Kathryn Schwartzer

Professor Longhany

ENC 1101-OM14

6 December 2016

Portfolio Cover Letter

            Throughout this course, I have learned a lot about myself as a write. I realized I like to write when I am not busy and when there are no strict rubrics. Because I have realized these things I have accomplished the first outcome. To accomplish the first outcome, I needed to understand my wiring process and how it may have changed. My process has changed because I no longer write cookie cutter essays with an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. I began to write as many paragraphs as I felt were necessary to answer the prompt. This change can be seen in my process essay. This was my favorite essay to write because the prompt was the vaguest and I could reflect on myself as a writer and therefor there were no right or wrong answers.

            The second outcome mentions writing in different contexts, in this class each essay required a different style of writing. For example, the rhetorical analysis, which I found the most challenging, required me to go outside my comfort zone and research about a certain website and the contest they were holding. It was difficult for me to find important facts and put them in my writing. I am much more comfortable writing pieces such as the literacy narrative because it was personal and therefor comes naturally. Although I experienced a few bumps in the road I would say I managed to complete this outcome. I understand that different essays have different audiences and contexts which require a different writing approach.

            The third outcome required analysis of complex texts, which I believe I accomplished because each week we were assigned multiple readings. These texts were very advanced and tended to be difficult to read and comprehend. But if I didn’t understand a reading I would make sure to take notes while reading and try to break down the text. Reading the headings of each section also helped give me an idea about what the text would be about. These difficult readings helped me improve my writing because of their vocabulary, structure, and emphasis on the unit. I could better understand the unit we were learning through these texts, which we often reviewed in class. Also, many of the texts used headings to organize their writing which helped me with my ethnography. From the readings, I was inspired to breakdown my ethnography with different headings making it more enjoyable to read and easier to follow.

            Lastly, I accomplished the fourth outcome through writing my ethnography and researching the discourse community. I took the time to interview three different people and ask them about their experience within the Directioner community. I incorporated quotes and social media accounts to further emphasize how their community communicates and functions. I also used a different format for my ethnography than what I am typically used to. Instead of just dividing sections only by paragraphs I also used section headings which gives the reader an idea on what they will be reading about. I also provided a works cited page where I included the names of the girls I interviewed and the fanfiction I mentioned in my ethnography. Overall I think I met all four of the outcomes for this course. I believe my writing has significantly improved in this short amount of time. I have learned a lot about myself as a writer and my continuously developing style.