Critical Thinking

Writing106 5/3/20 Reflection + Artifact: Critical Thinking

For my Critical Thinking artifact, I have selected an essay that I am particularly proud of. This work exemplifies thinking critically and writing this piece tested my ability to explore issues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion. I had to be very analytical. This was my reflective essay for Writing106. I reflected upon technology and was pointing out the many, sometimes unsettling, observations surrounding technology in this day and age. I had to slow down and really take some time to analyze and soak in all of the information that was around me. From academic sources to first-hand experiences, I had to carefully select which information would craft the perfect essay. I wanted readers to see my point of view, and I had to think critically in order for that to happen. Put myself in their shoes, make the I become we so that readers feel connected and truly relate to this topic. I had to think outside the box and look at my approach from all angles. This piece is something that is almost a wake-up call to younger people, and many members of older generations have condemned me for it. They were happy to see that it's not only them who see issues in technology and what it does to people's perceptions of time and reality. Additionally, friends of mine who read the essay said that it really got through to them. One quote of mine regarding social media that I think was particularly powerful is "It’s an over-analyzing, self-loathing, and shameful experience. People have forgotten the real meaning of beauty, that it can come in all forms, shapes, and sizes. That it can be tangible and metaphorical. Now the epitome of beauty for many is how somebody looks on their profile, or what “good” things they are doing and choosing to show online." I thought critically and wrote this piece with passion and a purpose. It was enjoyable to reflect and analyze each component that was incorporated into this essay and the somewhat difficult process is well worth the result to me.

5/6/20 Final GFOB Reflection Critical Thinking

If I could have done anything differently in regards of the business plan, I would have collaborated across teams more. I think my team (marketing) did a fabulous execution of our plan and that our communication was stellar throughout the duration of the semester. However, I think it would have been greatly beneficial to have more communication across all boards, not just having the Vice President's communicating amongst each other than relaying the information to their respective teams. I would have liked to see us communicating as one whole team and achieve a synergistic culture because that would have squashed miscommunications and sped up the process of things allowing more time for revision. In terms of the physical business plan, our team was out of the loop from some critical information that could have been resolved if other teams had communicated them a bit sooner than the deadline. Something I learned in GFCL is that when companies are not working in synergy, almost always does the situation come up where one department is constantly placing the blame on another department because they do not have as strong of a bond as they do within their own little company niche.

GFOB 2/11 Reflection: The most recent team project that I was involved in would be the IDEA Program. During the program, I acted as an active leader to my team and was able to keep others on track without being overly bossy or assertive. I enjoy working with others who share the same work ethic as myself, and watching those who might not have it slowly start to learn the skillsets needed to work well. I really like working with people and hearing others' ideas, as well as sharing my own. One possible change I could see myself making is to be more straightforward with my ideas and not to be afraid to take charge if my group needs some extra motivation to stay on task and engaged.

The Turn of The Screw Critical Thinking:

When coming to the conclusion that the governess in The Turn of The Screw was in fact delusional, I went over many passages in the texts and read through both the psychoanalytic segment of the book and the gender criticism section to form and corroborate my thesis. In addition to this, my critical presentation on the novel certainly influenced my paper, as it was about gender studies which predominantly stated that the governess' sexuality and conflict between gender roles led her to go crazy and see the apparitions. It was also really helpful to listen to my peer's critical presentations, as those helped me form my opinion even more, such as the psychoanalytic group. I did not find this assignment to be too challenging, as there were plenty of resources to form and support an opinion as well as provide several counter-arguments for the paper. The only semi-challenging factor was to make sure I did not veer too far off from my thesis and the side I was arguing by incorporating too many contradictions. Overall, though, I would say it was the right amount of challenge and was not too difficult not too easy of an assignment.