Research Paper

The process of this research has helped me grow tremendously as a writer, as I was able to incorporate numerous ideas we learned throughout the semester into one cohesive paper. At first, this assignment seemed irrelevant and trivial as Prof. Strickland simply told us to write about a topic that connected to our hometown and major. However, this mere proposal developed into a well thought out and meticulously written research paper. The strength and growth of my paper would not be where it is at without the help of “They Say, I Say” paradigms, fight club discussions, and class tips from presentations or websites.         

                One assignment that I would have liked to work more on was the outline. I enjoyed finally putting together my claims and evidence and thought it to be extremely beneficial. In fact, I realized how crucial my outline was after writing such a lengthy and in depth paper. I found myself referring back to my outline numerous times in order to make sure my ideas flowed, and to avoid any repetitiveness. Organization and structure is crucial to a strong paper, which is why I believe it would have been beneficial to perhaps have two drafts of my outline as I solidified my main points and my evidence for my claims with research from my annotated bibliographies.

                Overall, I do believe the daily assignments such as fight club and analyzing paradigm from “They Say, I Say” were crucial as they indirectly helped us build strong arguments and recognize counter arguments. I do not believe that more short papers, or more in-class writing would be as beneficial as having multiple drafts/outlines/annotated bibliographies or having more guided editing tips in class. This research paper has allowed me to practice and build the knowledge I have learned throughout the semester into applicable strategies in my writing.