RunningHead:SelfEvaluation

SelfEvaluation
HunterHeneberry
ENC1102
Dr.Guenzel
April27th,2016

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SelfEvaluation
ThroughoutthissemesterIhavebroadenedmyhorizonstonewaspectsofwritingand
research.Ihavehadtheopportunitytotoexploredifferentaspectsofrhetoricalanalysisand
begintoapplyittomyownwritingandresearch.Thislearnedapplicationwillallowmeto
furthermyskillsetandbeabletotransfertheseskillsintomyfutureprofessionandaspirations.
AsseenintheEPortfolio,Ihaveevidenceoftheprogressionofmyrhetoricalandresearch
skills.MyprogressionrangesfromwhatIwascapableofatthebeginningofthesemester,which
isnotverymuch,towhatIamnowabletododuetothisclasseseducation.Anexampleofmy
greatprogressionwouldbetheamazingdevelopmentofmyrhetoricalanalysisskills.When
puttingallofmydevelopedskillstogether,Iabletoutilizethemandformaresearchspace
whereIwouldrhetoricallyanalyzesourcesandultimatelyformafinalresearchpaper.

RhetoricalAnalysis
WhenperformingthevarioustypesofwritingIhaddoneinthisclass,Iwouldneedtobe
anactiverhetortoensurethatIwasabletoformmyanalysisclearly.Throughoutthesemester
welookedatthevariouscontextsandaspectsoftherhetoricalsituation
therhetor,theexigence,
theaudience,andconstraints
.First,inordertobeasuccessfulrhetorIwouldneedtoworkin
conjunctionwiththerestraintsputbeforeme.Anexampleofoneoftheserestraintswoulda
wordcountlimit.IwouldneedtobeflexibletoensurethatIstayedontrackandatthesametime
wasabletoformmyanalysisinalimitedamountofwordsastoaccommodatetheconstraints.
NextwhenkeepingtheconstraintsinmindIwouldanalyzetherhetorsexigence.Iwouldbegin
toanalyzewhatmotivatedtherhetortoenterthisconversationandbegintoputforththeir
argument.Thiswouldallowmetoseewheretherhetorwascomingfromwhentheywere
writingaspecificpiece.Thisallowedmetounderstandtheirargumentandbegintoenterthe
conversationasarhetormyself.Whenenteringaconversation,Iwouldneedtodosomeanalysis
astowhomyaudiencewas.InthespecificcaseofmyresearchpaperIwaswritingtomyfellow
classmatesastheyweremydirectandintendedaudience.Thiswasanimportantpartofthe
rhetoricalcontextinthatIwouldneedtoformmywritinginawaythatmypeerscould
understandandalsobeentertainedby.Keepingmyaudienceandoverallgoalinmindwould
allowmetostayontrackandalsolookatmyworkfromtheirperspective.

ResearchBeginings
WhenbeginningtolookatmyresearchterritoryIneededtomakeaclaimandathesis.
EarlytothegameIlearnedfromsomeofourreadingsanddiscussionsthatIwouldneedtomake
aflexiblethesisasIwouldmostlybechangingitastheresearchprocesswent.Thisvariabilityin
mythesiswasmainlyduetothesourcesIwascomingacrossandthevariousviewpointsbeing
discussed.Fromourclassreadingsin
TheEverydayWriter
,
UnderstandingRhetoric
,andthe
otherreadingsin
FromCriticalThinkingtoArgument,
Ilearnedhowtorhetoricallyanalyze
thesesources.Thisgavemetheabilitytounderstandandseehowtheycouldaidapositioninmy

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researchpaper.ByperformingmuchresearchonvarioussourcesIwasabletodetermineifthe
sourcewasabletofitintomyresearchandhelpmetoformmyargument.InmyeportfolioI
haveincludedmyDigitalPaperTrailandalsothesourcesIusedinmyresearchpaperasmy
references.Fromthesedocumentswecanseethathadavarietyofdifferentsourceswith
differentviewpointsandopinions.Whenaligningmythesiswithmydiscoveredsources,it
startingtobecomemoredynamicandthisallowedmetoenduphavingastrongthesiswithlots
ofsupports.IntheendIwasabletoformastrongandsupportivelistofsourcesandreferences.I
wasabletoapplyknowledgelearnedinclassandinourreadingstogetmyultimatelistof
sources.

