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Samantha Paula Ramos Lara
Professor Lynda Haas
Writing 39C
30 August 2015
Reflection Essay
When the summer session began, I dreaded the thought of taking an online writing class.
Worries and fears raced in my head as I was reminded of my habit of procrastination and
motivational issues outside a classroom setting. I was terrified to read lengthy and confusing
scholarly articles because I was afraid that I would not be able to understand it. However, the
class theme of animal studies slightly eased my dread; that was a topic that I was definitely
curious about. Of course I have heard about PETA’s risky exploits and have seen videos of
animal issues, but that is as far as my initial interest progressed. Knowing that a writing class
requires scholarly research, I would surely gain deeper insight and appreciation for animal
studies. That curiosity was the driving force behind my work and has led me to learn more about
the world. As the summer session comes to a close, I can definitely announce that I have not only
gained an appreciation for animal studies, but for the Writing 39 series as a whole. Although this
class took a lot of work, I am certainly proud of the work I have done this quarter.
Initially, I believed that research-based composition was solely based on reading
scholarly articles. Now I understand that research-based composition requires different types of
research based on the amount of knowledge I have on a subject. After deciding on my topic for
the Historical Conversations Project (HCP), the origin of dog domestication, I realized that I had
little knowledge on the subject. An important part of research is to have a good foundation on the
subject that will be discussed; the library “Begin Research” tutorial provided helpful guidelines
on the actions I should take. To gain more knowledge, I started out with introductory information
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from websites such as Wikipedia. After understanding the basics, I read book and magazine
excerpts found online. Finally, I read and annotated scholarly articles and statistical sources,
which would be referenced in the essay. The sources listed in the works cited page of scholarly
works and some books were a useful resource to find specific information that I needed for the
HCP. I jotted down keywords and key concepts to help me find sources. The keywords I used for
the HCP included: dogs, wolves, domestication, evolution, selective breeding, genetics. Equally
important was to list synonyms to have a variety of search options or perspectives on the same
topic. While researching I realized that it took a lot of persistence to read through various kinds
of articles. Although I did not use many of the sources I found, skimming through the articles
was not fruitless. I slowly built upon my knowledge of the subject and was able to incorporate
what I have learned into the essay.
Over the course of the quarter, I have become more proficient in annotating articles. The
Connect assignments provided a great foundation to understand the purpose and importance of
annotations. Leslie Irvine’s If You Tame Me assignment on Connect is my reference when I
annotate articles. I make sure to preview headers and titles, highlight and annotate important
ideas, define specialized vocabulary, and look up authors. Not only do I have to consider the “5
Ws,” I also have to consider the author’s thesis, become familiar with the cited scholars,
highlight key examples or evidence, and take note of any difficult concepts or unfamiliar words.
Annotations make the writing process much more efficient because key information is already
highlighted and I would have already looked up unfamiliar concepts. Because the article
provides some context, I can consider alternative perspectives and have a starting point for my
own writing. In addition, I utilize skim-reading when reading scholarly articles, reviewing a text
very quickly to determine if it is a relevant resource, a technique provided in Dr. Haas’s tips
document. Scientific scholarly works may use unfamiliar jargon and provide lengthy
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explanations on the method of the experiment. After skim-reading I can focus on certain parts of
the article and skip other sections.
Arranging the elements of a composition is an important aspect of writing that should not
be taken lightly. Comparing my two drafts of the HCP, I found that I have become more skillful
in integrating evidence into a coherent argument. In other words, I have improved the rubric
category of “Source Use and Integration.” More specifically, I have improved the ability to
clearly explain the connection between the evidenced sources and between the source and the
thesis. In addition to using direct quotes or summaries, I implement commentary that expands
upon the evidence. That commentary provides the connection to the thesis. For example, I used
Dmitri Belyaev’s farm fox experiment as evidence for the origin of dog domestication because
humans deliberately changed the morphology of dogs through artificial selection. But additional
commentary that explained human responsibility for the dog species was necessary to emphasize
the connection between the source and the thesis; the evidence implied it, but it is important to
explicitly explain the connection. Although I improved my organizational skills in Writing 39B,
this course tested my development. I believe an important tenet of essay organization is that the
elements should follow a logical thought progression that concludes with further insight or
research. The composition should have ideas that build upon each other and create a meaningful
discussion. An ideal example is the Advocacy Project (AP), in which the essay compiles various
assignments. However, the assignments are not combined without reason; there are connections
between the different sections. The scientific review leads to a definition of the problem and the
problem leads to an analysis of possible solutions. My AP essay focused on the health and
welfare issues associated with selective breeding in dogs. The idea that humans are responsible
for the species of the dog was the important concept that linked the HCP and the AP.
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The research process developed the habits of mind. It was quite difficult to find relevant
sources on the topic of dog domestication; I frequently found papers that discussed “when” but
not “how.” But in order to present a good argument, I had to provide good evidence. It was my
ability to sustain interest for the topic that led me to keep researching. At the same time, the
creativity from using a variety of keywords and different types of resources, such as books from
the library, led me to relevant sources. By annotating and drawing connections, I was taking
responsibility for future work and acknowledging the fact that the early effort will help in the
long run. After writing the first research paper of the session, I became aware of the fact that
research-based composition is not simply summaries of studies and theories. Rather, those
studies and theories conclude with a request for further insight and connect ideas to problems in
modern society.
