In this course, I was able to greatly expand my knowledge in the elements of rhetoric and how to utilize them and understand them across a wide variety of genres. 

One outcome of this course stated that I should be able to “Explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations.” Through in-class practice analyzing the rhetorical situation of different sources, as well as in writing my source-based essay, I feel as though I was able to successfully exhibit this outcome. In this essay, I was required to gather a variety of different sources on my chosen subject of 1920s flapper culture. These sources were of varying degrees of credibility, and were from a wide variety of genres. For example, my most credible source was a book written by historian Stella Ress, while my least credible source was a blog post. In using the knowledge I gained about rhetorical elements, I was able to analyze each of the sources and note how certain rhetorical aspects such as credibility (ethos), or emotional appeal (pathos), impact how the audience receives the message that the author is attempting to convey. 

Another outcome requested that I should be able to “Engage in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.” I feel as though I was able to achieve this outcome in my composition in two genres project. In this project, the two genres I chose were interviews and an art piece. While I created the art piece on my own, the interviews required social collaboration. I conducted my interviews on a social media platform, and received voluntary responded from people who were willing to collaborate and contribute to my project. Although I did not have lengthy conversations with each person who responded to my interview, there were some people who had very engaging and insightful responses that made me want to engage in a discussion with them. Before beginning this course, I had not often engaged in writing as a collaborative experience. It was interesting to hear from other people directly and be able to use their thoughts in my work. I also enjoyed the collaborative experiences during the class itself, such as peer editing and group work. I think the collaboration in class helped my writing as a whole, not just in my composition in two genres project. 

The last outcome I was striving to achieve stated, “Locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias.” The best example of this outcome is visible in my inquiry-based research essay. Before this course, I had very little experience with the City College academic databases and library. However, with some trial and error, I was able to locate a variety of sources for my essay. The timeliness of my sources was especially important for my essay. I was researching American views on abortion. This topic has been in the forefront of American politics for several years now, and many laws have been changed or passed. I wanted to make sure that all of my sources were completely up to date. I also had to learn what makes a source credible. This almost always boils down to the author or publisher of a source. I had to be careful to locate sources that provide credible information, otherwise, my research would have been inaccurate. Bias was also important in my essay. While I wanted to address multiple points of view, my stance throughout the essay was clear and I wanted my sources to reflect that. Otherwise, the overall goal of my essay could seem unclear to the audience.

Reflecting over each of the course outcomes, it becomes clear how important rhetoric is, and how it can be manipulated- in a positive or negative way- to convince an audience of something. Having a knowledge of rhetorical elements and strategies can help in one’s ability to analyze, write, and communicate.