Reflection
In my MA2 Research Proposal, I progressed in several course outcomes, including Generating Inquiry , Information Literacy , Research Genre Production , and Revision . My Research question remained focused on political rhetoric on Instagram Reels, but it became more focused and refined as I developed my sampling and coding plans. Developing the sampling plan helped me clarify exactly what content would count as relevant data, thereby narrowing my research focus. When developing the coding categories, I originally only had a few codes for all the data before my professor suggested adding more to make the analysis easier for the results paper. As a result, I added several more categories and sub-categories related to rhetorical strategies and multimodality within the Instagram Reel. Along with emotional appeals (pathos), credibility, and authority (ethos), and local appeals (logos), my coding categories now include multimodal presentation and political framing, which helped categorize and extrapolate more data from each real. For the course outcome Information Literacy , I made choices about how to conduct my primary research to reduce bias and increase credibility. For example, I planned to create a new Instagram account to reduce algorithmic bias when searching for Reels, thereby making the sample more neutral and repeatable. I also outlined clear inclusion and exclusion criteria for Reels and comments, such as excluding spam comments or GIF comments. I also used a comment extraction software to collect comments automatically without my bias. For Research Genre Production , I structured my paper to meet the expectations of a research proposal, clearly organizing it into sections such as Sampling Plan, Coding and Analysis Plan, Limitations, and Conclusion. Lastly, I progressed in the outcome of Revision by including earlier assignments and drafts to show how my research proposal evolved over time after receiving feedback from my professor and peers.