ResearchProcessandFormation
Alongwiththesourcesmentionedabove,myresearchconsistedofmuchmore
organizationanddynamics.Iusedmultiplepreliminarystepstoallowmyselftobecomemore
organizedandunderstandingwithmyresearchspace.InitiallyIconstructedaresearchmapthat
consistedofinformationsuchasmyinitialquestions,topicsofresearch,andmyresearch
timeline.Thisplayedavitalroleinmyresearchprocessbecauseitkeptmeontrackwithnot
onlymytopicbutalsomytimeline.IwasabletoscheduleineventsIhadduringthesemester
anddesignatetimeformyresearchinordertoensurecompletionofmyresearch.Thisprovedto
beagreatideaasinpastresearchprocesses.Itendedtojustjumpintoablankworddocument
andbegintyping.ThisshowsthatIamabletousethelearnedskillandknowledgegainedfrom
thisclassinaproductiveway.Theresearchmapwasapieceofmyresearchdossier.My
researchdossierwasalsoanewaspectofwritingIhadlearnedthissemester.Theresearch
dossierwasoverallawayformetovalidatemyresearchclaimandensurethatIwasgiving
understandingtomyresearch.Mydossiershowedthemanyaspectsofmyresearchsuchas
purpose,intendedaudience,typesofsources,documentationstyle,etc.Thedossierwouldallow
oneofmypeerstounderstandmyresearchspaceandalsowhatIwasplanningondoingwithmy
research.Ialsoperformedspecificrhetoricalanalysisofoneofmysourceswhichcanbeseenin
myeportfolio.InthisrhetoricalanalysisIprovideindepthanalysisthatallowsmetoshowthatI
understandwheretheauthoriscomingfromandalsobegintoseetherelevanceofthistexttomy
research.AftertheanalysisIwasabletoconcludethatthatspecificsourcewasveryeffective
andhelpedtosupportmyresearchimmensely.
Movingalonginmyresearchprocess,InextformedatwominuteverbalpitchthatI
presentedtomypeers.Thispitchallowedmetoputsomeinformationoutintotheclassandalso
givemyaudienceatasteofwhatIhavebeenresearching.Iwasabletosharemyareaofresearch
andhowIwasgoingaboutanalyzingthatresearch.Thiswasahelpfultooltoseehowmy
audiencewouldreacttomywork.LastlyIbegantoworkontheactualresearchpaperitself.This
wasthelaststepbeforeIpresentedthispaperandaTEDtalkasmyresearchinawhole.By
doingallofthepreviousstepsmentioned,Iwasabletostreamlinethatinformationintomy
paper.Ibegantofillmypaperwithclaimsaboutmyresearchtopicandthenbegantoimplement

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manypiecesofsupportintheformofevidencesources.Intheend,thisprocessturnedoutvery
well,allowingmetogrowasaresearcherandwriter.

ProvenImprovement
Whenputtingmywritingcareerintoperspective,Icanconfidentlysaythatthisclasstime
periodhasbeenthemostproductiveandeducating.Ihavegonefromanovicewriterwho
providedvirtuallynorhetoricalanalysistohiswork,tobecominganeducatedrhetorwhoapplies
skillstohisresearch.ImaynothavebecomeperfectineveryaspectoftheclassbutoverallIfeel
confidentinmyabilitytoproducepersuasiveargumentsforacademiccontexts.Whenitisall
saidanddoneIhaveprogressedasastudentofwriting,thisisastepintherightdirectionand
willallowmetoprogressfurtherintomycareer.