Midterm Portfolio Reflection
First year seminar has been challenging in multiple aspects: requiring me to step out of my comfort zone in the classroom and also introducing me to an entirely different way of writing than from what I had grown accustomed to. In this class I’ve written multiple response papers on a variety of different topics. The variation of content has allowed me to not only learn how to develop a thoughtful argument based on evidence from a text such as the Republic, but also to be able to transfer that same skill to a variety of other texts such as Bradshaw’s More on Utopia and Vespucci’s Travel Narratives. My first essay on the Republic marked the first time that I had ever worked with a writing consultant to go over a draft for an essay. Although public speaking has always been difficult for me, by working on multiple presentations with my small group I have slowly been able to build some confidence in my own ideas when I participate in class. Class excursions to Twin Oaks and CHAT have helped form a cross between the classroom and the real world by presenting real life depictions of utopias and dystopias. Overall, the multiple writing and reading assignments in this course have helped me to read and think much more critically than before.
The second response paper was especially important to me because it showed that I could not simply rely on my previous knowledge of writing; that I was going to have to adapt and learn a new writing style in order to succeed. In this response paper I stated various examples without truly interpreting their context. By taking examples out of their context I was unfaithful to the text, which in turn weakened my argument. I learned that I couldn’t just simply take a line from a text and manipulate it to help build my argument. My fourth response paper was particularly strong because I used what I had learned from my previous two response papers to present Bradshaw’s argument by taking examples directly from the text. In this response paper I incorporated more direct quotes than I had used in my two previous response papers. The progression of my presentation of evidence when working with different texts marked a personal learning curve for myself.
I think that I although I have seen progress in my work, I still have to continue to get better at finding examples for my arguments. In my essay I still had instances where a body paragraph or a counterargument would have been better if I had included or cited an example. I think that as I continue to do more close readings I will continue to improve at finding direct examples that will support my claims. Lastly, as mentioned before, public speaking has always been a large fear of mine. However, I have slowly been able to see myself come out of my shell and speak up in class. This newfound confidence is something that I want to expand upon during the progression of this course and I know that various presentations and in class discussions will encourage this.