Reflections 

21 January 2025 

Reflection on Argumentative Styles 

Argumentative writing differs from persuasive writing because it expands from simply getting the audience to care about a message and follows a specific structure. According to Excelsior Owl, “It focuses on certain types of evidence and relies heavily on logic and specific rhetorical strategies.” Throughout my academic career, I had never thought there was a difference between persuasive or argumentative writing. I have always thought that argumentative writing uses rhetorical strategies to create impact, but I was not aware that argumentative strategies in writing focus so heavily on logic and less on emotion. The classical, Rogerian, and Toulmin arguments are all different strategies that employ careful use of evidence to push the reader to agree with the author. Learning how to properly use each style in the correct circumstance will allow one to better connect with its desired audience and make the message more effective. 

The classical argument by philosopher Aristotle works best when the author simply wants the audience to believe their view. Generally, the author has a strong stance on the topic, and while they will acknowledge other views, they believe theirs is superior. The standard format is introduction, presentation of ideas, counter arguments, proof, and conclusion with a call to action. I think this method would be used best in persuasive essays or debates where a side has to be taken.

The Rogerian argument by Carl Rogers focuses on finding middle ground between two ideas and is all about compromise. It is a useful strategy when the topic is controversial, or the audience is hard to convince. The goal is to stay open-minded and acknowledge both sides as equal. The steps are to introduce the problem, take note of opposing views, present your case while showing how the other side will benefit, and lastly to merge your views with opposing views in a conclusion. This argument is useful when you want all readers to take in your message and not stop readers who have opposing views. 

The Toulmin argument is best when a clear solution or opinion is not obvious, but the author wants the audience to believe in their claim. This strategy focuses heavily on supporting details backing up the claim and strong defense. The key components are claims (opinion), grounds/data, a warrant (connect claim to grounds), backing (more support), a qualifier (limits to the claim), and a rebuttal (deals with opposing views). This strategy would be useful for open-ended topics about scientific findings, pet peeves, or ethical questions since multiple points can be taken and defended. 

The method one chooses to use when organizing their argument determines the effectiveness and delivery of their message. I think I would use the classical strategy in debates or straightforward opinion-based essays. On the other hand, the Toulmin argument is best used with harder-to-grasp concepts since there is a lot of evidence to back up the claim and extra steps like warrants that really focus on letting the audience know that the essay's points are based on facts. While both these strategies are beneficial to clearly display one’s point of view and defend it, I want to learn how to use the Rogerian argument because I think it can influence readers the most. This is due to the fact that people value autonomy and the choice to think critically themselves and since most people are not likely to change their own opinions completely even with clear logical points and solid data. All in all, the classical, Toulmin, and Rogerian argumentative styles are powerful tools to employ to become a more versatile and effective writer. 

28 April 2025

Reflection on Advanced Video Argument

Most people have tried a brownie at least once. Brownies are a common American staple that children love and parents remember fondly and indulge in. For our Advanced Video Argument project, we created an argumentative video comparing two popular brownie box mixes Betty Crocker and Pillsbury. The project centered on evaluating what makes a good brownie and which brand best embodied those criteria. Specific factors like smell, texture, appearance, and taste were judged. To begin, we found pros for both Betty Crocker and Pillsbury on their respective websites and the Food Network, such as ease of preparation, convenience, high-quality outcomes, and delicious flavors that families or people at events love. Meanwhile, we let the differences and cons be determined organically by the bakers and judges. When creating this video, it was crucial to capture multiple sources of footage and to gather a wide range of opinions. Fun uses of music, transitions, text, and images were also important to keeping the audience’s attention and helping them follow the structure of the video and argument. This reflection will explain the tools and strategies that made our video effective, point out areas for improvement, and ultimately explain how one brownie mix was proved to be the best.

The purpose of our video was to fairly compare Betty Crocker and Pillsbury brownie mixes and highlight the positives and negatives of each before reaching a conclusion about which one was better. The subject of the video was the brownies themselves and the process of baking, judging, and analyzing them. Our argumentation style leaned toward Rogerian argumentation because we intentionally presented positive points for both mixes rather than attacking one over the other. This style made sense since the baking competition between two teams, each advocating for their chosen mix, would determine the better box brownie mix brand. We wanted the competition to feel balanced and that each team had a chance to prove their brownies were the best. We arranged our arguments by first introducing the mixes, giving context into what makes a good brownie, demonstrating the baking process, interviewing the bakers, and finally allowing judges to taste and score the final products. The potential audiences are families, home bakers, and anyone deciding which brownie mix to purchase for a treat. By the end of the video, the judges' scores averaged out to show that Betty Crocker was the winner, achieving our purpose of choosing which brownie box mix was superior.

Our filming process started with a detailed script that guided the A-roll footage, including the baking scenes, interviews, and judging. First, we focused on capturing all the main footage necessary to tell the story. Then, using iMovie, we organized the scenes, began cutting footage, and pieced the narrative together. We then added B-roll footage of brownies, kids enjoying brownies, images of the two brownie mix boxes, and visuals showing the final rankings and criteria for what makes a good brownie. We also included voiceovers, time lapses, sound effects, transitions, and background music to make the video flow better and keep the energy up. It was a lot of trial and error to find what combinations of footage and sound worked best. Props, like green and red balloons to represent judge reactions, kitchen tools, and store-bought ingredients, were also used to add a fun and realistic feel to the video. We wanted the video to feel lighthearted, fun, and like anyone could go out and buy the better brownie mix and successfully make it.

