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Richard A. Harvill Building, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

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When I signed up for this particular English 102 class, I had absolutely no idea that it was a “themed” class. I was expecting a generic, basic English class, similar to the one that I had taken last semester. So, when I learned that this class was a Borderlands and Latinx themed class, I was pretty surprised. I had never even heard of the term “Borderlands”, and I wasn’t sure how all of that was related to English and writing in general, but I decided to keep an open mind and see what this course had to offer. I am not from Arizona, and it never really crossed my mind that Tucson was a Borderlands region. Words like “land grant institution” and “gentrification” were relatively new to me, and in my Papelito #10, I explained how learning more about Tucson’s history, specifically the history of the University of Arizona, made me more aware of my privilege and the inequities behind Tucson’s past. I definitely appreciated being able to expand my knowledge of Tucson’s cultural significance and history, and I felt more connected to the community surrounding the university.

During the first few weeks of this class, I was introduced to a wide variety of new ideas and perspectives on the Borderlands. Before, I used to think that borders were simply just solid lines on a map, and that generally, the two sides being divided by a border are vastly different from each other. When we started off the course with the Borderlands Synthesis Essay, I learned that the border was clearly much more than just an invisible wall separating two places, and that it was more of an idea than a physical line. The Borderlands Synthesis Essay was definitely one of the most interesting synthesis essays I have written. At first, it was a bit difficult to take information on an issue (in this case, the migrant crisis at the US-Mexico border) that I could not personally relate to much, and use that information to support an argument. As I continued to work on the essay, however, I started to see the bigger picture, and I actually found myself relating in some ways to the stories I was analyzing. While I have never been in a situation where I had to risk my life for the opportunity to live a better life, I could empathize with the migrants, because there have certainly been times where I felt desperate enough to take a big risk in order to achieve a goal. In my Papelito #3, I discussed how I noticed many different perspectives in the sources that I analyzed for my essay. To me, the Borderlands Synthesis Essay involved a lot of comparing and contrasting between various perspectives, and I think that I have improved my critical thinking skills a lot because of this. When I write a paper that involves supporting a claim or argument, I tend to focus on only one viewpoint, but this assignment allowed me to open my mind and combine multiple perspectives to support my claim.

Our second project, the Digital Story, was much more challenging for me than the Synthesis Essay, not because the requirements were harder to fulfill, but simply because I didn’t manage my time well and I found myself rushing through everything. I have always struggled with procrastination, and I’ll admit it, I can be very lazy sometimes. On the first two parts of the Digital Story project, I waited until the last minute to start working, and I finished way after the deadlines that were set. I chose the StoryMap genre for my Digital Story, but in hindsight, the fotonovela format would have been a much more efficient genre for my story. Despite all the challenges I experienced, I managed to finish my final draft in time, and I was very satisfied with how it turned out. I have had a lot of experience with using technology and digital elements in my writing, as I mentioned in my Papelito #8. I feel that using technology makes my revision process a lot easier, and the Digital Story assignment allowed me to improve my revision skills significantly.

Overall, this course has provided me with countless opportunities to grow as a writer and as a learner. I can say with confidence that the challenges I faced, as well as the successes I experienced, have broadened my writing skills. I believe that any chance to improve is valuable, and what I appreciated most about this class was having the ability to think deeper about my work and how it reflects who I am as a person. As I move forward into the more research-based and analytical writing required for my biology degree, I am certain that I will keep everything I have learned throughout this course in mind. This course truly opened my mind, and made me more aware of my potential as a writer.

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Mens hands are typing on the laptop keyboard, close-up. an enters password. Closeup man arms carefully writing on laptop computer keyboard. Shooting in slow motion

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Mens hands are typing on the laptop keyboard, close-up. an enters password. Closeup man arms carefully writing on laptop computer keyboard. Shooting in slow motion

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Mens hands are typing on the laptop keyboard, close-up. an enters...

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Mens hands are typing on the laptop keyboard, close-up. an enters password. Closeup man arms carefully writing on laptop computer keyboard. Shooting in slow motion What's a royalty-free license? Royalty-free licenses let you pay once to use copyrighted images and video clips in personal and commercial projects on an ongoing basis without requiring additional payments each time you use that content.

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Borderlands ENGL Course Goal: Understanding Our Cultural Contexts as Writers at the University of Arizona

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Borderlands ENGL Course Goal: Understanding Our Cultural Contexts as Writers at the University of Arizona

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This artifact is a discussion post in which I introduced myself to my peers and discussed my thoughts on the use of land acknowledgement statements. I also described the various indigenous groups located near my hometown. In my discussion post, I stated that “I think that there are many advantages to having a land acknowledgement statement. By having one, you are creating a more inclusive environment for indigenous students, and you are also acknowledging the history of how the university was established, which can help promote positive connections between the university and local indigenous communities” (Gu 2023). This discussion post allowed me to think critically about the University of Arizona’s status as a land-grant institution in the Borderlands. I developed a greater understanding of the social and cultural significance of the Borderlands, by discussing my thoughts on important issues regarding the Borderlands. I believe that what I have learned about the Borderlands will influence my future writing, and I will incorporate my ability to analyze different perspectives on topics or issues into future assignments.

