I feel that there have been many things that I have learned from this class. From day one I did not really know what to expect, and put my expectations as just becoming a better writer. From all of my English classes I have taken previously I was shocked to see the pace and depth this course went into. All other classes that I have taken just show the basics and structures, bet have never applied things to the real world. I am also very happy in how my writing has improved. With all of the new ideas and concepts that I have learned in this course I was able to pick out a subject to write about. Before coming into this course it was very difficult for me to decide on a topic to write about, and now I feel I have learned to look deeper and pull out important details that are not seen right from the start. Some of the stories we read were very shocking, but I am happy that I put in a class that presented these concepts to me. I have always been aware of difficult situations and problems different classes and people have faced. After the things we have read, and to the depth we had to go to discuss and regurgitate what we had learned gave me a greater knowledge. I have seen a lot more perspectives and problems that occur everyday that I never even think about. Most importantly, I feel that I have taken on a greater respect and understanding for people that do not seem “normal” to me. Gender and rhetoric is a very important topic to discus because we face it every day. My expectations were passed and I am happy that i stuck through this course.

Last one...

I dreaded this class more then any other class this semester. If you ask any student at Purdue what their hardest class is, chances are it would not be an English class. I'm not saying that it's easy, but English comes naturally to a majority of students. But that's not the case for me. In math, one plus one has to equal two. In science, the trajectory of a canon ball can be calculated. To say that a paper can be written only one way is impossible. To say that we knew exactly what the author was thinking when he wrote a piece of work is illogical.

I can confidently say that even though my writing skills are not to the level that I would like them, I have become more confident in my writing. I'm not afraid to write a paper. The mistakes I make will always be there. My understanding of the English language is less then others, but I'm not afraid of that anymore. Once I start to write, I feel a passion to continue. If I feel someone wants to read my work, I become motivated to get my point out on paper, no matter how weak the structure may be. If I could take this class again, knowing what I know now about the English language, I think I'd happier with the grade I would receive.

I don't feel comfortable in talking about my teacher during this blog but I will say that, if I would have taken English with a different teacher, I doubt my confidence in writing would be where it is today. I wouldn't have found a teacher that would take an hour out of his week to work with me on the fundamentals if writing and the very basics of English. Did I learn every little rule to fallow when structuring a sentence, paragraph, of paper...No. But I stuck in their and learned the basics and when it's all said and done, I'm a better writer because of the time my teacher spent with me. The confidence I have in writing is at a level I've never had before.

My expectations for English 106 were very different from the actual class that took place. I learned things that, not only will help me in the rest of my life as a student, but my life as a person. I feel I am a better person because of this class. (Movies will not be the same, that's for sure.)

The only way I would recommend English 106 to incoming freshmen, is if they had Richard Severe as their teacher. I can't see any other teacher that would have the impact that he has had on my reading skills, writing skills, my ideas on society, and the thought process of my day to day actions. Where would I be if I had the English teacher who had his/her class watch movies all day, just to discuss what type of hero the movie portrayed? I can only imagine.

Class

Since the first day of English class, I have come to realize and recognize many of society’s stereotypes and social issues. Before, I did not really think about stereotypes, such as race expectations, as deeply as we have covered in class. The ideas were very interesting, but I think maybe more, meaning not only blogs, could have been related to these topics. I did not expect much from this class, being an English class, but overall, it has been a very interesting experience full of ideas, but has been much more difficult that I had expected. My expectations in terms of learning about social issues were met; the writing aspect has seemed to be a bit random, with papers and grades seemingly coming out of nowhere. It seemed a bit unorganized, but I do not really have any way to fix or correct it in a better way. If a freshman student was very interested in learning and understanding social stereotypes and issues, along with some interesting argument writing types, I would really recommend this class, even though it was a harder class than one would expect. While we had interesting discussions, I myself learned and was more interested in the reading and ideas themselves rather than the discussion of them. Overall, it was a very interesting class, a bit tough, but worth it in terms of the changes it brings to one’s thoughts, ideas, and view on society itself.

