Individualized Error

My goals for paper three were to have a clear and concise argument, incorporate a counter argument, not just restate what the sources say, make my MLA style correct, and not be redundant. All of these goals were past errors that I have made or things that I felt I could do better. In order to make a clear and concise argument, I worked extensively on developing a strong argument. From there, I backed up my ideas with sources and was careful to not contradict myself. I really wanted to incorporate a counter argument in this paper. I read a chapter on it in They Say/I Say about developing a counterargument and I was inspired to try one on my own. I feel that it made my overall argument much stronger. It was very important to me to not just restate what the sources were saying. I want to have my own original ideas and just use the sources to guide me. I have struggled with just repeating their ideas and not coming up with something original. I addressed this issue by finding a common theme between the sources and developing my own thoughts. The sources were just there to make my claims stronger. In terms of MLA style, I reviewed specifics from The Little Seagull, asked advice from my peer review, and clarified when necessary. Finally, I have always struggled with repeating myself. To fix this problem I tried reading my paper out loud. It helped me discover what parts did not flow well. I also shared that goal with my peer review so that they look out for it too.

Counter Argument Example:

Some may argue that the inclusion of representative content only caters to students of color and neglects the needs of white students. In reality, every student can be impacted positively since the inclusion of representative topics allows every single student to have their history and heritage represented in the curriculum. The current model of the liberal arts is focused on the typical white student, but increasing representation does not center around one race. Representation should come from all races and backgrounds to ensure that every student feels included. The act of learning about other cultures and diverse topics allows students to become more accustomed to the world, while still actively engaging in their liberal arts skills. The liberal arts need to effectively teach to every student, and not just white students.  

Not Restating the Sources Example:

The liberal arts are a major component of education and should provide a quality experience to every student, no matter their race. Critical thinking, the introduction of new perspectives, challenging ideas, and more are all crucial aspects of a liberal arts education. Unfortunately, the way the liberal arts is now, does not allow those aspects to occur for every student. To provide the best experience for students, education needs to be representative of all backgrounds and be more inclusive, as discrimination can cause mental and physical harm down the road. Additionally, it needs to teach to students of every race and not just white students. The liberal arts cannot be beneficial unless it becomes inclusive and more representative of every single student.