Anisa Sanchez

ENGL 21001

Professor Nivens

19 December 2022

                                                            Self-Assessment

The Writing and Humanities course has helped me progress as not only as a writer but as a person. Out of all the course goals stated on the syllabus, there are 5 that have noticeably affected me. The first goal is Develop confidence as writers. I have definitely accomplished this goal over the course of this semester. For example, for our first paper, which was the Personal Narrative, Professor Nivens always reminded us to let our voices be heard. Don’t hold back. No disclaimer. He told me to add pictures and even let us curse. He gave us creative freedom to write in our native tongue if it made us feel more comfortable. This prompted me to feel free to write anything I wanted, while still staying within the criteria of the assignment. I have never had a teacher do something like that, so now I will forever try to remember that my writing is my voice, and I am never going to let anyone change that. 

The second goal is Develop strengths and weaknesses. I have realized my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. I am still having trouble with letting go in my writing, with the fear of straying away from the topic or rambling. I ended up paying for it, as I got a B- on my argumentative paper. On the other side of the spectrum, I really enjoy analyzing poems or stories. I think that is my strong suit. Professor Nivens says I am a poet. I never realized that, but hearing someone say that to me really made it click. I even enjoy writing about myself and experimenting with different writing techniques. 

The third goal is Developing an eye for a variety of rhetorical strategies to integrate that knowledge into their writing. I had to gain this skill in order to complete the Exploratory Research Paper. I really had to look for multiple rhetorical references throughout media, texts, etc. This helped me learn two things: rhetoric is everywhere and the best way to hide something is in plain sight. Rhetoric really is everywhere. Advertisements. Posters. Songs. Literature. Social media. It’s all around us. Nivens would always say that to us. It really opened my eyes to all the hidden messages. From sexual references in children’s movies to stereotypical makeup ads. I have now changed my outlook on everything I see. Now I feel the need to mentally analyze all the rhetoric. Not only for assignments, but to personally see past the nonsense. 

The fourth goal is Develop self-assessment skills. As I am writing this now, I obviously have developed self-assessment skills. I have done many self-assessments before, and I have had to look back on my assignments and analyze whether I have improved. I can tell that at first, I was hesitant in my writing. I believe that my personal narrative is decent. I just wish I could have written it more poetically. My exploratory essay was very good, in my humble opinion. 

The final goal is Have fun while developing as a writer. I completely agree that I had fun while developing as a writer. This is probably the most fun I’ve ever had in a writing class. I was able to make friends, meet a cool Professor, and do fun assignments, all while improving my skills as a writer. I am very grateful to have been a part of this class.