Thursday, December 9, 2010

Generalizations

One section that I thought was interesting in Epstein’s text was the section on generalizations. Individuals generalize when they conclude a claim about a collection of ideas, which is called the population, from a statement about one of the ideas, which is called the sample. Additionally, when individuals make a general claim the conclusion to an idea it can be called a generalization. Just about everyone generalizes on a daily basis. I think that this is interesting because this is done without knowing and is not thought and planned out. After taking this class, I was able to see that concepts like these are used in everyday life. Now that I know these concepts, I can not only apply them, but better educate others who might not know how to make a better argument or may not know how to communicate something effectively. It is times like these where I feel grateful for being fortunate enough to have a good education behind me.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Favorites and Least Favorites about Comm41

One of my favorite things about this class was that I was required to do the work on my own. Granted it was very hard at times to balance going to class, doing other homework, and going to work, it was nice to know that I did not have to go on campus to complete a homework assignment or walk to class for lecture for this particular course.  If I wanted to, which I did most of the time, I did the work in the comfort of my own home while I was waiting for dinner to be cooked or just had to focus on completing the assignments for the week. I did not really enjoy doing the group projects because it was very difficult to collaborate for an online class however it was doable. Maybe one improvement that could be made would be to take the projects and make smaller and only assign one other person to work on the project with you because it was difficult at times to collaborate with a group of four other students.

What I have learned throughout the semester...

There were so many different things that I had learned in this class throughout the entire semester that I do not even know where to begin. I think the most important things that I know I will use from now on is how to have a good argument. Before, I would just bring up an argument or participate in one because I might have felt passionate about the issue. Sometimes I would not know how to support my argument or phrase it in a way that made it sound good and would cause the other individual to respond in a positive way. Now I know that I must have support before getting into an argument because without it, it does not make me look good if I argue with a point that is not valid or strong. This class made me realize that details are also key to communication because without them, it is very hard to get your point across.