Kyle Sheehan

FYS 100 – Section 50 Social Utopias

Dr. Watts

December 10, 2015

Final Portfolio – Self Evaluation

 

Throughout the semester, the FYS course goals have pushed me to be a better

writer, reader and speaker. Social Utopias, like all other FYS courses at the University of

Richmond, focuses on improving three key elements: writing, speaking and thinking,

putting specific emphasis on improving argumentative writing, critical reading and

thinking, and oral communication. Specifically with regards to argumentative writing, I

have noticed a drastic change in both the quality and clarity of my thesis sentences.

Throughout the course, we learned the importance of constantly relating the body

paragraphs back to the thesis, thereby maintaining clarity throughout the paper and

staying on point. I also learned how to use opposing arguments in order to strengthen

my original claim which is key to any argumentative writing. Regarding my reading and

thinking, a notable change is my strengthened ability to critically analyze text and

evaluate evidence. Throughout our FYS course, I learned the importance of analyzing

text on a paragraph by paragraph basis and using the exact wording of a text when

evaluating it. Furthermore, I learned how to concisely and clearly synthesize information

from different types of sources in order to formulate a strong argument. The final major

advancement I have made, due to the FYS course goals, is in my oral communication.

Through our class discussions and presentations, I discovered the value of openly

discussing interpretations or ideas about the text and learned to express my opinion and

thought in a clear and concise manner. This open dialogue allowed for a deeper

understanding of the text by contesting or supporting each other’s ideas and giving

evidence as to why.

 

One main component of argumentative writing is a strong thesis, which is

generally located in the first paragraph of the document. The FYS course goals taught

me the importance of a clear, succinct, and definitive thesis that either directly answers

or relates back to the topic or question being asked. In a few of my earlier writings, my

thesis did not directly answer the question being asked, but rather gave a general

response (Essay 1, paragraph one). In some other writings, it was difficult to even find

where my thesis was (Response Paper 1, paragraph one). Through FYS and feedback

from Dr. Watts, I have learned how important a strong thesis really is. The effect of this

instruction became very noticeable in my writings toward the end of the semester. My

thesis became easy to find, was clear, and directly answered the question at hand

(Response paper 8, paragraph one and Final Report, paragraph one). While meeting

with our class writing consultant, Yasmine, to review my first essay, she explained how

my paper lacked direction. Many of my paragraphs seemed out of place or filled with

unnecessary information (Essay 1 rough draft). Yasmine pointed out that the best way

to avoid this problem is to make sure each paragraph relates back to the thesis. I used

this advice when editing my essay and the resulting paper represented an obvious

improvement. As the semester progressed, my writings became more succinct and

to the point (Final Report).

 

Another important aspect of argumentative writing is the use of

counter-arguments to strengthen a claim. We learned, through Lessons in Clarity and

Grace as well as through socratic dialogue from The Republic, the effectiveness of

using opposing arguments. In order for an argument to be as strong as it possibly could

be, all other opposing arguments need to be dismissed. The use and dismissal of these

counter-arguments creates a stronger central claim and allows for less arguments to be

made against said claim. While my early writings from this semester contained very few

counter-arguments, they became quite numerous in my more recent papers (Essay 2,

Page 3 paragraph 1 and Page 4 paragraph 1).

 

In any and all reading, it is necessary to not only read, but understand the text.

That is why one of the three course goals of FYS includes critical reading and thinking.

FYS has taught me that the most effective way to understand the text, is to analyze it

paragraph by paragraph. We did an exercise in class in which we read a paragraph,

underlined the key words, and then summarized it using all the underlined key words.

After the exercise, I felt that I had a much better understanding of what the paragraph

was looking to convey compared to when I had simply just read it. This exercise also

highlighted the importance of using the exact wording within the text. By using the exact

words, there is less room for interpretation and more hard evidence to support your

claim. In some of my earlier response papers, the “evidence” supplied was more

interpretation than actual text-based substantiation (Response Paper 5, paragraph 2).

However in one of my more recent writings, almost all the evidence provided was

directly taken from the words in the articles (Final Report). This provided a lot less room

for error while analyzing the text and created a much more concrete foundation for my

claim.

 

Throughout the semester, the course focused on two different types of sources

when doing research. The first were exhibit sources, such as first-person accounts, that

provided evidence and information that can help support your claim. The second were

argument sources, from a scholar, that provided either supporting arguments for or

counter arguments against your claim. Both types of sources have obvious advantages

in strengthening an original claim, therefor combining the two together must be even

more advantageous.  In one of our more recent research assignments, we were

challenged to find six sources of varying types, and to synthesize their ideas into one

succinct report of our findings (Final Report). The exhibit sources provided first hand

evidence for me to base my claim on, whereas the argument source gave further

evidence to support this claim (Response Paper 7 and Final Report).

 

The final goal of the FYS course is to improve one’s oral communication skills.

This course taught me how to more clearly and effectively communicate my thoughts

and opinions. When in class earlier this semester, I often found myself struggling to

articulate and express my opinion as concisely as possible. However, through my first

presentation and more importantly our first group presentation, I became more

comfortable speaking to the class (Presentation 1, October 8, 2015). For our most

recent presentation, the criteria included: “Showed a logical organization of ideas and

these ideas were delivered with clarity”. When preparing my presentation, I focused on

this piece of criteria the most, making sure that it was direct, easy to follow, and

answered the question provided as succinctly as possible. First, I introduced the

question, answered the question with five specific points, and presented a powerpoint

slide for each answer with evidence to support it (Presentation 2, December 1, 2015).

After receiving feedback from my fellow classmates, I felt confident that I had

accomplished my goal of satisfying this piece of criteria.

 

Another major part of oral communication comes with simple human-human

interaction such as conversation and dialogue. The FYS seminar style or conversational

way of conducting class was entirely new to me. Before this course, I had never been

in a class that sat in a circle, let alone encouraged open dialect between the students.

Social Utopias is not a sit quietly and take notes type of class. It is through this class

however, that I learned how important open dialect can be. One standout class involved

an exercise with three pieces of paper that differed in both color and meaning. If an individual

were to hold up a white piece of paper, they were allowed to deepen conversation by providing

either a counter-argument or supporting claim. If someone were to hold up a green piece

of paper, they would start a new topic for discussion. This exercise led to one of our most

involved and in-depth class conversations. The real kicker was that it was initiated and facilitated

fully by the students. The classroom was filled with respectful disagreements which were

then either countered or supported by further evidence provided by a classmate. After the

exercise, I felt I had a much better understanding of the text than I had prior to the discussion

taking place. Many of my initial interpretations were argued against, which forced me to search

the text for evidence to support my claim, and if the evidence wasn’t there, the claim became

null. I recognized a similar dialogue during our weekly small-group meetings with the

Tranibors. Often we were initially a little confused or not certain about the previous night’s

reading. However after the meetings, I always felt much more confident in my old or

now edited interpretation of the text.

 

This FYS course has noticeably achieved most of, if not all of, its stated goals. I

have, throughout the semester, improved in all three areas in which the FYS course

goals sought to improve.