Introduction
The spring semester of 2012 has been a handful, with constant assignments
continually being thrown at me; I’ve been very busy to say the least. For my final
portfolio I will be discussing three main documents that I have completed over the
semester; the literature review, collated research essay, and our big five-personality
results taking in seminar.
Over the course of the semester we have had many assignments, one of our big
ones was the literature review. I chose the literature review because it was one of
my favorite assignments to write in composition class. Our research journals took a
huge part in helping me write my review. Without the help from those journals, I
would not have been able to write my essay like I did. They helped me, narrow
down specifically what I wanted to write about, and get across. As a writer, and a
student the essay helps show my understanding of the topic, I really started getting
into the topic with this essay. I chose my first draft as textual evidence for the
literature review because it was the first paper where I really got into SOPA and
trying to understand what it really was about.
The collated research essay was the last main assignment, besides this final, that
we had to do in class. I choose the research essay, honestly, because I got a good
grade on the paper. As a writer I wouldn’t say much, most of our projects this
semester were simply revising the paper we wrote before and making it better. I
learned a lot from our papers, for the final collated research essay I’d have to say it’s
the one assignment I learned the most from, I was finally able to put all my thoughts
together for that paper. My two supporting evidences are the first and second draft
of my essay. My first draft was very bland, while my second one had more
information about SOPA in it. The first draft was just something I threw together to
receive a grade on the day Mr. Murphy walked around to check, while the second
draft was actually more or so focused on the actual assignment. I choose to have
both my drafts as evidence because they show my learning process through the
assignment. Starting out, I was against SOPA but the more I read about the topic, and
the more I had to write the more I realized that I was for SOPA.
Taking the big five-personality test helped me better look at myself, although
there really are no supporting artifacts for this assignment as it was all that we did.
The test results made it seem like I was a very relaxed, open-minded person, which
is how I personally viewed myself. I’m neither organized or disorganized with is
again true. I’ve always been relatively social and enjoy the company of others; I’m
not one to like being alone. I’ve always been told I’m very supportive, and goodnatured which the results said I was as well, and that I remain calm, even in tense
situations. My friends always get mad at me, because I react very calmly to things
even if others think I should ‘blow-up’ at the situation.
Overall, I think I learned the most as a learner, as oppose to a student or writer.
We mostly just copy and pasted, with some revisions here and there on each of the
assignments; as a writer I didn’t learn much. Student wise, I mean I learned
somewhat about SOPA, but that would fall under the learning category. As a learner,
I became more educated about SOPA, PIPA, and the effects the bills would have on
society.
Seminar and Psychology
Personality is a dynamic and organized set of characteristics possessed by a
person that directly influences his or her emotions, behaviors, and other aspects of
their life. Sigmund Freud is the founder of the psychodynamic approach to
psychology; which, includes theories in psychology that see human functioning
based upon the interaction of drives and forces within the person, usually
unconscious, and between the different structures of the personality.
The psychodynamic approach assumes that our behaviors and feelings are
affected by unconscious motives. As adults, our behaviors are reflected from our
childhood experiences. Personality is made up of three parts; the id, ego, and superego. I believe I identify with this particular theory because one, I believe that
personality is shaped as the drives are modified by different conflicts at different
times throughout childhood. Such as the id, how unconsciously our body tells us to
do or that we want one thing, and how our ego, being mostly conscious how it
enables us to deal with life’s practical demands. Our superego, learned from the way
we were brought up, helps regulate and control thoughts, fantasies, and our
behaviors.
My best friend and I took the big five-personality test together, when it came to
results both of us were very similar. We never were exactly even, but very close. The
five parts of personality are openness to experience, conscientiousness,
extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. When comparing and contrasting the
results, my best friend and I were closest in the neuroticism area; we both were said
to remain calm, even in tense situations. The farthest area that we were apart in was
extraversion where it said I was relatively social and enjoys the company of others,
while my friend tends to shy away from social situations. While the test is mostly
accurate in all areas, I believe that the only one that doesn’t reflect the true
personality of my best friend is extraversion; she is not one to shy area from social
situations at all.
Conclusion
In conclusion, throughout the semester from when we first started our project I
would say that the way I thought about SOPA has changed. I once was against SOPA,
thinking that it was nothing but a way to limit our free speech, to thinking that it
wasn’t too bad. Coming to a close for the spring 2012 semester I am happy to say
that I did actually learn something from a composition class and that is that while
SOPA will have an affect on websites, foreign and domestic, the overall influence will
help better the United States and it’s policies for online counterfeiting of
copyrighted materials.
This document matters in a sense, because one it is my final grade, as well as
helping to inform what I have learned over the course of the semester and how I
have developed in the process. Not only was I informed over my topic, but hopefully
my classmates as well because the presentations that we were made to do showing
the class what we have learned.