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SeungYeonChoi
ProfessorLyndaHaas
Writing39C
25August2015
HowIHaveBecomeanEfficientCommunicator
Inallmannerofsocialdiscourse,effectivecommunicationrequiresproperrhetorical
choicestodelivercontentasintended(AGWR,5).Therefore,acquiringknowledgeofnewgenre
conventionsandmediumwouldgreatlyincreasethetoolsIcanusetoconveyideasmore
efficiently.ThroughoutthisWriting39CcoursebyUniversityofCaliforniaIrvineswriting
lecturerDr.LyndaHaas,Ihavelearnedtowriteinmanynewgenresandfurtherrealizedthata
writingprocessalsorequiresvarioushabitsofmind,namelycuriosity,openness,engagement,
creativity,persistence,responsibility,flexibility,andmetacognition.Ibelieveasuccessfulwriter
mustnotonlyhavetheaforementionedtoolstoengineerhowhecommunicateshisthoughts,
butalsobecapableinhishabitsofmindtoutilizethesetoolseffectively.Undersincerescrutiny,
however,Imustconfessthattheprogressinmywritingskillsandthehabitsofmindhave
experiencedmorevariantlevelsofsuccessthanIhoped.Ishallpracticeheremy
metacognition
oncemoretoexaminetheseprogressionsbyreviewingseveralofmyownworks,analyzingthe
evolutionofmywritingprocess,anddeterminingwhichhabitsofmindIhaveconquered,which
Ihavesuccumbedto,andwhichIhaveneglected.
ThefirstandmostobviousofmyprogressionsisthethreenewliterarygenresIhave
learnedtowrite:literaryreview,problemsolutionpaper,andsocialmediaadvocacy.While
writtenmediadonotstrictlyfollowspecificgenreconventions,utilizingappropriategenre

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conventionsgreatlyimprovesthepaperscomprehensibility,asreaderscanexpecttofind
specificcontentsorganizedinrecognizableformat(AWGR,3).Exceptforsocialmedia
advocacy,familiarizingmyselfwiththeseconventionsalsogreatlyexpandsmyaccesstothe
academicliteratureofthesegenres,asIcanbeginrecognizingconventionsduringmycritical
readingsessions.Eachnewgenremasteredthereforeincreasesmyoverallefficiencyinresearch
andcommunication.
ThisprogressionisbestrepresentedbythedraftsofmyHistoricalConversationsPaper,
thefirstofwhichrepresentsmostofmyshortcomings.Tobeginwith,observethesetwo
sentenceswhichintroducetwoliteratureregardingpigstimeperceptionabilities:Although
pigsdidnotexhibitsophisticationintheirtimeperception,researchersuncoveredcompelling
evidencesregardingpigscomprehensionoftimeFurthermore,pigshavealsodemonstrated
positiveandnegativeanticipationsthroughspecificcues(3).Aprimaryobjectiveofthe
HistoricalConversationsPaperishighlightingthehistoricalconnectionsbetweeneachofthe
sourcesmentioned.However,thisexcerptshowsthedraftfailingtoemphasizesuchconnections
andinsteadintroducingthesepapersasmereconcreteevidencesofthepigstimeperception.A
moremacroscaleobservationofeachsectionsconclusionsfurtherrevealsthedraftslackof
centralizedidea:Theseexperimentsclearlyindicatenotonlythepigsabilitytodiscriminate
objectsthroughvisualandolfactorycues,butalsotheirlongtermmemoryThroughthese
results,thepigsapparentlydemonstratetheirabilityanticipatedifferenteventsandtoexpress
thisanticipationanditsconsecutiveemotionsThisexcerptrepresentsthedraftsfeebleeffort
inconnectingvariousresearchfields,letaloneindividualresearcheswithinasinglefield.
Althougheachsectionarguesitsconnectiontopigscognitioninitsintroduction,noneofthese

