Final Reflection

Hi everyone, this is the end of my journey in Writing 39A, and I sincerely enjoyed every part of it. On this blog, I will share my learning experience and also what strategies I obtained from the class.

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Transformative Learning Experiences

First, I have learned the importance of annotating and how it has helped me become a better reader and writer. Before getting into this class, I often neglect the annotation part and would always opt for the easier route, which is to skim through the readings and hope to retain the knowledge. However, things only stick around temporarily. Although it was a faster process, I did not find it effective. Through this class, I actually learned the meaning of annotating. For instance, I had to highlight excerpts from the readings and drew connections to them. This skill can also be applied to when I watch a film. As I paused and focused on the conversations, it was easy to analyze each character’s nature, and that was exciting to me. These extra steps were so helpful to my understanding of the information, and I will definitely utilize this skill in the future.

Second, I had the chance to immerse myself in a new topic: gender roles in Disney films. Usually when I hear the word Disney, I would think of the fairytales that made up my childhood. The films remained incredible sources of entertainment and happiness to any family. However, children do not analyze films, and they simply believe in the messages given to them. Through what I have learned during my time in this class, I became more curious about the construction of gender values in selected Disney animated films and their impact on society’s perception of the world. Particularly, the portrayal of Disney princesses has played a major role in constructing the ideals that women are expected to live up to, whether they are good or bad. I think the exposure to this knowledge has helped me understand that I do not have to adhere to all societal standards to be worthy. Instead, I should focus on the great lessons conveyed in later films, where princesses are independent and have a goal to work towards.

A Plan for the Future

One first challenge I faced while completing the workload of this course was writing issues. Typically, it can take up a whole day for me to draft the ideas and finish that writing assignment. I find this a problem because if I continue to proceed with this slow pace, I would not be able to balance the work from other classes. Looking back, I think the reason for this issue is because I was overly critical during my initial writing. As I have made it to the end of week 10, I now understand the importance of having a process when I am composing a sophisticated text; it was one of many course objectives that tie closely with my struggle. Therefore, I will try to improve my writing skills by creating an outline and just writing my thoughts out, then coming back and doing a revision on my work. Hopefully, with this method, I would be able to write more effectively and make the most out of my time in a day.

Next, I find myself having a hard time writing prose that is focused. Since I want my writings to be as detailed as possible, I often include contents that do not contribute much to the topic without realizing it. I think it is a problem because it will be harder for me to get the message across. Also, readers might find the texts lengthy and tedious. Therefore, it is good to start sharpening my ideas by doing a self-revision before finalizing my work. As for the future, I will try to work on a concise thesis sentence and stay on topic so that I can deliver my main message in a more compelling way.