Isaiah Franco

SLO 1: Analyze, compose, and reflect on arguments in a variety of genres, considering the strategies, claims, evidence, and various mediums and technologies that are appropriate to the rhetorical situation
This learning objective was reached in my genre analysis of the use of the moral lens and foreshadowing to twist a story from one of purity to one of Tragic Love. I reached this objective through my ability to properly discern the different elements that make up the genre of Tragic love and how those elements were used to convey something to the audience. For example, one of the key parts of MWA 1 was the use of dramatic irony to help foreshadow the coming disaster that would befall Eros and Psyche’s relationship. 

I think that the MWA that most closely uses this as well is MWA 2, the literary response prompt. While a literary analysis and a genre analysis are different, the elements in genre can help to decipher what the bigger message is behind a piece of literature.

SLO 2: Use multiple approaches for planning, researching, prewriting, composing, assessing, revising, editing, proofreading, collaborating, and incorporating feedback in order to make your compositions stronger in various mediums and using multiple technologies

I achieved this learning objective in MWA 1 through my ability to affectively map out the different parts that would make up the whole of the MWA and properly using different processes to reach a final product. I think that I best achieved this in the brainstorming and research process for MWA 1. For the MWA, I created a flow map that would suit best to the circumstances of the story and found sources that would further my knowledge on my subject as well as provide me with necessary evidence to support my arguments. I think that one of the biggest processes that I utilize in MWA 1 is the use of prewriting and essay drafting to come up with what I wanted to say for my final presentation. When drafting the presentation, I treated it less like a slide show and more like an essay so that I could have additional information in many different places in the event that one of my points was weak or didn’t make to much sense.

I think that the MWA that most closely uses this SLO is the MWA 3. I used the brainstorming, researching, and drafting processes extensively in this MWA as to come up with anything to say. When first approaching my topic of MWA 3, I had no idea of what to say or how to use the sources that I had found, but after brainstorming format and content ideas as well as doing more research, I was able to produce the essay and stick to my thesis throughout it.

SLO 3: Compose a research-based academic argument in one of various mediums and technologies by identifying, analyzing, evaluating, and synthesizing sources, which must include secondary sources

I think that while I did achieve this student learning objective, I could have definitely done a better job of researching and using my sources more wisely in MWA 1.  Specifically in the case of the background myth in the final presentation. While I was able to find good sources that related back to my topic, I did not use them for any of their content, I used them as summaries. I think that if I had properly used the sources specifically when providing context and explaining the deeper meaning behind a centuries old myth I could have allowed for a much stronger argument and structure throughout.

The MWA that definitely uses this the most is MWA 3, the research prompt.  I think that after learning from the mistakes of using my sources in the first MWA allowed me to create a much stronger structure for my research essay. One of the key components on my MWA 3 was the synthesis of the sources and not using them as summaries rather than research. By properly discerning what sources would be used for which points and what excerpts or quotes I could use was essential for coming up with the final product that made sense and proper evidentiary support.

SLO 4: improve your fluency in the dialect of Standardized Written American English at the level of the
sentence, paragraph, and document

I think that I achieved this learning outcome, but not to a substantial extent. I think that I got to improve on my vocabulary, essay formatting and grammar throughout MWA 2, but I don’t think it was a crazy amount of Improvements. While my writing isn’t perfect, I try to have as little errors in grammar during my initial write and edit as I see fit throughout. However, one aspect that I did improve on in MWA 2 was how to format to fit the topic. As the topic of my MWA was how a song properly conveys existentialism, I formatted my paper to sound nihilistic and as if there isn’t a saving solution to the problems that were being presented, as so is thought my followers of the existentialism philosophy.

I think that the MWA that most closely uses this is MWA 3, specifically how I embedded my sources in my evidence. I think that I learned to most about proper grammar when citing sources in this MWA, specifically in the part where I formatted an excerpt into my evidence by the use of semicolons and hanging indents to demonstrate that this is evidence to the piece, and afterwards explain why it was relevant.

SLO 5: Analyze and describe the value of incorporating various languages, dialects, and registers in your own
and others’ texts

I think that out of all the SLO’s, I don’t think that I achieved this through my MWA 2 or any of the the MWA’s is general.  I think that MWA 2 does delve into that territory of how languages and dialects can be incorporated and the value they hold, specifically when speaking about the different Buddhist concepts presented in the songs and what they meant, but overall I didn’t dive into this SLO to much in the MWA’s.

One place that I think that this SLO could have been achieved if I had dove into the topic of language is in MWA 1. The genre analysis topics I chose were for two songs that were sung by Korean artists and while most of the tracks were in English, they did both contain a fair amount of Korean. I’m not quite sure how, but I do think that I could have found a way to talk about it at some point in the paper.

SLO 6: Analyze and describe the writing and research conventions of an academic field in order to
understand the different ways of creating and communicating knowledge

I think that I achieved this learning objective, but similarly to the first research learning objective, I think that I could have done it far better and using my sources from the academic field to bolster my argument rather than how I used them which was as definitions and explanations. I think that I definitely needed more sources, and for those sources to be relate closer to my topic rather than using my sources for a single point that generally may or may not have needed it. I think the biggest part that needed this was when I talked about the lyrics of nothing being worth saving, and talking about we need to find something to save but never explaining what that is. This point in particular made the evidence and analysis very weak versus if I had included an addition source.

