Chapter 5:Application of learned material

In the introduction I touched on why I thought the theories and ideas I learned in composition theory were important for writing majors. After taking this course I feel as if I have a greater appreciation for writing. There's a theory for every aspect of writing. Brandt's theories focuses on the background of the writer. Where a writer come from, what they value, why that is the case-- affects their writing. Questions about how to write were also addressed by the articles we read. Should an author write with an audience in mind or should the author just write freely and hope the right audience finds her? Styles of writing was also discussed, we hypothesized  how grading can change the style of a writer. I found our class discussions to be very helpful in understanding the course as a whole. A socialculturalists would say I was proving their point. Wink wink.


Going forward I plan to keep all this good information in mind while I continue being a writing major. I feel more knowledgeable about writing as a whole. As a writing major my focus is on becoming a better writer, trying out new styles-- improving overall but knowing about the theories behind what I do is surprisingly reassuring. Now when I write I think about the style I'm writing in, whether I'm following a formalists or expressionistic style. I honestly believe all writing majors should be required to take composition theory.