For the first essay of the semester, numerous tactics were implemented. These tactics developed into course learning outcomes which helped the essay become more analytical and rhetorical. A crucial course learning outcome that I achieved was develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing. This was accomplished by having my peers edit my essay, and conferencing with my professor. This was the most helpful tool throughout the entire writing process for this essay, because I received feedback about my specific essay. I was able to revise unclear statements as well as fixing errors that only my peers noticed in my essay and was able to model parts of my essay to be similar to my classmates after reviewing their papers. After my conference with my professor I was clear on what a rhetorical statement was and not only where I needed to elaborate statements, but how. I created multiple drafts, and with each draft the essay came together. Another course learning outcome I successfully achieved was locating research sources. The class session in the computer lab was extremely helpful because I did not know about the CCNY databases and I learned how to quickly find an accurate and detailed source for each genre. Each source was accurately cited for me through the databases, so I did not have to worry about the format of the works cited page.

I believe that writing is a process. It is one’s interpretation of a piece that also gives you the ability to communicate your ideas. You are analyzing texts, stating opinions, and conducting theses. This process ties into what we are learning in class, because this class is emphasizing the importance of rhetoric and how you analyze different genres, not necessarily how well one can stick to a five step body paragraph. What was most helpful for this writing assignment was the multiple drafts that I constructed. The progress between each draft may be miniscule but when I compared my first and last draft, I saw a drastic shift in my writing overall. This was a successful process-instead of writing one draft in one sitting my multiple drafts allowed me to view my essay with a fresh set of eyes each time and gave me the chance to hone my essay into a piece that is well written. For future essays I will make sure to continue to write plenty of drafts in order to revise my essay into the best form that it can be in, as well as meet with my peers so I can get the help that I need along with advice about how to improve my writing. For my psychology major, I will need to be specific with my writing. Psychology is a field that is about the development of theories. Thus, I will have to clearly state my opinions and findings from research studies and be able to explain my theories in a cohesive manner. As I analyze data I will need to reach a “so what” point in my writing, my exigence. Throughout the next four years my writing will continue to develop as I learn more theories and ways to write my thoughts.

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