Expectations
This comprehensive assignment should be a minimum 500-word reflective description of your journey through Communications 101, elaborating on what you learned from the experience, and how coursework has impacted this learning. Reflective writing requires you to not only examine the concepts you learned in Communication 101, but it also requires that you bridge theory with practice–looking at your own coursework to support and describe what you’ve learned. Specifically, you will need to think about each completed assignment and consider the impact these experiences have had on your overall understanding of civic engagement, advocacy and argument.
Assignment Prompt
Using readings, course resources and materials, completed assignments, and grader feedback, in essay format, write about the following topics:
How did coursework completed contribute to your understanding of civic engagement, advocacy, and argument?
What do you believe will be the eventual impact of this course on your personal, professional, and/or educational goals?
Content to Consider
You’ll want to consider the following course concepts as you think about and draft your reflection:
Ethical communication practices
Overcoming communication apprehension
Formulating an argument; avoiding logical fallacies
Speech delivery
Crafting an argument structure: Claim, Evidence, Warrant
Organizing and outlining
Communication as constitutive, contextual and cultural
Speaking to/for an audience
Brainstorming and outlining
Utilizing rhetorical appeals and traditions
Effective language use including verbal and nonverbal delivery
Creating an aesthetic experience
How to Craft a Comprehensive Reflection and Analysis
A reflection and analysis is not a summary of course readings and completed assignments
A reflection and analysis is not a written stream-of-consciousness “mind dump.”
You are required to focus on course themes and concepts and integrate these with coursework experiences.
A reflection is meant to explore what you’ve learned in Communication 101, how you’ve learned it, and to what purpose this learning will eventually serve.
Relate specific course concepts to specific examples of work you’ve done: you must be specific as to how you’ve learned what you’ve learned within Communications 101.
Review course readings, supplemental resources, your own work and grader feedback to help you prepare for this assignment.
While a reflection is somewhat informal in nature (You may write using “I.”), your tone and language should be academic and professional. (See Style Guide for what this looks like.)
Your reflection needs to be organized and have a clear beginning, middle and end.
Your first paragraph should clearly state your purpose for writing and your thesis statement; this thesis statement is your overall take-away from the course and should be further extrapolated in the reflection and reiterated in the conclusion.
Requirements
Draft your reflection in 12-point Times New Roman (or Sans Serif) font, double-spaced pages.
Include a heading with your name, date, title assignment, and name of course.
Include an MLA-formatted header including your last/surname and page number (Smith 1).
Underline your thesis statement.
Length
The reflection MUST BE at least 500, but no more than 600 words, or the assignment will be returned without a grade.
Essential Elements Checklist: Comprehensive Reflection & Analysis
An MLA-formatted heading.
An MLA-formatted header with both last name and page number(s).
A clear beginning, middle and end and is at least 500-words in length but no more than 600 words.
A clear thesis statement within the first paragraph, and this statement is underlined.
Synthesizes core course concepts learned with course experiences.
Avoids summary and is analytical.
All helpful resources have been utilized:
Course readings
Course assignments
Grader feedback
Communicating Ethically Checklist
Using Presentation Aids: A Guide
Drafting and reciting the Best Speech: Tips and Tools
Last modified: Tuesday, October 4, 2022, 3:17 PM
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