1.

Rhetorical knowledge

Rhetorical knowledge is the ability of the reader to use concepts in the rhetorical

situation and apply them to a range of writing situations. A proficient writer will be able to identify

an issue, an audience, and a set of constraints in their writings. The writer may also take into

consideration the purpose or meaning and apply that to writings as well.

 The first screenshot is my answer to the discussion “Applying The Rhetorical

Situation and Appeals.” In this answer I address the intended audience, the purpose,

ethos, and pathos of a commercial by ​The Washington Post​. After doing this assignment

it helped me realize the importance of the rhetorical situation in writing. Without it, the

reader can become very confused because there is no focus on any one thing. With the

rhetorical situation everything is more structured and focused. The second screenshot is

of the first paragraph of my thesis. I give a lot of background information in this

paragraph like the definition of mental illness, the most prevalent one among college

students, and various statistics about mental illness. The statistics give a sense of
 meaning and purpose to my writing by making it known how high the numbers are and

that we need to make a change with education and awareness.

2. Critical reading

Critical reading is the ability for a reader to read deeply, purposefully, and analytically. A

proficient writer will be able to find connections, reasoning, and underlying meanings. When

someone critically reads they are engaging in a widely different activity than regular reading.

They are searching for many different things while reading that takes energy and deep reading

skills.
 The first screenshot is from my research summaries in which Deanna Dannels talks

about the stigma around mental illness. While reading the article I used skills like reading the

article more than once, writing notes, and writing my summary. Critically reading my sources

helped me to better understand the topic that I chose and greatly assisted me when I was

writing my final thesis. The second screenshot is from Re: Composing Vol. II: #2. Minchin

"Read, Then Write". For all of the Re: Composing assignments we were critically reading, for me

it was because of the connections I was making with the articles. Just understanding a concept

is one thing, but being able to connect a situation to your own life shows how deep I was

actually reading. I would highlight and annotate these articles and if they were short, I may have

even read them twice to get a better understanding.

 3. Composing processes

The composing process involves activities like peer review, revising, developing, and

finalizing. A proficient writer will take constructive criticism from others and use it to their

advantage rather than putting what others say off to the side. They may also have certain steps

to achieve their final product such as brainstorming, drafts, revising, and editing. Some writers

even end with a different piece than they originally planned due to the composing process.
 The first screenshot is from my inquiry thesis draft in which I got feedback from

my peers and professor. In the snapshot that I included my professor suggested that I

add the definition of mental illness and include the most prevalent disorder among

college students. Before making these changes, my readers may have been confused

about what exactly mental illness meant; I needed to set the stage, so I did. In my

second screenshot I included my early draft for my thesis. My thesis came a long way

from this point, and made even more changes from when it was polished. In my draft I

set things out in bullet points and just had ideas of what I was going to dive into in my

final thesis. Doing this brainstorming step greatly helped me when writing my final thesis

because it paved the way for all of my ideas. The third screenshot shows a peer edit

where she noticed my wordiness and repetition. I think that this last screenshot goes to

show that there can always be improvement, even in your final stages of the writing

process.
 4. Knowledge of conventions

Knowledge of conventions has to do with how a writer essentially writes a piece in

connection to their genre. Some well known genres include narratives, essays, novels, articles,

and more. The idea is that with each of these different genres, there are different audiences

which means the writer may need to write in a certain way to appeal to them. A proficient writer

may change structure, tone, grammar, and spelling depending on their genre.
 The first screenshot is from my final thesis and I chose the second to last paragraph

where I speak about the coping strategies and warning signs of mental illness. In my thesis my

audience was college students, faculty, and professors and I kept that in mind while writing my

paper. At the end, due to my target audience, I chose to add coping strategies and warning

signs of mental illness because I want everyone to use these in their everyday lives. My

audience was the perfect audience to suggest these strategies to because they have a great

impact on others lives and they could potentially save someone's life, including their own, if they

use these strategies. The second screenshot is also from my final thesis in which I gave a lot of

statistics and then backed them up with an in text citation. The third screenshot shows two

sentences in which I ended one idea and started another separated by a period.

5. Critical reflection

Critical reflection is the action of going back and thinking about the choices you have

made throughout your writing and composing process. A proficient writer may reflect on how

they have revised their piece through peer review, and how and why they made certain choices

in their writing. By critically reviewing, it can help the writer in their future pieces.
 The first screenshot is from a writing into the day that we did on October 13th. The

question was to reflect on our process of writing our synthesis, so we were critically reflecting on

our synthesis. I said that the research summaries greatly helped me in the process of writing my

synthesis, but connecting all of my sources together was tedious. Critical reflection can help us

as writers know what works and what doesn’t work in our writing and we can also see what we

can improve on in our writing. For me, taking baby steps in my writing helps me, not having big

jumps between projects. The second screenshot was a writing into the day about my early

thesis draft. I reflected by saying how my draft was a lot longer than expected, but it ended up

helping me later when I was writing my final thesis. I also reflected on how the process of writing

my thesis has connected to the SLO’s and now I am reflecting even further on that statement in

this writing theory.