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Christine Choi
Writing 39C
Prof. Greg Mcclure
26 August 2015
Reflective Introduction
Over the ten weeks of taking the online Writing 39C class, I learned how to think and
write like a scholar, researcher, and a rhetorician. Before taking this class, I was extremely
nervous because I was not familiar on writing a research paper and I lacked the writing skills.
Writing has always been a challenging course for me so I was not sure if I would be successful in
this class. However, this class was more interesting than challenging. Writing 39C is an
argument and research writing class that focuses on one topic. The topic for my class is Loving
animals and since this caught my interest, I was able to enjoy writing essays for the first time.
Working on the Historical Conversations Project, Social Media Campaign, and the Advocating
Project helped me learn the importance of argument, research, and New Media.
The Reiterative Process of Creating a Researched Text
One thing I learned from this class is how the research process affects the creation of a
strong essay. When I first had to write a researched text, I mainly used Google as my research
tool and clicked on all the sources I found that were fairly related to my topic. I did not even
check if they were reliable sources or research in depth. If they were just relevant, I tried to
include them all in my essay. I was trying to squeeze the research studies that I roughly
researched in so my writing became repetitive with the lack of details. I realized that during the
process of research, I must research in depth and fully understand the study in order to write a
descriptive researched text. I also learned that arranging the elements in historical order helps

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keep the essay organized. So from then on, I used Google Scholar and the online library
resources to find relevant articles and books. To review one literature in depth, I first searched
for the general topic using terms such as animal emotions and chimpanzees grieving or
mourning. Then when I find an interesting study mostly in an article, instead of just blindly
using that one article as a resource in my essay, I started to research in that particular study. This
grew my curiosity to learn more about a specific topic. For example, while searching for
chimpanzees grieving and mourning, I found a research done by Tetsuro Matsuzawa in an
article. Matsuzawas study was briefly introduced in the article so I switched the focus and did
more research on Matsuzawa and his study.
One research led to another research that was all related to each other and this was the
key to writing a descriptive researched text. The terms I used for research changed from animal
emotions, chimpanzees grieving, Tetsuro Matsuzawa, Matsuzawas study of chimpanzees, and
the grieving of Jokro. This helped me find more evidence that were descriptively written.
Researching in depth and reading various literature that were focused on one study made me
become an expert in the study I have researched. Since I was first educated by all the research I
have done, it was easier for me to explain and analyze the study in my essay. My final draft
(Link) of the HCP was written more in depth with more analysis for the pieces of literature I
reviewed because I was more meticulous during the research process. This helped me learn that
the time and effort put in the research process results a well written researched text.
Rhetoric, Argumentation, & Multi-modal Communication
Working on two multi-modal compositions and the Social Media Campaign, I was able to
experience how supportive an image is to an argumentation and persuasion. Multi-modal
elements help the readers to visually understand the evidence or the problem. One picture is

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more effective than a written explanation. For example, if readers read a paragraph from my final
HCP draft without any images, they would clearly understand my explanation but they would not
visualize the same image I am trying to explain (Figure 1).

Figure 1: An example of a paragraph in my final HCP draft without any multi-modal elements.

But if an image, picture, chart, or a graph is included, I can effectively argue or persuade the
readers. The image included in my final draft (Figure 2), attracts the readers attention and helps
them understand my argument more effectively.

Figure 2: An image included in my final HCP draft.

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The experience of planning and implementing a social media campaign taught me that

making an argument on new media platforms should be accurate and influential. The group name
of our social media campaign is PAFAC, which stands for People Against Farm Animal Cruelty.
We focused on the topic of animal cruelty on farm animals and spent most of our time
researching. We used Facebook as our main home base and used Instagram and Twitter as our
other platforms. Before posting anything on our media platforms, we made sure the information
we post was accurate and credible. I was especially careful on what I post on the media because
through the discussions we had in class, I learned how effective social media is in the society
today. A post on the social media has the power to influence and affect ones life so I wanted to
share my knowledge of animal cruelty and motivate people to end such cruelty. Therefore, I
mostly made an argument that motivates the followers to take action by using an image as well.
An Instagram post below (Figure 3) is an example of how I made an influential argument to end
farm animal cruelty.

