Elizabeth Shive

S. Thomas
UWRT 1102
25 April 2016

Final Reflection of UWRT 1102

1.Choose a song or musical composition that communicates your experience with writing and
UWRT 1102. Consider including a video of the song. Explain your choice.

A song to describe my experience with writing and UWRT 1102 is Shine by the band
Years and Years. This song features an upbeat, light tempo with hints of electronic
instrumentals. My writing has the same feel as this song. I have a simple, cheery writing
style. For example, I ended my thesis with hope for the reduction of food waste in the
future. Also, this song is about a positive relationship that has allowed the singer to shine,
hence the title. I feel like this can represent my relationship with writing. Every time I
begin a writing assignment, I feel a little timid or heavy. However, as I continue to write, I
find my voice and it begins to shine through. Writing allows me to express myself in a way
that I cannot always vocally do so. Overall, my experience with writing and UWRT 1102
has been positive and liberating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXTAn4ELEwM

2. If you were to teach this class, what ideas would you emphasis?

If I were to teach this class, I would emphasis the need for balance between choosing a topic
that interests you, but that also can be used to perform factual research and to form your
own ideas. I read some topics that were interesting, but I questioned how the research could
prove the thesis one way or another. On the other hand, I felt others chose a topic simply
because they knew they could find good research on it, whether or not it interested them.
Another idea I would emphasis is the importance of time management. Even though it
seems elementary, I know that college students, including myself, continue to struggle with
time when it comes to writing. Someones writing can really improve if they spend a couple
hours working on it versus thirty minutes. The last idea I would focus on is the writing into
the days. I know that it can feel redundant, but the larger writing assignments can benefit
from writing at the beginning of class. I feel like if students put more effort into these
simple assignments, their overall writing could improve.

3. Explain how your understanding of rhetorical knowledge has changed over the course of the
semester using at least three examples from your writing. Ex. Did you shift an assignment to
better fit a particular genre like a proposal?

My understanding of rhetorical knowledge has developed and grown over the course of the
semester. At the beginning of the semester, I was only writing in my journal for my
personal use. I used words that were commonplace for me and ideas that meant something
to me. When we shared our writing out loud, I would sometimes summarize or alter my
writing verbally for better understanding by the class. In my proposal, I chose a more
formal tone to address my topic. I knew the professor wanted us to use this paper to sell
our topic and ensure that it would fulfil the requirements of the thesis. Knowing this, I

focused on the mechanics and introduced new vocabulary and sentence structures that
added to the substance of my writing while still promoting clarity. The thesis involved me
combining these two writing styles. In stories or scenarios that I used to peak interest in my
reader, I used a more casual writing style with simple sentence structure. However, when I
wrote about the drivers of food waste or effects of landfills waste, it was necessary to
introduce new vocabulary and more complex sentences. This balance allowed me to create
a scholarly paper that still kept the readers interested. I wrote it with my peers in mind
rather than my professor. Through my writing into the day entries, proposal, and thesis, I
learned how to change my style while keeping my voice. This awareness changed my
understanding of rhetorical knowledge throughout the course.

4.Explain how your critical reading has improved during the semester. Ex. In what ways did
you read across texts for connections and patterns in your inquiry?

My critical reading has improved during the semester through the composition of the
annotated bibliographies and then the use of these sources in my final thesis. While reading
the peer-reviewed journals, I attempted to form connections between the stances of the
authors. For example, one author might be arguing for food waste reduction by using
awareness campaigns, while another might argue that food recovery systems are the best
way to reduce food waste. However, each author might also include similar points about
food waste. Also, I made connections between the subtopics of my sources. Many wrote
about sell-by labels and the dangers of the methane gas emission from landfills. This gave
me an idea of the points I want to include and elaborate in my own thesis. Since I used a

wide range of sources, it boosted my critical reading skills and I was able to read across
texts to find connections and patterns while forming my inquiry.

5.Discuss your composing processes. Ex. Did you conduct additional research while revising or
after consulting a colleague? Provide at least three examples to support your assertion.