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conclusionsreturntothesubjectofswinecognition,theultimateconclusionofthepaper.Asa
result,thepaperfragmentseachsectionintoseparatearguments,causingeachsectiontolackthe
forebodingoutlinethatgenreconventionsshouldbeproviding.Finally,amorerecurring
problemofthisdraftisitslackofspecificityandcrucialdetail.Becausealiteraryreviewhasa
centralconclusion,bolsteringtheconclusionwithappropriatecredibilityofcitedsourcesis
essentialtoestablishvalidity.Yetthedraftseldomintroducessuchethos:sourcedescriptionsare
sometimesasgeneralasseveralhistoricaldisagreementsoroneexperimentincluding110
piglets(56).Examplessuchasthesehighlightmyinitialwritingabilities,anditsoverall
absenceoforganizationalcomprehension.
ThisinitiallackoforganizationisfurtherrepresentedinmyresearcheffortsfortheHCP.
Uponexaminingmyresearchnotes(availableunderthisdocument),atotalof46distinctsources
andtheirsummariescanbeseen,mostofwhichdoesnotmakeanappearanceintheHCP.As
notedinmyinitialblogs,Ihaveattemptedtoresearchseveraldifferentfarmanimalsin
preparationfortheAdvocacyProjecttopicandfoundprofuselymoreresearchaboutpig
cognitionthanchickenandcowcognition.Thisimbalancecausedmyprofound
curiosity
inthe
animalitself,throughwhichIfoundhistoricalinformationsuchastheirdomesticationorigins.
Furthermore,myresearchendeavorshave
engaged
mydesiretobethorough,
persisting
arather
unnecessaryinvestmenttofindminutedetails.Whilethisresearchhoardinghasprovided
countlessintriguingcrediblecontentfortheessay,Ihadforegonemy
responsibilities
topublish
mydraftintimeforpeerreview,delayingsomeofmycolleagueschancetopartakeinthe
peerreviewprocess.Consideringthetollofthisendeavor,thisresearcheffortwasafailurein
efficiency.

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However,myessaysandtheirwritingprocesshassincesignificantlyimprovedaftereach
peerreviewsession.Frompeerreviewing,Imanagedtowitnessseveralofmycolleagues
approachestotheHCPgenre,andeventuallytheAdvocacyProjectandtheSocialMedia
Campaign.Thepeerreviewalsoprovidedvaluablefeedback,emphasizingobscurityof
sentencessuchasconsiderationsofbehaviorsasemotionalresponsesarenotalwaysagreed
upon(HCP,4).Byapproachingmycolleaguesandmyprofessorscommentswith
openness
,I
managedtoimplementcrucialchangestofixthefirstHCPdraftsproblemsonmyfinaldraft.
ThefinaldraftoftheHCPridstheaforementionedproblemsofthefirstdraft,reflecting
myimprovementsinunderstandingtheliteraryreviewsorganization.Significanthistorical
references,suchasthepersonalitysectionspioneering1970sanimalpersonalitystudiesby
StevensonHinde,havebeenincludedtoformthesectionshistoricalbasisandimproveeach
sourceshistoricalconnections.Thisparticularsectionalsoadditionallyconcludesthatthepigs
canconscientiouslymaintainapersonalidentity,establishingthesectionsconnectiontothe
centralidea:pigscognitionandconscientiousness.Furthermore,eachofthesectionssources
specificallymentionthatitiseitherfromSwedishAgriculturalUniversity,orfrom
NetherlandsInstituteforAnimalScienceandHealth(7).Bystatingthesourcesorigins,Ican
consolidatetheircredibilityandvalidatemyconclusionmuchmorestrongly.Changessimilarto
thissectionweremadewithineverysectionduringtherevisionprocess,successfullycreatinga
stronghistoricalreviewofliterature.ToviewthesechangesontheHCPfinaldraft,pleaseview
theHistoricalConversationsPapersectionorclick
here
.
OtherthantheHCPitself,Ihavealsobegunpreoutliningtomaximizetheefficiencyof
myresearchandwritingprocesses.Duringthispreoutlining,Ibegintheresearchwithvarious