Figure 3: An Instagram post on our group's social media campaign that made an influential argument and received
one the most likes from our followers.

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While working on the social media campaign, I practiced the habits of mind. I was able to

make many engagements through the learning of farm animal cruelty such as signing a petition
and eating less meat. I became open to the idea of going vegan and actually planned to go vegan
a little step at a time because I felt the responsibility to first take an action before asking others to
do so. I maintained the persistence to sustain the interest in animal cruelty and expand my
creativity by creating our own infographic for the campaign. It was difficult to communicate
with my group mates through text but I was capable to adapt to certain situations and practice my
flexibility at the same time.
During this writing class, I learned that there are significant writing styles for each
different genre. When writing for a blog for example, I tend to write as if I am writing a personal
journal. It is not formally written nor is it structured in an essay format. It was time for me to
practice my metacognition and reflect on the progress I have made so far. For a literature review,
I learned that it is appropriate to establish the authors credentials and thesis. So I introduced the
author using biographic information and wrote a brief summary of the authors message. I made
sure to write formally unlike the social media post. I learned that social media post should be
direct and straightforward. The text should be relatable to the viewers and it can also be informal
so the writing can be more of a conversational style. The different style of writing was a
challenge to me but it truly taught me to be a better writer.
Academic Writing: Review and Revision
I would say my writing skills improved the most by the help of peer review and revision.
During peer review, I was thankful that the reviewers pointed out the mistakes in my essay. For
the first HCP and AP draft, they pointed out how I was being repetitive (Figure 4) and lacked
details which were the mistakes I did not catch while writing. They also gave me an advice to

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rearrange the elements that helped me create a more organized essay. I focused on creating
strong topic sentences for each paragraph, adding more details, and working on the transitions. I
Writing a research paper was definitely a challenge to me but while reviewing others essays, I
learned a lot from their accomplishments and mistakes.

Figure 4: Screenshot of how the professor and a peer reviewer both mentioned the repetition and overwriting in my first AP draft.

One thing I learned while reviewing others essay is the importance of an introduction.

After reviewing a peers essay that was well written, I realized that the introduction was more
specific compared to mine. Before the peer review, I only introduced the topic and social
problem in the essay and the historical context I will use (Figure 5). I did not add specifics about
what each paragraph will cover and the importance of my writing so my thesis was not strong
enough. Revising my introduction using my peers essay as a model, I think I wrote the best
introduction I have ever written so far (Figure 6). My introduction in the final HCP draft
describes each section in my essay, which helped me strengthen my thesis and also keep my
writing organized throughout the paper.

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Figure 5: Introduction of my first HCP draft where I lacked the specifics.

Figure 6: Introduction of my final HCP draft where I made an improvement compared to the first draft above. I
explained each part of my essay and also explained the importance and purpose of my writing.

Transfer of Knowledge and Skills

Now that I look back at the entire quarter, I am proud to say that I have made many
accomplishments as a writer and a researcher. In the beginning of the quarter, I was not familiar
with research as I mentioned before. I did not know what kind of resources there were to use nor
did I know how to include the outside sources in a research paper. But now as I can see myself
write argumentative sentences using research evidence to support my claims, I can say that
research is less stressful and more interesting to me now. I will be using the knowledge I learned
from the Writing 39 series in all of my classes just how I used it in my Anthropology class this

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summer. There were several assignments where I had to write an argumentative and persuasive
paper and the research and writing techniques I learned here helped me receive a high grade. The
multi-modality that I used in this class would also be something I would continue to use in other
writing assignments. Furthermore, just how good research comes from an open mind, I will
continue to keep my heart and mind open to become a better person.