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Janel Adraneda
Cal State University, Northridge
Prof. Florian
ENGL114B
6 May 2014
Final Reflection
Throughout the span of one academic semester, I can honestly say that switching English
classes was a smart decision. This course allowed me to explore the machinations of college-
level composition as well as stretch beyond the limits I thought I had when writing. In this
semester, I learned to explore the possibilities of transfer of knowledge by building my skills in
genre awareness, critical thinking, rhetorical technique, meta-cognition, etc. Looking back at the
papers Ive had completed in the past and comparing it to now, it is safe to say I have learned an
extensive amount in this course because of the assignments, projects, and most importantly, the
in-class discussions. There is no doubt in my mind that my writing skill and rhetorical technique
has improved significantly since my first day of class. With the lessons Ive learned in this
course, I know I will take the next initiative step in my college life not worried about whether or
not my writing composition will suffice.
In this course, we were assigned three major progressions all of which focused on a
specific skill. Among the many assignments we had, I felt two that truly exercised my
knowledge: the travel assignment and project space. Earlier in the semester the class was
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assigned a travel assignment which had us create a 10-day trip to a place most of us havent been
to. My group decide to visit Greece, a place I knew absolutely nothing about, nor had any
desire to visit it, until after writing my paper. Using the knowledge of ethos, pathos, and logos, I
was told to persuade my readers into visiting this destination and ironically I developed a small
desire to travel to Greece as I was writing this paper. Though I had encountered many issues
when structuring this paper, for example I needed to put more personal input rather than listing
the attractions, I felt that the feedback I received from my colleagues and professor helped me in
my future essays.
On the other hand, I felt project space taught me a lot about thinking outside the box,
mainly because there was no direct prompt to this assignment. We merely had to choose a space,
in my case: Venice Beach, and argue. In the beginning of this assignment, I had absolutely no
idea what I was writing about or what to argue. The fact that there was no written guideline in
this assignment, scared me at first, but thinking about it now it really sparked my imagination
and allowed me to let my barriers down and write about something more than just answering a
question. I felt this assignment truly tested my skill of rhetorical technique, critical thinking, etc.
Comparing the first assignment, the travel assignment, to the last, project space, I can see the
difference in my writings and surely it is a change for the better.
English114B this second semester has allowed me to stretch beyond my limits, use my
imagination without boundaries, and structure my thoughts in a way that will flow smoothly. I
truly believe Ive become a better writer this past semester. Although I am aware there are many
aspects I still have yet to improve on, I know that my desire to learn and my future professors
desires to teach will balance each other out and result in improving my skills as a writer. For now,
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however, I will continue to apply the skills and knowledge Ive learned in this class and using it
in my future papers and conversations.