Hello everyone,

I have just completed my revised definitions assignment and have some thoughts on the process that I would like to express.

The term that I chose was deindividuation, a concept I learned from my experience in Social Psychology courses. It is a complex concept, yet easy to understand with a solid set of definitions. My goal was to write in a concise and efficient manner that provided the audience with a clear understanding of the concept. To do this, I tried to write without any Psychology jargon that would confuse the reader, I chose methods in the expanded definitions that would provide beneficial information, and wrote each sentence with purpose. From this process I learned the importance of remembering who your reader is. At times I caught myself writing in a way that only someone with a Psychology background could understand. This exercise helped me stay focused on what mattered: teaching a term to an uninformed audience.

The next step of peer editing was beneficial for this exercise. Reading my partner’s work allowed me to observe what I expected from my own writing. My partner, Aran, did a great job on his definitions which allowed me to be critical of his writing. The sharing of information was valuable for the both of us as it opened the door for improvement. My experience as an English student helped me to note mistakes in grammar or cohesiveness, while my experience from this course thus far taught me to be critical about who the audience is and about writing efficiently. I discovered that my style of peer editing is to respect the writer’s own style while providing positive feedback and critique when necessary.

The final step of self editing was incredibly helpful. It was important for my partner to catch the faults in my writing. His suggestions about the clarity of my introduction and situation allowed me to understand how I needed to focus more on how an uninformed audience may interpret my writing. It was also a moment to to reflect on the way I am writing in this course. I thought about whether my writing style as an English student was impacting the writing style needed for this course. Recognizing where I was struggling and how to improve allowed me to revise my definitions without any further issues.

This assignment provided a good indicator of where I am in this course. It showed where my strengths are and where I need to improve. It was also a good opportunity to work with one of my writing team members. Completing this exercise, I think that I am able to have a better grasp of what is expected in this course, and will continue to work hard to meet the expectations.

Here is Aran’s review of my assignment: https://blogs.ubc.ca/engl301-98a-2020sa/2020/06/10/arans-review-of-cathys-definitions-assignment/

Here is a word doc of my revised definitions: 301-Cathy-Liu-Revised-Definition