Reading Journal

 

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Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page	Warrington, K., Kovalyova, N., & King, C. (2020). Assessing Source Credibility for Crafting a Well-Informed Argument. Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, 3.
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words	In Assessing Source Credibility for Crafting a Well-Informed Argument, Kate Warrington, Natasha Kovalyova, and Cindy King explain the importance of source credibility in writing persuasive or argumentative essays. They cover ethos, pathos, and logos, explaining the relevance of each with regards to choosing source material. They also include seven questions by which a person can analyze and furthermore decide whether or not a source is credible or appropriate. These questions are stated as follows, “Who is the author? How do I know that he/she is knowledgeable about the subject? Is the author using emotional appeals/manipulation in his or her argument? Does the author use “loaded” language to distract readers from relevant reasons and evidence? Is the support for the argument appropriate to the claim? Are all the statements believable? Is the argument consistent and complete?” (194). Additionally, the authors provide examples of these questions being used in analytical writing, which help the reader to grasp their functionality.
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.	Innate – natural
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?	I think that this work relates to that of Sandra Giles, as Giles’ work discussed certain characteristics that would define a writer as incredible.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion.	Aside from those listed in the essay, what questions (if any) have you pondered in determining a source’s legitimacy?

 

An analysis of my answers to the critical thinking intake assessment is as follows.

 

I feel that I am relatively sufficient at analyzing texts as potential sources, as I have spent a lot of time throughout my high school and college life evaluating the relevance of content and the objectiveness of evidence. I have had to find and use quite a few primary and secondary resources in this way, so I have reached a level of neutral comfort in doing so.

One thing that I find myself to be naturally exceptional at is determining and explaining the validity of arguments. I believe this is because neither of my parents are agreeable people, so I have always looked up to people with argumentative personalities, and in fact, have developed one myself. This leads me to look directly at all visible flaws in every source’s arguments simply for the sake of evaluating the writer’s intellect. This has led me to be sometimes picky when choosing sources, though I have learned to ignore certain pet peeves when necessary.

Another result of my argumentive tendencies is a knack for forming my own arguments. I cannot help but argue about everything that an opinion can be formed about, so when I am assigned to do such for school, I am typically sufficient at accomplishing such.

Choosing what information to include in my synthesis essay for our semester-long project was not difficult, as I really only had to elaborate on a few key ideas. One of which was the definition of bodybuilding, to put the club into context. Another was the club’s values, listed on their UM web page. Last was how I believe that the group functions as a discourse community, connecting the essay to that which we read of Ann Johns. Beyond, that my paper really only needed examples basic persuesive-ish formatting to call it complete. As for the things that I chose to leave out, well, I didn’t choose them at all. I included all of the content that I managed to think of/find.

Concerning my research process, all that I really had to look into was 1.) a good quote from the Johns essay, and 2.) a quote from the bodybuilding club’s web page. Lazy as it may sound, the majority of my essay is comprised of facts, observations, and so on, which I gathered throughout my last five years as both an enthusiast of weightlifting, and a regular viewer of many informational websites and youtube channels. Worry not, for I have confidence in the knowledge that I used to form my argument😉. At this point, all that I need to complete my research is the observations and interviewees that I shall seek within the Ole Miss Bodybuilding Club.

 

 

 

 

Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page	Giles, Sandra. “Reflective Writing and the Revision Process: What Were You Thinking?” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, vol. 1, 2010.
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words	In “Reflective Writing and the Revision Process: What Were You Thinking?”, the author, Sandra Giles informs the reader of how essential personal reflection is to a successful writer. Giles supports her claim with examples of good and bad reflection from her experience as a writing teacher. She points out reflection that lacks legitimacy in an attempt to simply write what the reader wanted to hear, and uses it to support the principle of writing from the heart. She also praises one reflection for calling attention to the writer’s target audience, intended message, and potential weaknesses. A strong point of Giles’ essay is its final two pages, through which she provides an example from her personal life that supports the benefits of reflection.
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.	Mark Winegardner – American writer, Godfather sequels
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?	Sandra Giles’ essay on personal reflection connects to most of the other things that we’ve read in this class, as I find that we read only things that pertain to supplementary processes and principles of the college writer.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion.	With what lenses do you examine your writing during moments of reflection?

 

Essay One: Think Before You Spit

Within this essay, I noticed a few nit-picky things that, if changed, may polish off this work. One thing that I noticed was the presence of unnecessary redundancies in various cases, be they simple repetition of words, or even remark of the same concept more than once. For example (of the latter), “…leading a weekly poetry workshop called Tuesday Knights that takes place on—by no surprise—Tuesdays.” (? 2)is redundant. I understand that the writer probably wrote this in consciousness of style/voice, or maybe even humor, but I would much appreciate a wording that eliminates repitition, such as ‘…leading a weekly poetry workshop, appropriately named Tuesday Knights.’. Similar principles can be applied to the instances of repeated words.