Sources

English 106 has helped my to learn different writing techniques, different research techniques, and how to look at a piece of writing from multiple angles. All of these are important for a collage student to be successful in their journey to graduation, however the most important of these would have to be learning different research techniques, and learning how to spot a good source, from an unreliable one.

Granted I'm only a first year student at Purdue, but if I would not have taken this class, chances are I would still be unaware of the Purdue libraries search tool. Would other teachers have told me this page exists, or would my roommates find the time to show me this helpful search devise that would benefit me for the rest of my collage career. In asking one roommate (who tested out of English at Purdue) if he knew about the research tool on Purdue's website, his response was no! He's been going to school here for two years and was unaware of this incredible search engines at our disposal. Needless to say I showed him where to find the page and how to use it.

Another aspect of research that I have learned from this class is how to identify a good source from an unreliable one. The internet, in general, is a vast world of endless knowledge. But we must be careful what we read and what we believe is true. In our paper about important topics that plague and divide our nation, I found a cite that was against prayer in school. As I read on, I learned that this cite had no credibility what so ever to the causes they were speaking out against, not to mention any foundation for what they supported. In other cite reviews I found public speaker's, founding fathers, the chain of high-ups, supporters stories, reviews from important and infantile individuals, and credible information on the group at hand.

To say that English 106 is going to help me in my quest to write better papers, produce better research, and get me through collage is a large understatement. This class has taught me to find sources for a research paper, review different sources for credibility, and use them effectively to produce a paper that I can be proud of.

Oh English 106 Class!

I came into English 106 expecting it to be like any other English class I have had. I heard from older siblings that this class was an easy A so I was rather excited. Little did I know how much I was about to learn and how much my writing would change. The first Monday in the computer lab was one of the scariest days of my life! I did not know what I had gotten myself into and I was estimating my possible grade already. But once I surpassed the first week or so I began to be more comfortable and open to what we were learning. This class has far surpassed by expectations and I feel more socially aware of the world with respect to gender and rhetoric. I loved the class discussions because they helped me analyze stories involving gender issues. This class has been extremely useful and I feel more socially intelligent and I can even see the things we discussed in class during every day life! It is amazing how I never realized these things before. I have looked back at my first paper and compared it with the last paper I wrote and I cannot believe the difference. I never thought writing was my strong point, but now I am more confident in my writing abilities. I have also become stronger in editing my own papers as well, after our editing exercise I can pick out grammar flaws and transition errors. I would highly recommend this class to every incoming freshman, so Mr. Severe get excited to have about 7,000 students next year!

Day on campus is one of the most relaxing and yet overwhelming days of my collegiate life. The entire day is filled with tours, lectures, money spending, and of course getting the so important class schedule. At that exact moment that my advisor made my class schedule that included English, I was not so happy. English is a subject that is either loved or hated. Through my rigorous years of English studies, frustration has been the common emotion expressed. English class comes easy to some people and vigorously challenging to others. The first day of class was the low down lecture on how many papers we were going to have to complete. The worst thing about the day was that Mr. Severe said,"this class is going to be harder than every other English 106 class." It is a fact that this class was harder than most. Every other person in my major has loved their English classes for the fact that they may happen to write a paper or two that are a page or two long and have a crappy no brainier topic. It is proved that this English class has brought me a ton of new information on several aspects of grammar as well as my reading comprehension.
The way this English class changes my views about society and gender related issues would blow most people away. The ways men and women interact is seen differently by the information we have learned in class. My expectations have been met in some ways but not in others. If I could change anything about this year, it would be my lack of attention to out of class work. One of the things that I feel I have accomplished well is my writing. After comparing the first paper to the last, it is obvious how my grammar has changed.
If I could give advice to an incoming freshman, I would tell them to request Richard Severe if you want to get your moneys worth. To be honest, I hated the fact that it was English class, but, having Mr. Severe as a teacher made the class awesome. It could have been called a party instead of class. The discussions we had in class made everybody delve into themselves for their core beliefs on different topics. This class is really relevant to day to day life issues. The first day we had a discussion, I felt like the smartest person in the world. Overall, I have enjoyed all aspects of this amazing English class.

