Throughout the semester, this course has challenged me to approach topics I was already familiar with in new ways which I may have never explored previously. Though I have always found pleasure in reading and writing, this semester has helped me to find new strategies for approaching reading and writing assignments that may seem more arduous and mundane in nature than the creative writing and free reading that I enjoy. I have certainly found that this semester has significantly improved my writing through suggestions from my instructor and peers alike. Furthermore, my argumentation and discussion skills toward scholarly articles have become refined and helped me to be a precise and critical thinker. The culmination of these skills is presented
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To combat these issues, I spent a large amount of my planning time in the research phase ‒ brainstorming ideas with mind maps and then doing preliminary searches about the stances people assume on each issue. Once I had decided my topic, I found the research to be straightforward to find and analyze, as the issue is nuanced but also highly debated in modern political discourse. Consequently, the actual drafting of my argument and projects went smoothly and I was able to complete each assignment with relative ease; I sat at my computer and just wrote everything in one sitting. Conversely, editing was a difficult process as the vast majority of my projects began as simple word vomit, which needed extensive edits to clarify my thoughts and the evidence supporting and opposing my argument. This was made increasingly difficult by the lack of constructive criticism from my peers, who noted that my papers often did not need editing. To combat this, I relied on myself to be critical of my work, in addition to the suggestions and edits made by my professor. Despite the taxing nature of my editing and brainstorming processes, I felt that the skills I gained in this course helped me to write cohesive projects that are sophisticated and evidence of my growth as a
To combat these issues, I spent a large amount of my planning time in the research phase ‒ brainstorming ideas with mind maps and then doing preliminary searches about the stances people assume on each issue. Once I had decided my topic, I found the research to be straightforward to find and analyze, as the issue is nuanced but also highly debated in modern political discourse. Consequently, the actual drafting of my argument and projects went smoothly and I was able to complete each assignment with relative ease; I sat at my computer and just wrote everything in one sitting. Conversely, editing was a difficult process as the vast majority of my projects began as simple word vomit, which needed extensive edits to clarify my thoughts and the evidence supporting and opposing my argument. This was made increasingly difficult by the lack of constructive criticism from my peers, who noted that my papers often did not need editing. To combat this, I relied on myself to be critical of my work, in addition to the suggestions and edits made by my professor. Despite the taxing nature of my editing and brainstorming processes, I felt that the skills I gained in this course helped me to write cohesive projects that are sophisticated and evidence of my growth as a