Introduction

Throughout my time spent in English 11000, there were many experiences which stimulated my growth as a writer. At the beginning of the semester, we were presented the course learning outcomes of the course. These were the expectations placed onto us in which we were to fulfill by the end of the semester. The most meaningful outcomes that were the most impactful on my works were Explore and Analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations, compose texts that integrate your stance with appropriate sources, and practice systematic application of citation conventions. At the beginning, we were handed sources to analyze the rhetorical situation, a somewhat novel concept that was introduced in my previous years of my academic career. We would break down the rhetorical situations into components: the author, audience, topic, purpose, context, and culture. Doing so made the texts easier to digest and allowed for an easier analysis. During the midpoint of the course, we had to write an inquiry-based research essay. This highly encouraged us to use appropriate sources in order to back a certain stance in our texts. I would also include a summary and synthesis of the texts and my own thoughts as a way of showing critical analysis of the text instead of blindly regurgitating the information I had just obtained. And last but not least, practicing systematic applications of citation conventions was a vital part in all of my texts. Lacking this aspect in any writing would damage your credibility immensely. By including sources, the authors and their credibility, it also directly boosts the credibility behind my writing. Citations are widely used to provide as evidence for one’s stance, fitting nicely into the inquiry-based research essay. All of the course learning outcomes are important by any means, however personally I believe that these three were the most impactful to my writing and it stimulated my abilities as a writer effectively.