The amazing English 106 class of 2006

I enjoyed this class more than any other and that is my honest opinion. I learned not only a lot about writing but about society as well. I looked forward to the days that we discussed the green book most of all. Discussing how male and female roles in society can become problematic is something that I don't think I will ever stop thinking about. Even today, I find myself watching movies and commenting to friends about the male and female roles within the movie and the erotic triangles forming. I have definately changed since the first day of class. I see myself as being more aware of gender roles as well. I definately think that all my expectations were met about this class. Not only did I fulfill my required english credit, but I learned a lot and had fun while doing it. I will have nothing but great things to say about this class and would definately advise freshman to take it. I would recommend this specific class to anyone. I'd do this because I really think that this class better prepares you for life after college. I am here to learn how to lead a stable life in my later years and am 100.00% convinced that this class will help me out. The discussions were great, I loved hearing everyone's opinion about the subject matter because the discussions allowed me to see how different people have different opinions of the subject matter. I've been stressing a lot on how much I enjoyed this class and how much I've learned about society but I've also learned a lot about becoming a better writer and I think I have done so. I think that my organizational skills and my ability to articulate what I want to say have both improved greatly. I attribute this to the writing exercises and the editing of papers which we did often. I hope my comments have been helpful. I really haven't been critical of anything because I don't think that the class can improve enough to be significant.

Overview

When I first arrived to the classroom in August, I was scared and a little overwhelmed. I didn't know how I would be able to handle this class but now looking back, I am incredibly greatful that I got placed into the class that I did. I have learned a great deal in this class, and also learned to observe people in a light that I never knew existed. When I was home for Thanksgiving break, I gave a big speal to everyone on homosocial bonds and male friendships and how they have evolved over time. I was shocked with what I was saying, but had a sense of accomplishment and pride that I have gained from this class alone.
The main thing that I will take away from this class, is how I should not ever judge people. after reading the things that we did in class, things have changed, and my views on other people have been forever changed. All my expectations that I had for this class over the summer have been met 100% and I would definantly recomend this class to any incoming freshman, and I would hope that they got a class as great as ours. I am so glad that we had a theme to the class that is applicabe to the world that we live in, and are surrounded by each day, and that is what I appreciate most about what I have learned. I can honestly say that I will miss coming in a having our class discussions!

English 106

The first day, I was completely shocked. This class was nothing like what I expected an english class to be like. I figured it would be another boring english class, where we have to write uninteresting papers. But this class was the complete opposite. This class helped me open my mind and make me more aware of the world I live in, while at the same time, writing papers. I think I have improved my writing, and developed a new way of thinking and organizing my ideas. My thoughts have changed drastically, I find myself noticing things we've discussed in class. Associating some of the reasons of behavior to my boyfriend. When he says some things or acts in a certain way around boys, what use to not make sense, now does. I have always been a generally open person to different ideas. But I've found myself trying to get others to open the minds, and be more open to different ideas, even if they don't fully agree with them. I've learned a greatly understanding to people that have different believes or act in ways that aren't socially accepted by society. I would definitely recommend this course to incoming freshman. It may have been a lot of work, but in the end I learned so much. And the work that was done, was writing on subjects that became interesting. The content of the material overall was new information, there were some things I had heard before, but overall it was a new experience. The discussions in class were always interesting, and helped make this crazy world make sense, well at least a little bit. Not only were the discussions worthwhile, but learning about grammar was really helpful. I have never really learned all the rules, or at least remembered them. It was really nice to have the review, and a better understanding of the english language. This class has been a great experience, opened my mind and prepared for my next semesters as a college student.

