Megan Tutundjian

UWP 001Y

Professor Ringo

15 November 2022

                                                                                                                           Reflection letter

Dear Portfolio Reader,    

      For me, writing has always been an escape from reality. It has opened a realm of endless possibilities that I am the creator of. Despite my love for free writing and letting the pen take control, I have struggled to adventure outside my comfort zone. Through UWP 001Y I have learned not only the importance of writing a piece I am passionate about but also using correct conventions that will make my writing more professional and organized. These techniques are ones that I can use in various aspects of my life through future academic essays, resumes, and research. I felt intimated that a college English course would dim my passion for writing, however, it did the exact opposite. I was afraid of the restrictions that rubrics and formatting would put on my writing. To my surprise, these requirements left me with more concise writing that is more appealing to readers. I found ways to articulate my ideas in ways I have never been able to on my own.

Process:    

         One of the main techniques UWP 001Y has taught me is the value of peer editing and feedback. Not knowing who is behind the screen and giving feedback seemed unreliable at first. However, I quickly learned that this system of review left me with genuine and unbiased feedback that was very helpful in taking out confusing sections of my writing. Through looking at Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Draft Essay”, I learned the importance of editing and viewing criticism as a stepping stool for growth. As a writer, I had not yet been exposed to the idea of a process memo. Through our constant use of this convention, I became better at understanding my weaknesses and strengths as a writer and how I could improve according to feedback. Each of my process memos motivated me to edit my writing more. Failing and hitting a dead end is part of the process of writing. Having a process memo at the beginning of each of my assignments, helped me watch my growth as a writer progress throughout this quarter. I have been able to see where I doubted my writing and when I was able to retrieve confidence. Before this course, I was unfamiliar with the writing tutoring center on campus. During the process of the Academic Research Essay assignment, I was able to utilize a fellow student tutor who greatly helped make my writing more concise and grammatically accurate. I will definitely be utilizing this tool in the future. Through the feedback I received on my Literacy Narrative I was able to include pictures and more personal experiences into my writing that made it unique to my personality and experiences.

Knowledge of Conventions and Rhetorical Knowledge:

        This course also debunked any false knowledge I had about the genre of a piece of writing. Kerry Dirks's “Navigating Genres” essay challenged my thoughts about what a typical genre in writing would be defined as. I was able to see that genre is not limited to a certain type of story portrayed in writing such as fairy tales and science fiction, but rather a way of uniquely targeting an audience and getting a message across in an unconventional way. Through the exercise of writing about a specific genre, I learned how to quickly identify genres in pieces of writing from different authors. For my genre analysis assignment, I wrote about reality tv and the bachelor franchise. I discussed the distinct features reality tv displays and why it is so interesting to those who watch it. 

Research:

       Prior to taking UWP 001Y I had limited experience with a college Academic Research Essay. The idea of in-depth research on certain topics seemed intimidating and difficult. However, through this course, I have learned the process of completing a successful research paper backed up with qualified sources and in-depth analysis. As a writer, I mastered the skill of formulating a detailed yet clear research question that any reader would be able to identify. Through the exercise we completed on taking a general research question and manipulating it to be more concise and detailed I was able to create my own research question. I began with a general idea of food literacy on college campuses and narrowed it down to food literacy at UC Davis. I learned the importance of analyzing every piece of evidence presented to the reader and strengthened my skills in sticking to the main topic of my essay. In addition, I further challenged my skills with the complexity of citations. Every course I have taken has not been clear on the expectations of citations or has not provided adequate resources for what citations should look like. I learned how to cite in proper MLA and APA formatting as seen in my research paper. I utilized MLA citations in-text and with a works cited page. I learned to honor every author by listing every name instead of listing just one, which was a previous misconception I had. To continue, through UWP 001Y I learned how to differentiate between primary and secondary sources. In my Academic Research Essay, I utilized a survey as my primary source and used various peer-reviewed articles offered by the UC Davis library database as my secondary sources. Furthermore, I obtained the skills of knowing when an article is reliable and significant for the context of an essay. 

Metacognition:

        Prior to UWP 001Y, I struggled with formulating outlines and creating drafts that were useful to me as a writer and not just for a graded assignment. After finishing this course I have valued the importance of a well-thought-out outline and the ability to premise myself for having an incomplete first draft. Through analyzing Anne Lamott’s “Shitty First Draft Essay”, I was able to see the importance of not having a perfect first draft. In fact, this course taught me that perfection is not valuable in the world of writing. It is important to fail with drafts to create a successful product. I learned that sometimes writing drafts will be easy. For example, I had an easier time drafting my Literacy Narrative first draft than my Academic Research Essay’s first draft. I went back and forth between topics for my Academic Research Essay as I battled with the idea of writing a topic I was interested in versus one that I thought a reader would prefer. 

  Grading:

         I believe I have substantially improved as a writer over the course of this quarter. I have completed all my assignments to the best of my ability and asked important questions when I felt like I was stuck. I was not afraid to ask for help and utilized the constructive criticism I was given to better my writing. I feel as though at the end of this course I have done the best I could to obtain the maximum grade I could earn. I feel as though I have earned an A for my dedication to this course. If I had more time I think I would have liked to practice using multiple citation types to a greater extent and how to correct one that is done incorrectly. However, I believe we were provided with amazing resources to help us through the course of this quarter. Furthermore, UWP has given me a boost of strength for my wings to fly as a writer and reader. I have learned to be more flexible, vulnerable, and creative as a writer. I know the skills I have learned will not only benefit me within classroom walls but for any of my future literary endeavors.