ENGL 2089 

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What did the experience involve? 
The Intermediate Composition Honors course (ENGL 2089) is the honors version of the Intermediate Composition course here at UC. In this course, students are encouraged to reflect more deeply on the readings and topics discussed in class. Having said that, we covered some topics that were quite thought-provoking, including free will, the validity of scientific research, and the reliability of brain imaging. Through doing this, we also explored the different ways arguments were made, and how evidence and specific techniques were used for support. 

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What did I learn from the experience? 
I learned how to make an argument not just by making good points for said argument, but by also anticipating what someone with a different view point would debate and making counter arguments as I establish my position on a topic. I also learned more about how scientific findings are viewed or interpreted by an audience with less scientific background than professionals in scientific fields. I was concerned about how vulnerable that interpretation was to influence. 

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How has the experience impacted me? 
Considering what I learned about a general audience's perceptions and interpretations of scientific research, and how easily influenced those interpretations can be, I am now much more careful when I encounter scientific findings anywhere other than a scientific journal. I am also more aware of when and how my own interpretation of any findings is being influenced. 

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I have chosen my final reflection in this course to showcase. We were asked to make an argument for whether we believed in free will or not, considering all the information we came across during the course.