This class was definately not exactly what is was expecting elnglish to be, but it definately turned out to be a valuable course to my overall education. Since i am in engineering, most of my core classes are all science and math so it is nice to be able to do some creative thinking and exploring outside the parameters of mathematics. Thius class was structured to provoke thought from a different perspective and it really helps in life in general to be able to see things from another side. It is very tough to get students to analyze views from a different view, but mr. severe presented the material in many different ways ranging from readings, to personal experiences, to class discussions, to movies. He basically covered each area of possible methods of teaching to make sure everyone got the general message in one way shape or form. Also, since my though was stimulated through this course, i feel my creative writing, structuring of my papers, and grammar have all become much stronger than before. as much as i hate these blogs, i look back at it and they truly areis is key if you want students to understand what is going on in a course especially one like this. a great way to express views, thoughts and work on your writing. i was getting better at my writing skills by typing blogs and i didnt even know it until now. I liked how mr. severe didnt assign busy work to justg give us grades, he was more worried about understanding concepts than completing assignments,. th Also, i feel he has made me feel more confortable in stating my beliefs whereas before i would sometimes be slow to share how i felt on a certain situation in fear of offending someone else. overall, this class has been a great experience and i enjoyed it very much. Plus mr. severe was helpful in any way he could be of service to make us better writers and people in general. the ideas and topics this course is built on gives you much more insight and understanding to differences people have.

English 106

English 106 has been a good experience. Although this class proved to be much more difficult than I had anticipated by forcing me to spend a significant amount of time on the papers and reading, I have learned a great deal about gender, writing, and reading. Also, the discussion portion of this class, although out of my comfort zone, was interesting.

Before starting classes this semester I talked to my brother and sister about the level of difficulty of the classes I would be taking. Both of them, along with their friends agreed that Bio 121 and Chem 115 were the most difficult, while english and lab modules were a breeze. To my surprize, I ended up spending as much time in English as any other class, and have a very good chance of getting a B. Although sometimes I am upset about my grade in this class and kind of wish that I had tried to find a less difficult teacher(Nothing against you), I am very pleased with the amount of learning that I have done. Even though I may get a B I have learned a lot.

My writing and reading skills have gotten much better over the course of this semester. I have never been forced to really put thought into what I was writing or reading; normally producing a document got me an A. This pressure forced me to think about how to approach writing and reading. I learned that clear expression and fluid transitions were much more important than using large words and lengthy sentences. The latter method only makes writing sound pretentious. Also, I learned how to read for great detail. The quizzes for LOTF were the most difficult quizzes I have ever taken. Never have I been forced to read for such great detail, which forced me to read on another level. Although my quiz scored were horrible I became a more effective reader.

Although my grade in this class has put a lot of pressure on me, it is necessary to cause a deeper level of learning. If I had a 98 percent all semester, I would have learned half as much as I did. Mr. Severe's methods of teaching, although causing me a lot of stress, were effective in their purpose.

ENGL 106 Evaluation

This class was definitely not what I expected it to be. After we were assigned our first reading and I read it, I was asking myself, “What the heck is this class?” I still really do not like that story, but now I understand what the meaning behind of it was. I really think this class opened my mind up to thinking deeper about certain situations and evaluating people’s responses and actions more. When I am watching TV I find myself seeing the topics that we have discussed, such as homosocial bond, memetic desire, mob violence, scapegoats, heternormative, assimilation, and emasculation. Our discussions in class were very interesting and fun to me. It was hard to put those thoughts down on paper though. I never really figured out how to go about that. This class was very challenging and required a lot of time, more so than I thought it would. This was unfortunate for me though. I want to be a nurse, but I have other classes that go more towards my major that I had to develop my time to. I liked taking this class, I just wish it would have not been as challenging so I could have done better in it while still being able to do well in my other classes. Even though English does not apply to every major. I think it is important to be able to write well, speak well, and to expand your horizons about what is going on in the world around you. There are a lot of kids that come from small towns that are not aware of all the stereotypes and discrimination in our country today. I do feel that my writing skills have improved and my expectations were met.

