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.

Throughout the semester, I struggled with keeping up with my work due to a list of excuses that at this point in the semester do not matter. However, I made sure to always check in with my research throughout any sickness or family struggles I may have had. I continuously used a variety of forms of media that were easily accessible to me to develop my white paper. Sources included sports broadcasts, social media platforms, and conversations with my brother (who is the biggest sports fan I have ever met). I struggled to prioritize communication with my professor, primarily out of embarrassment, but I was able to utilize my parents, cousins, and roommate when developing my papers. Each person provided me with feedback in the midst of each draft that pieced together each short argument. I will continue to utilize them when revising my research paper.

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.

When diving into my research, I believe that I was able to pull the basis of ideas of others from a variety of sources and mold them into my own, especially when developing my definition argument. I saw growth in my ability to use these ideas to spark interest in the conversation. When researching, I looked for statistics or statements that I knew could be used to draw in the reader. When I was able to find information that seemed interesting to me, I had to dive deeper into the sources to clarify that each bit of information I wanted to use was accurate. I believe core value 2 was the strongest value that I utilized, especially because I developed skills in my News Media Literacy class that helped me weed out various resources.

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.

Throughout my research, I kept revisiting the idea of my purpose. I questioned what I was speaking about, who I was speaking to, and how to relay the message I was trying to convey. When developing my rebuttal argument, I believe I fully found the purpose of my argument. I researched a variety of opinions that go against my beliefs, which caused me to find a greater passion for my argument than I had previously. Implementing the intense opinions of Zackary Faria into my rebuttal gave the audience a sense of how my opponents may feel, which in turn gave me the opportunity to bring in new information and steer them back towards my side of the argument. 

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.

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. I was able to develop this skill when completing the visual argument assignment. In my Visual Argument, I was able to vividly describe the events that were occurring in the commercial to my audience, which was not something I was particularly good at before. The assignment forced me to thoroughly evaluate information given to me, both with and without sound, so that I could paint a picture for the audience. This came in handy when developing my other arguments as well. 

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.
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 each of my short arguments it was crucial that I cited all of my sources accurately. In my Causal Argument, I presented my audience with many sources, so it was especially important that I cited everything effectively. Appropriate citation has allowed me to differentiate my ideas from those that I pulled from other sources, making my argument easier to follow for the audience. Additionally, it helped me to avoid any plagiarism in my writings.