Individually, I contributed in multiple ways throughout the entire process. I was one of the bakers for Team Betty Crocker, appearing in the video baking and participating in interviews. I filmed a lot of the scenes, making sure to follow our script and capture important footage that would piece together smoothly. I also took on the role of lead editor, making sure the video stayed engaging by adding fun scenes, cutting unnecessary footage, and incorporating transitions, music, and voiceovers. In our revision, I focused heavily on adding more B-roll footage and incorporating additional supporting information to strengthen our group's overall argument. I feel that my contributions heavily benefitted filming and editing because I worked hard to polish the video so our argument was strong. Looking back, I would have separated the judges during the tasting portion to ensure their reactions stayed unbiased. I also would have worked harder to capture better footage at the end when Amanda was talking to the judges since  there was a glare in one scene which could have been avoided with better lighting or camera angles.

Carrying out this project taught me how useful it is to have a structured plan when filming to get all the necessary requirements while also prioritizing a little flexibility for creativity because new ideas can come out of nowhere. One challenge we encountered was realizing after filming that we should have planned B-roll scenes ahead of time instead of trying to squeeze them in later. Our competition-style setup really inspired a fun tone, and we kept that consistent with bright imagery, upbeat music, and funny interviews. However, through the revising process, I learned how to balance all of the tools like sound effects and funny clips with necessary transitions, supporting information, and text so everyone can follow all of the arguments. My biggest takeaway was that every detail, from captions to sound effects, matters in creating a cohesive and persuasive video.

Overall, this Advanced Video Argument project was incredibly insightful. I learned how many tools are available to build an engaging argument and how important careful editing and structure are to keeping the audience's attention. My biggest takeaway is that small tweaks like adding names when new people appear on screen, cutting overly long scenes, and inserting more B-roll really add up to make a big difference in video quality. Reviewing the differences between our first and revised videos showed me how even small improvements in flow and clarity can make an argument much more convincing. I enjoyed the creative flexibility this project offered and realized that a strong video argument depends not just on good footage, but also additional sources and an organized plan. All in all, I believe my group effectively used A-roll footage, B-roll footage, text, music, sound effects, and credible sources to prove that the better brownies were made from the Betty Crocker brownie box mix, while Pillsbury box brownie mix fell short.

28 April 2025

End of Class Reflection 

When enrolling in this class, I was focused on completing my core requirements at TCU. I had always enjoyed English in high school, but it typically involved heavy reading and writing assignments. Based on that, I expected this class to involve lots of essays, daily journal entries, frequent reading material, and be a little overwhelming. However, after completing the course, I found that while it was important to follow the instructions carefully to succeed, the workload itself was very manageable. I also really appreciated how the bigger assignments built off of one another, because I was prepared to get a good grade based on the tools learned from the previous work. Throughout the semester, I also had improvements in my writing structure and how I prepared to support my arguments and main points because all the essays were focused on being argumentative. The reading responses were also helpful in learning how to summarize key information and focus on the major lessons in each reading. Overall, I enjoyed the course content and thought it was both engaging and relevant. While it still required hard work and attention to detail, the timeframes for completing assignments were fair. I finished the course feeling more confident in my ability to write organized, well-supported essays, and because of that, I can say this class met my expectations.

One of the main strengths of this course was how much freedom we had to pick our own topics for the essays. Being able to choose subjects that interested me made me more invested in the work and motivated me to create well researched and supported arguments. I also thought the Advanced Argumentative Video project and the Digital Portfolio were really unique and creative assignments that made the class feel different from a traditional English course. The video project, in particular, was fun and helped me learn how different types of media can support an argument. Another major strength was the amount of work time given during class. Having built-in time to ask questions, get feedback, and make progress on assignments helped prevent work from piling up over the weekends. In terms of obstacles, I did not feel there were major barriers to my learning. However, I think some group activities, like filling out documents together and reading them aloud or independently sharing thesis ideas, sometimes took up a lot of class time. It might have been more effective if those were broken into smaller group or partner discussions to keep things moving a little faster. Still, everything we did in class felt relevant and helped build important skills. 

Looking back, my main takeaways from this class are the importance of paying attention to the small details of each assignment and the value of properly structuring and editing a piece of writing. I also appreciated how much emphasis was placed on finding and using engaging media. It helped me realize that sharing information is not limited to words and that visuals, graphs, sounds, and presentation style also play a huge role when building an argument. In terms of assignments, I really enjoyed the reading responses because they helped introduce the week's focus and gave me background knowledge for the bigger assignments. I also loved the argumentative video project because it was a fun way to end the semester, and working in a group helped divide the work evenly. One of the more challenging assignments for me was definitely the Literature Review for the Advanced Argumentative Topics essay. With so many sources and so much information to sort through, it was difficult to figure out what should be included as important context versus what needed to be saved for my main argument. Honestly, I do not have any major suggestions for improving the class. I thought the assignments were interesting and very well thought out. Overall, I am grateful for this class and for all the opportunities it gave me to improve my writing and argumentation.