Core Value 1:  Writing is a practice that involves a multi-stage, recursive and social process.

I demonstrated core value 1 by doing my research paper. Over the course of doing my research paper I would consider it a multi stage process. I was instructed to write 3 different short papers over the course of the semester. I then put all of them together to create one large paper. I would also say it was recursive because I was able to produce rewrites of the assignment to improve it over the course of the semester. This I feel like made me become a stronger writer, because after I received feedback from my professor I was able to take a deeper look at my paper from someone else’s perspective. I feel like overall the process of the research paper and everything that went into it gave me a better idea of how to write a strong paper and how much work it really takes to make a great paper.

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.

I demonstrated core value 2 in my causal argument. During the process of writing my causal argument I thoroughly analyzed articles. I was able to find information on why National League Hockey needs more regulation to make it a safer game. This gave me a deeper understanding of the information I needed to prove my point, and when to use it. By using a scholarly article it gave me the opportunity to take a deep dive into well educated arguments that I could use to make my argument stronger and more detailed to keep my audience more engaged. This also allowed me to gather sources that my audience could trust. Making sure the information I was using from these articles flowed well with one another and helped back up one another was also important to me when choosing the articles I uses.

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.

I demonstrated core value 3 in my visual rhetoric assignment. During my visual rhetoric I analyzed a 30 second video second by second. This helped me to understand that context makes a huge difference when it comes to writing a good paper and understanding something. When you analyze something second b y second you see things that most people don’t when they don’t stop the video to analyze. It could be something small in the background or in the sky, but it makes a huge difference when you look at the bigger picture and the meaning behind the whole video. Details are what keep your audience engaged, if you are vague about a topic your audience will become uninterested, so incorporating the details that someone else wouldn’t think to add is very important.

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.

I demonstrated core value 4 in my definition essay. A big part of my definition essay was making sure my readers understood the point I was trying to get across. In this case it was that the NHL needs more regulation because it is extremely unsafe. For me a high point in my essay for my readers was including verbal illustrations such as describing horrific injuries that they could picture while reading my essay. This allows my readers to see how unsafe the NHL really is and why they need more regulation. I’ve also learned that it is important where you place illustrations in your essay. For instance it is better to place them in the beginning of your essay as an attention grabber to keep your readers interested.

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. 

I demonstrated core value 5 in my rebuttal rewrite. This part of my research paper was important to me because for the rebuttal it is best to include facts and statistics. It was also important to make sure that I was giving the correct people credit for finding these statistics. Using statistics in your essay gives your reader a better view of what is really going on. It also helps them see drastic changes that show in numbers if there are any drastic changes. Even when I paraphrase information about something I reminded myself that it was important to still give those people credit for the information I was paraphrasing because it was their information I was using.  At first it was confusing to learn which format of citing and paraphrasing in the essay was correct,  but I soon got the hang of it and was able to give credit when credit was due.