Reflection on the Peer-to-Peer Cultural Op-Ed Writing Process
Writing the peer-to-peer cultural op-ed required both intellectual development and an open mind. I crafted a one-to-one analytical piece that included actual interviews with Ashley to bring the information to life. The central point of my argument demonstrates how dynamic cultural forces act on identity formation. Comparing Ashley's experiences with my own served to explain this message, showing commonalities and differences.
I repeatedly modified early drafts of my work to make them easier to understand and engaging for readers during the writing process. I significantly enhanced my analysis by using direct quotes from Ashley to increase its credibility. Integrating the secondary resources Lost in Translation by Hoffman and When I Was Puerto Rican by Santiago allowed me to make connections between language and identity formation and cultural protection efforts, thus strengthening my argument. The final draft of my project relied heavily on collaboration for its development. I worked with my partner to develop the structure of my analysis while learning how to better utilize sources. The most important feedback I received was that it strengthened my analysis of how Ashley's cultural history related to her personal identity, which I incorporated into the revised sections.
I evaluate my work positively because I wrote a detailed, reflective piece with valuable content. Working on this assignment forced me to resolve issues between maintaining personal insights and scholarly analysis. I began my draft with an overly summarized approach, which I improved through further analytical revisions.
Leveraging Ashley's bilingualism and language experiences allowed me to achieve the learning objective of the first course, demonstrating that linguistic diversity serves as a valuable resource. The second part focused on developing social elements in my writing CLO through peer assessment, which transformed my draft and helped me gain multiple points of view on my work. In other words, I developed my writing skills through this assignment, as it required me to analyze cultural identity along with critical thinking about identity formation and improve research and rewriting practices.