The overall theme of my ENGL 400 class was how to engage in civil discourse, as well as how our media consumption plays a significant role in that discourse. Much of the class was spent analyzing a variety of media– interviews on news outlets, Ted Talks, news articles, opinion articles, commericials, etc.– and the rhetoric they use. We discussed how bias in the media can skew the information we are receiving, even when we think we are getting “straight facts.” This kind of skepticism is necessary because engaging with critical problems of our day can become dangerous if the sources we are using are unreliable. In addition to looking at media bias in discourse, we examined how to improve our own rhetoric when writing and speaking about important issues. As citizen leaders, it is crucial to be able to have difficult conversations about issues that affect ourselves and others around us. However, in order to have these conversations, regardless if you are writing or speaking, it is important to acknowledge nay-sayers and their experiences; use language that isn’t inflammatory, and speak from truth.

One of our last writing assignments in the semester was particularly meaningful to me. We were assigned to choose an issue and write a formal, persuasive letter to someone that might be able to make a difference. In choosing what to write about, we were told it was better to be specific and small-scale, increasing the likelihood that the person we were writing to might actually be able to take action (an example of an issue you would not choose would be the restructuring of a policy and addressing it to the President). My letter was addressed to a faculty member at Longwood; as part of the assignment, I delievered the letter and was able to have a helpful conversation with the recipient.