Skills to be Learned Part 2

The first skill I initially chose for my “Skills to be Learned” blog post was integrating sources. Over the span of this course, I can definitely say that I have had my fair share of doing so. In each part of my rhetorical analysis paper, multiple sources were necessary to add credibility to my argument. This is a process I was not very familiar and comfortable with before this class, and I know that it will come in handy in future research papers for my other college classes. The next thing I wanted to learn was how to outline and organize my thoughts in order to create a logical and understandable paper. This is something I am now very confident in, and having a formula for each of the assignments really helped with this. Being able to have a strong foundation that you can branch out on has made all the difference in my papers, as opposed to my typical freestyle-type writing. I also have struggled with reaching the minimum paper length without dragging it out unnecessarily. Initially, even reaching 350 words for a blog post was a challenge, and incredibly time consuming. With the past few assignments, I have had no problem reaching the word count of 900, and the only time consuming part was the research. Especially because of the topic I chose, there is a plethora of information for me to use, and it wasn’t necessary to try to stretch my papers out. If anything, I had to be very conscious to carefully stick to the points I was trying to make, so not to confuse the reader on the already complicated subject. Getting stuck really hasn’t been as much of an issue as I expected it to be, mostly because of my interest in what I have been arguing. If at any point I felt stuck, I learned ways to get past it and when it is necessary to take breaks. I would say the revision has been more difficult than the writing itself. The last skill I chose was reading college level sources, which I believe I did through my weeding of articles and all of the assigned close readings. Overall, I am leaving more confident in my writing and conveying of thoughts than when I started.
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You Have Scarred Me for Life

The process of this class has definitely made me more aware of current nutritional issues in our society. From the presentations, to the assigned reading, to the in-class discussions, a lot of things have been brought up that I have never considered before. For example, the issue of bottled water is not something that I have previously worried about, but I will now be more conscious of it. Learning the nutritional effect of different foods is partially terrifying, because I think sometimes we’d rather remain in the dark about what we are consuming. Ignorance can be bliss, but only a very temporary bliss before our lifestyle and habits, if allowed, kill us. So while it would be more comfortable to remain unaware, the knowledge is essential to living a healthy, long life. One of the main things the class has brought to light for me is people’s (including my own) desire for instant gratification, particularly in our culture. With things like fast food chains being placed all around college campuses, it gives people the access to revolve their dietary choices around time, ease and money, as opposed to health and nutrients. I have been left with a lingering question of what we can do to improve the current conditions of our unhealthy diets, and what truly is healthy. I want to be more educated on the subject, broad as it may be. I think I already have a better grasp of health, especially on the particular topic of neurological health. There is a lot of misconception as to what is “healthy”, and far too often people only focus on the weight-loss aspect of dieting, and as a whole, we would be a lot better off if we made our choices based on the nourishing of our bodies. There is a lot of controversy in the health and nutrition world, which has made this an incredibly interesting topic. I know I for one am curious about my fellow classmates arguments, and the different areas they each are focusing on. Because of this class, I definitely have an increased interest in diet, and feel as though my knowledge of it has become greater. There are a lot of things that I know will stick with me long term, especially through my own expansive research. 
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The Final Draft

For my final two drafts of my researched argument, my biggest concern is being able to accurately articulate my argument, and narrow in on the topic in discussion. The first part of the researched argument wasn’t difficult because I had a pretty clear understanding of what I wanted to say, and the points I wanted to make, but part two, the history part, was a bit more difficult. I started out thinking I had plenty of research, but by the time I finished my outline, I realized I had gaps in it, and had to find more and learn how to connect all of them together in a way that makes sense to the reader. It was a struggle to keep the flow going in it, and expound on the points enough to be informative, but short enough to keep it concise. My hope for these upcoming two parts is that because of the knowledge I have obtained over the course of my studies, I will able to easily write them so they flow and feel natural, and will meet the required length without feeling over-stretched. I am slightly concerned about being able to convey the opposing argument in a way that relates to my argument. While I see their relation, the opposing view is not directed at some of the specific points I am making. Most of the opposing argument sources are broader and directed more toward the benefit of carbohydrates, and I wish that I could find more that would directly say it about the neurological system. Nonetheless, there is definitely still an argument there, and I have confidence that I will be able to clearly state it in a way that ties to my argument.

One of the things I am most excited about is seeing all of my work and research coming together. This process has definitely been a challenge, but I know that it will be rewarding in the end. I think the easiest part will probably be the conclusion, in which I state the way that we can improve the issue. With my argument being that carbohydrates negatively affect the neurological system, I plan to conclude that a diet free of complex carbohydrates can help treat neurological disorders, such as autism and ADHD. These upcoming parts will be a lot of work, and a good bit more of research, but I have a good direction in where I am taking this and can’t wait to have the finished product.