Good Experiences

I have learned many things about writing papers. I have learned a different way to write than what I learned before. Previously, I had learned how to write a basic, standard academic essay; however, I feel that I have learned how to write a more effectual paper from this class. Actually, I was confused at first because you wanted me to write in a different way than I learned before. Since then, I have come to understand that there are many ways to write papers, and each way works in a different way. Rhetorical strategists' methods are very useful for me. I learned about these before, but I couldn't adapt the concepts to my paper. I am still not perfect in rhetorical strategies, but I am getting better. Because of this class, I am more focused on how to use rhetorical strategies for a more clear presentation of my essay. I need more practice. Also, peer reviews and discussions are good for me. When I reflected on my classmates' opinions and thoughts, I realized people have different perspectives than my own. It made my views more comprehensive. Peer reviews helped me improve my papers a lot. They have different background knowledge, thoughts, and personal views, so it helped to create a balance. Everyone who read my papers influenced my revisions, so their opinions were very valuable. Obviously, my papers improved through peer review and revision.
It was a really good experience, and I am grateful for your instruction. Thank you.

Freedom!! (Mel Gibson yelling)

In a world of mandated general education requirements and a mixed up education system i would have to say that i still completely enjoyed this course. Much better to say than the math class I was currently in but that a different story. Sure i took the class because someone, somewhere high up, told me I had to do it, but i can say that i have actually gained a better joy in writing this short semester. Daniel you made the class interesting and i liked having more freedom as a write. I would say the only problem i had was that we didn't have enough time to really cover some of the topics and the papers. Of course this is from the shortened block semester, which really who planned that, and the "sickness", but i imagine it would have been much better if we had more time. Thanks for making me think and for leading an English class where i just don't do busy work and the standard essay.
-spencer luke

Rhetorical strategists

Before this class, whether I would argue a topic in person or through a paper in high school I would argue (literally). I wasn't able to present facts and figures to support the claims I was making. You helped us learn how to do so by giving us the tools we need to present a strong rhetorical argument by using pathos, ethos, logos, etc.. Now I feel like I can argue a point that I want to make without getting heated about it and using not so kind words. I have become a better writer through this class and am grateful for the things I learned.

Skills Learned

The most important thing I learned this summer is the use of rhetoric and the strong impact it has when making an argument or with any kind of writing. I used to write only thinking about what I thought and not how to appeal to others through my writing. It was my way or the high way so to speak, but then in while in this class I could tell that even with just some simple lessons on how visual rhetoric is used and other similar things my writing improved. I especially like the Visual Rhetorical Analysis. It changed the way I view ads. I now look at a commercial or advertisement and wonder why they added a certain element or think about their intended audience. Realizing everything they use is for a reason changes your perspective of advertisements.

I also learned to make sure I view other writing impartially until I am fully informed on a subject, because there are things that have no right answer and it is important to be informed and accept other people's opinions and ideas. You helped me to become more open minded about things in life. Overall my writing has definitely improved this summer and I plan to continue improving my skills.

Think rhetorically, Luke. Er, students.

Sometimes, I felt like you were Yoda (only a little taller). Not because you talk weird or anything, but just because I would hear words, but not fully understand what was said. That being said, the number one thing I learned this semester was how to think rhetorically, and even better what thinking rhetorically really denotes. I had heard many times that I just needed to "Think rhetorically, man", but every time I asked someone what that meant, no one had a clear answer. For me, it was a good thing we discussed rhetoric so much this semester, because it really cleared up a lot of confusion. The funny thing is that now when I hear news reports or hear discussions, it's hard not to try to dissect what's being said.

Learning to write with rhetoric is a skill I'll be using in the near future as well, since I'm actually going to be applying for a position with the UVU newspaper. It was hard at first for me. I had to get out of the mindset to not be confrontational, since stirring the pot is a good thing, right? I also learned to question things and to look at every side possible of a given issue. These skills will aid me in accomplishing many of my goals in life.

Say yes to Interesting!

I think being interesting is a very important thing. I didn't know how difficult it could be. Figuring out that being interesting doesn't always mean to describe everything to the last detail was a very good thing for me. I can expound on a very broad topic and still be interesting. It's amazing how being understood helps with being interesting. While writing my papers, the small details were sometimes forgotton and when I got a peer review that helped me realize being interesting is not the only thing that matters. If I want to be heard, I want a reason for people to listen.

Thanks Daniel for actually teaching us that writing can be fun and interesting. Even without explamation marks.

Wallowing in Complexity

"Why Can't Tiffany Write?" Why can't I write? My high school English classes surely did not prepare me for college. The biggest challenge I faced upon entering this classroom was that I had to take everything that I had been taught in high school, throw it in the trash, and start over. I feel that my understanding of real writing has expanded greatly this semester. The most important skill that I have learned is how to critically think and how to use that in my writing. Our in-class discussions proved most helpful in acquiring this skill. In high school, my teachers would ask me to write a ten page researched paper on American government. Was I interested in this? No. Was the paper intriguing? No. Did my paper cause anyone to think differently? No. The ability to "wallow in complexity" was never a requirement. I needed only to regurgitate information in a five paragraph essay to pass the class with flying colors. However, I have learned that what makes an excellent paper is that the writer must be interested in his/her topic, he/she must critically think about the topic at hand, and he/she must write in a rhetorical manner that will cause the reader to be intrigued and enlightened. This knowledge has allowed me to become a more effective writer, and a happier one too. No longer being a slave to the mundane and unchallenging process of "research and regurgitate" has allowed me to view the art of writing in a new light.

