Emily Gustafson Gustafson 1

TA ​​Boyle

ENG 170-34

May 5th 2022

Cover Letter 

Dear E-portfolio Reader,

Hello! My name is Emily Gustafson and I am currently a freshman at SUNY New Paltz. For my spring semester, I was given the opportunity to take English 170 with TA Boyle. This class taught me so much in regards to how to write formal research and rhetoric based papers. It also helped me expand on the skills that I already had developed. I really enjoyed this class because it helped me to strengthen my skills and rhetoric abilities, a skill that is also heavily utilized in public speaking. Learning what rhetoric is and how to apply it helped me learn how to formally get my thoughts coherently onto the page. 

Before entering this course, I was an avid writer, as it has always been something that came naturally to me. I came into this course loving every aspect of the writing process and I am now leaving it loving it even more. As mentioned briefly in my introductory, this class taught me the art of rhetoric and the proper way to apply it to my assignments. I was able to take this knowledge and apply it to my presentation for my Great Books Western course. Using the rhetorical skill logos, I was able to convince my audience through my presentation regarding Virgina Woolf’s Orlando that Orlando is not an accurate representation of transexuality. This course also helped me with the readings for this same class because it helped me to be able to pick out important themes in lengthy readings.

Throughout the semester, we were asked to complete twelve journal entries. For journal entry twelve, we were asked to write about any logical fallacy that has been used in the political sphere. For my entry, I chose to discuss how a hasty generalization made by Trump caused the storming of the Capitol building. I was able to accurately represent my statement by analyzing and applying the information that I found online regarding the situation. Another example of an assignment in which I had to apply critical thinking skills to actively find a solution was the Campus Space Project. For my campus space project, I chose to write about how there are not enough healthy options on campus. After conducting a survey, I came up with the idea to have a greenhouse on campus that serves as a farmers market where students can purchase fresh produce with their dining dollars. The critical thinking skills I used in completing these assignments will help me in the future because for these assignments I had to create a plan in order to go through with them.

This course taught me to not just take information at face value, but to investigate the credibility of each source given to ensure that the information I use for my paper is credible. One example of this is journal entry eleven, in which we were asked to examine a website and give our opinions on whether or not it was a credible source or not. When taking a look at the site, Mercola.com, you can see that at a glance it just looks like a news site. But as you dive deeper and are greeted with headlines such as “Woman Loses Ability to Walk After Getting Vaxxed”, you begin to see that it isn’t a credible source for information. This taught me to always investigate a source before using it to ensure it’s credible.

In completing this course, I learned that the writing process requires many drafts to be completed before your final product is done. I learned that my best papers weren’t the ones that I 

typed up in one sitting but were the ones that started off as a skeletal outline in the notes app of my Macbook. In drafting a skeletal outline of my paper then building off of that through continuous revising, I am able to truly take advantage of the whole writing process. In writing, I feel as though I am excellent at writing argumentative and research focused pieces because I am good at taking out direct quotes from my sources and manipulating them to fit the argument that I am representing. However, I notice that when writing I often make spelling and grammatical errors that could easily be avoided by simply reading my writing back. In completing this course, I feel as though I have more knowledge of how to approach formal writing situations. This course expanded my love for writing because it taught me how to formally get my thoughts and feelings in an academic setting. 

The way that we discussed social issues and relevant conflicts excited me because it is rare that us students are able to talk about our opinions regarding “hot seat” topics such as vaccines, religion, and climate change in a respectful manner. By discussing these topics in class, it gave us the opportunity to voice our own opinions without fear of being judged or facing backlash. In creating my Campus Space Project, I enjoyed getting opinions from other students because it helped me feel as though I’m not alone. The process in developing my space was difficult however because I had to consider where I would be able to accurately fit an entire greenhouse on campus. 

 In completing this course, I believe that we can save the world by using the power of the media to be vocal about the issues that need to be fixed. For example in the article “Hunger at the End of the Supply Chain”, Penelope Kyritis and Geneviene LeBaron bring awareness to the hunger crisis in third world countries that sparked from the pandemic. According to the article, it 

states “In Indonesia, a garment worker whose monthly income has dropped by 20 percent since the beginning of the pandemic begins her days with a devastating calculus: should she eat, or go hungry to avoid accumulating more debt?”(Kyritis). The pandemic cut wages that were already barely liveable in half for garment workers around the globe. This article does a great job at revealing an issue that is overlooked by major media companies. Another example of this sort of activism through the media is featured in the article titled ““Why I Have Hope for the Climate-Change Battles to Come”. In this article the author Al Gore states

“One of the lessons of my years as a young member of Congress was that although change can sometimes come from the top, most often the biggest changes start at the grassroots level. Political leaders will pay attention if the calls to action are loud and persistent”(Gore). 

The power for change isn’t in those who have the highest political power, but it is from those who are under the leader’s power. By speaking out and raising our voices on issues such as unlivable wages and climate change, we are able to make an impact and change the world.

In writing this letter and completing this course, I have completely seen myself grow and mature as a writer. I hope you enjoyed my portfolio and that you enjoy seeing my progression as a writer. Best regards!

Emily Gustafson

Works Cited

 

Gore, Al. Why I Have Hope for the Climate-Change Battles to Come. TIME USA, https://bbnewpaltz.sln.suny.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-3787500-dt-content-rid-17684060_2/courses/spring22_ENG170_34/why%20I%20have%20hope.pdf. 

Kyritsis, Penelope, and Genevieve LeBaron. “Hunger at the End of the Supply Chain.” Dissent, University of Pennsylvania Press, https://bbnewpaltz.sln.suny.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-3787820-dt-content-rid-17684461_2/courses/spring22_ENG170_34/hungerattheendofthesupplychain.pdf.