Final Reflection

January 10, 2022 - Beginning of Class
Today, I met with Ryan to talk about my goals for English 225. I just had come from Writing 220 with Shelley Manis, and I had just finished my semester project on converting my high school statistics paper into a how-to-guide for interested high school students. I came into English 225 expecting something different, a class heavily focused on learning what are the essentials to argumentative writing. We would be analyzing text and we would be defending these texts in our papers. During the conference with Ryan, I was shocked to learn the breadth I would cover in the class—that we would be able to write and conduct our own research, defend a definition, and tell a story in our narratives. I felt really excited about the class!

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January 25, 2022 - Definition Paper
I just finished my Definition draft. I chose the word significance because I was influenced by previous research in Writing 220. I had talked a whole ton about statistical significance, but I haven’t really investigated what it means to be “significant.” This paper was a chance for me to really explore significance in a STEM and Humanities context. In STEM, significance is almost always related to statistics, the p-value, etc. while significance is more about affecting people in the humanities. The most difficult part of this assignment was talking about why discussing the definition matters. In the first peer review, my classmates commented that while this is an interesting paper, there wasn’t the “so what” factor that exists… However, I was able to try out a new genre of writing, as I never tried to really dissect the meaning of words like I did in this assignment. I came into this assignment thinking it would be easy, but I think the logical reasoning and analysis were more difficult than I expected.

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March 8, 2022 - Primary Research Paper
My plan was to build my final portfolio around the word “significance.” So for my primary research assignment I decided to interview students in LSA and Public Health about what the word means to them. The recruitment process was desperate but also cool because I got to know more people through their interviews. However, I regret not having a proper idea of how I wanted to frame my paper. I ran into the same problem where I couldn’t express why this research was important as I am just personally interested. Especially since I’ve heard my friends call themselves either STEM or Humanities people, refusing to touch the other subject. In a grander scheme of things, I think having an aversion towards one discipline is a disadvantage as many jobs and opportunities incorporate both. I might be biased since I’m a public health major…

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March 31, 2022 - Narrative Argument Paper
Remember when I said I wanted to build a portfolio around significance? For my narrative argument, I felt that I wanted to talk about something more personal to me. I was born with limb disabilities that have affected how I do things in life. I can’t play certain sports and instruments because I didn’t have the fingers or my foot wasn’t suitable for running. As you will read in this piece, I also faced stigma at a young age that affected my perception of myself. When writing my draft, I put my soul into the imagery of young me, unable to predict that what would happen next would scar me for life. But eventually I found my love for piano which helped me boost my self esteem and discover my passion for disability advocacy. This is the “significance” in my life. 

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April 28, 2022 - End of Class
English 225 was my favorite class this semester. Every Tuesday and Thursday, I was excited to go to class and learn more about writing from Ryan, my peers, and (student) writing samples. I had so much flexibility to pursue different topics and avenues of writing. Because of the grading contract, I didn’t feel like I was confined to an exact timeline and that I was free to experiment with how I write my arguments. It was odd to define significance. It was difficult to gather interviews and actually put them together into a paper. It was especially emotionally draining to write about a personal narrative. However, I gained so much as a writer. I was forced to consider the larger impacts my writing had on the world. I enjoyed being challenged and I was hungry for feedback. 

Through the many class activities and assignments, I discovered the importance of audience and purpose in writing. I want to use a music analogy that I had described in my narrative paper. You can perform a piece perfectly, but if you miss the dynamics and rhythm, the audience will know that your performance isn’t complete. Such as in writing, you need to be able to talk to your reader and show them the “so what” of your paper. With those two aspects missing, regardless of how good you write a piece, your designated audience will be unable to understand your message. I came out of this class with a better understanding of narrative arguments and the importance of writing for an audience and answering the "so what" question.

A huge section of my Summer Research Award, Research Scholars and Biology 173 Lab was dedicated to scientific communication. Jade Marks from the University of Michigan’s Museum of Natural History would come talk to us about how important it is to be able to communicate your findings to the audience. What’s the point of doing your research if you can’t share it with others and encourage them to build upon it? This question is very compelling and one of the reasons why I pursue a Writing Minor. This question is the reason why I’m particularly interested in the divide between STEM and Humanities.
If someone were to ask me if they should pursue a Minor in Writing, I wouldn’t hesitate to say “yes.” Just recently an underclassmen and one of my classmates joined the program because I had sung praises. I don’t regret joining this program because I’ve never felt happier taking English classes in college. I write every day—class, emails, journals, notes. Already into the future, I can see myself using the skills I learned in this class for research publications on medical discoveries or draft legal documents.

These projects are just a beginning to an everlasting journey of writing.

 

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Daisey Yu