Glimpse of My Next Semester

Engl 165-09 Fall '24

As the spring semester gets closer, I feel both excited and nervous. I’m nervous because I have gotten to know the people in my current classes, and it feels comfortable. Starting over with a new group of classmates makes me anxious because I’ll have to go through the process of getting used to new faces. But at the same time, I’m excited because I’ll have the chance to meet new people and make new friends which is something I enjoy.

I’m also happy that my registration process went well. I was able to sign up for all the classes I wanted. The only problem was that I didn’t get into a class required for my major at first, but I filled out a waitlist form and luckily, they were able to put me in the class. I’m really thankful to my advisor for helping me with that. One challenge I might face this semester is adjusting to my new schedule. I’m also worried about how much work my new classes will have, especially if they turn out to be hard.

For spring break, I’m really excited because I plan to visit my aunt in California. Just thinking about it makes me happy!! California has always been a place I have wanted to visit, and I’m looking forward to the experience. Even though my relatives in Richmond offered for me to stay with them while my mom goes back to Kenya, I really want to stick to my plan of going to California. I’m not sure yet what I’ll do once I’m there, but I hope it will be a fun and exciting trip.

This summer, I plan to intern at Virginia Housing again, where I have interned since my sophomore year of high school. I’m excited to return because the people there feel like family. I’ll also continue my part-time job as a caregiver for the elderly, which has been the best job I’ve had so far. I’ve learned that once you get to know them, elderly people can be really funny and sweet. Lastly, I’m planning to go skydiving with a friend, which I’m really looking forward to. I’m excited for the spring semester to start, but I can’t wait for the school year to end so I can enjoy these fun plans.

 
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Blog Post 8

Engl 165-09 Fall '24

In the book Freshman Year Sarah communicated about her registration for the next semester. She totally forgot about it and then ended up having to go to her advisor. Although I was not late on my registration I had many problems with signing up for classes. As an elementary education major classes go very fast as many individuals here at longwood are in the same major. I ended up having to reach out to my advisor about what classes I should take to still get the degree I want in the timely manner. After talking with my advisor I finally got a few more classes I needed. 

Sarah also mentioned studying for finals. Although finals still feel so far away they really aren’t in the long run. I have started to prepare slowly for my finals, so I’m not so packed the week before studying even though I still will be. 

 As I signed up for next semester classes I started to worry on how well I will do with some of my classes. I am having to take political science which is not a strong spot in my studies as I don’t have much past experience. This class will be a challenge for me as I am already thinking about how much I will need to actually sit down and study. 

I have not really thought that much about spring break as I have other breaks on my mind right now. The closer spring break gets the more I will look forward to it. My parents are both higher up in their jobs, so we don’t normally do anything for spring break. Although as a family we don’t do much, my friends and I have thought about possibly taking a few day trip somewhere. If that plan does not work out I would like to possibly work at my job right now or even start to sub at schools close by. 

Talking about breaks, summer is one that is always on my mind. Summer break is one of my favorite times throughout the year. As of right now my plan for the summer is to work and travel as much as possible. After realizing how much money I spend here at school I need to make sure I pick up shifts over the summer. Although I’ll be spending most of my time at work I do plan to do fun things as well. I already have two trips planned. One of going on a family beach trip and another a friend beach trip that will also include going to a concert to see one of my favorite artists. 

 
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Blog 8: What Does the Next Semester Look Like for You?

Engl 165-09 Fall '24, Freshman

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We have now completed Freshman Year by Sarah Mai. Unlike you, she has completed her first full semester while you are quickly approaching completion of your first semester. As you look forward to spring semester, how do you see your experiences possibly lining up with Sarah’s? What challenges do you think you’ll face in the upcoming semester? Will spring break be on your radar from day one? Do you already have plans for spring break? Do you have plans for your summer already: traveling, working, internship, vegging?

Think through how you think your upcoming semester will reflect of differ from Sarah’s.

 
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Blog post 7

Engl 165-09 Fall '24

In chapter 7 of academic reading, several elements of structure, language, and reference are discussed. 

The thesis statement, which forms the basis of the argument and needs to be precise and debatable, is one important structural component. 

The chapter also discusses many organizational patterns, such as chronological, thematic, or comparative structures. For language, a formal tone is necessary in humanities writing. 

