Rhetorical Analysis of the Research Process

            The process of writing this research paper has taught me very much about conducting research and analyzing the data I receive.  The class in the library that focused on research was actually very helpful in understanding how to research a specific topic and gather thorough and credible sources about it.  The library itself is a great resource, and I found a dozen books that I directly cited in my paper or used to get a better understanding of the issue at hand.  Fight Club definitely helped me in this process.  I learned how to effectively argue verbally, which translated into a more cohesive argument on paper.  Being forced to represent sides of arguments which I disagreed with helped me plant adequate naysayers in my research paper.  The earlier Fight Club sessions in which we took time to collect research on particular topics before arguing helped me understand the process of research and structure argumentation.  The more recent Fight Club sessions, while based on more spontaneous research, made me make decisions about more divisive issues.  Both of these kinds of verbal arguments bolstered my abilities to formulate an effective argument in my research paper.

            I think the drafting process was thorough and well-timed.  I never felt terribly rushed or overwhelmed, and I am confident with my paper’s current status at this point in time related to the deadline.  The in-class writing was helpful in that it encourages a higher level of thinking.  I cannot remember exactly when that took place this semester, but it would probably be most helpful if it was the last assignment before assigning the first draft of the research paper.  Strunk & White are great sources for developing a thorough rhetorical argument, and I think they should be placed earlier in the research paper process.  The other sources we looked at (i.e. TSIS, CDA) were adequate, but I think we should have studied Strunk & White alongside them, rather than a long time afterwards.