument, we can reach a broader audience which can also help in establishing our ethos. In our papers, our counterargument should be presented in one paragraph where we establish the points of the opposing side and take into account all sides of the argument. While writing this paragraph, our language should be respectful and courteous even though we believe their view is incorrect. After writing the counterargument paragraph, we must present a refutation which further reinforces the thesis statement. A refutation is defined as the negation of a counterargument through contradicting evidence. A strong refutation shows that the facts are wrong or that the analysis is incorrect.
Another topic we looked at in class was the sequence of forming arguments that draw an audience. We analyzed this process by watching popular movie trailers that were designated to capture an audience and encourage them to see the film. Every movie trailer must be able to captivate its viewers by making them interested in the plot by building suspense. Factors like music and nostalgia also play a major role in luring an audience into a film and the same concept can apply to our research papers. We can build our own suspense by creating a quality argument that has the interest of a certain group of people and building on it until reaching a proved conclusion. This week in class we discussed how to draft a research argument in Chapter 6 of the textbook. One way to structure the argument is by using subheads which help transition from the outline of the essay to writing a draft while mapping the progression of the argument. One method used to sharpen an argument is through the use of rhetorical subheads. Rhetorical subheads reinforce the claim and the structure of the argument and can help the reader keep track of the essay.
Another way to structure the argument is by the use of transitions. All essays need to provide clear connections between paragraphs to help ensure that the argument is clear and easy to follow. Terms that imply addition, sequential arrangement, similarity, contrast, cause-effect, and elaboration all help to suggest a relationship between the information provided and the argument. While writing a draft of the research argument, there are four strategies one should follow. The first strategy is following a linear path. In this strategy, the writer begins by writing the introduction and moving sequentially through each point in the argument. The next strategy is fleshing out the outline. Here, the writer transforms the outline into a full draft by moving a keyword from the outline and expanding upon it and adding more detail. The next strategy is writing from the middle. Here, the writer begins with the points of greatest strength and then writing around it. The final strategy is free write and then reverse outline. This strategy deals with freewriting on a few pages and then composing a reverse outline where the writer takes the point of each paragraph and rewrites it to take the proper form of the argument. This week in class we discussed Chapter 6 in the textbook. Chapter 6 mainly focuses on the organization and writing of research arguments. One important step in the prewriting process is storyboarding. Some strategies used during storyboarding include creating a bubble web, a graphic flowchart, an idea roadmap, and a post-it diagram. Creating a bubble web is useful because it provides a technique for experimenting how to arrange ideas and explore relationships. A graphic flowchart is helpful because it displays ideas in a more linear arrangement where one idea leads to relating points. Designing an idea roadmap helps with visualization of the paper by writing the thesis on one side of a whiteboard and the conclusion on the other while filling in the gap. Lastly, a post-it diagram is useful because by writing ideas on post-its, you can rearrange them and experiment with different configurations.
One key moment in writing the draft for an essay involves incorporating the sources you uncovered in your research. The process of integrating sources takes place in three steps: summary, paraphrase, and direct quotation. A summary is just a briefing on the content of the source and is not meant to include your ideas. It is strictly based on the source and the author's ideas. A paraphrase focuses on one part of a text and is usually meant to simplify what is being said so that your audience understands the source and why you used it. Direct quotations are quotes taken directly out of a text and putting them into your own words. One important step in this stage is making sure the original writer receives the credit for the quote used. Another important step in this stage is avoiding unnecessary quotations. The quotes you choose should have a direct relationship to the argument presented. This week in class, we covered Chapter 5 in the textbook. Chapter 5 mainly talked about finding research sources and how to interpret them. The first step in the research process is finding search terms. Search terms are short phrases based on your topic of interest that generates sources. After searching for sources, the research is divided up into two categories: primary sources and secondary sources. Primary sources are original texts or first-hand accounts and secondary sources are commentary on the primary topic. Primary sources include testimonies, speeches, scripts, photos, documents, or film. Secondary sources include articles, commentaries, videos, or surveys that reinforce the topic. After finding your sources, you will need to evaluate them by analyzing their content. Some points you need to analyze are the author, who it was published by, when it was published, its purpose, its intended audience, the argument it makes, the types of evidence it contains, and its tone. Another type of research that can be conducted is field research. Field research includes interviews, surveys, and other fieldwork. The most popular form, however, is conducting interviews where you have the opportunity to receive in-depth information from an expert in the field of your topic.
Once you have your sources, they can be broken down into four categories based on their purpose and how they are used. A background source provides fundamental or general information for the topic. An exhibit source operates as an example or case study that the writer analyzes. An argument source is one that contributes an analytic perspective. Finally, a method source offers either a framework, concept, or methodology that the writer incorporates into their writing. Recently in class we have been preparing for our Research Argument Paper. To write a research paper, we must first define what research is. Research is an investigation into materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions. Research includes online and printed sources, observation, and interviews. During the pre-writing stage of the research paper, one must narrow their topic through funneled freewriting, accordion freewriting, graphic brainstorming, and heuristic questions. One key to narrowing a research topic is through asking questions. Questions give the writer more insight into the topic and the more questions asked, the more narrowed the topic becomes.
After completing the pre-writing stages, the time to write the first draft comes. Based on the thesis created, the writer will create the body paragraphs of the essay that develop the thesis by explaining ideas through evidence in sources. The paragraphs should be strong and filled with information to help backup the thesis presented in the introduction paragraph. After the body paragraphs are done, the writer can begin their introduction and conclusion. Strong introductions get the reader's attention by giving broad information about the topic before the thesis and establish the purpose of the paper. Strong conclusions restate the thesis and broaden the topic again to put it into larger text. The next step before writing the finished paper is the revising and proofreading stage. The writer should review each paragraph carefully and examine every point made. The writer should then take out any unnecessary information and change any wording that may seem vague. During this stage it is also important to have another person read the paper and get their opinions about what should be changed or what should be clarified. |
AuthorChris Gallo |