During this semester, I was able to use composing processes in a way that I hadnt in high
school. I received feedback on my proposal, annotated bibliographies, and thesis in the
small group sessions. This feedback was beneficial to the overall production of these
writings. Unlike in high school, my peers actually tried to find ways that I could improve
my work. Another composing process that helped me before writing the proposal was
brainstorming the four possible inquiry questions. It was through further in class
discussion that I actually decided on the question I would chose to explore. The
collaboration of my peers, my professor, and myself was much more production than sitting
at my desk in my dorm room trying to think of a question. Finally, I didnt stop looking for
sources after I completed my annotated bibliographies. After I finished my ABs, I still felt
like my sources were missing a modern example. I searched youtube to find a video on food
waste that I could watch and glean some ideas. I found just that- a video by the comedian
John Oliver. This video was comical, but also provide some solid information on food
waste. I watched this video and then began my thesis. Using composing process this
semester has shown me that collaboration with others is important. Also, I learned that you
can do further research while writing your thesis or any other type of research paper.

6.Provide at least three examples of your knowledge of conventions Ex. sentence level changes,
MLA citations.

Although knowledge of conventions has always been one of my strong points in writing,
there is room for improvement. I learned to use italics for the title of a television show in a
paper. I made this mistake when I wrote The Tonight Show with John Oliver in my thesis.
Organization of papers is another convention I learned about. I had almost exclusively used
the introduction, three body paragraphs, and conclusion format in high school. However, I
could not use this in writing my eight page thesis. I used a variation on the cause and effect
format that included the they say and I say style that was discussed in class. Another set of
writing skills that improved were spelling, punctuation, and grammar. I find that these
have a constant, gradual improvement when you have a writing class. When reading out
loud in the small groups, it allowed me to find mistakes that I would have skimmed over
when I reading the paper in my mind. Improvements in my knowledge of conventions can
be seen in the italicized titles of t.v. shows and articles in my writings, the organization of
my thesis, and my overall spelling, punctuation, and grammar skills.

7. Critical Reflection: A) Explain the importance of reflection in learning processes. B) Explain

what you think is important in providing commentary on others work and receiving commentary
on your own. C) Provide at least three examples of your nuanced use of commentary in your
writing projects.

A) Reflection is important in learning processes because it gives you an idea of your

thought process when writing a particular piece. When you revisit your work in the future,

you can read your reflection and understand why you wrote something. It can provide you
with a thought or suggestion that you can use in your current work. John Lewey, an
American psychologist and philosopher, claims We do not learn from experience we
learn from reflecting on experience.

B) I believe when you provide commentary on others work and receiving commentary it is
important to consider both the positive and negative aspects. When reviewing a peers
writing, you need to tell them what you like about it. For example, if they used a story you
enjoyed, you should tell them how the story grabbed your attention. However, just as
important as the positive feedback is the negative feedback. If a paragraph is unclear,
explain that to them. Dont rip their paper to shreds, but dont be scared to offer
suggestions. Also, communication is important. Explain why you feel a certain type of way
about their writing and why you offered the feedback you did. You should be able to
provide an explanation of your positive and negative suggestions when the author should
ask. When receiving commentary on your own work, it is important actually consider the
advice. You shouldnt just blow off someones suggestions just because you dont like it.
Look at how your peers advice fits into your work. That being said, it is your own piece of
writing. You dont have to change every single thing that someone might suggest. Know the
difference between simple grammar, spelling, and punctuations mistakes and commentary
that would change the structure of your work.

C) In my own writing projects, I found the commentary to be helpful. My first draft of the
proposal assignment, I was lacking some statistics that would be useful in my paper like
yearly food waste in America. Also, it was suggested that I included more ways to reduce

food waste. In the final proposal assignment, I provided the statistics and offered more
ways for food waste reduction. My proposal was more thorough with this information. The
revisions suggested on my annotated bibliographies were more technical than concerning
content. The peer reviewers thought some of my sentences were wordy. Also, I had a few
grammar mistakes. Ultimately, the commentary was fair and I made many of the changes
that were suggested. On the most recent writing assignment, the thesis, the commentary
directed me to areas in my paper that needed further explanation. Per suggestions, I added
information about the fast food culture of American and explained how methane can
enter the atmosphere from landfills. Peer-review is reflected in the final works of my
proposal, annotated bibliographies, and thesis.