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popularsources,includingencyclopedias,newsarticles,andsweepingblogs,topredeterminemy
thesisratherthanallowingmythesistonaturallyemergefromtheresearch.Whilethisdecision
canexposemetounwantedbias(andthereforerequiresmeticulousdiscretion),thepractice
simplifiestheoverallresearchprocessintoadecision.Formanytopics,exposingmyselffirstto
variousviewpointscaneasilyrevealeachargumentativestanceskeyrationales,andIcaneasily
formulatemythesisuponthebeststancepresentratherthanfindingtheansweralone.Inaddition
topredeterminingthethesis,preoutlinesalsopredeterminetheresearchparameters.Unlikethe
HCPsmindlesslypersistentresearch,mynewmethodorganizesthespecificclaimsIwishto
makebeforebeginningtheresearch,borrowingtheseclaimsfromtheaforementioned
preresearch,commonknowledge,orpersonalexperience.Bypreoutliningmyargument,Ican
determineexactlywhichclaimsrequirefurthersupportandsetanoverarchinggoaltomy
research.
Fromthisnewresearchmethod,myresearchandwritingprocessfortheAdvocacy
ProjectwasmuchmoreefficientthantheHCPsprocess.Thepreresearchoutline(provided
below)gatheredideasfrompopulararticlesandencyclopediaslikeasauthoritynutrition.comand
theinvitromeatwikipediapage.Althoughthesepagesdonotprovidenecessarycredentialsto
directlycitethem,thepointstheymakewereabletofocusmyresearchparameters,eliminating
themeanderingprocess.Comparingbetweentheoutlineandtheactualpaperalsorevealsthat
somepointspresentintheoutline,suchasmeatborneobesityandhypoxanthinemeataddiction,
wereomitted.Althoughtheywerevaluableportionsofmyargumentinitially,furtherresearch
provedthesepointstobeeitherfarfetchedfrommyoriginalpointorsimplyuntrue.
Hypoxanthine,anaddictivesubstancepresentwithinmeat,soonproveddifficulttointegratein

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boththeargumentforinvitromeataswellastheargumentagainstvegetarianism,asits
addictivepropertiesdonotnecessitateimpossibilityofvegetarianismandveganism.Ontheother
hand,aUniversityofNorthCarolinastudyrevealedthatobesitydevelopsfromanutritional
imbalanceduetocontemporaryincreaseinsnacksandotherenergydense,nutrientpoor
foodsratherthanspecificallyfromeatingmeat(Popkin,55).Despitetheseobstacles,the
transitionfromresearchtowritingprovedmuchsimpler,sinceIonlyneededtoomitthemfrom
myargumentratherthanmakingmassiverevisionsafterthedraftwascomplete.Becausethe
outlinehasalreadydealtwithsuchorganizationalproblems,myAdvocacyProjectalsodidnot
requiresignificantstructuralrevisionsunliketheHCPdraft.Overall,adoptingpreresearch
outliningprocesshasgreatlyincreasedtheefficiencyofmywritingandresearchskills,and
enablesmetoproducemorecomplexandresearchintensivearguments.
ThefinalprogressionIwishtohighlightismynewfoundappreciationfornontraditional
mediaandmultimodalappeals.Duringallofmypreviousacademicwriting,Ihavenever
consideredtherhetoricalappealsanontextualsourcecanprovide.TheSocialMediaCampaign,
however,changedthisperceptioncompletely.OrganizationssuchasPeopleforEthical
TreatmentofAnimalsandWorldWideFundforNaturehavebeenutilizingsocialmediaposts
suchasthesetosuccessfullyadvocatetheircausestothousands:

