Artifacts

Written Communication:

The learner will exchange ideas and information with others using written text in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience.

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This first artifact that I am presenting was completed in the American Literature I (ENG-231) course in the summer of 2018. I have always been interested in literature, but have never put much attention onto American authors, so I was happy to have a chance to do a more in-depth study on them. This paper was the first of two longer projects intended to stretch us in our abilities of interpretation and analysis.

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The piece of literature that I chose was Rappaccini's Daughter, a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. With the feminist critical theory as my basis, I developed a perspective on the titular character regarding the Angel/Demon dichotomy found in this literature criticism. From the basis of this contradiction the goal is to show how the leading or other female characters are represented as being either angelic or demonic. I chose the latter.

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In preparation, I found that there was quite a bit of work done regarding one, popular interpretation, so I was determined to build my own. I have never liked following in the footsteps of others, so this seemed a logical course of action. My expectation was that it would be difficult, but achievable. Sadly, the outcome did not agree. It turned out to be severely difficult as well as unobtainable. 

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To begin with a more positive note, I did accomplish the first smart goal I had set for myself. It was to focus my research on one, clearly-defined topic and to stay true to that central point without deviation. My mind can get quite chaotic at times with fragments of this and that floating around demanding attention. In this paper, I was able to stay on the focus of the purported "demonic" side of women. Multiple things that the titular character Beatrice said and did were analyzed to show this. I also used the blame given by other, male characters to show the opinion that Beatrice - and by extension, women in general - was evil.

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The second smart goal that I established was that I would stretch my writing prowess to grow myself through the method of a challenging topic. My aim was to prove that Rappaccini's Daughter showed an opinion that there is an innate, evil nature in women that ultimately leads to death. Retrospectively, it does sound a tad dramatic, though at the start I prided myself on clearing the way for a revolutionary study to impress the reader. However, as the time I spent crafting this paper wore on, I began to realize that I may have miss-shot. I persisted anyway, insisting to myself that it was not completely awful, and that it would be fine. I was wrong.

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My desire had been to see myself reach a new level of increased ability in research, organizing, and writing. Instead, the growth that did happen came through the reading of my professor's comments, my jaw clenched the entire way, and then forcing myself to admit he was right. There were gaps in my reasoning and even more flaws in my support. My high expectation was unmet, and my pride was more than a bit singed. 

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Failure is, in one word, frustrating. The shame of disappointment can be quite blinding. However, there is always a choice. We can choose to let ourselves be beaten down a mistake and lose any or all motivation, or we can transform that failure into something foundational. Through this paper I learned a new level of self-critique. Being able to assess our work critically and objectively is a valuable part of life. I also learned that there is more to find beyond. Hopefully you can see that this sets the standard for the rest of my ePortfolio. None of what is presented is perfect, but it does demonstrate growth in my work, and more importantly, in who I am.

 

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Oral Communication:

The learner will exchange ideas and information with others using the spoken word in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience.

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This artifact, entitled "Samaritan's Feet: Countdown to Zero," comes from a class I took this fall semester of 2018, Public Speaking (COM-231). It is an informative speech that is intended to enlighten the audience on a subject about which they may not know or of which they know little, with no persuasion. We selected three topics, and from that group our professor approved the final topic for the speech.

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I chose to speak on this organization as it has been existent for the majority of my life. I remember when the founders began it, and in more recent years, have had the privilege of serving with them consistently. It is this more familiar knowledge and belief in them that drives the speech; furthermore, the familiarity that I have had enabled me to present the speech with an extra layer of confidence.

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My first smart goal for this is that I would successfully accomplish "the voice" when speaking. "The voice" is the general reference to the major parts of speech patterns including volume, speaking rate, pronunciation, pitch, silence, and non-fluencies. In the speech, my volume is loud enough; my pitch does vary for levels of importance, and my pronunciation stays right. . .aside from one minor error: the butchering of my ten-dollar word, schistosomiasis. Naturally, I had no trouble saying it before presenting! When considering my speaking rate, I do feel that it could have been a bit slower, but not terribly so.

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Finally, regarding silences and non-fluencies, I was determined to avoid the latter at all costs. I am quite satisfied in that arena, as in a speech well over nine minutes, I only allowed one "um" to slip out. However, instead of more interjections of the sort, there were several, slightly-extended pauses in place. The general purpose for silences in "the voice" is based on emphasis, and while two of those were successfully included, the remaining ones that were spent on gathering my thoughts made it awkward.