106

I have to admit that I was intimidated on the first day of class. It seemed to me that college English was something I would not be able to handle. That first story we read about the incestuous boy really made it hit that I wasn't in high school anymore. As the semester went on, though, I really got into the discussions. I was used to a teacher just picking some random theme or symbol from a text that had nothing to do with anything and focusing on that. I always thought that was pointless, and it was. The great thing about this semester is that we search for meaning in the text that exemplifies the behavior of people we see on a daily basis. That makes it seem worthwhile reading the book and, for me, much easier to discuss in class. I also appreciated going over some of the basic grammar rules. It did seem somewhat juvenile at times, but the fact that we struggled with some of the concepts shows that we needed it. Its hard to remember things we learned six years ago or so. Many teachers would just leave it alone and then penalize heavily for mistakes on papers. Its nice that we got a chance to improve our grammar and increase our chances of doing well on papers. It really sucks when you write a good paper, then get all of your points stricken by dumb little mistakes.

Our English 106 Class

Overall I have really learned a lot from this class. Not only have I learned how to be a better writer, but I have learned that I do not mind writing. I have always considered myself more of a math and science person. Now, I think that I was shaped this way because of past experiences. In high school I was challenged more in my chemistry and calculus classes than I ever was in my literature classes. I was never really taught a lot in English, and therefore did not feel completely comfortable with my writing. However, this class has done so much for me. I know I have become a much better writer, and I know this will benefit me throughout the rest of my college years. My views on both gender and society are much different now. As I am a very quiet person, it was very difficult for me to always participate in the class discussions; sometimes, the ideas we were talking about were so new to me that I did not even know where to begin. It was interesting and enlightening to hear the many different viewpoints of my classmates, and how they developed throughout the semester. It is funny because now, as I am with my boyfriend or other male friends, I notice things they do try and appear more masculine. However, I also notice men acting against the social norms. It is not uncommon at all for my dad and brothers to say “I love you,” to each other. I am also able to view different ethnic groups in society differently, and notice more of the hardships they must face on a daily basis. The blogs we wrote also helped me to get my ideas out on paper and it was interesting to see what classmates thought as well. However, I wish we would have had more of notice on some of the blogs. For example, on Tuesdays after English I have two more classes, a two hour lab that often runs late and a power hour. I found it difficult a few times to make it to a computer with enough time to send my blog by 10:00. My expectations for this class have been more than met. I came in on the first day thinking this class would be reflective of my high school English classes, however, I have learned so much more. I am very glad I had the opportunity to learn so much, and would recommend this class to any incoming freshmen that are willing to work hard.

Class Evaluation

On the very first day of school I was dreading going to this class and having to take it for an entire semester. I had always struggled with writing in high school and I knew this class was going to be very challenging for me. Even though I still do not enjoy writing this class definitely kept me interested and made writing a little easier. The subject matter of society, gender, and rhetoric was something that none of my previous classes had ever discussed before. Because of this I learned a great deal about the society that we live in and how viewpoints on certain topics differ between different races, religions, and backgrounds. I have gained much knowledge on areas that I was unfamiliar with and naïve about before. This class opened my eyes to many issues facing society and taught me to be more opened minded about the beliefs and view of everyone around me.
In addition, the class discussions that we had were great because they made the class interact together and I could hear the different opinions of my classmates and how they compared with my own beliefs. These class discussions made the class much more interesting for me because I knew I was going to learn something new every day.
As a writer I think I have improved in several ways. For starters, I am not as intimidated at the thought of having to write long papers as I used to be, and I know how to better create ideas and get them down on paper. Although I believe my writing has become more college acceptable I still know there are many aspects of writing that I need to work on. This class has also given me resources, like the Purdue online library and writing lab, which I can use in many different classes throughout my college career.
Overall I thought this class was much better than I had previously thought on that first day of school. I learned a great deal, not only about myself as a writer but also about the world that we live in. I would definitely recommend this class to any incoming freshman because even though it has been very challenging at times, in the long run students will learn so much that will help them in the future.

