(Address Rescinded)

Dr. Leslie Bruce

Department of English, Comparative Literature, and Linguistics
California State University, Fullerton
P.O. Box 34080
Fullerton, CA 92834-9480

Dear Dr. Bruce,

This letter is intended to present the documents within this portfolio with the purpose of

confirming that I have become proficient in the student learning outcomes (SLOs) outlined in our

307 course’s syllabus. The samples of my individual and group writing that I have submitted are:

my Rhetorical Triangle Conference Homework; re-written and original, a free-write discussing a

Brown Girl Dreaming​ poem; re-written and original, my first Scholar’s Notebook submission;

re-written and original, my group gender theory flyer; re-written and original, and finally, a

collection of my reviews for other student’s work; re-written and original. These documents will

prove my mastery of our class SLOs.

The first selection, an exploration of the rhetorical triangle that I was assigned during our

first conference, is included because I believe I could develop it to demonstrate the deeper

understanding of rhetorical awareness I have attained from then till now. Within this edit I will

expound on the use of the three parts of the rhetorical triangle when writing a Wikipedia article

as well as the degree of formality and informality necessary. Finally, I will discuss how my use

of these tools helps to accommodate the array of audiences who will be likely to access the

article. This will fulfill SLO #1, Rhetorical Focus.

 The second selection, a free-write exploring a poem from ​Brown Girl Dreaming​ which

was completed in class, could benefit from development in both its citation and persuasion. A

few of my peers have commented on the fact that I do not in-text cite correctly. For instance, I

have previously formatted my in-text citations in this manner: “quote (citation).” However, if

this were cited correctly, it would look like this: “quote” (citation). I will use this as an

opportunity to prove that my citation skills have developed while also persuading my audience to

agree with my assessment of the poem through a sound argument, fulfilling SLO #2 Ethical

Research and SLO #3 Persuasion.

My third selection is my first Scholar’s Notebook submission. I was one of the students

who did not follow directions closely and submitted a draft which was incomplete and

incorrectly formatted. I will hone the organization and focus of this selection with my

resubmission, paying closer attention to the directions and including all the pieces of work which

I was previously missing.. This reworked document will exhibit SLO #4, Organization and

Focus.

My fourth selection, the flyer my group submitted for our critical theory presentation,

will be reformatted in a way which is more aesthetically appealing to the reader. Design is key in

grabbing a reader’s attention, and I was very taken with the beautiful flyers that other groups

submitted, when I was merely concerned with getting the information down on paper. I will

additionally add a few pieces of information which were not included before, but which I believe

would be useful in deepening the knowledge contained in the flyer. Through my reworking of

this document I will show my developed understanding of SLO #5, Academic Language and

Design.
 My fifth selection, a collection of critiques for my peer’s blog post assignments, will

demonstrate my understanding of collaboration and communicating thoughtful analysis of

another’s writing. I will develop my critiques to be more specific and informative, perhaps

including outside resources which the original writer may find helpful in their research. This will

demonstrate my mastery of SLO #6, Collaboration.

I look forward to exhibiting to you how I have developed over the course of this semester

as a writer and how I have incorporated the SLOs into my growth. This class has helped me to

identify areas where I can continue to evolve my ability as a writer. I believe these documents

show the strides I have made towards being the best writer I can be.

Sincerely,

Eric Schwan