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Duringourowncampaign,mycolleaguesandIregularlyexerciseddivisionoflaborand
fragmentedcommunicationtimelines,andIassumedthegroupshomebasemanagementand
othertechnicalproductions.Asthewebsitesadministrator,Iwishedtomakethesamerhetorical
appealswhichsuccessfuladvocacygroupsmadeintheirownwebsites.Hence,myinspirations
forourhomebasedesignswereheavilyinspiredbysuccessfulorganizationsdesigns.For
comparisons,herearethefrontpagesfortheAmericanSocietyforPreventionofCrueltyto
Animalsandourgroupshomebase:

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Thesefrontpagesembodynumeroussimilaritiesintheirvisualschemes.Bothpagesfeature
imagesofvictimizedanimals,evokingapathosrhetoricalappeal.Bothpagesquicklyintroduce
pertinentinformation,eitherviaarticles(onASCPApage)orinfographics(ourpage).Finally,
bothpagesalsoquicklyprovidemeansofcontact,utilizinglogosofvarioussocialmedia.
Throughthesesimilarities,Iamabletodemonstratecomprehensionofmultimodalelements
rhetoricalappeals.
Bytheendofthesocialmediacampaign,ourgrouphasstudiedtendenciesofsuccessful
postsinbothourownadvocacyaswellasothergroupssuccessfulcampaigns.Asourgroups
videoanalysesexplainsbelow,wemanagedtoisolateextremeconciseness,empathyinduction,
andvisualdemonstrationsasthreemostpowerfulrhetoricalappealsofouradvocacy.Fromthis

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collaborativeconclusion,Isoonrecognizedthatmultimodalelementssuchasimagesandgraphs
areespeciallyeffectiveatexhibitingtheseappealsandcanbeutilizedappropriately.Sincethis
epiphany,Ihaveutilizedmultimodalelementstoenhancerhetoricalappeal.InmyAdvocacy
Project,Iintegratediagramsandgraphstoexhibitthethreeaforementionedappeals.Julieanna
HeversdiagramofFactoryFarmingsimpactsdrawlinestoconnectcomplexchainsofevents
thatwouldotherwiserequirelengthyexplanationsinplaintext(2).Similarly,thegraphof
variousmeatsenvironmentalcostsallowsconciseanddramaticcomparisons,addingapathos
appealelementtotheoverallargument.Inbothcases,multimodalelementsareusedtoprovide
informationdifficulttoportrayintext,bringingpurposeandsignificancetotheiruse.Becauseof
socialmediacampaignseyeopeningexperience,Iwasabletorecognizetheimportanceof
utilizingmultimodalelementsincontemporarywritingandgreatlyexpandmytoolsof
communication.
ThroughouttheWriting39Ccourseanditsmajorassignments,Ihavegreatlyimproved
myresearchandwritingprocesseswhilebroadeningmyinstrumentsofcommunication.These
improvementsbecomeclearasreaderschronologicallyexaminemyworks,reachingtheir
pinnaclebytheAdvocacyProjectsfinaldraft.IconfessthatIhavenotyetmasteredevery
aspectofthecrucialhabitsofmind:althoughIhavedemonstratedmanyofitselementsthrough
myotherworks,aspectssuchasflexibility

andcreativityhasremainedlargelyunmentioneduntil
thisverysentence.However,thisimperfectiondoesnottrumptheenormousprogressIhave
made.Writing39CcurriculumandProfessorHaasinstructionhavealreadytransformedmeinto
acapablecommunicatorandwriter,andtheimperfectionmerelydesignatesmyfuturegoalsfor
improvement.

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WorksCited
Eason,Kat.
TheAnteater'sGuidetoWritingandRhetoric
.Plymouth,MI:HaydenMcNeilPub.,
2010.Print.
Popkin,BarryM.,andPennyGordonLarsen."Thenutritiontransition:worldwideobesity
dynamicsandtheirdeterminants."
Internationaljournalofobesity
28(2004):S2S9.