Dear Professor Atwell,

My portfolio contains four projects that were written in different genres/styles of writing
and intended for various audiences. My collections showcase my ability to read and interpret
various pieces of literature and write about them in multiple perspectives. For example, in the
first assignment I completed (the forum analysis), I examined two articles on a new research
breakthrough in clinical tooth repair. One article was from the popular news website
“ScienceDaily,” and the other was from the British scientific journal, “Nature.” Through careful
analysis, I was able to pinpoint the different tactics authors use in order to target and write for
different audiences. For instance, the article in ScienceDaily is able to target a much larger
scientific audience by using simpler language to briefly summarize and describe the rather
complex process of tooth restoration using an Alzheimer’s drug. The author is able to effectively
grab the reader’s attention by dedicating the very first paragraph to focus on the potential for this
new treatment approach to be available in the near future. In contrast, the article published in
Nature is written by a group of scientists at the Dental Institute at King’s College London for the
purpose of promoting this new scientific discovery to gain the attention of other research
scientists with the goal of advancing this area of study. The authors go into great detail
discussing the design and results of the study as well as the biological pathways by which the
drug targets in order to stimulate tooth repair naturally. The article is strictly objective and uses a
variety of figures and graphs to display their results.
The website I created for the forum analysis assignment is targeted toward a casual
audience that does not require a background in science to understand the content. The website is
very easy to navigate and consists of five different sections, each with their own designated tab.
The information is presented in a simple and coherent manner, making it very easy for anyone to
understand. Additionally, I included several figures from the scholarly article to provide a visual
display of the results from the study, however, interpreting these figures and graphs may prove to
be quite challenging for some. To address this, I wrote brief descriptions for each of the figures
to eliminate any confusion. Lastly, I included the “Forum Comparison” tab to provide the reader
with a brief summary of all the major talking points that were explored during the comparison of
these two articles.
As a student studying physiology, an overwhelming majority of the writing I have done is
in the form of research papers. In completing the forum analysis assignment, I was able to gain
insight into the rhetorical tactics used to effectively communicate with a wider, more general
audience. Similarly, the popular discourse assignment deepened my understanding of how to
effectively communicate in general versus discipline-specific audiences. This report documented
the interaction between vaccine expert, Paul A. Offit, MD, and Stephen Colbert on The Colbert
Report. The interview was framed around Offit’s new book, Deadly Choices: How the Anti-
Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All, talking about the latest wave of anti-vaccine fervor that has
been in the media. In this interview, Colbert played the role of the anti-vaccine parent, prompting
Offit to respond to many of the common beliefs parents reference when refusing to vaccinate
their children. In order to effectively communicate with the general public, Offit leaves his
disciplinary discourse to address and debunk the anti-vaccine myths that are prevalent in the
media and influence a variety of individuals. He uses simple terms to describe rather complex
issues in order to inform the public about the importance of vaccines. For example, he uses an
analogy to describe the concept of “herd immunity,” before relating it to the largest measles
outbreak the United States has seen in 20 years, which occurred just months before this interview
took place. Another aspect of the interview worth pointing out is when Colbert makes a sarcastic
remark to bring up the correlation between vaccines and autism. For the sake of the interview,
Offit joins in on the joke and suggests a correlation between the introduction of the iPhone and
World War II veterans dying in the very same decade. Offit’s use of humor receives a favorable
reaction from the audience and made the interview much more engaging, while also conveying
the idea that vaccines cause autism is indeed a myth.
Analyzing the rhetorical tactics used in the forum analysis and public discourse report
were very beneficial in preparing me for the literature review assignment. For this piece, I chose
to write about the Mediterranean Diet and its beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease. My
literature review is a summary-style synthesis of both current and previous research on this
particular topic. It is written for a general scientific audience, although a background in health
and nutrition would be helpful. In order to capture the reader’s attention, I began by addressing
the importance of this dietary pattern and lifestyle by discussing its association with
cardiovascular disease, which has remained the leading cause of mortality in the world for
decades. With the intention of providing the reader with a broad understanding of the
Mediterranean Diet’s role in cardiovascular disease, I presented the content in a manner that is
not overly complex and used a section-style layout in oder to make this piece coherent and easy
to follow. The different sections give the reader an overview of the discovery of the
Mediterranean diet, a description of the diet and its unique components, current research
examples and limitations, and directions for future research. In each of these sections, I
incorporated a variety of research-based sources in order to create comprehensive summaries of
the major topics that were discussed. Furthermore, in order to provide the reader with a clearer
picture of what the diet entails, I included a visual figure of a food pyramid frequently used to
define the diet.
