Matthew Bakkestuen Concord, NC, 28027 December 4, 2013 Professor Christine Germain

University of North Carolina Charlotte Charlotte, NC, 28223 Dear Ms. Germain: My name is Matthew Bakkestuen and I attended your English 1102.027 Writing and Inquiry in Academic Context II class fall of 2013. I am writing this letter as my final reflection about the class. I am studying Computer Engineering and will be the first to admit that I am not a strong writer. This letter will focus on how I have engaged with the work of this course, any projects that I enjoyed over another, and how I will be able to use aspects of this course in my major. I will start off with explaining how I have been engaged with the work of this course. Throughout the semester, I have engaged in the coursework by using the inquiry process. I would first be asked a series of questions. I would then investigate the questions using the proper technique be in researching resources, studying or observing. Normally, I would research via the course textbook or find something online. I would then create my own ideas by writing a full paper, daily entry journal, short writing assignment, or another task assigned like a poem. Sometimes, I would then discuss the topic with a fellow classmate but this is a spot where I was found lacking. I should have taken advantage of my fellow peers. Using their knowledge, could have assisted me in creating a better finished product. During the fall semester, I was assigned multiple assignments that I enjoyed over others. I would like to start with the project of a paper Frankenstein. I am a hands on learner. This project involved taking our personal narrative and cutting each paragraph out from our essay and shuffling the paragraphs into one large pile. I was then tasked with finding my thesis out of the pile. This should have been an easy task but it was not. Once I found the thesis, I was tasked with building a whole new essay from the thesis out of the rest of the paragraphs. I found this project helpful due to the fact that it helped me understand that every paragraph in a paper should be its own entity that links back to the thesis. I do gain a lot from reading and writing but once I was able to actually sit down and rip apart my paper and build it piece by piece really opened my eyes to the idea that every paragraph can be its own separate story outside of the main paper. At this time my main focus and goal in life is to graduate from the University of North Carolina Charlotte with a Bachelors of Science in Computer Engineering. People may think that the ability to create or express an argument is a skill that a person with a degree in Computer Engineering would not need to have. Computer Engineers just code all day, right? I know this to be false and I am grateful for all that I have learned from this class. I will take much from this

class. I have worked in the technology field for a few years now and I have run into issues trying to get my point across. The skills that I have gained have already enabled me to better express myself not just in conversations but more importantly in forms of writing. I constantly have to explain items in written form and the skills Ive gained have assisted in my confidence and ability to better express myself. Thank you for your time and dedication to this course. Sincerely,

Matthew K Bakkestuen
Matthew Bakkestuen