For reference, citation of sources is essential. It also shows how the author can interact with one another. The most commonly used citations are MLA, CMS, and APA.

In the story at the end of the article, I first recognized the thesis. The author portrayed the thesis well and also made some observations and did the correct research to organize that. Reference is used consistently to cite the authors whose work was used in the second paragraph. “Idea of joyful love and marriage” is a significant use of language, with the author’s joyfully referring to love and marriage. 

 
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Post 7 Writing in Humanities

Engl 165-09 Fall '24

The important parts of reading and writing are structure, language, and reference. Within in these pieces there are also elements that shape them. Structures main element is an argument of a paper or something of the sort. Arguments are thesis driven so writers must build a strong one to write their paper on. To build a strong thesis writers must make observations that pose good questions. After that research takes place. What the thesis essentially does is say what the author wants to prove to you is correct after their questions and research. A thesis should be debatable, conversation, and have significance. The structure of many papers is built around the idea of a 5 paragraph essay which can be adjusted per the point and style of the paper.

Next is how the paper is worded. Language is another element of writing. Language’s subcategories are descriptive, rhetorical, and active writing. As well as hedging. Descriptive writing entails the authors individuality showing through the words and voice. Rhetorical writing includes using devices such as similies and metaphors to show an authors language. By using active voice an author is stating the subject of the sentence very upfront, whereas passive voice is the opposite of active. Hedging in writing is when authors will draw a sentence out so it doesn’t sound or look like a straight fact. It can be interpreted based on judgement of the reader as opposed to looking like an obvious fact.

Referencing in writing shows how one author can interact with another just by using their works. Proving things are facts will sometimes be needed, in doing so a citation must come with it. In the humanities, the most commonly used citations are MLA, CMS, and APA. This way authors can also prove where they stand with a point by possibly picking a source that aligns more so with their beliefs than that of which they are writing.

In the sample story at the end of the article the first thing that I notice is the thesis. The author framed the thesis well and obviously made some observations and did the research to organize that. Reference is used frequently to cite the authors whose works were used in particularly the second paragraph. “ideal of joyful love and marriage.”, is a great use of language with the descriptor joyful referring to the love and the marriage. “The authors setting for this science is crucial in the development of not only the plot but also her critique of marriage.”, is an example of hedging because it shows how this sentence could be examined but t is not the author trying to make it an end-all-be-all.

 

 
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Blog Post 7

Engl 165-09 Fall '24

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In Chapter 7 of AW, the common elements of structure, language, and reference in the humanities were discussed. The structure in the humanities is typically thesis driven. The thesis is usually built off of research questions. It follows a five paragraph essay structure. It starts with a thesis, likely to be found in the introduction paragraph. Then followed by body paragraphs that include evidence of the claim. At the end there is a conclusion that is a summary and includes key points of the writing. Titles are also an important part of the structure. The author of AW describes titles to be creative and artistic. Transition words are used to think back to the thesis and to back up the reasoning behind the claim. 

In the sample text, Ray starts with a Thesis statement and then goes into her body paragraphs that give supporting evidence from the text about the author’s view on marriage, specifically oppressive ones. At the end of her writing she has a conclusion paragraph that sums up the key points in the text that back up her claim. In between each of her paragraphs she uses transition statements and words that help her writing flow. For example she says “Chopin goes on to emphasize…”. 

Language in the humanities is “flowery” language. There is a lot of use of figurative language. Typically authors will write in an active voice to clearly state the subject. Hedging is used to show possibilities of exceptions in claims.

In the Rays’ writing, there are some examples of hedging. Especially when she is referencing the author’s claims. She says things like “seem to”. In the sample text, the author uses an active voice. We know this because she clearly states the subjects in her writing. 

Reference in the humanities often entails incorporating references of other’s work to show the relevance of the topic. Referencing articles can show the author’s standpoint on the topic. Citations are usually done in Modern Language Association, and Chicago Manual of Style.

On the works cited page of the sample paper, Ray’s citations are done in MLA format. She uses in text citations from the other authors’ work to back up what she explains about Kate Chopin’s writing. 



