ENC 2135 changed the way I look at writing. Before this class, I thought genres were just labels for different types of assignments. Once we started looking at discourse communities, I realized that genres are really about the expectations a community has for how information should be shared. Every group has its own style and way of explaining ideas. Learning this helped me see that writing is not one-size-fits-all. Instead, it depends on who you are talking to and why you are writing in the first place.
The research essay was my first real test of this. It pushed me to understand how academic writers, specifically in my field of neuroscience, communicate. I had to find sources, figure out what they were arguing, and then decide how my own ideas fit into the conversation. Using scholarly sources felt very different from using non-scholarly ones. Scholarly articles gave me details, data, and background I could rely on. Non-scholarly sources helped me see how the topic showed up in everyday situations. Mixing both types made my essay feel more complete. This project also showed me how important the composing process is. I had to draft, revise, and rethink my structure more than once per the course guidelines. Each step helped me make my argument more clear. It also made me realize that research is not just collecting facts, it is about choosing the fight information and using it in a way that fits the genre.
The rhetorical analysis project helped me look at writing in a new way. i had to study two artifacts from my fiels and explain how they created meaning and affected the rhetorical audience. Things like layouut, tone, and organization all played roles in shaping how an audience responds. Instead of asking what a piece said, I had to focus on how it worked to establish rhetoric. This made me more aware oof the choices writers and creators make on purpose. It also helped me understand how to be more intentional in my own writing.
The multigenre campaign took everything I learned and pushed it even further. I had to take a position on the topic and communicate it in different genres, and each genre required something different of me. I had to think about the audience each time I composed artifacts and adjust my choices. This project helped me understand the rhetorical situation more clearly. I had to continuously ask myself who I was talking to and what mattered the most to them. Working across multiple genres also made me notice how often communication in real life switches formats.
With all of these projects I began to see how important the writing process is. Drafting and revising gave me space to change my ideas and make them stronger. Peer reviews helped me find places where my writing was confusing or where I needed more support. By the time I created this portfolio, I could see how much my writing changed during the semester. I now feel more conifdent choosing genres and using sources, as well as adjustign to different rhetorical situations. ENC 2135 as a whole has taught me how flexible writing has to be. I learned how to use research in a meaningful way, how to study texts from a rhetorical point of view, and how to move across genres depending on the situation. These skills will help me in my major and in my writing I do later on.