Core Value 1: Understand that writing is a practice that involves a multi-stage, recursive, and social progress. (In particular, students should address how they have engaged in self-directed revision.) 

I went through many different processes this semester when writing and I feel that I have grown significantly in understanding what it truly means to even rewrite a paper. I used to just correct mistakes and move on with them, but this course helped me succeed in taking a step back and understanding everything I was writing about, with help. I was in a situation that made my writing experience this semester very difficult, but with the help and encouragement I received from Professor Hodges, I was able to write something that I felt came together in a satisfying way.

Core Value 2: Understand that close and critical reading/analysis allows writers to understand how and why texts create meaning. 

I feel as though I understand the way that critical analysis/reading is an efficient way to teach how and why texts are able to be meaningful. The in-class discussions we would have, helped me look at the assignments from a different perspective and challenged me to consider things that I would normally not have even crossed my mind when writing about something. Assignments like the Visual rhetoric analysis were very helpful in teaching me how to break something down to even the most minute details, and how those details could fully change the context of what you’re writing about.

Core Value 3: Understand that writing is shaped by audience, purpose, and context.

I understand that a writer’s audience, purpose, and context are what make up a piece of writing. If there is no audience reaction or no intended audience, there would be no purpose in writing, if there is no purpose behind something written, then its existence would be meaningless, and if there isn’t a context behind something written, it would not make any sense at all, making it unreadable and also meaningless. All of those factors tie into each other and a comprehensible/meaningful paper cannot exist if even one isn’t considered. My paper was about how an audience can never truly understand an artist’s intention when creating a piece of art. With no audience, my topic wouldn’t have a purpose, and without context, any purpose would be lost on the audience reading about what I had written.

Core Value 4: Understand the role of information literacy in the practice of writing. 

I understand the importance of information literacy when writing something. If someone is misinformed, they could potentially cause harm by misinforming their audience due to ignorance and disregard for the facts of something. Coming back to the visual rhetoric assignment we were given, every frame and every second had a different story to tell, and you could derive so much meaning just based off of the little information given at a time. Throughout the assignment, I saw how each frame’s details and timing told a story, causing me to think about how different people might understand the same visuals in different ways based on their own interpretations of what they were seeing, which was something I found very interesting.

Core Value 5: Understand the ethical dimensions of writing.

This to me ties back into core value 4, the writer must treat their work as though they have full influence over the reader and know that their words may have any kind of repercussion or consequences. It is the writer’s responsibility to their audience to stay truthful and write what they intended to write, with the audience and the possible effect their writing may have on the world in mind. Writers should be aware that their words can shape opinions, provoke emotions, or even change perspectives. By acknowledging this power, writers must be very careful in choosing how they communicate, ensuring they don’t mislead or cause harm, but instead contribute to a meaningful and thoughtful conversation.