Writing over the course of the semester

Expos has taught me a great deal about analytical writing through the papers I have written. I think I have definitely improved my writing skills greatly since the beginning of the course. I have learned to stay away from summary and instead use analysis to back up my claims. I have become better at choosing quotes that support my argument and structuring the paper so that the paragraphs build off of each other to eventually support a well explained thesis.  It has been interesting working with so many different texts and finding the connections between seemingly unrelated essays. I am very interested in my research paper topic so I enjoy researching and writing the paper. I think the most difficult part is figuring out how to contest counter claims in order to still support your overall claim. It can also be challenging to find the quotes that best support your paper and analyze them enough to show how they tie into your thesis. I think the most important part of any paper is to show why all of it matters and consider the broader implications of the issue at hand. At first I was not really sure what my paper would specifically be about. I knew I wanted to do something with animal welfare but wasn't positive what specifically I wanted to research. The two New Humanities Reader articles guided my way toward my topic. I am glad this course has improved my writing skills immensely and will help with my writing in the future.