My 1st blog: Where am I?

Hello, my dear visitors! I am glad you found your way here. My name is Cuiwen Zhou, a first-year freshman at University of California, Irvine. I am from Los Angeles, California. This site will be a place to track my progress as I proceed through Writing 39A. I hope you enjoy reading my posts and we all improve to be better writers together!

What I did learn from my previous English course?

Writing 39A will be my first college writing course. My previous English class before this course is high-school English. Its focus was English Language and Composition, which we examine World-wide literature, different genres, poem compositions, etc. Namely, one thing I learned from it was the structure of writing. I recall that we practice constructing our unique writing frames for different types of essays, such as, argumentative essays, narrative essays, and so on; it is the first step to help us on establishing a writing style that is unique to each of us. Another valuable thing from my last English class was having the chance to expose ourselves to different types of literature. For instance, reading a Shakespeare play is totally different from reading a modern novel.

Where am I as a writer and a communicator?

As a learner in writing, I am still at the foot of the mountain. Particularly, I have a huge room for improvement in terms of conveying my ideas concisely and accurately. Sometimes, I can be too wordy and repeat the same message again and again. Not only that, but I should also expand my vocabulary by doing more readings. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, so do I. I am more skilled at organizing the overall structure and polishing sentences. This must be thankful to my high-school English teachers, who encourage us to practice lots of peer reviews and create our essay frames.

How was the report for the Language and Grammar Diagnostic quiz?

From the first assignment of Writing 39A, the Language and Grammar Diagnostic quiz, I was surprised by the result. My grammar foundation actually turns out to be better than I expected. Therefore, I think I should focus more on improving the "language" aspect. One specific lesson I learned from the quiz was that the name of a TV series should be italicized. I made the mistake of using quotation marks on TV series up until this point, and I am so thankful for the lesson.

Last but not least, what is Writing 39A?

Writing 39A is the first class of the lower-division college writing of the 39 series. Each class focuses on a specific question; the question for our class is: How do Disney films contribute to the construction of society's values and norms about gender roles? Have these values changed over time? Throughout the course, we will develop the "habits of mind" through various activities, such as exploratory writing, podcasting, constructing a website portfolio, and so on. At the end of the course, we will be well-developed in habits of reading and writing, understand the importance of reflections and peer review, and practice communication in different means (in writing, speaking, etc.) In consideration of a more effective and engaging learning environment, Dr. Haas decides to grade the course through a grade contract. By meeting the 7 requirements listed under the grade contract and completing all the assignments on time, a grade of B (84%) is guaranteed. Failure to accomplish these items will result in a grade lower than 84%. To obtain a higher than 84%, we will be expected to demonstrate distinguished excellence on assignments and complete extra credit assignments.