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Michaela Goodrich
Dr. Rios
ENC 1102
24 June 2014
ENC 1102 Reflection Letter
As I got off of the University of Central Floridas shuttle on the first day of Summer A
2014 term I was happy as can be! I walked towards my ENC 1102 class with the notion in my
mind that the semester was going to be a breeze and that I had a good handle on my writing- boy
was I wrong! This class challenged me in ways I never thought possible and I had to deal with
external factors that made it that much more difficult. Despite everything though, I truly enjoyed
the class.
My professor, Dr. Gabriela Rios, was constantly able to engage both the class and I in her
discussions which I applaud because it is not easy to do. Dr. Rios and her ENC 1102 class
introduced to me a different view of English composition and rhetoric. I had some previous
knowledge of rhetorical ecologies from my speech course I took last semester, but this was much
more in depth. I learned how the spaces we encounter can take different tolls on us as individuals
and also provide constraints. I believe this was my favorite topic introduced to me in this course
because I felt it caused me to think about writing and the world in general in a new perspective.
Finding a topic for my annotated bibliography proved to be highly difficult for me because I was
unfamiliar with how to use various databases to find scholarly research. Initially the topic was
medical malpractice, then longboarding, and eventfully I came to my final topic which was
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gender stereotypes and sports participation. Searching for my research and completing my
annotated bibliography was an entertaining experience because I learned a lot about my topic
that was previously unknown to me. I feel I improved a great deal since my first few assignments
in the class. Dr. Rios often commented on my work that I need to learn to integrate my
quotations more and to be clearer on my stance in an argument. I feel I have grown and
attempted to minimize these flaws in my writing and that is evident of my later works. I have
learned that it is best to not only use quotes from various sources, but to explain them in my own
words and provide their relevance to my topic makes my writing more credible.
My biggest regret in the class is not being able to manage my time more efficiently.
Typically I would have poured all of my time and focus into this course, but I had a few
members on my family fall ill during the time of my course and it was my responsibility to take
care of them. This often times put a strain on my school work as I hardly had time to sleep, but
despite this I still put my all into this course. I constantly worked to improve myself and to be a
vital member to the class. I would like to think I deserve an A, but in all actuality I deserve the
grade that Dr. Rios decides to give me and what she feels is a reflection of my work throughout
this class. I still attended class on a regular basis and still worked diligently, but I also know
though that I may have not put forth as much time as some of my peers have. I tried my best and
get what I deserve!
Lastly, Id just like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this course. It was entertaining and
never once did I get bored. Dr. Rios is an exceptional professor and I feel I truly learned a lot
from her. Thank you for a great semester!