Review and revision is a process that is present in all writing courses. Throughout my
academic journey, I never fully utilized this opportunity to make changes. But the Writing 39
series has changed my mindset. Writing at least two drafts - a rough draft and a final draft provides room for revision that goes beyond correcting grammar mistakes. It is an obvious
sentiment, but I have become more open to new perspectives and improved my ability to adapt
to expectations by becoming more aware of the significance of that interval. By comparing
drafts, I can see if the argument is clearly delineated or implied. There are instances where I
imply rather than explicitly stating my argument.
In the first HCP draft, I thought just presenting my review of scientific literature would let
readers know that I meant to provide further insight, explaining that since humans have modified
the natural progression of canines they are responsible. However, I never explicitly mentioned
that in my writing. In an email, Dr. Haas mentioned that the “purpose or controlling idea should
act like glue throughout the essay” and gave us a template: “This essay reviews the scientific
literature on <animal studies topic> which proves that <animal is intelligent, conscious, socially
complex, etc>; this scientific research makes it necessary to question human perceptions and
actions toward this animal.” In my revision, I made sure that after quotes or summaries of
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scientific literature I explain that “humans are responsible for the evolutionary path of dogs and
are thus responsible for dog.”
The multiple drafts that lead up to the creation of the AP helped to develop evidentiary
support for my arguments. I can see if I need more evidence or if the evidence I have is not
relevant. The AP uses information from both the HCP and the “What’s the Problem” assignment
as evidence. I consider these as “drafts” for the AP because I have to choose the most relevant
information to import to the AP. Instead of being clueless as to what to write for an introduction,
I have learned to approach introductory paragraphs as an opportunity to gather interest through a
narrative or to provide background information. Figure 1 is a comparison of the introduction on
the HCP. The revision process made me realize how boring the intro was and that I could use it
as a segue to the advocacy issue. I replaced my pathetic attempt at creating historical perspective
with an important insight that will serve as a connection between the HCP and the AP. Then I
develop a better historical perspective in the subsequent paragraph.
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For the AP, peer review made me realize that I was severely lacking in “Ethos” and
“Analysis of Solutions.” My lack of credibility stemmed from a lack of documentation; there
were places I should have cited, but did not. In addition, there was insufficient evidence to
support my claims (in some cases, I did not even provide evidence or documentation). After
reading my essay, I saw the problem. I realized that a research paper that makes claims without
citations leads to insufficient ethos. I had to take responsibility for the poor job on those rubric
categories a make sure that the revision would change from “Below” to “Above.” Appendix A
provides my notes to fix the global solutions, which were reviewed as “vague and general.” I
completely redid the global solutions because there were little to no citations and replaced it with
a credible scholarly articles that focused on specific solutions. The revision document on my
online portfolio provides a detailed account of the revision from first to final draft; I explain the
changes in developing evidence overall and in the solutions section.
Planning a social media campaign made me realize that there is actually a lot of thought
that needs to go into the campaign to create a successful argument. We began the campaign with
a pretty boring first impression. After the first day, I realized that the “image” the group had was
part of the argument in that it had an influence over the audience’s perception of us. Our group
had to reconsider the audience and platform, making sure to convey the argument in a way that
takes advantage of what the platform offers. For instance, default website design and links to
websites with their article name as the description indicated that we did not have enough
investment in the campaign. I believe that the website redesign and original logo was an
important part of ethos because it indicates a sense of investment and involvement. By utilizing
the creative potential of a website, we channeled our effort into the campaign; surely the
audience would take notice of that. Unlike an essay that has a prompt, there are no guidelines
that teach people how to create an interesting social media post. Rather, it is important to have an
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awareness of when to use appropriate rhetorical appeals, an understanding of the audience, an
understanding of the medium, and perhaps most importantly, an understanding of the purpose.
Although it was discussed earlier, the appeal to logos was not as effective as pathos in many
instances. Our group had to be open to change and emphasize an appeal to emotion in order to be
successful. Social media is a tool that has the potential to create change across the world and in
large volume. Very popular users do have an impact on people’s actions and the popularity of
other websites. After all, it is quick, easy to use, and free.
Though I understood that a writing
course would improve rhetoric and
argumentation abilities, I would have never
expected it to develop multi-modal
communication skills. Creating different types
of arguments makes me consider “how” I
frame my argument for certain audiences.
While campaigning for the importance of
spaying and neutering, I had to scrutinize the
way I worded Tweets and Instagram posts.
Initially, my group only appealed to logos with
the goal of educating the public and used a
formal, distant tone. However, we did not get
an adequate response, measured by the scarce
amount of likes and retweets. We had to
reconsider our audience, UCI students, and
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what they would respond to. Instead of logos, we attempted an appeal to pathos and get a better
response. We also used a more conversational tone to make the written portion more relatable.