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Moving on, the second smart goal I had for this artifact was that I would bring awareness to a lesser-known organization with a complete, detailed overview. While Samaritan's Feet is known in some circles, it is a giant hidden among the grass. There are Carolinian politicians and representatives, professional athletes, and other large-corporation owners who are involved in support and promotion. However, so many people on the street would think Samaritan's Feet a "Franklin Graham thing" due to the similarity of its name with Samaritan's Purse.

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For the promised "complete, detailed overview," the history of Samaritan's Feet is given, dating back to the moment in the founder's childhood that sparked its creation twenty years later, moving to the intermediate phase of initiation and growth, and finishing with its current impact. The two main reasons for the organization's work with shoes are presented, one of which is medically-based. The other is that without shoes, a child may not receive an education, which is a vital tool in breaking free from the cycle of poverty. Lastly, various involvement opportunities are given.

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It is impossible to go through life without interacting with other people. However, knowing how to interact is a valuable skill. The finer points of communication are going to be necessary when developing any sort of social or professional relationship. Obviously, there is still room for improvement. Honestly, my determination is to keep improving. I do not want the words I use to become a weapon through which I am able to injure those around me.

 

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Critical Thinking:

The learner will identify, interpret, analyze, or synthesize problems before developing and implementing solutions in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience.

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The next artifact is from the fall of 2017, at which point in time I took Introduction to Biology (BIO-110). I have never been a fan of the sciences; the problem rests in the creative side of my brain sometimes shouting louder than the logical side. Mathematics are another challenge for me, and as this class began with chemistry breakdowns followed by protein chains and included calculating DNA strand sequences, I found myself frequently perplexed.

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However, I was not going to allow myself to go through this class without understanding and accomplishing something. It may be simple to some, but for myself - it was an achievement of which I am satisfied. The lab report I am sharing is titled "Diffusion and Osmosis." Its laboratory assignment was broken down into three parts that were all connected back to the title. Each experiment focused on a different aspect of this concept, with one pinpointing diffusion, the second osmosis, and the third the effects on a physical organism.

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The first smart goal that I set for this Core Skill was growing in ability at following through a multi-step process involving mathematics and recorded information. Now, the mathematics may seem exaggerated, but plainly: numbers are hard. It took several re-starts before I was able to finish, as recording numbers without checking figures led to second-guessing and frustration. I also stuttered through the beginning due to the variables of the experiment. Haste meant that I did not properly measure the sucrose that was mixed into a solution with water. With accompanying grams of mass being weighed to the one-thousandth, it was vital that these solutions be accurate. I had to remind myself to stop, take a breath, and focus on each piece before continuing.

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The second smart goal that I had was to successfully apply the scientific method of information to an experiment to draw conclusions based on evidentiary support. Following through a strong line of critical thinking is necessary in any scientific area. As stated before, I do not always have such a solid thought-process, but here was an opportunity to prove myself wrong. The first experiment of the lab was to demonstrate osmosis, if it occurred, and what it told about the substances that were used. This was done by placing a diffusion bag filled with an iodine solution into a beaker containing a starch solution. The results were recorded, and the conclusion was presented with two supporting grounds.

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Ultimately, the starch molecules were larger than the iodine molecules. This was proven by the iodine solution passing through the diffusion bag and changing the color of the starch solution while the iodine solution within the diffusion bag remained static in color. The other rationale was that even though water breaks down molecules, the starch was still too large to diffuse across the bag membrane. Again, it was simple, but simple does not necessarily equate ineffective.

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I think occasionally, we can get too complicated in our discovery. While our intentions are good, overthinking can become a roadblock over which we stumble. Going back to the basics is very beneficial when trying to deduce, reason, or argue. However, that does not negate the layers that are often stripped away through the process of critical thinking. It has multitudinous forms. What I feel that this project taught me is this: one must have the capability to be logical simply before one can be logical complexly, whether in science or in life.

 

 

Technology:

The learner will select and use technology to access, process, and exchange information in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience.

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For this artifact, I have chosen to use the ePortfolio itself. I began the process of creating my ePortfolio website in the spring semester of 2018 and finished it in this fall semester of 2018. The first class was College Transfer Success (ACA-120), designed to do exactly what the title would suggest, and the second was Critical Thinking (HUM-115).

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For future opportunities, the purpose behind the ePortfolio is to give the viewer a glimpse into who I am: as an individual, student, and professional, with special focus on my work as a student. It centers on growing myself to better serve the world around me – whether that is through staying aware of cultural issues to stand by certain demographics, or the simple thing of loving on a child and telling them they can do whatever it is they dream to do.

