1. Overview of semester:
Prof. Sloan's College Writing R4B course has helped me grow as a writer. By reading frequently, writing consistently, and revising my work iteratively, I have developed critical thinking skills that will help me more effectively tackle any future challenges.
2. Most interesting texts & suggestions: I really enjoyed The Wired article on CRISPR and genetic editing. I also thought The New York Times Magazine by Manjoo was great. I do think more could be added about digital privacy, data scandals, and Big-Tech. I think the following two articles would be great additions:
3. Advice & thoughts on the class: This class gives students the opportunity to become better writers while exploring a personal interest/passion. Honestly, if it were not for this class, I would not have become so interested in data science and analytics. In fact, I think I would not have applied to some internships I hope to get (fingers crossed) for the summer of 2020. On the other hand, students should be aware that this class involves a lot of work... For me it's been definitely worth it, but students should be aware that this class is much harder than other R1B sections. 4. Unrelated fun fact: There's a local Peruvian restaurant at Berkeley! The name of the place is Pucquio, and you can't go wrong with a ceviche or a lomo saltado... or both!
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I've really enjoyed this section of the course. The initial discussions forums allowed me to familiarize myself with multiple subjects progressively. In doing so, the research forums empowered me to make an informed decision regarding where I wanted to direct my research. Looking back, without this first section of the project, I wouldn't have known where to start. While very work-intensive, it was ultimately worth it, as I explored my interests, re-learned proper researching, and strengthened my writing all in one.
Regarding the library exercises, they were vital to my research. By exploring the libraries, I familiarized myself with all of the resources UC Berkeley provides its students. Moreover, I found a lot of key sources I then used in my slide-deck, which I'm sure I'll also use in my final research paper. On a side note, I'm looking forward to conducting further research, as this research project has made me realize I had a passion for data science. In fact, I'm now considering joining the industry to try to address some of the problems I've identified in these past few weeks. The slide-deck helped me connect all of my sources and build a cohesive structure. Moreover, as an insecure public speaker (a skill I hope to improve), the presentation of the slide-deck also provided me with an experience to use as a confidence booster when facing future public speaking challenges. Finally, regarding the annotated bibliography, this section of the project helped me by making me identify the most relevant sources. Moreover, it also encouraged me to re-read the sources I had listed in the Library Exercise 1—6. In doing so, I found more useful evidence that'll serve me well when writing my research paper. While I'm sure there's still room for a lot of improvement, I believe that by writing so much, I've progressed as a writer. I'm now able to connect ideas cohesively, vary my sentence structure, and am careful with my word choice. One thing I need to improve is to avoid going off into opinionated tangents. While these are full of passion, I'm aware they can sometimes distract the reader from my main points and make my writing seem less grounded on actual research. I really enjoyed reading about the implication of technology on life and death. The cryonics article was mind-opening; while I don’t think cryonics is the future of the human race, I was surprised by the extent to which some people will go to avoid death.
When drafting this essay, I found reverse outlining incredibly useful. By committing myself to this process, I connected my ideas, and organized my thoughts, which ultimately allowed me to build from one point to the next. Also, the board exercises where very helpful as I identified holes in my own argument. Regarding which topic I'm going to explore next, I think I’m going to delve into technology and internet culture. I think it’s important to discuss and analyze how the internet has impacted dialogue and human relations. Perhaps I will explore my own cluster based on technology, hate-speech, freedom of speech, and censorship. When researching I will use the following key terms: trolling, cyber-bullying, freedom of speech, hate speech, censorship, community. My goal for the rest of this semester is to improve my communication skills in both written and oral form. |