Images and videos that triggered emotion got the most response. As Figure 2 indicates, the meme
that we posted after reconsidering the audience gathered positive responses from viewers. It
gathered 7 likes on the campaign Instagram, making it the most popular post. Emotional images,
used during the SMC, were able to appeal to a side of the audience that scholarly writing is not
able to really reach. It helped me realize that to create a persuasive argument, the writer should
not forget the persuasiveness of pathos. Utilizing visual components, such as infographics or
emotional images, is a different way to supplement my argument. Infographics are useful images
that provide the audience with important, but not overwhelming facts and statistics. It helps me
understand how statistics and data are an important source of ethos because it serves as strong,
well-supported evidence. Appendix B provides the infographic I created for the SMC and
examines the process of creating an infographic. I had to be creative in presenting my argument
because it is a visual text. This course has taught me that writing for an array of genres requires
novel approaches to convey a message. Each genre can serve different purposes. Of course, the
HCP and the AP are written for a scholarly audience; a formal tone and well-supported evidence
are crucial elements to create a persuasive argument. An appeal to logos will probably be the
most frequently used rhetorical appeal. Social media posts have goals that are similar to the HCP
and AP in that they can be used to persuade and call for further insight. But the method of “how”
those intentions are fulfilled are different. On the other hand, the blog posts I wrote have a
distinct function as a reflection upon what I have learned during the week; it is one of the main
activities that developed my metacognition. As I have stated in my blog sidebar, I have the
mindset that “blogging is a conversation.” The posts are a conference with myself and I
frequently examine my progress on an assignment, plan for future work, verbalize new insights,
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reflect on any new material I have learned, and discuss on my strengths and weaknesses. Writing
for different of media requires a new perspective even though the same message may be
conveyed. It is important to be able to adapt to the media that is utilized and to be aware of its
strengths and weaknesses. As a writer, I have improved my ability to communicate using
different types of media thanks to the SMC. For instance, the visual media of an infographic will
not work well if it is verbose like a written text. An infographic is expected to be aesthetically
pleasing but able to convey facts and statistical data. When I created SMC infographic, I tried to
put enough text so that it would not be too overwhelming, but still convey the facts to emphasize
the importance of spaying and neutering pets. I was flexible in adapting the information from the
homebase pages to the infographic. An online text such as informational blog posts on the SMC
homebase required much more info compared to an infographic, but a narrower focus and less
detail than an essay. Although the overall goal was to educate, each post focused on one aspect
of the spaying and neutering process.
Now that I have completed the Writing 39 series, the lower division writing requirement,
I am astonished at the improvements made in my writing. In Writing 39B, I learned to embrace
my thoughts and to not settle for what I believed to be safe options. Thus, I made bold and brave
claims that led to deep, meaningful discussions on my favorite hobby, video games. I made
tremendous improvements in all aspects of writing. In this course, Writing 39C, I have made
significant improvement in certain areas but most notably have learned to write (and not be
scared of) a scientific research-based composition. I am still improving on specificity and
making sure that my claims and evidence are explicit, not implied. Although it was discussed
early in the reflection, my research process has become more streamlined and efficient thanks to
creative search options, useful techniques, various types of source material. As for the writing
process, some of the biggest takeaways are the notions that writing does not end and that there
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can be connections between what seems like unrelated topics. There is always a way to improve
on essays, from simple grammar and syntax components to more complex elements such as
development of sources. Although there’s always room for improvement, I can definitely claim
that my writing is at its best in comparison to my previous work.
As a person who loves animals but never really examined the consequences of human
actions, I now acknowledge the importance of animal studies and even social media. Animal
studies gives animals a voice that is barely present in human society. Scholarly journals, news
articles, and videos point out the ways humans are clearly harming animals, such as poaching.
But these studies also focus on the issues that are more difficult to reveal, such as selective
breeding and the genetic diseases animals are predisposed to. Activism and social media
campaigns are not activities for those who seek attention. These activities have the ability to
create change and induce a shift in culture that learns to have more respect for the animals that
are beside us. Actions that may seem trivial on an individual level, such as signing a petition, can
prompt action when people work together.
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Appendix A
This screenshot is an image of how I approached the global solutions revision. Using two notepad documents, I
copied the prompt on one window and my revision brainstorm on the other window. The initial draft had solutions
that were vague and general. My goal for the revision was to provide specific solutions that were supported by
previous attempts. Although I did not note all of my thoughts down, this document laid out the groundwork for the
final product. As noted within the essay, a more detailed account of the revision can be found on the Portfolio.
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Appendix B
Here is the infographic I created for the social media campaign. There are actually many things to consider in order
to create a persuasive infographic. Because it is a visual text, the image has to look aesthetically pleasing. A variety
of font faces, font sizes, and colors prevented a monotonous tone. Including graphics that provided visual support to
the facts (for instance, “78,000” and a pyramid of dogs to indicate a large volume) made it more convincing and
heightened reader involvement. As for the textual portion, it is important to make sure that the image is not too
verbose, but is still able to convey the intended message.
The full size image can be found here.