Essay 5 — Reflective Essay

Purpose

This exercise encourages you to assess what you have learned about writing this semester. In doing so, it also gives you practice writing a short persuasive essay. This essay thus touches on the following learning outcomes:

• Outcome 2.1. State a defensible thesis for an argument
• Outcome 2.2. Support that thesis with relevant evidence
• Outcome 2.3. Use valid reasoning to draw conclusions from the evidence
• Outcome 2.4. Write clearly throughout the argument.

Background

I call this exercise a “reflective” assignment, meaning that it asks you to think critically about your own achievements as demonstrated by the work you have done this semester. You will deliver the results of your thinking in a short essay. However, the real value of this work is that, if you do it well, it will give you a clear sense of whether, and how, you have grown during the semester.

Activity

Write a short persuasive essay about how your writing ability has (or hasn’t) changed during this semester. Draw evidence for your argument from two or more things you have written during the semester.

Note that this is a persuasive essay. In other words, it must have a thesis that your writing has changed in a certain way (or that it hasn’t changed at all — it’s OK to say that if it’s what the evidence shows), and an argument to support that thesis, based on evidence.

The evidence for your argument should come from a small collection of your own writing. Minimally this should include two pieces of writing, one from near the beginning of the semester and one from near the end. You may use more pieces of writing if you need to for the argument you make. The essays and drafts you wrote for this course should give you enough writing to draw on, although if you want to use things you wrote for other courses that is OK. You should identify in your essay the writings you use as evidence, and may find it helpful to quote parts of them in your argument, but you do not need to turn in complete copies of them with your essay.

I expect this essay to be fairly short, in the neighborhood of 500 to 1000 words (1 1/2 to 3 pages). You do not need to present a comprehensive analysis of all of your writing. Rather, focus on one aspect that you think most significant, and compare your writing early in the semester to your later writing in terms of that aspect.

While the facts that you are taking INTD 105, and that it is Geneseo’s central writing course, make this a logical final assignment for you, it is not mainly an essay about INTD 105. The point is not to praise or blame this course for what it has or hasn’t done, but rather to reflect on yourself. Indeed, either praise or blame can easily make the essay read as groundless flattery or whining rather than as genuine reflection.

Follow-Up

Turn this essay in by sharing it with me or emailing me a copy no later than 11:59 PM on December 21.

Note that there are no required drafts, meetings, or reviews for this essay. However, I will be happy to comment on drafts or meet with you to discuss the essay at any time.