As for the strengths of this essay, there are plenty to be accounted for. I found the most notable to be structure/organization and use of external sources. The essay is organized in a way that walks the reader through the details of its described discourse smoothly, flowing from introduction to explanation to conclusion with ease. In compliment of their statements, the writer integrated five quotes from their four sources comfortably into the essay. The sources they used are as follows: “Navigating Genres.” by Kerry Dirk, taken from Writing Spaces: Reading on Writing Vol.1, an interview of Sean Glatch from the 29th of March 2019, “Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice: Membership, Conflict, and Diversity.” by Ann Johns, and the ‘About’ section of Project SPIT’s Facebook page.

 

Essay Two: The Puerto Rican Student Association: A Community Identity Analysis

This is a mostly strong essay, given that its few weeknesses were grammar related as opposed to content. One example of the writer’s wording falling short is shown on page six where they wrote, “The reason they use both Facebook and Instagram is because of two reasons.” Like I said in my critique of the previous essay, I find this kind of mistake to be nit picky. Accordingly, I believe this essay to be fairly well put together based on its organization and information.

 

 

 

 

Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page	Dirk, Kerry. “Navigating Genres.” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, vol. 1, 2010.
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words	In “Navigating Genres”, Kerry Drirk establishes a revamped definition of the word genre, reviewing/analyzing various ideas from other compositional experts to support the claim she stakes. Dirk addresses a generalization that has been reinforced in many minds. That is, the idea of genre equaling cliché. What comes to mind given the words: Horror movie? See what I’m getting at? Dirk is sure to make clear that said idea is counterproductive. Accordingly, she argues for the use of genre to define specific recurrences where an action’s reaction can be biased depending on knowledge of similar, past scenarios. The difference is so clear, is it not?
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.	Country Music – Music about grievances, depressing/bad vibes in general
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?	I suppose this text relates to that of Dasbender, as defining genre (the subject of Drik’s essay) is an essential step in the common writing process.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion.	Since reading Dirk’s essay on the concept of genre, what (in your mind) has been changed or opened up to new perspective?

 

 

Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page	Melzer, Dan. “Understanding Discourse Communities.” Writing Spaces, vol. 3, 2020.
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words	In “Understanding Discourse Communities”, Dan Melzer brings to light each of the essential characteristics that he believes to make up all proper discourse communities. He explains the relevance of the commonly understood goals that direct each discourse as well as the methods by which members communicate ideas, feedback and such. Melzer then covers how varying genres within discourses influence progress of the group, and the role that experts (of their discourse) play in maintaining an equilibrium within these communities. In support of each of his discourse-cornerstones, Melzer includes an all-encompassing example from his personal life. After defining discourse, Melzer goes on to describe its importance to college writers, and how they can shape essays accordingly, backing this portion of the essay with a historical example. Similar to that of Kerry Dirk, Melzer closes his work with a set of analytical questions for the reader to consider.
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.	Lexis = language
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?	Melzer’s essay connects to what we read of James Gee, in that they both use quite a few words to outline the meaning of ‘discourse’. It also connects to the essay that we read about genre, as Melzer includes thoughts on the importance of genre in the development of discourse.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion.	Provide a descriptive example of a discourse to which you belong. Bonus points if you believe yourself to be an expert of that community.

 

1.) Though it may vary from assignment to assignment, I think that I am usually straight to the point with my writing. To elaborate, I try my best to exclude the unnecessary, especially that which shows bias.

2.) In memory, one instance during which I felt accomplished as a writer was the first time that I received a 50/50 grade on an essay in a 12th grade college writing course.

3.) One thing that I would like to improve in my writing is my vocabulary. It is important to me to know and be able to use as many words as possible, as this helps me not only to inscribe my thoughts effectively but also to keep redundancies out of my works. Another thing that I am always open to improving is the efficiency of my writing process. I persistently work at streamlining the steps I take between starting and ending a paper.

4.) I do not have any specific requests for areas of criticism. I expect that if my work can be improved, either my peers or my professor, if not I, will notice and verbalize it.

5.) The most effective learning happens through raw experience, trial and error. For everyone.

 

Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page	Dasbender, Gita. Critical Thinking in College Writing: From the Personal to the Academic. 2011, wac.colostate.edu/books/writingspaces2/dasbender–critical-thinking.pdf.
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words	In her essay, Critical Thinking in College Writing, Gita Dasbender provides a complete guide to analytical reading and writing for college level writing composition courses. The essay opens with a fairly generalized prologue that addresses common thought processes and mental obstacles regarding the concept of critical thinking. Then, Gita continues to describe useful practices in analyzing literature, recording quotes, organizing ideas, and summarizing text. After explaining her idea for what critical thinking entails in the context of reading, she touches on the importance of expressing your unique perspective and how that plays into the crafting of a proper essay. A strong point of Dasbender’s work is its inclusion of an entire example essay, as this really puts the key principles that she described right in front of you so that you can experience them while fully manifested.
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.	Annie Dillard – American author, fiction & nonfiction
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?	I believe that Gita Dasbender’s essay covers a subject that we had not read into for this class until now. Accordingly, I have not been able to draw connections between it and any other essays that I have read.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion.	Which of the principles (if any) outlined in Dasbender’s essay did you recognize through recollection of your own practices of critical thinking?