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Red Rock State Park, Red Rock Loop Road, Sedona, AZ

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This artifact is the Workshop and Revision Form for my Digital Story. In this document, I included the link to the final draft of my Digital Story, and I reflected on the work I completed for this project. I also discussed the revisions I made to my Digital Story, and why I felt those revisions were necessary. In my reflection paragraph, I wrote, “While completing this project, I experienced many successes and challenges. I found the brainstorming stage to be the most challenging, as there were many places I had in mind and it was hard to choose a specific place I wanted to focus on…The designing stage was fairly easy for me, and I thought that the StoryMap format allowed me to effectively tell my story” (Gu 2023). I practiced my ability to reflect on my work through this assignment, and I feel that it is easier for me to see how my successes have strengthened my writing, as well as how challenges have allowed me to improve as a writer.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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This artifact is the Workshop and Revision Form for my Borderlands Synthesis Essay. In this document, I have included the link to the final draft of my essay, and I have shared the details of my revision process, as well as the feedback I received during our peer review workshop. Through the peer review workshop, I gained a lot of useful suggestions that I later incorporated into my final draft. In my revision form, I wrote, “My peer workshop experience was very helpful for me, and I received a lot of useful feedback on my essay. I liked how I was able to compare my essay to other people’s essays, and I noticed a lot of effective strategies in their work that I will apply to my own. I also thought it was helpful that my peer reviewers pointed out specific quotes/sections that I could improve, rather than just making vague suggestions” (Gu 2023). The peer review process for this project allowed me to strengthen my revision skills and improve my writing process, and I know that I will use the revision tactics I learned from this assignment for future writing projects.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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This artifact is my Digital Story Cover Page. It includes a link to my digital story, as well as a thorough description of my digital story’s purpose, conventions, rhetorical strategies, and appeals methods. In this artifact, I discussed how I practiced genre conventions in my digital story, as well as the specific conventions I chose to match or break. The genre of my digital story is a StoryMap, and I adapted my project to fit most of the conventions of a StoryMap, while adding some more unconventional details. In my cover page, I wrote, “Some conventions of a StoryMap that I chose to model were written sections accompanying images and videos, and having one page that my reader can easily scroll through. One convention that I broke with this genre was the inclusion of my personal social media posts. I chose to include social media posts in order to make my digital story more relatable and appealing for my target audience of young adults” (Gu 2023). I further developed my ability to incorporate genre conventions into my writing through this assignment, and in the future, I will be more skilled at using/analyzing different conventions in my work.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Goal #2: Critical Thinking and Composing

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Goal #2: Critical Thinking and Composing

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This artifact is a discussion post about “More than an Address on a Map”, which is a chapter from Lydia Otero’s book In the Shadows of the Freeway. In this post, I discussed my thoughts after reading this piece, and I analyzed Otero’s thesis, as well as the images she used as evidence. I practiced research and critical thinking through this assignment by taking information from Otero’s piece and forming a claim/main idea. Based on the content and contextual details of this piece, I wrote “ I think that Otero's thesis is that gentrification directly harms communities, especially communities that are mostly people of color, instead of helping them. Throughout this chapter, she discusses the various consequences of gentrification projects near her childhood home, and she also emphasizes the impact that these projects had on her own family” (Gu 2023). By analyzing a literary text and developing a thesis for that text, I have strengthened my critical thinking skills, and I have also developed stronger analysis skills that will benefit my writing in the future.

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This artifact is my Borderlands Synthesis Essay. The purpose of this essay is to examine the rhetorical situations, devices, and appeals of three different literary works related to conflict in the Borderlands, in order to provide my audience with a more accurate perception of the Borderlands. I practiced analyzing rhetorical situations through this assignment by comparing and contrasting the genres, target audiences, purposes, and contexts of all three sources, and then connecting my observations to my main idea that life in the Borderlands is filled with hope and resilience despite internal and external conflicts. In my synthesis essay, I wrote, “We have examined life in the Borderlands through three different perspectives, and each perspective provides us with meaningful insight through the use of rhetorical devices and conventions. By comparing and contrasting these sources, we can understand the deep significance of conflict in the Borderlands, and how it has shaped the region into a land of hope amidst desperation” (Gu 2023). This quote demonstrates my successful use of rhetorical awareness in order to effectively support my claim. I believe that the progress I have made towards the course goal of rhetorical awareness will allow me to become a better analytical writer, and develop stronger comparison skills.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.