This past semester has been a very big experience for me. Not only was this my first semester in collage, but it was also the first time I was truly challenged in an English class. When I first walked into the classroom, I honestly thought that this was going to be a pushover class, on the account that every upperclassman informed me that it was easy. This thought quickly changed when our work load began. The work was not a whole lot, but what we did get really made me think. Not only did this class make me think about many things while doing my homework, but it also made me think about issues while watching movies and doing other trivial activities such as surfing the net. For example, when my roommate turned on Legally Blonde last week, I actually began to think about gender in society and how it related to some of the scenes in the movie. This is not the only way I have been effected by this class; I also believe I became a better writer. First and foremost, I definitely learned how to use citations properly. I remember my first paper got a low grade because of citation errors, but my second paper had no such problems. Because of this class, I have no doubt in my mind that I have been properly prepared to type collage level papers, although I probably have things that I still need to learn. I would definitely recommend this class to incoming freshmen on the account that it does not baby them, it prepares them for what is to come for their future semesters. The discussions were thought provoking and made me come to terms with some real life issues, such as how hard it is for some males to grow up, expected to act strong all the time to be considered a "true man." At times, it was hard to actually participate in conversations on the account that at times I felt like I did not know what to say, at all, but as stated earlier, these conversations really made me think about many topics. At times, I felt like I was being pushed too much into doing too much work in too little of a time slot, but as I said before, it was preparing us for what is to come. If we can not handle these freshmen classes, we might as well stop now, because it is only going to get harder from here on out. I say all freshmen should have to take a class like this, if only to prepare them for what collage will be like, or to maybe even teach them how to think about basic things in our society.

Sources

Throughout the semester we have utilized numerous sources that have been very helpful. These sources include the course packet, Purdue online library, and the writing lab. The course packet contained stories that dealt with various controversial issues. I learned a lot about different cultures, religions, beliefs, and how people can have very different viewpoints on similar topics. These stories really made me think about the society that we live and opened my eyes to many issues. Additionally, I not only enjoyed reading these stories but our class discussions about these controversial topics were also very interesting because you got to hear the views of your peers and give your opinion as well. The Purdue online library was very beneficial for finding books and articles when writing our papers for this class. For both papers the search engines, Jstor and the Academic Search Premiere, had a lot of great information that I could use. Knowing that these search engines were credible places was helpful because you knew you were getting accurate and solid information. Lastly, the online writing lab was very useful when I needed help with MLA format or just simple grammar questions. On many occasions I emailed the people at the writing lab with questions about my papers, and each time they responded with very helpful information. Even though there were many other sources that we used during this class I felt that these three were the most valuable to me. The knowledge that I gained from the course packet, in combination with the resources of the online library, and writing lab, are things that I will be able to make use of throughout my college career.

Sources

When I think about the sources that were given to us this year I think of the green book, the Internet, Purdue’s Internet library, handouts and our discussions in class. Each source was helpful in different times. The green book helped open up my mind to thinking deeper about things and what this class is really focused on. It was not always pleasant to read, but I learned a lot from using it. The Internet was very helpful when we were doing or argument paper. Since we needed up to date information the Internet was an easy way to find such things. Purdue’s Internet library really came in handy on this last paper. Using scholarly journals was new to me and gave me a different outlook on writing a paper. The handouts of grammar and irregular verbs really refreshed my memory and made my papers sound and look better. Our discussions in class were probably my favorite thing. It is interesting to hear people’s opinion on different topics. Also talking about the subjects made it easier to understand what the class is about and helped me get a new perspective on things. I tried to use all of the sources to my benefit and to get everything out of them that I could. It was not always easy though. I am used to just using books or the Internet as sources to write either and opinion paper or a research paper. So it was difficult when I had to come up with the basis of the paper and only be able to use selective material. However, for what we were doing in the class is was important to know about these sources and to be able to use them.