The commentary was different from the other assignments in this course; this piece of
writing allowed me to express my own thoughts and opinions on the current anti-vaccine
movement. I was able to build off the work I did in my literature review in order to write a well-
informed and well-researched commentary to help readers understand the beliefs behind the anti-
vaccine sentiment and the consequences of this trend. This assignment provided me with the
opportunity to incorporate the knowledge I gained from my microbiology and immunology
courses and combine it with the current literature on vaccines. In doing so, I was able to discuss
the many benefits and safety of vaccines in great detail. There were numerous online articles and
forums that provided me with the different counterarguments and beliefs that lead individuals to
delay or refuse vaccines for themselves or for their children. I was also able to include my own
experience with a close relative regarding the perceived dangers of vaccines. This information
allowed me to meticulously deconstruct the various objections vaccine rejectors reference and
voice my opinion on the importance and overwhelming success of vaccination. Moreover, I was
able to inform the reader of the heterogeneity in those who doubt vaccines and suggest my ideas
for the changes that need to be made in the healthcare system in order to be more proactive in
communicating with the public about vaccines. I believe the overall structure of my argument is
logical and effectively communicates my stance on vaccine refusal. I also think the high quality
of evidence presented in the contentions I made throughout the commentary help to establish its
credibility and increases the validity of the argument.
The document that best represents my ability to apply new and complex writing concepts
is the literature review. I say this, because this was the first time I have written a literature review
and it initially proved to be quite challenging. There is a copious amount of research that is
required to synthesize comprehensive summaries of the literature associated with the different
sections contained in the review. Another difficulty I encountered was translating the original
research literature into simpler language in order to write for a larger audience. Although
frustrating at first, these challenges ended up being quite captivating in the long run; as someone
who is deeply interested in the fields of health and nutrition, I began to appreciate the extensive
amount of research required for this assignment. I enjoyed learning about the history of the
Mediterranean Diet and how the research has advanced in order to explain how the diet affects
human physiology in relation to cardiovascular health. Accordingly, as I gained more and more
knowledge on the topic, it became easier for me to write for a larger audience and strategically
organize the content. For instance, the section-style layout is designed so that each successive
section builds upon existing knowledge from the previous sections, which makes this piece
rather easy to read. Overall, I think my literature review provides the reader with a nicely
synthesized narrative of research on the Mediterranean Diet’s beneficial effects on
cardiovascular disease, as well as its importance to the general public and the future of
cardiovascular medicine.
The assignment I chose to revise was the commentary. I chose this piece based on my
lack of confidence in certain areas of the paper in addition to the negative feedback I received
during its evaluation. In order to improve this document, I first had to redraft the introduction to
capture the reader’s attention more effectively and introduce my argument in a more concise
manner. The next thing I had to do was reorganize the section discussing the various
counterarguments used by vaccine rejectors. This required me to move one paragraph that was
originally part of the introduction and make a few adjustments in order to shape it into the
introductory paragraph for this section. I also switched the position of another paragraph to
organize this section in a more coherent manner. Aside from a few grammatical fixes, the last
thing I did to revise this piece was add additional information on potential solutions for the
healthcare system to be more proactive in communicating with the public about the safety and
importance of vaccines. Altogether, these revisions improved my commentary by making my
argument clear from the very beginning, and making the counterarguments section more
comprehensible. The way this section is organized now has allowed me to connect ideas from
adjacent paragraphs more effectively and makes it easier for the reader to follow. Lastly, the
addition of information on intervention strategies to improve vaccination rates provides a more
detailed explanation for a potential strategy to address the anti-vaccine sentiment.
My two main goals for this semester involved developing better research skills and
enhancing my understanding of the rhetorical techniques used to communicate with different
audiences. In terms of developing better research skills, I believe this course did an excellent job
of helping me reach this goal. The two assignments that were the most beneficial in reaching this
goal were the literature review and the commentary. The literature review provided me with an
exceptional amount of practice on this matter, while the commentary helped to solidify my
ability to evaluate the reliability and quality of source material. As for my second goal, every
assignment I completed throughout this course enhanced my understanding of the rhetorical
techniques used to communicate with various audiences. The forum analysis introduced me to
the differences inherent in the tasks of writing for different audiences, while the literature review
and the commentary provided me with additional practice and brought me closer to reaching my
goal. Overall, I feel that I have made significant progress towards achieving both of my goals,
however, I will continue to focus on improving my capacity for communicating in various
rhetorical situations as I believe this will be especially important as I enter the field of healthcare.

Sincerely,
Shane Hanna