Rhetorical Knowledge:

A writer that utilizes rhetorical knowledge is one that writes in response to their rhetorical

situation. To accomplish this, the writer will consider multiple factors, such as the genre,

audience, and purpose. Then they will select some of their useful writing techniques to help craft

a convincing argument.
 The first of the two images is a portion of my “Letter from Birmingham Jail” analysis.

This was one of the first assignments I can recall where I actively considered the rhetorical

situation while reading the material. Considering the situation that Martin Luther King Jr. was in,

and thinking about who he was writing to, made the impact of the letter much stronger, and it

made my response stronger.

The next screenshot is of my inquiry paper’s introduction. As you can see, it is written in

a way to try to draw in the target audience, college students. It uses a lot of inclusive pronouns,

such as you or we, in order to connect with the reader. This is because it makes the feel like I

was writing with them in mind, making the paper seem more compelling.

Critical Reading:

Critical reading is a crucial skill that all writers should learn. To read critically, one must

deeply analyze every aspect of a piece of writing. Things such as word choice, how arguments
are phrased, and the quality of sources should all be considered. By doing this, writers can help

each other by reviewing one another’s work. Also, a writer can better critique themselves when

these skills are developed.

doing this assignment, it was essentially a way for us to practice critical reading multiple times.

We had to analyze the arguments that an article made, research the credentials of either the

author or the publisher, and compare how one source compared to the others.

In the next example, I’ve begun to utilize my critical reading skills in my own writing.

Initially, this paragraph was much shorter. Although after re-reading the original version of this

paragraph, and receiving feedback from other students, I went back and made some revisions.

Making this paragraph much stronger.

Knowledge of Conventions:

This SLO is fairly similar to rhetorical knowledge. Both utilize one’s awareness to their

surroundings to craft a better paper. Although, where rhetorical knowledge focuses more on the

tone that a paper might carry, knowledge of conventions more so focuses on the structure of the

paper.
 As one can see in the three examples above, writing can be structured in very different

ways. The first screenshot demonstrates a discussion response that involves breaking down each

response into a bullet point format. From knowing that responses such as this are usually brief, I

felt that this more separated approach suited the assignment. Although, the next screenshot is

slightly different. Though it shares the bullet point format, it incorporates more paragraph style

writing. Allowing for more in depth discussions on certain topics, but still separating parts that

don’t need to be mixed. The final screenshot, though, completely gets rid of the segmentation. In

this assignment, we focused on writing on topics that needed to flow together nicely. So

everything is written together as one large essay.

Composing Process:

The composing process of a paper is one that often yields the best kind of results. In it

one should compose an initial draft of a paper, receive feedback from some kind of peer review,
and do whatever kind revisions are necessary. Steps of this process may need to be repeated

multiple times, but ultimately they should result in a stronger writing.

of my research synthesis, which was my first attempt at connecting all of my sources’

information into a single paper. Then, I used my synthesis in writing the rough draft of my thesis.
Then, as seen in the second screenshot, I received some feedback from classmates on how to

improve my paper. I then incorporated these comments into my paper, resulting in the third

screenshot.

Critical Reflection:

Critical reflection is the SLO that focuses on one’s own ability to look back at their own

work. Being able to understand the choices they made when composing a piece is crucial. Also,

being able to give a reason for why they chose to write a certain way is important.
 For this SLO, I decided to reuse these two screenshots because of how they both

demonstrated the use of critical reflection. The first screenshot is of my thesis, which went

through multiple revisions. When writing it, I wanted it to be as relatable as possible. So I wrote

it in a way to attempt to make other college students form some kind of bond with the piece.

Although, for my Martin Luther King discussion response, it’s written in a much more formal

manner. This was because of how “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was a very serious, and

important, piece of writing. So when responding to it, I felt that I needed to give it the same level

of respect.