Self Reflection

Abstract

In this essay I was tasked with writing about all that I’ve learned from the past semester. I reflected on all of my previous work and examined areas that I excelled in and areas that still needed a little work.

Self Assessment Essay

Since the first day of classes, August 26^th, I’ve been working very hard to get a good grade in this course, to learn as much as I can, and to perfect my writing and reading skills. I worked much harder than I ever had in high school and was exposed to so much more material and ideas. There were several course learning objectives that were outlined at the beginning of the semester, and they were my targets for the entire semester. I achieved most of them throughout the different phases, however I missed a couple important ones, which I hope to achieve sometime in my future.

In Phase One, I wrote my language and literacy narrative. It was the easiest phase for me because I just had to focus on my own personal events. In this phase, I achieved the first learning objective, “recognizing the role of language attitudes and standards in empowering, oppressing, and hierarchizing languages and their users.” In my narrative, I focused on the different attitudes people have towards different foreign languages, and how it changes based on the status of the language. In writing this essay, I was able to realize the different power that some languages hold over others. I drew upon my experiences from middle school and experiences with my cousins to compare the different attitudes and saw how Arabic speakers consider English as the language of royalty while English speakers consider Arabic as the language of terrorists. It was during this phase that I recognized the hierarchizing of language that I even titled my essay “The Hidden Hierarchy.” I also decided to explore this idea further in my Phase Two essay.

In Phase Two, I wrote the research exploratory essay and the annotated bibliography. This was the most difficult and longest phase and essay of the semester. However, it paid off because this is when I achieved the most course learning objectives. The first one I achieved was the eighth one, “locating research sources in the library’s databases or archives on the internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, and bias.” I spent a large chunk of this phase doing research, trying to find sources that would support my claims and arguments, and trustworthy sources that were peer reviewed and came from scientific journals. I investigated the history and credentials of each author to make sure that their arguments were credible. This all helped me choose the sources for the research exploratory essay, so that I had good evidence to back my claims. The next learning objective that I achieved was the fourth one, “practicing systematic application of citation conventions.” I used a lot of in text citations for synthesis and supporting evidence. I also learned how to create the works cited page without the use of a bibliography generator online. This is an important skill that I never learned in high school and relied on these generators too heavily. This essay forced me to learn how to do the citations myself, whether it be in text or in the bibliography. The last objective that I achieved was the sixth, “developing and engaging in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.” This phase included a lot of peer reviewing and sharing. I gave and received feedback from my peers about our drafts, which is an essential part of the writing process. The most prominent moment, however, where I focused on this objective was during the Authors in Conversation assignment. My group and I collaborated and argued several points and claims, agreeing and disagreeing with each other, all in order to create a stronger understanding of the concepts. The following is an excerpt from my work in this assignment, where I envisioned myself in Safwat Saleem’s shoes:

            “I’m a graphic artist and designer and filmmaker as well. I’ve created a plethora of films, videos, audios, pictures, drawings, and writings, all using my several unique voices that I’ve created for my characters. I also founded a Pakistani music magazine called Bandbaja, to combine modern music with society and politics. I’ve received criticism on almost all my works for my foreign “non-American” accent, which has allowed me to perceive the world and society through a different lens. I’ve seen the remarks that native speakers make and understand what people with accents or “broken” English face each and every day. I believe I can speak on the subject of language politics because I’ve had to overcome the remarks and judgements that people make to all of my works in order to be successful in my career, and can relate deeply to anyone who faces similar racist or stereotypical judgements due to their language.”

In Phase Three, I wrote the Critical Analysis Essay. This phase was nowhere near as difficult as Phase Two, but it also wasn’t a walk in the park. It was very dense with material and I had to do a lot in only a couple of weeks. However, I was able to achieve two learning objectives. The first one I achieved was the second objective, “exploring and analyzing in my own and other’s writing a variety of genres and rhetorical situations.” I read through several examples to analyze in this essay and saw a variety of viewpoints and genres. I wanted to focus on the experiences of Carmen Kynard, however, a professor who faced racial injustice by her institution. I wanted to analyze her situation and her reaction to the department head’s comments. I also read several language myths in the Bauer and Trudgill book and learned about several different situations. The second objective that I achieved was the seventh, “understanding and using print and digital technologies to address a range of audiences.” I used visual aid in my essay, Karmen’s essay, and language myths all to support my arguments and analysis. My audience was mainly my peers and teachers, but it can extend beyond that. The audience can be anyone who wants to learn about the situation that Kynard faced, or even in general, the racial injustices that some people face.             Although I achieved most objectives, I still feel like some of them can use a little work. The first one that I could work on is the third objective, “developing strategies for reading, drafting, revising, and editing.” I didn’t do much revising or editing after my first drafts, and my final drafts are almost identical to the first. I feel like I could’ve worked harder and paid more attention to the feedback I received from my peers and teachers. The second objective that needs some work is the fifth one, “recognizing and practicing key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations.” I didn’t pay much attention to the rhetorical devices that we learned in the beginning of the semester, so I rarely ever used them, only when it was necessary for a homework assignment. I could’ve paid more attention to things like audience and purpose to understand the texts more, but I was able to understand them regardless. Overall, this was a very successful semester for me where I learned a lot about reading, writing, and languages. The skills I’ve developed will help me throughout the rest of my college career and I aim to work on the objectives that I couldn’t fully achieve and continue to work on those that I did.