Jenay Lyons

Ms. Remsik Larsen

ENGL 120-086
6 May 2015
Reflective Argument
Throughout the course of this English class, all of the student learning outcomes were
addressed thoroughly and in depth. Most assignments encompassed multiple outcomes while
placing an emphasis on either one or two in particular. Every assignment contributed to the
overall understanding and application of each outcome and provided useful knowledge and skills
to be applied in the future. The learning outcomes were also further instilled by summarizing
definitions of each in simpler terms in order fully grasp the concepts.
Outcome (A) consisted of utilizing the various genres of writing to compose, analyze,
and reflect on arguments through appropriate mediums and rhetorical situations and was
exercised in all assignments. Outcome (I), composing an academic argument including
secondary sources, was also especially achieved with the first major writing assignment - writing
an argumentative essay about a local issue. The issue I chose to address pertained to student
protests against standardized testing and argued that their actions were necessary in order to
bring attention to the issue. When gathering information from online, print, and secondary
sources, each served their own purpose in the information provided. Online sources offered
technical information such as when protests occurred, who was involved, and which schools
participated. Print sources, such as the official response letter from the APS Interim
Superintendent, provided insight to the perspective of the opposite party involved while
secondary sources also provided this insight but through a more personal medium. This

information proved to be the most honest as questions were responded to almost immediately,
whereas print sources went through a process of revision. Referring to secondary sources was
also used in the third and final major writing assignment - creating an informational documentary
about an urban legend. This was a research based assignment as well which included print,
online, and secondary sources.
Of the ten student learning outcomes, I feel I made the most progress on outcome (G),
using writing to explore personal beliefs and perspectives. Through the first major writing
assignment, I challenged my beliefs on the matter of standardized testing and shifted my
perspective to that of an APS official. As a future educator, I considered my position on the
matter as though I had a class of my own, which contributed to my ideas of improving the
situation. Through the second major writing assignment, analyzing the rhetorical strategies
utilized within a movie trailer, I considered why I am personally drawn to the genre of horror
movies and why I do or do not look forward to an upcoming release. Although aware of the fact
that wanting to be scared increases the likelihood of actually being scared, or at least becoming
excited about a new release, I realized why the strategies used are effective. By appealing to
ethos, pathos, and logos in a strategic order, an argument begins to support itself by reinforcing
its claims.
Considering that each outcome was focused on in depth, I believe the one I made the
least progress on would be outcome (D), improving fluency in Standardized Written American
English. This would not be due to a lack of emphasis on the matter, but rather from having
extensive practice prior to taking this specific English class. While I still made improvements in
this area, the growth that occurred was not done so in large increments. An assignment that was
especially helpful in improving fluency and dialect was writing a formal copyright permission

letter. This assignment was included in the final sequence as the potential of using copyright
information was present when creating a documentary. Although the letter was not used to
request permission, writing in a professional manner allowed me to challenge my writing
abilities in a professional context. I was also able to do so in the genre revision of the first major
writing assignment. While the original document was an argumentative essay, the genre was
revised to be a formal letter to the APS School Board expressing concerns towards standardized
testing and offering possible compromises. Considering the author of this letter, the general
population of discontent high schoolers in Albuquerque, I aimed to present a formal yet
inexperienced tone. In order to do this, I considered how my writing has changed since I was in
high school and in what ways I would have written a letter as such only a year ago.
Through this class, I gained skills that I will not only be able to use, but may also be
required to have in the future. As a music education major, emphasis is placed on communication
skills as I will interact with students, parents, and school officials in a variety of contexts.
Understanding the appropriate language for each audience and rhetorical situation will allow me
to communicate effectively and efficiently. Also, having knowledge of various technologies, such
as producing an informative documentary with video recorders and specific computer software
as well as creating a website for educational purposes through sources such as Weebly, may be
useful in my future career when teaching. This knowledge has already proven useful in my field
of study this semester as the music education class I was enrolled in required technological
knowledge. The process of turning in assignments was through a blog, which was similar in
many ways to creating a website, and posting the link to submit. Also, by the end of the semester
I was required to record, upload, and submit a video for the teaching class, a process which I had
previously done through the documentary assignment. Having this knowledge applied across

subjects not only addressed student learning outcome (F), applying the skills of writing in
multiple genres using various technologies in different contexts, but also increased my interest in
using such skills in the future.
As stated earlier, outcome (A) was exercised in each assignment as they all included an
analysis and composition in different genres. All assignments required some form of research
revolving around an argument, the first assignment being a local topic, the second being a movie
trailer, and the third an urban legend. The means of composition varied between argumentative
essay, rhetorical analysis, and extensive research including secondary sources as well as the use
of technology. Depending on the situation, certain rhetorical strategies were more effective than
others when trying to persuade an audience. For example, the movie trailer relied heavily on a
strategic presentation of ethos, logos, and pathos, while the documentary was primarily focused
on logos and the argumentative essay utilized all three while placing more emphasis on ethos and
logos.
Overall, the learning outcomes addressed in this course were thoroughly exercised and
applied. By addressing most outcomes and emphasising one or two specifically in each
assignment, they were reinforced from within creating a pillar effect as focus was distributed
evenly. This provided an overall improvement in a broad variety of skills rather than extensively
developing one skill while neglecting others. Not only were skills developed, they were also used
in practical means that will remain relevant in the future and in different fields of study.