5 Paragraph Essay

The good old 5 paragraph essay.... yep, that was me before this class! I had never taken English before and the only time I learned English was in debate class (where you write conclusion and the start of your conclusion). I have learned so much from this class. I've learned how to be a better writer and how to put my thoughts on to paper. Things that helped me the most were free writes, class discussion, learning to research and using the writing lab (sadly I didn't go until my final paper). Thanks to everyone who was in the class this semester, you really made it enjoyable!

Thanks Daniel, I'm sure you'll be missed at UVU!

good things learned

I have a good experience being in this English 1010 class , because it was a really interesting and fun class to be in, because our professor Mr. Westover explain us really well what we need to do and what we need to learn. This class for me was an interesting, and not boring class like others classes. What I like about this class is the feedbacks that i receive from every paper that I did and how everyone can talk and express their opinion about anything that we were talking about during class. I also like how we have peer review days before turning in the real paper; because that helps me a lot in many ways, like to know where I need to work on, to know if my paper was interesting to read and also to know where I need make changes on my paper.
I really like the rhetorical paper that I did, because it helps me to understand and analyze better an ad, and also to see what the purpose of the ad were, and what techniques they used to convinced people.
By taking this English 1010 class during summer, I learn some things that I need to work on it more for my future English classes; also it helps me to write and analyze from a different point of view, and understand better people’s idea about different controversial topics.

How to Convince a Real Audience

Writing is not only something I do just to express myself, but I love doing it. Doing it the right way is the hardest part for me. I've learned that there is really not a right or wrong way of writing, but the hardest part for me is being able to get across what I'm trying to say with all the grammar errors I've had to overcome. This class was so fast paced it was hard to overcome at such a fast rate, but I am learning and that's something I've always had a huge desire for. The thing I loved about this class is really getting the tools of understanding how you convince your audience in a rhetorical manner. The way they don't want to stop reading, they want answers and they've opened themselves up to hear a different point of view. I've always been known to write when I have a lot on my mind and need to get it out. You don't always realize at the time that it's probably filled with some kind of emotion even though you're not intending it to ever be read by anyone. I've grown to appreciate writing and the importance in taking pride in how I feel and the quality of my work really makes a difference.

The Power of Words

The best thing that I have come to the realization during this course is how to be more analytical in your writings and see the hidden meaning behind the words. I certainly enjoyed the rhetorical anaylisis paper. I think I put a lot of thought to be as creative as I could. The other thing that I really benefited from this class is how to work with outside sources and implement them in my paper. It was as though I was having an argumentative discussion with the books' authors. The other aspect that was really helpful was how to come up with the subject or topics that I had to exlpore my personal interest on. I also think that it broaden my knowledge and my intellectuality was excercised as I researched on different topics for my paper. I have an increase knowledge on a variety of ethical, moral and legal matters that are facing the world today. I realized that something that can be legal doesn't necessarily mean that it's moral. And something that is moral, is not necessarily legal--which was the subject chosen for my research paper and the case for euthanasia. I honesly tried to take out as much as I could learn from this class and I'm glad I did. I feel I learned alot. Thank you.

Important to me

The most important thing I learned from this English class is to be confident in my writing and that everyone has different writing styles. English was usually one of my better subjects through high school, but when it came to writing, I could forget about it. I struggled with writing a lot through high school. I never felt confident in my papers and I was always embarrassed about my writing style. I never understood how to use the right tools to write a good paper. Daniel Westover has given me those tools and shown me how to use them correctly. Since he has done that, I now can write confidently and not be embarrassed about my writing style.
I now when I look at a magazine ad or read an article, I no longer just think about it and go on. Now I think about the different strategies of the artist or writer and who they wanted to effect most by their work.
This class has been very beneficial to me and I would recommend it to anyone. Especially if they are not confident about their writing and strategies. Learning how you can write to cater to an audience rather then just writing a report to get it out of the way has been a great experience for me. It has taught me a lot about my writing and how I form ideas and present them to people. This whole class has been very beneficial to me.

English in a Nutshell

The visual rhetorical analysis assignment gave me the opportunity to learn more about looking deeper into what you see and read. One’s first impression in not always what your end opinion will turn out to be. The ad assignment was my favorite part of the class and my least favorite was the peer reviews. I feel that judging the paper of someone else when you are trying to learn how to write yourself seems like “putting the cart before the horse”. Therefore, I feel that the peer reviews were of no service to me, while the writing lab was very beneficial and worthwhile in assisting to better my papers. The research paper was enjoyable for the reason that it made me look further into a subject that was of an interest to me. It opened me up to other views and made me merge my opinions or even change my opinion on the subject. Daniel Westover started the semester by stating that he respected his father for listening to others and being open to change. Being open to both side of an argument and balancing the research with my own ideas, that is was what the research paper help me to achieve. This class has helped me to see things that are not obvious and write with more purpose.

Hey mom! I can write! . . . I think.

Before this class I thought that I was able to write pretty well. I wasn’t terrible, but I definitely wasn’t as good at writing as I thought I was. I literally didn’t know what writing rhetorically even meant before taking this class. Now that I have taken this class I feel much more comfortable having others read what I have written and I don’t mind discussing what I could improve in a paper.

I think the most important thing I will take from this class is that I need to keep the reader in mind when I am writing a paper for a specific audience. It makes writing more fun when you try to imagine what something you have written will sound like to the reader. Most of what I have written previous to this class I had close to never even considered what my paper would be like for an audience. I guess I never really cared either way since the last English class I took a full term of was back in the 9^th grade.

Library

Please remember that we are meeting in the library today, room 207. See you there.