Throughout my experience within the FIQWS People of New York Writing course, I’ve developed and honed in on writing skills that had fallen short of my standards beforehand. Entering my first semester of college was jarring, and what was more alarming were how terribly the quality of my literacy and writing had diminished over the summer prior. In enrolling into the course, I was expecting in-depth writing pieces on the history of New York residents and culture, yet instead, I was met with a plethora of self-reflection, awareness, and a deep dive into key societal components built within the city’s foundation. The assignments consisted of detailed literacy narratives, carefully curated profiles, argumentative essays, and finally, a self-assessment essay, in which I will discuss the development of myself as a writer through the various different pieces I’ve composed. Within the syllabus are the expected Course Learning Outcomes listed from one-to-eight, which are a collection of the necessary skills explored and addressed in creating students’ final pieces and portfolios. Out of them all, four authentically hold true to my journey as an aspiring writer within the People of New York city course. 

The first would be Course Learning Outcome [1]: “Examine how attitudes towards linguistic standards empower and oppress language users”. One of my strengths within composing my Language and Literacy Narrative was illustrating the inconspicuous discrimination against non-Native Spanish speakers in Latino/Hispanic communities within New York. The line between unity and oppression is consistently stepped over, and in reciting my experiences within the Dominican Republic and the United States, I was able to clearly convey how regional linguistic standards heavily reinforce societal prejudice. For example, in the Dominican Republic my accent did not demean my Dominican identity nor measure it in any capacity. Yet, in the United States my accent was held against me, serving as the ultimate determining factor for my identity as a Dominican. I’ve been able to encompass every aspect into one piece; The different attitudes towards linguistic standards, the oppression it creates within communities, and how it differs from area to area. Not only was I able to touch on all points of this learning outcome, but I was able to convey my thoughts and experiences in detail through vivid imagery. Through practicing the use of detailed figurative language and literary devices, I am able to now create a more immersive experience for my audience, almost as if my words are being brought to life.

Secondly would be Course Learning Outcome [2]: “Explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations”. The genres of all the pieces I’ve written are incredibly diverse, ranging from several contrasting formats and styles. For example, my Language and Literacy Narrative is written from a first-person point of view, and speaks to my own first-hand accounts of linguistic discrimination. Though, in my argumentative research essay, I wrote in a third-person point of view, using verified external sources and evidence to support my claims. These two assignments have stark differences; one requires extensive description of personal accounts and experiences, while the other requires a heavily evidence-based format that leaves little room for personal opinion throughout. Despite this, I was able to curate two very well-written pieces that conveyed the intended message through their individual approach. As well as this, I was able to develop my rhetoric skills and improve on persuading my intended audience. I now ask myself questions such as, “Does this piece convey the message I am aiming for?”, and, “What message would my audience take from this piece?”. Questions such as these allow for further evaluation of my work’s rhetoric and deconstruction of how exactly my main ideas are being conveyed. Through further improving on these abilities, I am able to more clearly express and explain my points, lessening any potential confusion or misunderstandings.

Thirdly would be Course Learning Outcome [3]: “Develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing. Develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing”. Prior to this course, I did not truly understand the importance of the drafting and revision process in producing a written piece. No matter the genre, a piece must undergo further evaluation beyond the initial writing and reading process. Drafting allows for clarification, corrections, and overall, drives focus on aspects of one’s writing that often go overlooked. For example, sentence conciseness is a component of writing a piece that is often forgotten. I’ve had a habit of developing sentences with converging ideas, or sentences that run on for too long. Mistakes such as these often decrease the clarity of my work, and can often misconstrue my intended ideas. Through the process of drafting, I, as well as anyone else who is revising my work, can spot where a sentence should be cut into two or should be shortened for understanding. I now understand that a piece should be read by multiple people multiple times in order to expand upon ideas or even narrow ideas down for clarification. Overall, the process and skill of drafting and revising allows for mistakes while also allowing for future correction of them.

The final Course Learning Outcome that resonates most with me would be [6] “Locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias”. In my senior year of high school I had taken a college-level research class, which delved into the world of databases, reliable sources, and proper citation. Utilizing citations and the City College database within the People of New York course solidified those pre-existing skills and further developed them into a natural habit when developing any essay. I am comfortable with using MLA citations within my essay, and I am able to properly cite my sources within my paragraphs. Additionally, I am more familiar with different databases and how I can access them through the Cohen Library. Identifying reliable sources has become second nature, as I no longer utilize simple search engines such as Google for academic authors and sources. Accessing databases has provided me with much more precise information that can better support any specific claims or theses in future essays. I’ve improved on integrating this information as evidence in relation to my arguments as well through paraphrasing, direct quotes, and incorporating my own personal analysis.

Though, I haven’t improved upon every skill, and a few Course Learning Outcomes have been more difficult to execute than others. The first would be Course Learning Outcome [7]: “Compose texts that integrate a stance with appropriate sources, using strategies such as summary, analysis, synthesis, and argumentation”. I found that when developing my research essay, I struggled with presenting my ideas and evidence as argumentative rather than informative. When rereading my synthesis and my evidence analysis, I found it to reinforce my sources’ ideas rather than incorporate mine in order to persuade my audience. The entire purpose of writing an argumentative essay is futile if my argument isn’t evident enough for my audience to understand. To improve on this skill, I plan to further practice connecting my analysis of outside sources with my own personal thoughts and ideas in order to prevent my writing from sounding like repetition of what my sources have already stated. 

The second Course Learning outcome I had a difficult time with would be [4]: “Recognize and practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations”. Incorporating rhetoric into my own writing was simple, but recognizing rhetoric within other authors’ writing proved to be much harder. For example, regarding the poet Langston Hughes, I had difficulty with pinpointing the exact argument or message within his pieces. I felt that I had to research who he was as an author, the time period he wrote in, and even decipher what certain phrases meant in order to understand his message entirely. I felt as though it were impossible to understand his intended audience and message solely through reading his pieces. To improve upon this skill, I aim to practice recognizing rhetoric terms and techniques in general. I find that I’ve naturally included rhetoric and literary techniques within my writings to convey my intended message, and as a result, I’ve failed to understand the unique techniques that other authors may use to illustrate their ideas.

As I look ahead to the future, I plan to integrate all the skills that I have developed within FIWQS People of New York upon into upcoming writing pieces and classes. I recognize how essential all the Course Learning Outcomes are in regards to any genre or style of writing. Whether it was revising a draft, locating credible sources, or experimenting within different genres, the course assignments challenged me to not only venture outside the box, but to expand the limits of my writing capability. Although I have yet to master them all, I am incredibly grateful for the skills I have strengthened throughout the coursework, and I aim to utilize them beyond just a college setting. I now feel capable of any literacy task that is asked upon me, and I have developed a strong sense of pride in my ability to write with not only voice, but with a clear purpose.