The MWA 3 was the project that used this SLO the most and the most effectively. Throughout MWA 3 rather than multiple secondary sources that were blogs or organizations, I used more academic sources so that I could include statistics and scientific claims and relate it to the different topics and circumstances presented in The Yellow Wallpaper. Those inclusions allowed for all of the analysis to be strongly supported and make far more sense than if I used less reputable sources or less relevant sources.

SLO 7: Describe the social nature of composing, particularly the role of discourse communities at the local,
national, and international level

I think that this student learning objective was the SLO that achieved the most, especially in MWA 3. The entire premise for why I picked the topic of postpartum depression and the effects on mother’s is because it is an issue that isn’t spoken about enough and I feel isn’t properly represented. Therefore, I used the research as a means to spread awareness to a discourse community that is often overlooked and is embarrassingly, not taken serious by many different people. Therefore, by showing the effects of how postpartum depression affects mothers and the different factors that play into making worse, allowed me to create a strong argument while bringing attention to the overlooked issue.

The other MWA that used this most effectively was MWA 2 and its topics of existentialism. One of the main points of it was how the world is so full of sadness and sorrow, that there shouldn’t be a reason for wanting to save it. However, after completion of my revisions  and the addition of a source that acts as an antithesis to my essay and a source that supports my essay allowed for me to add a solution as presented in the supporting source which was that by saving the planet, we don’t have to burden the future inhabitants with the mistakes of the present entities, being humans and the complete disregard for destruction of our own planet.

SLO 8: Use writing and research as a means of discovery to examine your personal beliefs in the context of
multiple perspectives and to explore focused research questions through various mediums and
technologies

I believe that I achieved this throughout MWA 3 and all of the different speaking points on the speaker’s postpartum depression. I think that the whole topic of postpartum depression and mental health in general is something that I am very adamant about showing my support for and I think that this is very subtly yet explicitly demonstrated all throughout my introduction and first paragraph about determining the issue present. Additionally, my research allowed me to deep-dive on different defining factors of the mental illness, as well as get the insights of actual people the mental illness and how they felt. One part of this that I felt strongly about and after researching it I felt even stronger about, is the idea of your mind represents the surroundings it lives in. After learning the mind does actually take on what it’s surrounded by, I have consistently committed to trying to keep my work and living space as organized as possible so that my psyche could reflect that.

Additionally, MWA 2 and the research on the topics presented in that essay allowed me to examine my beliefs heavily. The part that mainly stood out was after my revisions, in the sources about saving the planet for the future generation. This topic is something that I firmly believe in which is trying to stop and reduce the effects we have on the planet now that we know what the effects are and how they will manifest for the future.  Researching the different opportunities that we have to fix the issues the previous and present generations have/are creating allowed me to add some supports to my beliefs and both MWA 2 and 3 allowed for me to make a commentary on such issues.

SLO 9: Integrate others’ positions and perspectives into your writing ethically, appropriately, and
effectively in various mediums and technologies

This learning objective was most clearly achieved in my incorporation of the sources that include the different viewpoints of the mother’s that have/had postpartum depression. I felt that it would have been irresponsible to speak on a topic that I was learning about and trying to spread awareness for without acknowledging or properly understanding from the people actually have to deal with the issues.. By incorporating the other viewpoints, I allowed for addition of evidence from people with first-hand experience and allowed to draw awareness to why the issue should be taken seriously. 

MWA 2 also this incorporation after my revisions in the opposite way that MWA 3 uses. Rather than use sources and perspectives that directly support the thesis, I used the viewpoint of what is directly being commented on and the different negative parts it presented as a way to support my topic. In the instance of MWA 2, instead of a source that supports the planet because it is our only home, I used a source that demonstrated the ideas of saving the planet because it is essentially a big ball of money to be made. I think that it was important to get the opposing viewpoints to understand where they were coming from and try to get an understanding of the ideas they present, while also being able to compare and contrast my own ideas as well as what I am trying to argue. 

SLO 10: Evaluate your development as a writer over the course of the semester and describe how
composing in multiple genres and mediums using various technologies can be applied in other
contexts to advance your goals

Over the course of English 1120, I believe that my writing and ability to analyze was greatly increased. Composing in multiple genres allowed me to find what topics and genres worked for me and allowed me to give good and original insight onto. For example, MWA 1 allowed me to do a dive into topics I would have never thought to, being how music lyrics and music videos can relate to genre. Additionally my analysis of different pieces of info throughout the course was greatly heightened. Starting out the course, I knew how to come with an analysis for something but it mostly surface level analysis on what something means. Continuation throughout the course allowed me to not only determine what is the meaning behind something, but what it means for the topic of the literature. Lastly, the biggest thing I learned is using different mediums and means of approaching an assignment for different types of assignment. I learned this the hard way when I did the MWA 2. I approached MWA 2 like MWA 1 in trying to relate the ideas presented in the song to a bigger picture, however, MWA 2 while similar to MWA 1, it needed its own unique approach. Rather than approach it as “How does the song relate to existentialism?”, I should’ve approached it from the point of view of “What do these lyrics mean and why/why not do they represent existentialistic philosophy?”. On the topic of mediums, not everything has to be a visibly loud project like MWA 1 to convey the message. Sometimes it is ok to just write something like an essay and sometimes that is the easiest way to convey information. Realizing this was essential to completion of my MWA 2 as well as why I chose an essay format for the MWA 3 research prompt.

All of these different elements allowed me to improve my writing heavily and I think that despite my future in the pharmaceuticals industry, all of these points will nonetheless play a role at some point in my career, such as writing reports, or explaining why something is the way that it is.