Sustainability of Data Rights

Going into this composition class I didn’t know what to expect. I just assumed I’d

be assigned four or five essays over random assignments, but instead, I was tasked with not only selecting a real-world research topic I am passionate about but also coming up with a way to fix the problem I researched. This class also succeeded in putting me out of my writing comfort zone in more ways than one. Firstly, up until this point I had had very little experience writing in the first person in a professional setting to the point that it still feels weird to write like this. Moreso, I had never been tasked with such a comprehensive project akin to the scale of this one, i.e. multiple essays (some researched and some personal), a dedicated eportfolio synthesizing all portions of the project, and even just the sheer amount of research required to properly complete this project. This experience of writing out of my comfort zone was one that came unwelcomed but, upon looking back at it, made me a better writer in the long run. This class has aided me in conducting and presenting research in a professional setting, taught me how to create an academic eportfolio website, and allowed me to research a topic I’m passionate about on a scale that would be unjustifiable had it not been for a class.  

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Before this class, I had experience in a formal debate environment and in

presenting researched positions to a group, but these groups were all also similarly researched, so expectations of these presentations were exceedingly different to those of this class. I was not very well versed, and, admittedly, continue to struggle, with the practice of conveying somewhat complicated topics to a less informed reader. I encountered this problem constantly throughout my project simply because of how complex the core issues I discussed were. So, in that sense, I feel as though my writing has undergone a great improvement. Another thing I appreciated about this class was how it gave me a continued outlet for formulating an informed and researched argument. In high school, I participated in my school’s Model United Nations and Youth in Government Clubs, so I grew to enjoy intensive research and it felt weird to not be working on something similar for my first month here. Once the project started it gave me a sense of familiarity and I especially enjoyed the idea of delving into a topic relevant to my major in a class I didn’t expect to give me that opportunity.

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Furthermore, from the standpoint of someone who's favorite subject has never

and probably never will be English, I appreciated the idea of allowing us to choose a topic for ourselves rather than assigning us with one. This ensured that I would enjoy the research section of this project and could gain relevant/interesting information on a topic I legitimately think is important. My interest in my topic only grew as the project went on simply because as I gained a better understanding of the topic I became more intrigued with its intricacies. Also, allowing us to choose a topic for ourselves allowed us to have the luxury of prior knowledge. It was so nice to be working on research and to not have to start completely from scratch and have to build a basic understanding before moving into the technicalities and specificities of my selected issue. While having that luxury was nice, it also played into my aforementioned problem of finding it difficult, or sometimes outright forgetting, to explain more base-level concepts for readers who may not have a similar background in computer software structures or information technology. An additional benefit to having this topic be semi-based on my course of study is the fact that I can now list this eportfolio as a relevant project on my LinkedIn and Handshake profiles to give them more depth. It also shows that I have the necessary experience to display researched and written information in a presentable and easily-digestible format, which is a useful skill in the professional world.

 

Arguably, the most important skill I gained from my time in this class wasn’t the

improvements to my writing at all, but the improvements to my research technique. The specifications of the Problem/Solution Essay required only a small amount of sources to be news sources. This specification proved to make my research process much lengthier and more selective, especially because a large portion of the essay was discussing an event that took place less than two years ago. This challenged me to search for more examples of not only the problem I was researching but also possible solutions. Overall this limiting factor enhanced the quality and substance of my final draft and it prompted me to think about how I could analyze my sources more efficiently and holistically in the future to ensure the same level of quality in all my writings. Another weakness of my writing style that reared its head this semester was a problem regarding repetition. This semester I wrote more essays and pages for this one class than I had in any semester of my academic career thus far, and due to the raw volume of words, I have been required to write I have seen myself fall into reusing more than a few common sentence structures. “Both this and that,” “not only this but that,” and “ if not this then that” are some basic examples. These habits are dying hard and I’m still trying to shake them — as shown by my use of them in this very paper — but I’m trying to use this realization as a chance to improve my writing and flow in a significant way. This semester in this composition class has completely transformed the way I write, research, and present my academic projects and I will be using the lessons taught to me for years to come.