The Struggle Was Real

Core Value I.

Understand that writing is a multi-stage, recursive, and social process. (In particular, students should address how they have engaged in self-directed revision.)

I’ve never been one to revise my work. Confidence has always been something that I have tried to strive for in everyday life and in my work. I felt as if my style and ability to convey my thoughts have always been clear in my writing but I learned something very different in this class. Revising to fit the criteria of a professor or possible boss one day is a pivotal skill to have, and though I didn’t revise my work as much as I should have in this class, it s something that I will surely do from here on out. The criticisms given by professor Hodges were always extensive, and I took that more personally than I should have, since he does have the students’ best interest in mind.

Core Value III.  

Understand how texts represent meaning and how the processes of writing and reading create and interpret meaning.

I used to look for sources that gave facts, statistics, and quotes, but now I have even caught myself reading scholarly articles looking for underlying ideas and claims. It’s hard to overcome a habit that you have had for a long time, but this one seemed more natural of a transition. Hodges effectively showed me how to read critically through example and painstaking attention to detail in his own responses to my work.

Core Value V.

Understand the role and use of information in writing.

Information is something that can be found everywhere. A lot of resources state usable information plainly and clearly for everyone to see, but a lot of the articles we read and videos we watched had deeper information rooted within. Articles in this class caused me to think critically and put the pieces together; criticizing articles and connecting them to one another.

Core Value VII.

Understand the power and ethical responsibility that comes with the creation of written discourse.

When writing an article or essay, anyone can read it–especially when it’s on a online blog. That being said, one has to keep in mind the idea that anyone can read your writing. Being ignorant to opposing arguments makes for bad writing and discredits any piece of writing. When lecturing, Hodges always gave both sides of every argument, making things confusing at first but causing us to choose a side. That’s what I’ve tried to do in my research essay, not just provide a negative perspective, but a positive perspective as well. In my paper, I’m not trying to argue a specific side, but offer a better solution for TOMS Shoes and the Buy-One, Give-One Model.