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Writing Theory Essay

In the following paper I will discuss each of the student learning outcomes and how I

used each of the outcomes in my work for UWRT 1103.

1. Rhetorical Knowledge:

An articulate writer uses rhetorical knowledge to identify and use strategies over a variety

of texts and writing situations. By using your own unique writing techniques through rhetorical

knowledge, you can write with the intention of understanding how rhetorical situation, genre,

purpose, and audience affect the writing process. By having rhetorical knowledge, writers can

adapt to these different contexts. Genre is the category of writing that includes and is

characterized by similar form, style, or subject matter. In terms of rhetoric, purpose can be

defined as ethos, logos, and pathos.

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The two examples I used to show rhetorical knowledge from the course this semester

include my blog post from “UWRT: Applying The Rhetorical Situation and Appeals and “

”Letter From Birmingham Jail” Rhetorical Analysis.” My first example from “UWRT: Applying

The Rhetorical Situation and Appeals” was an assignment specific to rhetorical knowledge. For

the assignment, I had to analyze a few commercials and determine how each one uses ethos,

pathos, and logos to develop their purpose towards the specific audience. To be more specific, I

found a Gatorade commercial and analyzed it and found that it used each of the rhetorical

appeals to create the purpose of promoting physical activity which is geared to a healthy

audience. My second example is from “ ”Letter From Birmingham Jail” Rhetorical Analysis,”

and was another assignment based on rhetorical knowledge. More specifically, Martin Luther

King Jr. had to use each of the rhetorical appeals to develop a purpose of raising awareness of

the unfair treatment to the African American community during the Civil Rights Movement time

period, and in order to understand this purpose, I had to use my rhetorical knowledge.
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2. Critical Reading:

A good writer uses critical reading to analyze and interpret ideas and texts. Writers will

be able to use what they are reading for research and education, and will be able to analyze their

own and other’s work critically. Writers will also be able to use a wide variety of texts for their

work regardless of credibility, sufficiency, accuracy, and bias. Credibility, sufficiency, and

accuracy are an important part of critical reading for writers because more often than not writers

must conduct research about their topic and must have trustworthy sources.
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The two examples that I used to show my knowledge of critical reading are from the

assignment, “Possible Inquiry Topics: Two Readings: “Why Is College in America So

Expensive?”,” and also from my first research summary for my thesis. I chose to use the reading,

“Why Is College in America So Expensive?” because it included some bias, and I had to analyze

the meaning of the article and find the facts and content of the article without including the bias

in my summary of the assignment. I was able to do this by identifying the big idea of the article

and finding quotes that showed statistics about the subject. I chose my second example as

another form of showing critical reading because I had to find highly credible sources for my

inquiry and thesis. I was able to confirm the credibility of my source because of the database I

found the source on and also because it was a peer-reviewed journal.

3. Knowledge of Conventions

A proficient writer uses their knowledge of conventions to shape the correctness and

formal rules and informal guidelines. Knowledge of conventions is important for writers to
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possess because it sets the guidelines for grammar, spelling, and citation practices. In turn, these

small guidelines can influence the style and content of a writer’s work. Grammar and spelling are

common things that are important for any advanced writer to have, and citation practices are

important to avoid plagiarism and copyright

issues.

All of the examples that I used to represent my knowledge of conventions are from my

thesis. The first example shows how I used in-text citations for MLA from one of my sources in

my thesis. This shows knowledge of conventions because it is important to give credit to sources

in writing for quotes used to avoid plagiarism. The second example shows one of my citations

for MLA as well, however this citation was for a chart that I used in my thesis. The third

example shows how I used a semicolon to connect two ideas. This shows my knowledge of

conventions by using advanced grammar rules.

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4. Composing Processes

A commanding writer uses composing processes to plan, ensue, and finish projects.

Writers typically use composing processes to conduct research, then to develop an outline, then a

rough draft, and then finally ending with a final product. However, having advanced composing

process skills may help a writer to find better research and develop a better sense of the end goal

throughout the working

progress.
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The three examples I chose to display my composing processes are all from my thesis.

The first two screenshots show the contrast between my conclusion paragraphs. My first

screenshot shows the outline of my conclusion paragraph where I stated what I wanted to do with

the paragraph and the second screenshot shows the final and developed version of the paragraph.

This shows composing processes because it shows the progression of my work from outline to

final draft. It also shows composing processes because I decided to add extra information and

detail that I did not originally intend to. My final screenshot shows one of the “I say” paragraphs

in my thesis, and this shows composing processes because I did not initially know what I wanted

to do or include in my “I say” paragraphs, so I do not even have an example of my outline of

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these. This also shows composing processes because I was able to develop my own unique ideas

about my inquiry topic and create multiple paragraphs using my ideas.

5. Critical Reflection

A fluent writer uses critical reflection to write about what they are thinking and why they

are thinking about it. It can be used to explain choices made in a writer’s work, to make

revisions, and to demonstrate rhetorical knowledge. This is an important trait for writers to

possess because it is a great mean of revision and reflection which is a necessary part of writing

and communication of ideas.

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The two examples I used to represent my critical reflection skills of this semester are

from the assignment “UWRT: Re: Composing Vol. II: #2. Minchin “Read, Then Write”,” and

my inquiry synthesis. My first example from “UWRT: Re: Composing Vol. II: #2. Minchin

“Read, Then Write”” shows critical reflection from early in the semester. It shows critical

reflection because I was able to reflect on what I had read for the assignment, and I was able to

synthesize and connect the ideas in the reading to my own life. The second example from my
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inquiry synthesis shows critical reflection because I was able to reflect on the importance of

every source I found for my inquiry project and connect them all together to later create my final

thesis. This is important to the student learning outcome of critical reflection because my inquiry

synthesis and sources offered a stepping stone to explain my actions that I took to create my

thesis, while also demonstrating rhetorical knowledge of my topic.