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Austin Cowan
English 1010
Irene Peterson
12 Dec. 2015
Reflective Essay
During the past few months of the semester I feel that my experience in English 1010 has
been a positive one. I have felt an increase in knowledge and literacy, along with better
communication skills which I have seen through my work. I find myself thinking more deeply
and pondering the things I see, read, and hear. At my job I feel that what I have learned has
applied as I am more engaged with the things I do. Other general education classes seemed to
connect with this one, my U.S. government class focused on politics and the pros and cons of our
society; in English 1010 we learned how one can address those problems through writing and
analysis. I have learned to study the world I live in and apply new techniques to be a better
person and better understand the way things are.
Many challenges were presented while finishing this project, but the greatest would have
to be time management. Procrastination and getting caught up in other things was an impediment
in this process. However, I do notice that when time is set aside for completion of a project, the
outcome is much better and I dont feel stressed or rushed.
The goals of our course helped me focus in on the important aspects of writing and
analysis. One strategy that we learned to use was rhetorical analysis. This came into play in all of
our writing and projects. We are constantly using this strategy, from Facebook posts to daily
conversations, our approach, tone and attitude change based on our audience and medium.
Critical thinking and analysis helped me to know how to better my writing and the writings of

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others. I am so glad to have this class and a required General Education class as it will help with
almost every college class that I face.