Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Throughout this quarter and our various projects, I have learned that writing is quite a
process and isnt simply answering a prompt. There are many steps involved before even typing
your first words, as you first need to break down the task, find sources, and develop and
argument that you can build your paper around. Even once you have produced a complete draft, I
have learned you are still not even close to done. As we learned in Shitty First Drafts, the first
version of our paper is just the flushing out of all our thoughts and ideas. From there it is
essential to receive feedback from multiple other eyes and brains that will view it from an
outside perspective and catch on to things you didnt notice yourself. Often it is so easy to get
fixed on the topic itself that you ignore the paper dynamics as a whole, and you lose sight of its
The two WPs I revised for my portfolio were WP1 and WP2. I chose to revise these
because they were my two lowest scores out of the three projects, and the two I felt could be
better improved upon, as well as strengthened as a whole. The amount of feedback I received on
each and my overall interest in the initial prompts also contributed to my decision as it provided
more motivation for me to fix them and make them the best possible versions of themselves.
In WP1 I revised quite a lot. I began with your comments about my thesis statement,
which was more of a nave observation. I transformed it into a plainer observation, still
description and analysis of each genre to reflect the following format: genre/article introduction,
paragraphs) where I was bias, and insinuating one article was better than the other, and instead
focused on the general purpose of each without opinion. I also shortened my paragraph to make
WP2 was also a task to revise but necessary. Again I started with your comments
regarding my thesis statement, which seems to be an area I have trouble with. I rearranged some
concepts in my introduction paragraph and shaped the thesis to better reflect an argument rather
than an observation. Throughout the body paragraphs, I reduced my wordiness and clutter, and
better organized the flow of my text. For each discipline I reduced my analysis to three
paragraphs each, the first being an introduction to the discipline and article, the second being a
description and analysis of specific conventions and supporting evidence, and finally a paragraph
regarding audience and language. I made sure to tie each section back to the thesis by ending the
The feedback I received from you on the personal Feedback Matrix forms for each
writing project was definitely the most helpful. This clued me in on specific areas I did well on,
in addition to areas I suck at, which is extremely helpful when I just need to get to the point of
what I need to fix, rather than read a lengthy and shy review. Additionally, out of all of the peer
review exercises we have tried, I most enjoyed (and got the most help out of) having a peer read
over my paper and respond to my specific questions. I can already tell which parts of my paper
are the weakest so it helped me bring those insecurities to the surface and get specified assistance
on those. I also found that it helped if I harshly reviewed someone elses paper first, because then
What I like the most about my projects in this portfolio is the subject matter of each of
my papers. Each project focused on a topic that is very important to me, and therefore made it
fun to write, even if it was a rhetorical analysis or comparison of disciplines. The topic of my
WP1 was the 2016 Election (and specifically Donald Trump), WP2 was about messages in rap
music, and the third project was on emotional support animals. All of these topics have shaped
my life or who I am as a person in some way so it was fun and interesting to incorporate them
As seen through all of my writing projects this quarter, I definitely still need to work on
my thesis statements. I have trouble producing a doubtable argument and tend to be more
descriptive or just make a plain observation. I have experienced this in my art history class this
quarter as well but I have seen some slight improvements through the weeks, though I still have
The work in my portfolio greatly reflects what Ive learned this quarter as seen through
our various projects. Each project was like a building block to the next one, each increasing in
difficulty or complexity. Starting with WP1, I was able to learn about genres and conventions,
and how to identify them in a multitude of situations. WP2 helped me explore the conventions of
academic disciplines, as well as how to analyze them in a concise fashion. The third project
allowed me to take what Ive learned from WP1 and WP2, and translate an academic text into a
completely new genre with appropriate conventions. Overall I have become a stronger writer in
my opinion because of how fast all of these projects are due, so I learned to quickly produce a
draft, but then edit it multiple times to produce a coherent and concise final piece.
As I approach new writing projects in the future, I will keep in mind everything this class
has taught me. As a sociology major, I will have a lot of academic discourses coming my way, in
addition to long research papers, and studies. Our lessons on conciseness, information flow, and
the problem model will specifically aid me in those future projects, in addition to continuing to
strengthen my ability to produce arguable theses. Even if I am not writing a paper, what I have
learned from this class will help me understand future classes and subjects as I now know how to
read like a writer, and therefore can get more information out of a paper/subject I am studying.
Overall this class has been so helpful to me as a writer, and a person, as I feel even my thoughts
and communications with people are more organized and to the point. I am very grateful to have
had you as my writing professor and I know any past, present, or future student will get the most
Sincerely,
Erin Bealmear