Honestly, I was not excited to have to take another English class before I took this course. I truly was dreading it. I thought I had learned everything I needed to know to be able to successfully write at a college level since I had taken courses like AP English Literature, AP English Language and Composition, and IB English throughout high school. I thought this course would be the same as any of those courses: we are given a restricted prompt for research papers and rhetorical analyses that have a rigid rubric. I was so wrong, and I am so glad I was. This class has opened up my mind to so many new possibilities in writing and how to evaluate sources as it allowed me to engage with topics that were actually relevant to my future field of study: criminal law. 

     Project One had many benefits as it was an investigative field study that allowed me to learn how to search for credible sources on the FSU Online Library. It also allowed me to thoroughly research for job positions in criminal law that I think would fit me best: juvenile or adult criminal defense law. Without this experience, I would be lost on what search engines to use for any future papers I have to write in any class, and I would not be so sure of the career path that I want to follow. It also taught me the skill of interviewing professionals within my field, and how to incorporate first-hand primary sources with scholarly secondary sources to make an argument, which I had never had to do before. Conducting a project such as this one sets me up for success in any future investigative field studies I will have to do when I enter my major, which will hopefully be criminal justice. 

     Although I had completed many papers similar to Project 2 before, this rhetorical analysis was different as it taught me how to closely analyze artifacts that are relevant in my field. I looked at both a book and a professional interview on how the criminal justice system treats minorities unfairly and compared and contrasted the effectiveness of their rhetorical choices in conveying their arguments. Even though I hate rhetorical analyses with a passion, this project opened up my point of view to see how engaging with these field-specific artifacts will be beneficial to my future career as a criminal defense lawyer. 

     The final project, Project 3, was honestly the most challenging for me to compose. The multigenre persuasive campaign took a lot of creativity as I had to think deeply about how to engage different audiences in different ways. Although this was frustrating at the time, now looking back I see the great benefits that it had for me. As a trial litigation lawyer, one has to constantly be thinking of how to cater an argument to a jury and judge to make them understand a point of view, and this isn’t always so clear cut. They really have to design their argument in a way so their audience will see and understand their point of view, which is what the goal of completing this diverse campaign and subsequent rhetorical rationale was. Completing this project has taught me great lessons for my future career. 

     Overall, although I initially thought this course was going to be pointless for me, Mat and the course content proved me wrong. ENC 2135 is a highly beneficial course for all college freshmen to take, as it encourages them to research and analyze their potential fields of study in unique ways that will allow them to see what is the best fit for them. It definitely did that for me.