Hello,
In regards to rhetoric and the history of rhetoric I learned that the question of “what is rhetoric” is very difficult to answer, or cannot be answered at all. That being said, I feel like I have a much, much, better understanding of what rhetoric is, and how to effectively use it to form an argument. Studying the past and historical writings greatly enhanced this as well.
For the exam, I learned that simply exposing myself to the material, and writing down as much as I can on the study guide is what works best for me. Similarly, I learned that one does not have to stress to much about being perfect when writing on a test. That the teacher knows you don’t have resources available, and that you are working off your brain. This is a bit of a stress reliever.
For the paper, I learned that I need to allow myself more time for final edits. I had the paper done in a timely manner, but went to the writing center the day before, and had things to fix that I just did not have time to do. Furthermore, I have realized that I have a ton of ideas, and sometimes when I write something, I am insecure that my audience knows what I am saying. Because of this, I over emphasis sometimes, and can be repetitive.
For the class, I think what is most helpful and effective are the class lectures. The readings are very dense, and when reading them before class I usually miss what is intended to be learned from them. However, after class I have a much better understanding of the material, and when I go back to the reading, I get much more out of it. So, bottom line, the lectures help me personally the most.
