English 1302 Reflection

Over the course of English 1302 at Texas Tech, I feel that my skills as a writer improved significantly. When beginning the class, I knew little about writing a literature review or researched argument. With the help of my instructor’s lectures and the University Writing Center, I was able to effectively get my point across effectively while forming a well developed and well spoken manner. The advice given to me about argumentative essays and integrating sources helped significantly over the course of this class, and the skills learned in English 1302 helped me in other classes this semester when writing as well. One of the things I have learned that influenced me the most was my professor’s advice about an argument. He explained that when arguing it is not just presenting your opinions and refusing other people’s stances, it is a matter of listening to other aspects of the argument and

I learned that it is important to clearly state the points I plan to discuss in my thesis and use my sources to highlight my ideas or provide examples of counter arguments rather than focusing my essay around the sources. When integrating sources, I learned that it is important to clearly state your opinion and what the source does for my opinion. A good example of this is this excerpt from my Draft 2.2, “Laura Weiner provides a new stance and explains … This new take on women covering as an act of rebellion solidifies the concept that choosing to cover does not contradict feminism, while also providing the Muslim woman a feeling of strength and triumph.” I used my sources to provide the reader a new view on the issue, while solidifying my opinion. When these concepts are successfully completed, a professional researched argument is the