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.

When I use to write a paper I would only write a first draft and that would end up being my final draft. I use to think that this worked well until I got to this class. When I wrote my first post, Je Suis Charlie, I thought it was pretty good and forgot about it. Later when I asked for feedback I realized how wrong I was and how much I needed to improve. What I thought were my strongest points were my weakest. My ideas were not clear and Professor Hodges said that he was unsure in what my argument was actually saying. I had a very weak argument and didn’t back up my claims in the correct way. I liked that part about the blog, the fact that we could receive feedback and also see the feedback that others received on their work. When I was writing my Rebuttal Argument, I wasn’t sure how to write it. I felt like I was just repeating what I had said in previous assignments and just applying it to this one. When I requested feedback I was able to understand what I did wrong and correct it and make my research paper stronger. When we had to do rewrites of our work I felt that it helped me see where I could make improvements and see the importance of going back and rewriting and making changes to my work.

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

When we had to get information for our papers I thought it was going to be easy to find. Once I started looking I realized that a lot more went into researching a topic then just finding a few articles on it. Whenever I was searching for sources I would read the source a few times in order to establish the point of view the author is coming from and how they feel about the topic. Then I had to think if there was any benefit in using the article for my argument. After reading many articles I pick the ones I thought were best. When looking for sources for the Proposal +10 I had to think about something besides articles about heroin to support my side. After reading the feedback given I thought of other types of things that relate loosely to heroin clinics, like legalizing marijuana and the positives that came from it.

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.

Knowing the audience thats being targeted in the paper is important and is what shapes the way the paper comes together. I had to make sure I’m writing for the right audience in my paper or else I’m just wasting my time. When I found my audience I would work my paper around them. I would make sure it had the proper text and grammar that the audience would expect to see. This way the paper didn’t turn out too formal or not formal enough. I had to make sure the articles and sources I picked were suitable for my audience as well. If they were for the same audience as mine it made my argument easier and stronger. I learned that knowing your audience is one of the most important things that goes into writing a good paper.

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.

I did this in my Research Position when I talked about methadone. I personally have never used heroin but I do know a few people who have used or been addicted to heroin before. One of them is currently using the treatment methadone. As I mentioned in my paper with this method of treatment, you are just going from being hooked on one drug to being hooked onto another, which is what has happened to him. I was able to use this to back up my previous claims about the heroin clinic in Vancouver. Being able to have a basic knowledge of the topic, made me feel more confident in being able to write a decent paper by adding some of my personal knowledge. Adding personal knowledge or experience along with reliable sources, only adds to the strength of the paper.

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.

It’s easy to write a paper that makes your argument seem the strongest by manipulating the information you found. However, by making the paper honest and representing the information you found correctly can make for an even stronger paper. When there is valid evidence to back up the argument, the paper is more solid and creates a stronger argument. Like Professor Hodges said, offering evidence from both sides of the argument as long as you can refute it will make your paper stronger. Like we did in the Rebuttal Argument, taking a strong opposite side from yours and refuting it can only make your side look better and make your argument on the topic stronger. I said that heroin use will lead to crime, which is true, but the heroin clinic won’t contribute to the crime levels but in fact reduce them.  Professor Hodges told us that you can leave the weak link in your argument out and hope that no one notices but if you attack it head on you’ll have a better paper.