Baruch definitely focuses on students’ improvements in writing and has more than enough resources provided for its students. One thing in particular that I found interesting is how many services there are to support Baruch students while they are taking these writing courses. Their one to one sessions are very useful for students who work better in an environment of teacher to student and since it is 50 minutes, it is the perfect duration to learn something and not get bored. Not only that but if 50 minutes are too long or an appointment was forgotten to be made, Baruch provides a 25 minute walk-in consultation for students seeking to find assistance for a short period of time. Furthermore, my personal favorite part of this course is that a draft can be uploaded to an online scheduler where written feedback can be given. This would help a student to know what their next step can be. Since Baruch focuses on critical analysis, research, and the craft of writing, these resources are excellent and would be essential to the students.
The reading “What is Rhetoric?” starts off by explaining that rhetoric is not something deceiving or manipulative, like what many may think, but is a way of communication. It is not the same as expressing an opinion but rather a statement and evidence to back up that statement. Therefore, in the 5Ws and How, it would be the ‘how’ and the ‘why’. A rhetoric analysis would be how we interpret the text, in theories, rather than what we think the author meant. Before I read this piece of writing, I also thought negatively of anything that was rhetoric. However, after the reading, it really changed my point of view on how essential rhetoric is when communicating with people. It also helped me realize that rhetoric is utilized in almost everything and is necessary to know and learn about for students like me who are pursuing a business career. This sort of gives me extra motivation to do well during the course and anticipate what new information I can turn into knowledge.