Self-Assessment Essay

Introduction
Thinking back about this semester, ENGL 21003 has really reoriented the way I look at writing especially with respect to scientific writing and the use of language and dialects. Over the course of writing different assignments to the final pieces on the portfolio, I have been able to appreciate the extent of linguistic variation as resources, strategize on writing purposes for different categories of audience, and improve my analytical capabilities. The concept of writing that is perceived as an essential part of communication has been developed to encompass a strong sense of advocacy and storytelling due to such assignments as “The Immortal Theft: The Life Taken for Science,” “The Compromise in New York’s Clean Energy Transition,” and my research proposal paper on CRISPR-based therapies for β-thalassemia. This writing demonstrates the way in which various course learning objectives have been met by me in the capacity of a writer as well as how I have grown using my portfolio as evidence. However, I must also acknowledge that I procrastinated on this self-reflection, which led to missing the original deadline. Similarly, while working on my research presentation slides and video, I was nearing the deadline and struggled with creativity, which impacted my ability to align fully with the outline and prompt, as noted by my professor.

Rhetorical Sensibility Development Seeked Through Language Differences Reflection
In the beginning, the only time I thought of language differences was the regional accents or dialects. But through our discussions and projects in this course, I began to see such differences as means of enhancing the content of the writing. In “The Immortal Theft: The Life Taken for Science,” I included emotionally charged statements, as well as rhetorical questions to capture the reader’s attention, while explaining some of the medically unethical practices that Henrietta Lacks went through. For example, I wrote, “Henrietta will never know the anguish of her family as she dies,” which tied the scientific context to a deeply personal and emotional narrative. More importantly, by giving references to academic literature and emotive stories, I illustrated that there is a way to connect scientific concepts with the audience’s emotions, thus achieving the objective of developing rhetorical sensibility.

In “The Compromise in New York’s Clean Energy Transition,” by contrast, I needed to maintain a more unemotional way of writing to explain the intricacies of renewable energy incorporations. Here, I used a combination of facts and pure linguistics when writing so as to make sure that the readers were able to understand the technical analyses, such as cost impacts associated with renewable energy penetration, without feeling overwhelmed. For instance, I used cost comparison data, such as stating, “34-48% renewable penetration costs $0.1183 per kWh,” to emphasize the technical and economic challenges of clean energy transitions. The dissimilarities of the two assignments also indicate the fact that I am flexible enough to modify linguistic strategies to different rhetorical situations and diverse audiences.

Enhancing Reading, Writing, Revising, Editing and Self-Evaluation Skills

This semester has proved fruitful for me as I was able to view the writing process as a circular activity and one of the examples which changed my perspective was Investigating the Quality of Approaches for Identifying Off-Target Effects of CRISPR-Based Therapies for Treating β-Thalassemia. If one is not familiar with CRISPR, the first draft is blurry and technical. For example, I was unable to illustrate the practical use cases of Digenome-seq in the beginning. However, feedback such as “explain what aspects of detection methods are strong and what are weak” guided me in drafting lines like “Digenome-seq’s unbiased nature enables comprehensive genome-wide detection in contrast to computational tools based on prediction model.” This was also important in meeting the course goals regarding writing and editing.

Managing One’s Writing Goals and the Audience’s Expectations

Every task in this course has made me think of what would be the requisites of a specific genre and the expectation of the audience. In contrast, while in my work “The Immortal Theft”, I wanted everyone to read and be moved, in the research proposal I made a case at a competent audience on genetic therapies. The relation of expectations was therefore that I was able to establish the correct writing goals for each of the papers viewed in relation to the target audience.

The Social Elements of Writing

The focus was also on the social aspect of the writing – having others involved in the review of my written work was important. Peer review was particularly useful for the essay “The Compromise in New York’s Clean Energy Transition” in that it identified for my attention areas where my arguments were weak, or at least ambiguous. In discussions with classmates on the necessity of including social justice into the technical analysis, it was very useful for the dimension of the argument and its contribution to be expanded as well. Thus, as already pointed out, writing is social.

Participating in genre analysis and using multiple modes to form an argument

Setting the research proposal of this paper “The Immortal Theft”, was also another genre in which I gained expertise, so as to be effective in writing in various areas. This sort of composing was envisioned when I incorporated visuals in the form of cost comparison graphs in the essay ”The Compromise in New York’s Clean Energy Transition”. These elements enhanced the arguments while targeting the various audiences.

Enhancing Source Use Skills

I feel that through the semester I was able to demonstrate the ability to select and use sources in my writing as well as integrate citations when the source is used within the text. My research proposal and “The Immortal Theft” in comparison to the works mentioned tend to show that this will more smoothly together with my thesis. In the latter, for example, in order to deal with the issues related to HeLa cells, I referred to Skloot’s book *The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks*, and in the case of my research proposal I utilized the studies conducted by Kim et al. (2015) for the proof of concept: “Digenome-seq is, indeed, a method for off-target detection.” Changes In Understanding Writing Earlier in the semester, I had this notion that writing is merely a technique that one learns in order to achieve a goal, such as passing an exam. But I have changed my mind, and now consider it to be. from a sequence of operations that result into a great deal of creation and processes of analytical thinking where one is said to be debating with others, the ‘audience’ in this case. Assignments like “The Immortal Theft” made me view writing as a means of effecting social change while my research proposal in its own way illustrated an aspect to the further advancement of science. This type of a change indicates that the multidimensionality of a written work is being valued even more.

Conclusion

To be specific, I wish to say that I have very much shifted my course of development as a science writer during the course of this semester. Getting to the parameters of the course such as developing rhetorical sensibility, polishing up the writing processes and interaction with other genres have also stimulated me to improve in some technical and creative ways. Of course, I will also be working on broadening my toolkit, and that includes public relations communication lowering the barriers for the general audience. Still, I do know that with practice I will be ready for the next set of writing tasks with purpose. My portfolio illustrates not only this progress but also how the act of writing itself is an act of seeing and changing.

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