Introductory Reading Assignment

Considering the nature of my intended major (Pharmacy), I did not anticipate having to take this course. I need to take this course as I have used my IB credits to place out of General Chemistry. However, even if I wanted to I cannot use credit for this course as I took the “IB Language and Literature” exam rather than the “IB English” exam. The most obvious reason as to why I should not have to take this course is that the direction of my studies leads me towards the sciences rather than language (English). At the same time however, improvement towards writing skills is still applicable to my life. It is imperative to be able to effectively communicate ideas and structure thoughts in a meaningful yet efficient manner.

For me personally, I consider “writing as a way of thinking new thoughts” as meaning that writing is a method in which one can reflect and generate new perspectives. I understood it as if one could recount ideas or events through writing and in doing so consider multiple potential outcomes or interpretations of such ideas / events rather than being confined to one interpretation. Upon reflection, one may apply their own personal experiences and schools of thought to assist in molding a “new thought”.

The text attempts to instil a new mindset in readers as it tries to promote a “creative” form of reading. “They invite us to take academic knowledge beyond the confines of the university” (Miller, Spellmeyer xxiii). The text is created for the purpose of breaking educational norms and letting students have a taste of greater control in their reading and writing (rather than being restricted to a general essay format). In an effort to acquire this “control” one must investigate the concept of the shared horizon. This concept focuses on considering the perspective of multiple experiences, texts, forms of media, etc. in order to construct a “more inclusive coherence” (Miller, Spellmeyer xxix). In doing so, the author(s) further emphasize the importance of “connecting”, a term Miller and Spellmeyer suggest is significant in proposing new ideas while also the so-called mechanism of the shared horizon. After seeing the text and the manner in which I attempted to construct my answers, I can assume that I’m not exactly comfortable with this type of work. I would love to see improvement in my writing and method of thought at the end of the course; however, as of right now I am not entirely confident of such a result.