Reading and Writing Goals

My reading goal for this semester is to pay more attention to the persuasive tools people use in their writing. A lot of times, I think I read an article that persuades me to think or do a certain thing without analyzing why it had that effect on me. I think the ability to be persuasive is a very important quality that will help me to be more successful. I also hope to be able to better identify ethos, pathos, and logos as I read.

One of my writing goals is to be better at considering counter arguments and incorporating them into my writing. That became especially important in writing my research paper. Because I had not yet chosen a stance, I had to study both sides of the issue in order to decide what argument I would make. I was able to present and refute arguments from the opposing side to strengthen my argument.

Another one of my writing goals is to write about things I'm passionate about in a way that inspires contemplation in the reader. It's not often that one person's words cause another to think differently, but if we are careful about it, those who are open-minded may have a change of perspective.

I hope I can make the most of my time in this class and learn a lot!