1.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.

This semester, like writing, was a process, to say the least. We constantly improve and revise our writing as we get better and new information reveals itself to us and we hammer in those ideas and skills like a blacksmith continually hammering metal into the perfect weapon. The first core is about that process and nothing in my portfolio exemplifies my process like my Annotated bibliography . As I learned more about the research process with Professor Hodges, I’ve developed a more disconcerting eye for sources and how I use them. Originally this was a proposal for my essay and like my writing evolved into a bibliography, a written journey of how and why I chose this topic and the foundation of my final essay.

2. 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. 

Counterintuitive thinking is the name of the game in Professor Hodges’s classes, and you can’t even start thinking counterintuitively until you start thinking critically. Understanding the intent of the authors’ words, why they are using that particular vernacular, and how to categorize those thoughts in a way we can understand are all skills I came to learn/ strengthen while in the class and the Claims task is an exercise that exemplifies this thought process. Authors make claims with their rhetoric in their writing and this task had us break down an excerpt finding all claims the authors made. Through these claims, we can see the intent behind the words. With the intent properly categorized my understanding of the text widens allowing for more Critical thinking.

3.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.

Knowing your audience is key to understanding how to write.  You don’t use medical terminology when trying to convince construction workers to strike against unfair working conditions and you don’t try writing like a law student when writing a letter to your local government. My Elavator Riddle  assignment shows I know how to switch up how I write to match the situation needed. The audience being an inanimate unfeeling machine makes it hard to try to give it instructions so that it would understand and carry out the appropriate orders. I originally made the mistake of trying to talk to it like a human programming a machine but when I recognized my mistake, I looked up coding language to make sure I got it right.

4.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.

As writers, we build upon the hopes and ideas of giants and it’s our responsibility that we give those giants their due. I Knew when creating a thesis for my essay that needed to find the right sources and the right papers and while I could have used my proposal +5/ annotated bibliography I was confident my Research Essay  would be a better fit for core 4. To me, it is my crowning achievement in Comp II and the culmination of all the research I’ve done over this semester. It doesn’t just show I know how to implement sources but also weaving those sources effectively to boost my argument forward. The causal part of my essay displays how I use cause-and-effect reasoning to my advantage.

5.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. 

Writers have a certain power and with that power comes a responsibility to prove your point without twisting the words of others. While I can disagree with a lot of what I read and throw my rebuttal  I will never disrespect a writer by trying to purposefully misinterpret their argument. For the Summaries Assignment I was tasked with I displayed my quality to interpret and critique the best here. Summaries are something I struggled with initially trying to turn a 500-word article into a couple of sentences and adding my input in the mix was hard for me.  I mixed those two aspects well here, finding a  good balance between respecting the authors’ intent and throwing an opinion of my own where I felt necessary.