Although it might seem like you just met a girl named Maria, this course has been a lot longer than you thought.
The past ten weeks of spring quarter have been without a doubt a powerful learning experience. I developed as a college student as well as learned new skills on not only how to research, but most importantly how to become a better writer. I learned a various amount of styles on how to construct these writings. From archives to surveys to annotated bibliographies to argumentative to a media project.
Looking back on this now, the BEAM method to frame work my writing was extremely beneficial and important. As a refresher, BEAM stands for, backgrounds, exhibits, arguments, and methods.
B…
Backgrounds or background sources are materials whose claims a writer accepts as facts. The author then uses these found fast as “common knowledge,” which can later be used in arguments.
E…
Exhibits or exhibit sources are materials a writer offers for explications, analysis, or interpretation. Therefore, exhibits are commonly referred as one’s “evidence” or “examples,” which add to a writers conversation.
A…
Arguments or argument sources are materials whose claims a writer affirms, disputes, refines, or extends in some way. One would naturally say that arguments are just “conversations,” and can even just be commonly held views.
M…
Methods or method sources are materials from which a writer derives a governing concept or manner of working. In other words, methods are simply just influential concepts that may enter into the general language of disciplines or professions, which allows them to lose their ties to specific sources.
BEAM is the framework for readings, being that strong writing depends on strong critical reading skills. The framework for critical reading also made it useful to framework my writing. Some of my best academic papers were written this quarter by analyzing specific exhibits in order to further conversations embodied in specific constellations of argument sources. In my opinion, I think BEAM allowed me to successfully accomplish strong academic papers.
But this is all I have for now for you…
So long,
Farewell,
This is Maria signing off.
