Course Reflection

While reflecting on my short life, I have found that one of the most rewarding things is working hard and producing good results. I can’t say that I’ve given 100 percent to this class, but I can say that I have gained knowledge and have acquired skills that will help me in the future. These newly learned lessons ranged from learning how to write professionally to learning that missing class isn’t the best choice(especially for ENC). Professor Longhany has critiqued my writing and has shown me the potential of my work. This semester has been long and full of hard work, the perfect set up for good results. 

This is the first class that I have been able to research a topic of choice and I believe that I took full advantage of that opportunity. What started my initial interest in the topic of appearance and trust was a simple tweet that stated: You are more likely to trust people with brown eyes as opposed to people with blue eyes. I felt somewhat unsettled by this statement, given that I have blue eyes. I immediately googled this and found research that supported this claim. When I learned that I had to write a research paper, the inquiry choice was easy. Not only was it an interesting subject, it also applied to everyone in the world, something that most topics don’t possess. This relativity gave me a wide audience and left leeway to what I said.

As I dived into the extensive research, I found that the word “research” didn’t live up to it’s negative connotation. I felt that I was reading a large book, and couldn’t help but be reminded of the religious Bible. The Bible full of a massive information with almost the same amount of questions. Likewise, the subject of trust and its relation to appearance was just as intriguing and in depth. This depth gave me a chance to form question that would help my own research. I was able to look at large articles of primary research and link them with other articles in a web of information. This new view on research gave me an updated definition: pursuing unanswered questions.

I’ll spare you the details of the research because some might be viewed it as boring, but my personal pursuit of information was enlightening. I learned so much about a subject and gained the tools necessary to preform quality research in the future. The intertextuality of the different resources invited me into my own niche in the subject. Even though there was plenty of freedom, college still calls for certain guidelines. I became very familiar with MLA format and citing my sources….

One argument that I proposed was against certain publishers in this area of research. I located a gap in the dominance of eye color and facial structure. The study I preformed on gap proved useful for my collection of knowledge.
I also took the time to look at the gaps in my own research and stated how we can enhance research on this topic. Call me crazy, but I am thankful the time that I have spent enhancing my knowledge. Professor Longhany’s view on inquiry based research is one that I will carry with me until I find a better method.