The following comments are excerpts from student reflections regarding their experience in Composition II, a course I teach using ethnography as the guiding pedagogy. The names of the students have been omitted in order to protect their identities.

When asked, "What did you get out of this class?" the first thing that comes to mind is writers block!  At least, that's how it felt in the beginning of this course.  It took me two classes just to be able to pronounce the word ethnography.  However, this class was challenging in a good way, and it made me think.  (Wow, what a concept: teachers actually making you use your brain to think!)  Thinking.  That is what I took away from this class.  The concept of incorporating your own thoughts and feelings into an academic work and being well aware of the factors that influence your feelings.

This class has affected my writing mainly because I couldn't bullshit my way through the papers.  I really had to put some work in.  My comp class before this I never even or rarely proofread what I wrote.  My teacher felt I was a good writer.  But I've learned that a good writer can become better and that there is no perfect writer.  Every writer has room for improvement.  The ethnographic writing showed me that reflexivity isn't always a bad thing when writing and keeping the raw and uncooked ideas is a good thing.  That really gave me more freedom instead of worrying what not to say or how can I say this in a nice way for the audience.

I learned more from this English class than all the English classes I have had in the past few years.  Before this class, everything was the same.  Reading, writing factual and structured, etc.  I am really glad that I took this course instead of the mundane English classes, because I've heard all that stuff before.  This was an exciting, new challenge for me.

 I'm actually surprised to admit that I'm sad that this class has come to an end.  At the beginning of the semester I really had no idea what I was getting into.  And in all honesty, at the introduction of the semester long project, I sighed at the amount of work I knew was to come.  However, I enjoyed it completely!!!! I enjoy writing, but most classes insist that students write on boring topics that people have been writing on for years.  For example, I'm currently writing a paper on the Mexican Revolution...  ... ... need I say more? I'll simply be reiterating other people's research.  But with writing ethnographically, I was able to involve myself with a personally exciting topic.  I was able to write in a style in which I feel I was able to communicate the essence of my topic.  And most importantly, I was able to make amazing connections and analyses of issues and situations I am faced with everyday.  That is what writing is all about for me. 

What did I learn in English Composition II?  I am sitting in front of my IBM compatible computer, on a soft, brown cushioned office chair with wheels on the bottom of the legs. It’s very comfortable besides the fact that the back part of the chair, where my back is supposed to be rested on, has fallen off.  I sit here staring at the monitor, not knowing what to write next, and just deeply thinking what I learned in English Comp II over the semester.  Then all of a sudden Bam, it comes into focus, my mind is ready to share with what I learned in the class and what I thought of it.  I learned all about Ethnographic writing, I even learned how to spell the word, “Ethnographic”, which I think is quite an accomplishment all by itself.   Not only did I know how to spell it, but I also learned what the significant word means.  It’s culture writing; it can vary in topics, it could be based on a report of a native tribe in the Amazon Rainforest or the investigation of Hooters girls at the Hooters Restaurant in Chicago.  The cultures we can find are endless.           

For me, this class has shown the benefits of including personal reflection in my writing, a concept I was somewhat unaware of when it came to my writing before.  Though there are some aspects of composition which oppose the use of personal reflection, ethnographic writing commands its use.  I have kept my viewpoint out of nearly every piece of writing up to the outset of this class, and now I see the positive effects of its inclusion.  When personal reflection is utilized, it can not only draw the reader further into the writing, but also demonstrate to that reader the reasoning the author has for contributing to the  subject, whatever it may be.  It shows the author has knowledge of the topic, and can identify with a situation which may be depicted.

I felt that the class was very scary to me at first. I went into the class blind and had no idea what ethnographic writing was about. I don't even know how I got into the class to tell you the truth; I think the computer was broken when I took the entrance exam because English is NOT my strong point. But because the class was well instructed and well taught even though a little fast paced I was able to do pretty well. In fact I learned that it was more my style of writing then all those 'normal' research papers that I had to do in other classes.

I can easily say that this class is what my high school teachers would tell me about when they mentioned complex studies at college.  They would always tell me that a lot of work would be involved and I believed them. I hadn't experienced a class of this sort in college until this one and I'm glad I took this course. I believe this class has prepared me for all the tough courses ahead of me. No longer will I go into a class and expect to sit through a meaningless lecture and write a 2 page paper.

Aside from all the shattered expectations I learned a great deal in this course. 

OK, to be perfectly honest I was a little uneasy about the class at the beginning. The work load seemed super heavy, which I could deal with, but the fact that it all centered around the same topic for the entire semester was what made it seem difficult, to stay focused for that long. But, you obviously knew what you were doing. When it came down to the actual writing of my paper, it practically wrote itself. All the assignments came in to play. I drew from my fieldnotes, secondary research, response papers and even writing exercises we'd done in class. As sad as it is that I haven't learned this till now, this class taught me the importance of being ridiculously organized and to keep on top of the workload as best you can. I usually horde all of my assignments in one big folder out of habit, but this is one of the first classes I've had where keeping all your assignments really benefits you in the end. By keeping organized and not waiting until the absolute last minute, I think I developed a better paper.  Not only did the organization of the class help me as a writer, but the whole concept of ethnography has given my writing a new (and I'd like to think, a more honest) twist.