Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

When looking for sources regarding the topic of my research paper, which was about raising the drinking age, there was a ton of information surrounding brain development and how certain parts are affected by the use of alcohol. I shifted my focal point to a specific region to further strengthen my argument about raising the age from twenty-one to twenty-five as the brain still develops until someone reaches their mid-twenties, and touching on every single part of the brain would cause my paper to seem like it was mainly fluff about the brain and not focused on my argument because the prefrontal cortex is the last piece to develop, and this portion of the brain is what can cause the most issues for young adults and on if they drink before development completes. 

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

Information about the brain is broad, there are so many parts that are crucial to the human body and how we function. As I went through my sources and further gained knowledge of how the brain works, I came to understand that I need to focus on the one portion of the brain that would really make my argument strong. My research paper as a whole demonstrates this well as the sources I used mix well together, they cause a conversation, and I too engage myself in them. Admittedly, I did pick the sources that did not mix well with the point I was trying to get across, but with reading on and finding more sources on the subject, I was able to shift my focus and really zoom in on what I needed to use specifically to make my argument strong. 

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

My audience has always been young adults, more so those who were under twenty-one, but even those who could drink were a thought in my mind as I wrote my essays because they could carry something away with them that might make them reconsider how much they drink at the moment. My purpose was kind of up in the air at first because I did not know if I wanted to convince those under twenty-one to wait until they reached twenty-five to start drinking, however I came to find the purpose of my overall paper and the essays that came before. My purpose was to offer the other side of the drinking age, the one no one gives any time of day to usually, but I was hoping to leave an impression on the audience and make them think. 

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

My research paper demonstrates that I have in fact done my research and gained a pile of evidence to back up my argument. I was able to quote many sources and use them productively as a way to further strengthen the claims that I was making throughout my writing. My argument essays (definition, causal, and rebuttal) also showcase the fact that I located and properly evaluated the sources that I found because nothing seems out of place or unrelated to my topic at hand. 

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

In every one of my essays and my research paper, I have shown that I know how to properly cite sources in my writing and I know how to put together a reference section properly. Additionally, my annotated bibliography showcases all of the sources and how they were used overall throughout each of the essays and the research paper.