The first big paper of the quarter which contributed greatly to my understanding of researching and writing. Initially, I thought that all I had to do was give historical background on a problem. At this I had rejoiced because I simply had to lay out the facts and I would not have to do much composing of my own work. However, I quickly realized that there is rhetoric even within historical writing. I had to communicate a point and argue that my point of view was correct and looked at the problem in its modern context correctly. This project also first tested my researching abilities, as it took awhile to finally decide upon a topic that had enough information and historical background that I could actually write about. Because our theme of the class was criminal justice, I was looking into California's prison overcrowding crisis. After suggesting a few topics to Professor Collins, I finally decided upon split sentencing. In this project I looked into the historical basis for split sentencing and its benefits. Through the revision process, I slowly realized what a clear and effective paper looked like.