Michael Cotter's Profile

Transmittal Letter

Hello, and welcome to my e-Portfolio!

Thank for you taking the time to view my work. I hope that this portfolio showcases my growth as a writer as well as a creative thinker throughout my undergraduate experience. During my time at Lewis, I believe I've improved immensely as a writer and hope that the pieces I’ve selected to showcase display that. I have included several pieces of writing that I believe catalogue both the growth and diversity of my writing.

Here are brief descriptions of the pieces in my portfolio:

  • Early Work: This is a paper I wrote in my Introduction to Textual Studies course titled “The Veils: Understanding the Veiled Eye & Mind in The Tell-Tale Heart”
  • 200 Level Stories into Film: This is a comparative analysis which argues the development of character between the Grimm Brother’s “Cinderella” and the 2015 Disney live-action Cinderella
  • 300 Level Advanced Study in Shakespeare: During my advanced study in Shakespeare, we had to do a poster presentation in conjunction with our research micro-theme to present a summary of our findings to the class on the final day. My focus was on the relationship between Edgar and Gloucester in King Lear.
  • 300 Level Linguistics: I did a linguistic look at the musical rhymes used in pop music and analyzed how rhymes are formed through pronunciation. This was a Power Point project as well as a video that I created and subtitled with the proper IPA symbols.
  • 400 Level Senior Capstone: This piece is currently still in progress – it’s my analysis of the women in Peter Pan. In it I argue that the women in London are gender normative women and the Neverland women are gender queer.

I have also added additional works to further demonstrate my other skills:

  • Creative Writing: At Lewis, I discovered my deep-rooted love of poetry in my creative writing course with Dr. Simone Muench. I chose to showcase a bouts-rimés poem that I presented at the 2014 Celebration of Scholarship at Lewis University titled “Translated: love”
  • Graphic & Website Design: While interning at Jet Fuel Review, I took the initiative to completely re-design and update the journal’s website. In doing this, I got to work technically with website platforms but also creatively with my visual creative abilities. I also was the Marketing & Media Editor for issue 10, so I made several promotional posters for events as well as a video.
  • Blogging: In 2014 I began to write for the Jet Fuel Review blog in a segment I created titled “What Are You Watching?” Initially, the series was just a reason for me to not feel bad while watching TV but it evolved into something much more meaningful because it allowed me to explore my thoughts and opinions through my film studies and produce an explanation as to why something was good or bad in my opinion.

I would also like to thank the following people who have made my time at Lewis University a memorable one:

  • Thank you Dr. Muench for believing in me. I know without a doubt that without you Lewis would merely be a building I spend many hours at but you have made Lewis my home. You gave me confidence in my writing and in myself. You also gave me a community and a family through Jet Fuel without which I know I would spend my multiple hour-long breaks alone instead of with Jess at McDonalds.
  • Thank you Dr. Mustafa for always taking the time to meet with me and listen to me whether it was to help better my work as a critical thinker and writer or just to have someone to talk to about my uneasiness towards the future – I greatly appreciate your insight and support.
  • Thank you Dr. Weilgos for supporting me, encouraging me, and understanding me - even when I don’t think I did.
  • Thank you Professor Therese Jones for encouraging me to follow my dreams and work with them creatively and expressively.
  • And lastly, thank you to the staff at Jet Fuel Review. You all are incredible people who not only provide a great comfort for me but also challenge me with your innovations and initiative to be better. I love you all.

Post-graduation, I intend to purse a career in public relations or communications. Throughout my time at Lewis University, I believe I have gained the experience to succeed in either of those fields. I have become a strong writer in both creative and professional writing, and feel confident in my writing skills, and can provide versatility with my creative counterparts I have developed along the way. I look forward to continuing a lifetime of writing, and hope I only continue to grow as a writer.