AssignmentJapanese Internment Letter Year FreshmanSkillResearch and Writing

Portfolio Category Critical Thinking

This assignment required me to form an assertion using the constitution and the bill of rights deciding whether or not the internment of the Japanese Americans was constitutional. Instead of doing this the night before and doing a haphazard job, I completed this the afternoon before it was due and applied myself. This paper did not require extensive research or large amounts of planning. For me this paper required a solid three hours. I conducted research, opened tabs, made an assertion and more importantly I made connections.

The most important step for me was making connections and creating a claim based off of text from the constitution. Before I began writing I opened the cornell.edu webpage where I spent 20 minutes copying sections of the constitution that would be helpful. I also made a few google searches and copied and pasted more useful quotes with more explanations. I did this until I had around 3 full pages. After each quote I had a small paragraph explanation of how the quote could be utilized. It was here where I actually got into my paper and realized I did not want to skate by on slacker work because as I began to do more research and I had this feeling of raw excitement I get when I make connections and claims and I begin to form original thoughts.

At this point I was on a roll. I was initially a little worried that I had so much information for a one page paper double spaced, but it proved not to be a problem. I spent 30 minutes on the first paragraph so that I could organize my roadmap and thesis. I then spent another thirty minutes churning out a page and a half double spaced. It was good writing at this point, I was implementing quotes, drawing connections, etc. However, I knew it could be more concise and perhaps slightly more thoughtful. I spent another thirty minutes and edited my paper for typos and phrases that could be stated in less words therefore being a more productive use of space. I think it was this thirty minutes that moved my paper from a 16 or 17 out of 18 to a perfect score.

It was because I became invested in this paper that I did well and received a 100%. I was not worried about the outcome, its not like I needed this grade and thats why I worked hard to get a full credit. The moment I made an assertion and saw in my head how I could support it and argue it, I was jubilant. I was jubilant because I was proud of the work and I was excited to turn it in and I bursting with anticipation to receive it.

I am including this in my portfolio because I worked hard on this paper and applied myself to the assignment. I also think this paper represents the application of the most important skills I will take away from CAP - the ability to make connections and cite text to support an assertion.

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