As the second artifact of two from Dr. Harker’s Composition Studies: History, Theory, and Practice course, the following essay shows a continuation along the same theme from the one proceeding it.  At the conclusion of the spring semester of 2015, we were asked to develop a question and then to explore it through independent research, with the end result being the following essay.  I at first chose invention, but eventually narrowed my topic down to discuss the website of the Common Core Curriculum.  Dr. Harker, along with anyone who may have taken the course, made up my audience.

What is so intriguing now as I look back to my first term paper compared to my last is the significant change in organization and style.  The one below is the product from a more mature writer.  This maturity I glean from my transitions, sentence diversity, and unconventional yet easily-followed organization.  Additionally, the essay contains original arguments and counter arguments that I back up with citations woven in at the proper time.  Even with this essay, one of my strongest artifacts, there are a few areas in which I would like to be clearer with my word choice.  Sometimes I take a long time to say something that could be said in fewer words.  In the end though, I can tell that I am discovering as I am writing, an element of critical thinking with which I finally engaged.