Anna Moore ENGL 5095 April 8th, 2014 A Look Back The Beginning of My Rhetoric and Professional Writing

Journey As an English major I spent the majority of my time studying writers, famous short stories, novels, and poems. However, my Intro to Rhetoric and Professional Writing class was the beginning shift of my studies. I vividly remember sitting in my Intro to Rhetoric and Professional Writing, class taught by Professor Arduser, and being too embarrassed to ask what rhetoric meant. Fortunately another student had the courage to ask that same question. After this intro class I was no longer being tested on Mark Twain short stories. I was analyzing writings and speeches. I was learning the invention and purpose, the style and arrangement, and the delivery of oral and written text. I studied the importance of an audience, learned the art of persuasion, and how to become a stronger writer. Each course I took in this particular track, was a new building block to add to my understanding and growth of being a professional writer. My Work Included in My E-Portfolio Reflects the Skills I Have Learned My Intro to Rhetoric and Professional Writing class provided a basic understanding of what rhetoric could entail. We studied different forms of rhetoric, such as brochures, websites, written documents, and speeches given by U.S. Presidents. We discussed types of rhetoric and the influence it had on certain audiences; how it was delivered for a specific audience. It was a class of practice in analyzing. We had to start

looking at writings or speeches more in depth. Context was no longer the only focus. Delivery, style and audience became new ideas to study and learn. The next RPW class I enrolled in was called Public Discourse. In this class I analyzed a step further. I studied rhetorical contexts and learned to identify the relationships among language, information, and knowledge and how they connected to a social, cultural, historical, or economical issues. This class was right before a presidential election, and I analyzed speeches that were given by the two candidates. I compared what they said and how it connected to current issues at the time. I paid close attention to their choice of language; was it easy for people watching to understand and follow? The accuracy of the speeches was very important, and how or if the critical issues were addressed. Another assignment was to choose a presidential advertisement and write an analysis about it. That is the paper I included in my e-portfolio. I used the skills I learned in this class to determine if the website I analyzed was a strong and appealing piece of rhetoric. Web Authoring was the next RPW class I took. It was very different from all of the other classes I had taken so far. It was my first experience learning new dimensions of technology and software. I was taught how to write in code in order to build a website. A program called Photoshop was introduced while taking this course. Photoshop helped me create crisp images to use for websites. Also in this class I critiqued many websites. I analyzed the design of the website vs. the actual context, and studied the importance of design and delivery. In my third year I was given the option of choosing between a business, medical, or software writing class. I chose Business Writing as my next course. This was a class I

feel I gained many valuable writing skills. The whole focus of the class was to learn and strengthen our business writing skills, but more specifically to identify, articulate, and focus on a defined purpose for the creation of each written text I created. I learned how to respond to the needs of a relevant audience. Throughout the class I wrote a bad news email, an inquiry email, a short memo, and a long report. The piece I included in my eportfolio was my bad news email that I had to send to a hypothetical client. I had to report bad news very appropriately to a customer regarding a product they bought from the store I worked for. I chose this piece to showcase how specific my writing had to be articulated and how there needed to be a clear purpose in my bad news email. This course was invaluable in improving my professional writing. Visual Rhetoric was another course that strengthened my ability to demonstrate appropriate technologies and software. I studied new design principles such as semiotics and Gesalt Principles that would help enhance my rhetoric skills. This class focused more on visuals than text. Advertisements were examined and written about using the information I learned in design principles. I learned the importance of presenting and communicating information to a particular audience. Similar to my Web Authoring class, this course focused on what was appealing visually to the to the audiences and why. I included my midterm for this class in my e-portfolio to showcase several specific examples. Alternate Rhetorics is a class I am currently enrolled in. This class has mainly focused on the rhetorical canon of delivery. I have had to identify the importance and relevance of this particular rhetorical canon in written and oral pieces. I have studied in depth the history of rhetoric in this class, and specifically what scholars and theorists said

about delivery, and how it has changed over time. As in previous RPW classes, analyzing rhetorical contexts and the relation these pieces of rhetoric have to an accurate audience was a common skill to utilize in this class. I had to read about concepts and ideas pertaining to delivery and write responses to what I read. I included one of these responses in my e-portfolio to showcase my ability to discuss, analyze, and connect elements such as rhetorical context, the importance of an audience, and the concept of the rhetorical canon; delivery. My Capstone class has given me the opportunity to put all of the skills that I have been learning in the Rhetoric and Professional Writing Track to the test. There is not a particular skill I focus on in this course. I utilize all of the skills so I am able to connect everything that I have learned so it strengthens my growth as a writer. This class has helped me gain extensive group work experience and has enhanced my skills of conducting research in a professional way. For an example, I have been working on a project all semester with 4 other students. We had to plan an International Folk Festival that would be held on the Riverfront in Cincinnati. This project required detailed research, and a substantial amount of time is dedicated to group meetings and work. In my e-portfolio I included a memo that is about the research I found on International Folk Festivals. Challenges to Overcome A challenge I have faced along the way while taking these particular courses was the ability to learn and be comfortable with new software and technology. I found it difficult to develop fluent skills in Photoshop and coding for websites. At first I did not like the Web Authoring or Visual Rhetoric courses, and questioned the value and

importance of learning new software and technology. I only wanted to write in Microsoft Word. It took a lot of time and practice to feel successful in these courses, but with effort and enthusiasm, I got an A in both classes. At first I dreaded these classes, but in the end I felt very accomplished being able to develop new skills I never thought I could learn. Another challenge I still face today is the ability to edit my own writing. I am very good at editing my peers writing, but I struggle with my own. I have learned, and am still learning, the value and importance of taking the time to edit all of my work, not just the work I think is most important. All of my writings should be considered important, and reflect upon me as the writer. Being diligent about editing and correcting is paramount in becoming successful. The Journey Continues When I first began in the Rhetoric and Professional Writing track, I did not know how to define rhetoric, and my professional writings skills were at a minimum. However, after years experiencing the low and high level rhetoric courses, I have learned an abundant amount of valuable skills that I will be able to take with me into the professional world. With the knowledge I have gained, I feel confident I have become a stronger writer, and will be able to apply my writing skills at my place of employment. Im excited to actually use what Ive learned, and to keep developing new skills and broadening my writing.