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Once again, there were two smart goals that I set for myself in this project. The first is that I would use an unfamiliar medium of technology to create a functioning website. I am not very technologically adept, so I have always refuted the "technology age" moniker given to us millennials. Chalk was my app while growing up, and I held onto my last smart phone for five and a half years before it finally met its doom. I am ninety-eight percent sure I laughed when I first learned about this assignment.

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Building a website from scratch was not something I had planned to do in my collegiate career, but it was a challenging yet surprising bonus that I found pushed me into a new, usable skill set. Furthermore, it is one that I feel I completed successfully. None of the links on my ePortfolio are broken, and all the attached documents and paraphernalia download properly. Everything goes exactly where it should; the pictures are clear. It is, in the word given within my goal, "functioning."

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The next smart goal that I had for this assignment was that I would create a full and unique design that reflects understanding of tech and graphic design. I enjoy blending colors and things together to make a living space presentable and unified. However, home décor is one thing; translating that to graphic design is another story. Again, with all these details in mind, I feel that I have accomplished this.

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The monochromatic design is streamlined to give the overall feel a sleekness. Where the pictures are added, there is a pop of color that bursts off the duller background. Moreover, every point on the graphing tool was taken into consideration when placing items. The last note of distinctiveness is pertaining to my love of musical theatre; indicatively, that of Hamilton. All the quotes are taken from the musical and reflect the specificity of the page on which they are placed as well as the ePortfolio as a whole. This, connected to the strains of independence and justice found within the musical, only further support the overall theme.

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The work that I have done on the ePortfolio has challenged me to break out of my mental box. It has not been easy, and I have pushed myself to constantly make improvements, but the satisfaction of completion is nothing short of ecstasy. In it shows an ability of design, advertising, and communication. Besides this, it is proof that I can learn something new that is out of my comfort zone. Just maybe, I will figure my new phone out yet.

 

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Cultural Literacy:

The learner will demonstrate a "set of cognitive, effective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts."

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The last artifact for my Core Skills was a project done in the spring of this year in my American History II (HIS-132) course. This class, as well as the first part (HIS-131) are two of my favorites that I have taken at SPCC. For this assignment, we were given the task of listening to oral history stories and finding three to compare, contrast, or examine collectively; after which we were to write a reflection on those stories. If they were more "historical," they were to be connected to present-day life. If they were current, they were to challenge popular opinion on a certain situation or culture.

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I chose to find and reflect on three interviews that all pertained to the Civil Rights movement, as personal experience is something mind-bending. All too often, we are primarily concerned with our own opinion or experience without a willingness to listen to those who have lived something different. Having a first-hand view into what happened to everyday, ordinary African Americans in this tumultuous period of American history was remarkable. Overlooking that those involved were real, ordinary people is something that unfortunately, I have allowed myself to do at times.

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For this, the first goal that I established was to attempt to empathize with those of varying cultures as well as one outside the culture can do. I will not humor myself into thinking that I innately understand the experiences that minorities have faced, as there are things they have encountered that I will never. However, I feel that it is important to connect in those areas in which we can find similarity, such as I can with other women. This bridges the gap between "them" and "us" or "you" and "me" and opens the door to communication and understanding beyond our beliefs. Empathy allows us to listen past merely hearing.

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The first step in this is acknowledging that horrific things have happened to other cultures, as I discuss in the conclusion. Regularly, we want to brush aside people's experience because it does not line up with our legislation or the majority opinion. Most would agree racism is a vile entity, but many of those most would also wish to quiet those who speak up about ongoing issues. One of the other problems it that "history" seems so far away; when really, it was just around the corner for many who lived through its horrors. Just because steps were taken does not mean that racism was entirely overthrown.

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This leads right into my next smart goal: recognizing the experiences of varying cultures and communicating those to others. I ardently believe that social media is one cause of this falling away. It is too easy to apply blame to those in a video clip without any context or rational thought. There is no way to ask those involved; we merely cast pointed judgments based on what we have seen. For this assignment, listening was the source. Without this, I could not have written anything beyond a noncommittal opinion. The four individuals about whom I shared are all presented with highlighting quotes to frame the reflections on their stories.

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Being open is what will continue to move us away from the essence of racism. Learning to put down my own opinion for the sake of those who have struggled will only further this effort, as it will for any individual who makes this choice. It is vital that people understand that this aspect of humility is not demeaning but emboldening to those embrace it. Without it, havoc will only increase. With it, we can stand and walk with each other towards a higher calling.