stuff

The sources that we used throughout the course of the semester ranged from very helpful to unhelpful. I really didn't think the text was very useful just because it did not really give much insight past people hating another group of people. The strories conveyed good messages, it was just that it was all basically the same, and that is being you need to repsect people for who they are. The movies and tv shows we watched were extrmemly helpful because i am more a visual person and it was also entertaining at the same time. IT was nice to be able to watch simpsons and get useful academic information out of it as well. I would have to say my favorite was when mr. severe did the presentation on purdue's library sources and having him force us to research different things. this was especially useful and i must admit if he never showed us this method of research, i probably would not have even used these valuable resources. The only one i did not really care for was Jstore just because it was a bit confusing to me and it didnt really deliver much information that i felt i could use. I am also very glad that we were shown exactly how to use the library search engine, this helped me a ton for the two papers we wrote which required textual references. Overall, i was really pleased witht he resources available to us in the class.

English 106 Sources

I have to admit that most of the stories or documentaries we read in the “Big Green Book” were extremely hard to read. It was not the way stories were written, or the content, they were just extremely long at times and boring. But, I am glad that we read them. I would have to admit I’m a sheltered girl and I feel as though I have experienced so much more about the world just by reading these stories. I liked being more aware of how each race feels living in America and also about the gender conflicts, especially the story of the Navajo tribe. The story “To Be Poor and Transgender,” opened my eyes to a world I had never even heard of. Mr. Severe said in class that he has about this since he was younger living in Miami, and through this story I realized that I was sheltered and that the world is a lot different than I thought. Reading the stories on mob-violence was extremely beneficial to be because I remembered our conversations in class and I applied it to my Lord of the Flies paper. After reading all these stories I am starting to analyze everything now! It is crazy but I notice more and more in movies, especially the Grey’s episode we had to write about, it was full of so much we have been learning about! All the stories fit into our curriculum in class this semester. Some stories took extra thinking to understand the points they were trying to make, but most seemed clear and to the point. All the readings and class discussions have helped me think outside of the box and to analyze events even closer. The next time one of my friends is having an issue with two boys that like her, I will explain to her that she is involved in an erotic triangle!

Sources

The sources that helped me the most were the writing lab and Purdue online library. Both of these greatly helped with my writing through both easily finding research and composing my paper correctly. The writing lab and online library proved to be very beneficial in writing for this class.

The writing lab was very helpful in both helping me organize my paper and write my paper. At times I had difficulty with expressing what I wanted to say in the correct fashion. A visit to the help lab helped me see more clearly exactly what outline would express the idea I wanted to get across most clearly. Also, after creating the structure for the paper I often had trouble with details of my writing. It has always been difficult for me to see clear ways of writing introductions and conclusions and how to connect my ideas with transitions. The writing lab helped me with this by giving suggestions for improvement.

The Purdue online library was very beneficial in my research for papers this semester. The variety of search engines and subjects within this site were extremely helpful in research. The great volumes and topics covered in this site were impressive and contained a great deal of advanced information covering biology to literature. Also, this site greatly decreased the amount of time needed to do the research. Instead of spending hours in the library reading through volumes of text in order to get a couple of key points I can retrieve only the portions of the text that I need. This is very helpful in research.

The two sources that helped me this semester were the writing lab and the online library. These were greatly helpful in every aspect of writing my papers from planning to actually composing. The writing lab and online library are very helpful.

Useful Sources

Throughout this semester I have grown a lot as a writer. But I attribute my growth to many of the resources that this class has introduced me to. To begin with, I'd like to say that the green book was a great tool used not just for the enhancement of my writing but for the understanding of different people and cultures. The rhetoric used to represent different aspects of the book, I felt, changed the way I write. Furthermore, the different examples and handouts given in class showed me the right way to write. I felt a lot more confident writing and using the proper format when I had an example. The english guidelines packet also aided me greatly. Throughout most of my high school career, I never thought about why the english language is the way it is. I never totally grasped all the rules and even today I still have a lot to learn. However, I believe I have grown by leaps and bounds because of these exercies. Also, the verb tense practice was also extremely useful in my learning process because verb tenses are more of those things that I never had the chance to learn in high school or in my younger years. The OWL website was also very useful while writing papers. Many times, I'd be unsure of the proper format of something and I'd find myself searching the OWL website and finding the information that I needed. I really enjoyed this class and learned a lot from it. I will definately miss it when I take something far less interesting next semester.

