Preface: Writing Portfolio

Preface: College Writing Course Portfolio
Writing has never come easy for me. I am a "left brain", rational, logical, analytical, and objective. If you give me a formula and an equation to apply that formula, I will give you a rational answer to the problem. This is my comfort zone. No critical evaluation, no analysis, or interpretation.
Over the course of my professional and college career, I've come to the painful realization of how important effective written communication is. Organizing my thoughts efficiently on paper translates over into how well I organize my thoughts and communicate my ideas verbally with colleagues, family, friends, and people in my community.
In this portfolio are four written works that mark my progress as a writer over the course of this term. The first paper in the portfolio, " A Thought on Second Thoughts" is a rhetorical analysis. This work required my being able to accurately identify various types of rhetorical strategies used by writers to reach their target audience. Identifying the writer's rhetorical strategies was not difficult, however identifying the desired response that the writer was hoping to solicit from his/her audience was oftentimes my challenge.
The second work in my portfolio, "MySpace and Facebook: A Class Divided", is an argument response paper that deals with how socioeconomic factors influence our online behaviors. This project was interesting to research because of its relevance to our current tech savvy generation. The development of my argument against the position, though sufficient, could have been stronger with more relevant source materials.
The third written work in this portfolio, "A Nation In Need of Medical Attention" was one of my most favorite projects to work on as it is an issue that I feel strongly about. This project is a position paper that focuses on the nation's need for a universal healthcare system. Clearly stating my position on the subject was not a problem. The challenge arose when I had to refute opposing arguments. The opposing arguments were often times so strong, that from time to time I had to re-evaluate my stance on the subject.
The fourth and final written project included in my portfolio is a research project on violence in the media and its effect on social behavior, "Media in America: Reflection of Our Social Values/Promotion of Our Social Decline?". This is the writing project that I am most proud of. Not only did I further enhance my ability to effectively research a topic, but in doing so along with the pre-ancillary assignments, I was able to more efficiently organize my thoughts coherently into a written work.
Each writing project was a necessary step in building my written communication skills. With each written work I made progress towards becoming an efficient writer. I still have more to learn, but this portfolio is a strong foundation on which I can continue to build.