Course Reflection

ENC2135 was not what I expected. I think for an online class, it did the best job it could have with respect to collaboration with the other students, and the overall feel of the class was very streamlined and organized. It wasn’t really like some other online classes I’ve experienced, where I kind of forgot about them. Actively participating in a small online class with regular discussion and collaboration really helped me feel connected, and it gave me a new perspective towards learning.

I loved how our main focus was an activist organization of our choice. Not only was it interesting because it allowed me to explore a topic I was already passionate about in more depth, but it was also a great way to see the real-world applications of our class when it comes to genre and rhetorical situations. Additionally, exposing us to different genres through different mediums allowed me to look at literature as a whole in a different way. The biggest takeaway from this class was that we encounter purposeful rhetorical techniques in our everyday lives, not just in books. Exploring the multimodal nature of our society was really interesting to me.

Also, as someone who’s always wanted to start a YouTube channel but just never got around to it, this class was a great way to inspire me to start. It’s been cool to be able to showcase my hard work through a medium that I’ve always enjoyed, and with my most recent project especially, it’s really allowed me to connect more with friends and family, since I’ve shared my portfolio with them.

Unfortunately enough, my project ended up really tying into the current state of the world right now. It really goes to show how important it is to be knowledgeable about the topics you’re passionate about, because it can serve you well to have the information or skills you’ve developed. Being able to expand my chosen organization and its related topics into an overall commentary about the situation with COVID-19 was kind of therapeutic, and it was definitely the highlight of this course for me. I was able to see a lot of my research come to life when I found that a lot of it was in alignment with what my friends with immunodeficiencies are experiencing recently. It was truly a great way to wrap up the semester, and I’m so glad that I had the freedom to do it.

Going into this class, I was really not all that optimistic. I was worried that it was going to be just another boring gen ed. I think the tie-ins to the real world and having several opportunities throughout the year to explore and use mediums other than just books, publications and articles, really made this class immersive and has made me look at the world around me in a different way. I feel confident that I can use what I learned in my future school endeavors, as well as just my everyday life. Thank you, Ms. Turner, for really working with me throughout the semester and being personable so I felt comfortable to talk to you about all of my ideas.