My first language isn’t English I was surprised and happy to know that I wasn’t the only one. My classmates and I have a lot in common; We face the same struggles. The course materials also showed us that we weren’t alone, that’s where I got my inspiration throughout the course. Our collective struggle indicates that there is an undeniable problem in society. Therefore, I decided to write about the problems I see. 

The first learning target, “Examine how attitudes towards linguistic standards empower and oppress language users” was learned mainly through the class readings and the research paper in phase three. I really appreciate how the readings built up to a common theme that led to a deeper understanding of the experiences of speaking English as a second language. Even though the readings showed different experiences all of them had some sort of discrimination against accents or a form of standard English glorification. Therefore, I chose to write about that in my research essay in a related topic of accent discrimination and how that is closely tied to colonialism. I went back to the source to uncover the reason of the suffering almost all non-native English speakers faced. The expectations of abandoning their native tongue to fit in the new society is very narcissistic and abusive. 

The second learning target, “Explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations” was achieved during the second phase. I appreciated the option to choose a genre. I had an awkwardness about examining my own work since I’m used to analyzing other people’s work but assessing my own provided a new viewpoint for me. It forced me to examine my work critically and become more conscious of my audience. Unlike in the past, when I was more concerned with the message than with how I delivered it, I now recognize the value of acknowledging my audience. Even though I wrote the text, I was looking at it from the outside, recalling the key rhetorical tactics I employed. I wasn’t used to breaking down my texts or examining my strategies. Sometimes I wasn’t always aware that I was employing a strategy. 

The third target, “Develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing” was achieved throughout the phases and different forms. For example, in the first Phase, I wrote multiple drafts with peer review in between them. My peers’ advice was quite beneficial, and I am glad for it. They provided me with ideas that were a great addition to my work. My professor also provided me with detailed and constructive comments. I wrote things that I believed were clear but weren’t. Consequently, having someone review the work is critical to any writing process; I had to cross something out and add another to get a satisfactory level of progress. The procedure was a little different in phase three because I was drafting the essay in sections. Because it was a new experience, we took it slowly as a class, concentrating on absorbing new concepts and writing techniques such as synthesis. 

The sixth target, “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” was completed in phase 3 because the essay was research-based. The intriguing element was that I couldn’t find all the materials needed on Google. I’d never had an assignment like this before, so it’s valuable and memorable. For the first time, I heard terminology like “peer-reviewed article”, finding them was relatively easy with the help of the library’s database. This project taught me a lot, from the process of writing the research essay to new facts about the area of my interest. Synthesis was also a new concept for me, and I found it handy when linking evidence supporting my point while crediting sources. 

The seventh target, “Compose texts that integrate a stance with appropriate sources, using strategies such as summary, analysis, synthesis, and argumentation,” was reached during the third phase as I learned the fundamentals of writing a research paper, including the tricky distinction between paraphrasing and plagiarism. Synthesis is also used to link sources and create a flow of writing, as well as analysis to add my perspective, explanation, and knowledge of problems. I was able to create a research essay by combining all I had learned. 

In conclusion, it was a fun journey. It went by fast because I truly enjoyed it. I learned a lot from my peers and professor, their feedback shed light on the things I was lacking in my writing which made me improve as a writer.