Growing as a Writer
I have grown tremendously as a writer because this course helped me to develop on my writing skills. In phase 1, I submitted my first paper on my Language and Literacy Narrative on my journey growing as a reader and a writer. I believe this phase revealed my weaknesses because I struggled to keep my story in an organize manner. At the same time, I focused on too many moments from my life capturing a struggle I once had and failed to effectively connect with multiple social realities, when I was supposed to focus on one.
Nonetheless, the first course learning objective I was able to achieve was “Examine how attitudes towards linguistic standards empower and oppress language users.” I accomplished this learning outcome through the readings “Nobody mean More to Me Than You And the Future of Willie Jordan” and “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan. These stories increased my awareness of social issues that are tied to our linguistic standards, this made me reflect on how I would approach my Narrative. However, this led me to focus too many social issues at once. Fortunately, thanks to peer review, I received feedback from my classmates and instructor on memories related to two social issues.
In phase 2 I believe was the time I grew the most in my writing abilities because it challenged me to achieve most of the Course Learning Objectives. A major one was “Locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias.” I accomplished this by learning from class discussion on how authors use persuasive language such as ethos (credibility/trustworthiness), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic) to convince their audience of their argument. Furthermore, I thank my instructor for teaching me how to write academic summaries, synthesize sources, and how to signpost. Overall, these important insights taught me how to structure my research essay on linguistic imperialism.
A second Course Learning Outcome I achieved was “Develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing.” I accomplished this through peer review because I learned to value my classmate’s criticisms by implementing their feedback into my final draft. Peer review gave me an outside perspective which gave me the opportunity towards understanding on how I should tailor to my audience through language. This made me reflect on the rhetorical triangle of context, writer, audience that I remember from my first class on this course. Mainly because I would need to carefully pick out authors that are credible and logical in their writings to support my claim and include historical events detailing in a way to create an emotional connection to the audience. The rhetorical triangle gave me valuable insight on how to strengthen my arguments throughout my research essay.
A third Course Learning Outcome I achieved in the second phase was, “Compose texts that integrate a stance with appropriate sources, using strategies such as summary, analysis, synthesis, and argumentation.” I accomplished this by simply engaging in class discussion and activity on how to form a synthesis with the help of my instructor providing slides based on synthesizing. Also, through another class discussion plus an activity on how to form academic summaries. These in class activities taught me how to combine two or more sources to reinforce my argument. Furthermore, the class on academic summaries taught me to refrain from using my own opinion or commentary and to only expand on ideas and main argument of the text.
In phase 3 a Course Learning Outcome I achieved was “Recognize and practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations.” I accomplished this by creating a meme for my rhetorical analysis assignment. While working on this assignment I learned how to utilize the rhetorical appeals ethos, pathos, logos to evoke a response from my audience. What helped me most to achieve this was the help of my research essay. I gathered information on how language inequality affects us all to this day. Overall, the 3rd phase has taught me how much power a rhetorical analysis can hold because it can be used to spread awareness about issues across the world.
I have learned many important themes on language politics. Firstly, I learned that because language is linked to cultural identity, it should be preserved because dominant languages suppress and threaten indigenous languages. One of the biggest contributors to this is the government creating official language policies that favors the dominant language over the other. Resulting in the non-standard speaking communities to lack equal opportunities. In order to combat this, there needs to be advocacy for non-standard speakers to have the right to public services education, and proper representation in the media and government. To increase educational opportunities and accessibility to resources depends on the educational institutions to increase inclusivity of languages. Lastly, since English is the most spoken language in the world, this also means there are hundreds of languages threatened to be eliminated.
In conclusion, this course taught me how to think critically on language politics and how to improve myself as a writer through peer review, in class discussions, Ted Talks, and our readings. Overall, this truly helped me reflect on how people are treated according to linguistic standards.
