Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

Revision was the main goal of this class. I started off my definition argument by looking up useful sources on google scholar for my topic which was skincare. After finding the sources that supported my claim that cosmetics should be considered drugs I wrote short paragraphs on each source. Once I wrote down a summary of each source I started to write my rough draft for the Definition argumentative essay. I asked for feedback to get a good idea of what changes had to be made to make my essay clear and correctly punctuated. I started off reading my essay out loud in paragraphs to see where I experienced confusion and I added clarity by adding more information on the topics discussed and getting rid of the fluff.  I submitted my essay once again and got feedback to work on punctuation and grammar which I did and made a great final Definition argument. 

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

Choosing three counterintuitive arguments in my purposeful summaries was strictly based on interest. The first argument was about “Men Defining Rape” which the author explained was directed specifically at men that hold power. The argument was based on how race, social status, and the definition of rape all varied. I think the author was very inclusive of everyone but did have the main focus which was interesting to read about. The second argument I chose was on “The Hair Part Theory” which was arguing how hair parts can have a relationship with intelligence. I thought this argument had some potential but was not something I would change my mind on due to the idea that a politician became more successful. My last argument was “Is Walmart Really Going Organic or Local.” This argument was focused on the concept that manufacturers are not transparent with their customers. I did see this author’s point of view and was convinced that Walmart was selling local goods as organic to get more profit. 

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

After deciding I wanted to write about cosmetics I wanted to make my hypothesis focused on my audience and for it to be to the point. My audience consisted of individuals who bought and had some interest in cosmetics. The audience is knowledgeable about the lack of transparency the cosmetic industry has with its customers.  I wanted to make sure to include the idea that harmful ingredients in cosmetics should be regulated and considered drugs. I wanted my hypothesis to be counterintuitive so I decided to stick with a simple hypothesis to grab the reader’s attention and help them learn even more about the cosmetics they use on a daily basis.  

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

The visual rhetoric assignment was strictly based on visuals of a thirty-second video without audio. I went into details when it came to the background, people, symbolism, and camera angles. I wanted my reader to get a good understanding of what the video was showing and accomplishing with each detail. To successfully help my reader see a visual representation of the video from just my writing I had to get myself into their shoes. I kept asking myself if I did not see the video is my description something I would think of. I made sure to rewatch each second and read the deception with it to add more details that might be important. 

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

In all three of my argumentative essays, I made sure to correctly sight my sources as well as re-wording statements to avoid plagiarism. For example, in the Causal argument one of the articles, “The Regulation of Personalized Cosmetics in the EU ” was going back and forth about the EU and US differences when it comes to safety and regulations for customized cosmetics. By reading the entire article carefully I was able to really understand what the author is trying to say. Reading every detail I was able to differentiate between the statements towards the US and EU to make sure this source was supporting my argument which it did. I also made sure to cite this source in the correct APA format in my references section to give the author credit for their work.