Portfolio and Reflection for ENGL108

Introduction

Being a student and part of the ENG108 class has been of great benefit to me. Through the course, I have been able to learn a number of things ranging from rhetorical awareness, critical thinking and composing reflection and revision, and conventions. The first is rhetorical awareness where I was able to identify the purposes of the intended audience, for, and arguments in a text as situated within a specific cultural, economic, and political context. From the class, I have learned that it is imperative before presenting or writing a particular text to determine the audience on the basis of the culture, religion, and political contexts. It entails knowing the audience to the core, for example, knowing what attracts, excites, upsets and makes them laugh. If one is to receive an audience, they must determine audience attributes, for example, you cannot write about a Muslim joke in their presence. Determining the audience makes sure that one is able to come up with an appropriate jargon. From the course, I gained an understanding that it is always good to avoid jargon at all costs. However, there are exceptions to this concept. Jargon can only be used when it is absolutely necessary to enhance the article. Additionally, before writing a text, it is of great importance to know the value of the audience. It is imperative to know the overall tone of the writing. This means that there are some thoughts or concepts that should not be included in an article or writing.

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The ENG108 course has endowed me with the skills needed for critical thinking and composing. What really cemented my skills on critical thinking and composing was the assignment that I did on whether being a United States citizen was good. From the assignment, I was able to come up with the benefits of being a US citizen compared to being on a green card or permanent citizen. Other than determining the benefits, I was able to define some of the opposing sides. From the two sides, I was able to determine the best position which was being a US citizen. From the assignment, I evaluated the quality, appropriateness, and credibility of a source. Moreover, I came up with a persuasive researched argument for a number of audiences and purposes and in many modalities. Writing that is characterized as quality is one that has no grammatical errors and has followed all the stated instructions. It is one that has credible sources which from my research and extensive learning, I realized that they are books and journal articles. From the research, I came to the knowledge that journal articles are peer-reviewed. I noted that getting information from Wikipedia and blogs is not a good idea because they are not peer-reviewed and are subject to changes.

Other than getting critical skills and knowledge in composing, ENG108 course assisted me to learn about reflection and revision. I have been able to gain an understanding of composing procedures and using different strategies and informed reflection. From the reflection assignments, I examined and acted as per and instructor feedback to revise texts. After writing on the significance of being a US citizen, I received a number of corrections from both the tutor and students. I was told that if the argument was to become strong it had to have both the proponent and the opposing sides. After presenting both sides, then one should come up with a position. The tutor told me that in the first paragraph, the writer should have a thesis which then becomes the guide of the essay. Without a thesis, the reader will not have a proper understanding of the text.

Lastly, the ENG108 course gave me an understanding of conventions as related to purpose, audience, genre, and the different citations. Now I know that it is important to follow appropriate conventions for grammar, punctuation, and spelling. This could be achieved through practicing in composing and revising. If a text is to be credible and accepted in the circles of research, one must at all times make sure that the texts are properly punctuated and grammatically structured.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the ENG108 course has been of great benefit to me. It has helped in learning the strategies for evaluating texts, audiences, and contexts for coming up with a reading and writing. It has assisted me to determine the purposes of the intended audiences, arguments in a text, and the situated cultural, economic, and political contexts. I have gained skills in critical thinking and composing, reflection and revision, and understanding conventions as connected to purpose, audience, and genre. For this goal, I was able to follow the correct conventions for grammar, punctuation, and spelling through practice in composing and revising. This was made possible by the assignment that needed me to determine the pros and cons of being a US citizen and taking a position on it. The course was vital in imparting the knowledge relevant to textual analysis based on the study context.