 
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AW 7

Academic Writing, Engl 165-09 Fall '24

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Chapter seven of AW focuses on how writing in the humanities is conceived. The structure of the writing style consists of a thesis, which is the introduction of the text. It shows a clear central idea of the text, which will be built off of it in the rest of the text. Beyond the thesis, the body paragraphs often start with a topic sentence telling the reader what information is within this paragraph. It is then finished with a transition sentence linking it to the following body paragraph. Language should avoid being passive and should use human emotion. These aspects contribute human-like elements, so your writing can come across as more expressive. The writing styles for the humanities include MLA and Chicago.

For the example essay given within chapter seven, I find the introduction to help explain the background and what beliefs and society were like when this essay was written; however, I feel the thesis is overly complicated for no explicit reason, using just the sentence “Chopin explores marriage as the oppression of one’s true self and desires.” would be a much easier thesis for the reader to grasp. The overall structure is well done with a clear hook at the beginning into the background of the time, finally building a thesis. The language used in this introduction is very on-point, engaging, and somewhat concise on the topic of the essay. Reference in the opening paragraph includes properly citing the text the author is using. They also include names of other famous writers writing around the same time.

The body paragraphs are the meat of this essay and contain evidence to support the author’s claims. This essay would be better represented under headers rather than just paragraphs but to the formatting. Many paragraphs often are written about the same section of text. The topic is introduced in one paragraph, and in the following, certain aspects of the text are explored for how they build the story’s meaning. Besides this structure issue, the rest of the formatting is fine. Each paragraph includes a topic sentence, followed by drawing meaning from the text and analyzing it, then is tied back to the thesis. The author often goes down the path of summarizing the text without linking it to their thesis. The language is the standard for this style of writing and has no major flaws. Quotes are abundant in this paper, and the author does them correctly by naming the story’s author once with the paragraph number, then only including the paragraph for the rest of their citations. 

In their concluding paragraph, the thesis is retouched, and key points of the text are used to provide final proof of the author’s claim. A final meaning is also drawn from the text, which wraps up the paper.



 

 

A Guide to Academic Writing: Chapter 7; Reading and Writing in the Humanities

Academic Writing, Engl 165-09 Fall '24

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One of the readings this week came from A Guide to Academic Writing. This chapter was about reading and writing in the humanities. Throughout the reading, I was able to learn the common elements of structure, language, and reference in the humanities and understand them on a deeper level. 

Regardless of the type of writing, structure is something which is extremely important. One of the main elements of structure for writing in the humanities comes from the argument. Arguments are structured to be thesis-driven; meaning that they make an interpretive claim about a text and then support the claim with specific evidence from the text and sometimes material from other sources that support their interpretation. This is different from writing in the social and natural sciences, as they are driven by a hypothesis that is requires testing and provides for a different kind of structure. In addition to this element of structure, writing in the humanities includes structure elements that include titles, paragraphs, and transitions. For instance, authors create titles that reflect the value of artistic and creative use of language. Additionally, paragraphs are connected through transitional words and phrases that guide readers through the parts of an argument and help them understand how one paragraph connects to the other.

When it comes to language in the humanities, one that is creative or playful is often used. For instance, an author might use figurative language and rhetorical devices. Overall authors choose precise and sometimes artistic language that not only conveys information, but also engages in rhetorical activity of its own. Additionally, writing in the humanities favors the use of the active voice instead of the passive voice. This is because the active voice clearly states the subject of the sentence, the agent, as the person or thing doing the action. Lastly, authors use the technique of hedging to allow for other interpretations of and perspectives on texts. 

References are used in the humanities to establish what the focus and stance of their own research will be. Furthermore, when work of other scholars is cited, the authors show how their research contributes to ongoing conversations about a subject. These references overall allow for strengthening of the argument and direct support of it because it is showing how another scholar had a similar idea. When citing this references, MLA or CMA format are usually used. 

Towards the end of this chapter, there is a student sample paper in which these elements of structure, language, and references can be exemplified. For instance, the student provides a thesis, that is clearly stated and provides a preview that allows the reader to understand how her paper will develop. Along with this, transitions are used between the student’s paragraphs, which organize her ideas and connect all of her different ideas. Additionally, the student uses the active voice, which allows her to clarify who is doing what in her sentences. Lastly, when the student cites her source, she uses MLA format.

 
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