Sources

Of the many sources in the green binder, I found some helpful and some less so. It seemed like there were two basic types of articles; some gave statistics and facts, while others told stories. The latter I found more helpful for the purpose of this class. Statistics can portray the way things are, but when the articles gave personal stories it helped to make the situations feel more real. It gave me a feel for for people in different cultures and situations. In a class where we discuss tolerance and differences, I found that it is much more helpful to think about the subjects of our discussions in terms of people instead of just facts and figures. Many of us are used to the way things are at home, and have never experienced different cultures. I doubt that there is anyone in our class who has not learned a great deal from at least a few of those personal accounts.
Another source I found highly useful was the MLA page on the OWL website. I do not think there was one paper written that I didn't have that page open in the background to help put everything in the proper format. I can never remember the proper way to do a works cited page, despite the number of times I've tried it. Usually I search online for a description of how to do it, but there are so many conflicting viewpoints. On the OWL page I know that the way presented is the way Purdue teachers will grade them, so it is a very reliable source for writing papers.

Class Resources

We have used a variety of resources throughout the semester in our English 106 class. Many of these sources I have found very helpful and will use them or the information learned with use of them throughout the rest of my Purdue education. The fist resource that I found extremely helpful in writing papers was the OWL website. I found myself referring to this site many times; I generally used it for MLA reference and when citing unusual sources. It was very useful as it provided many examples for me to refer to and imitate. This source was certainly essential to this class as it guided me in my papers. Next, I found the Purdue Library and webpage useful in search of books and articles for my papers. However, while the library was useful, and I was glad we spent some class time learning about the resources and what they have to offer, I still don’t feel completely confident in my ability to use all of these many resources the library has. Again, this source was important as I wrote papers for this class. I also used JSTOR quite often in my search for articles in my research papers. At first, I was intimidated by this journal archive; I had trouble finding what I wanted and got frustrated with it. However, in researching for my Lord of the Flies paper I was able to utilize this source more and learned what a useful tool it could be while researching. The course packet, however, was useful in a different sense. Through the information it provided on gender, equality, and such I was able to learn about different groups of people and perhaps how they may feel. It helped me form more scholarly opinions on many views. I was able to form these opinions as I became more informed and educated on different issues. It also helped me to think about society in a new light and view different people with a new perspective. This was likely the most important part of this class as we referred to it throughout, on many different issues. The topics we discussed in class originated from this book and were then continually developed. Overall, I think the sources we used in class were important and useful to not only this class, but in helping with other future class projects as well. All of the sources I have mentioned were necessary for me to successfully complete class assignments.

English Resources

Even though the green book was really thick and intimidating, it was very useful. The contents in this book were so useful, I learned so much about different cultures, and even differences between sexes. It also discussed the creations of our society and the common beliefs that are held by our society. It covers issues that are present in our society, transgenders, racial, homophobia, this are all issues found in our society. This book gives personal experiences and has helped open my mind to different things, and understand a little bit of their reasoning. This reading also made male behavior more understandable, and helped to slightly understand their reasoning for their behavior. I think this book was very important to the class, the class was greatly centered around this book. All the topics we discussed and all the ideas that were formed, originated from this book. Although, the readings were sometimes long, they were always interesting. This book helped to demonstrate all the ideas that were presented in class. Such as, the homosocial bonds, homophobia, and many more. This green book was very useful while writing our last paper in correlation to Lord of the Flies. A lot of the ideas that were found in Lord of the Flies, were found in the greenbook and helped me generate my ideas. The OWL website has also been very useful during this semester. There has been many times that I have resorted to it for information, or to clear something up. I used it often to check citations, that was the most useful. This website was very easy to understand, and I was able to quickly locate what I was looking for. I believe that all the resources were greatly useful in guiding the class.