ESSAY DESCRIPTIONS: PAPERS 1, 2, AND 3
Non-attendance at a draft workshop will result in a lower grade.
Paper 1. 6% Due: Weds. 1/26 Draft
from three people whose work I will critique. Mon. 31, we will consider the
drafts I have marked up. Use the information to revise your own drafts.
Wed. 2/2 Final paper due with a rough draft. Early drafts are mandatory
for inclusion with every assignment.
Length: 23 pages. (minimum 500 words)
Description: Write an argument for or against one
of the following:
1. What specific traits characterize a good teacher. Examples work well. This
is value claim, so you need to set up criteria or marks of a good teacher,
and then provide evidence of how a teacher meeting these criteria has taught
you effectively.
2. Any other fairly simple problem that you really care about (such as the
problem of maintaining your car, the lack of inexpensive but reliable child
care, the difficulty of getting courses you need), associated with your college
experience and which you can argue for clearly and effectively in 2 pages.
Format: Follow the directions on p. 344 of your Rottenberg text. Use 1
inch margins all around. If you do research on this, be sure to include
a list of your sources and page numbers at the end of the paper.
Due: Fri. 2/9 Draft from 1-2 people whose
work I will critique. Friday. 2/11, we will consider the drafts I have marked
up. Weds, 2/14 Draft workshop: Use the information from 2/11 to crititque
drafts of your colleagues.
Mon. 2/18 Final paper due with a rough draft. Early drafts are mandatory
for inclusion with every assignment.
Length: 3-4 pages. (minimum 750 words)
Description:
This paper will have two parts: a review of a movie, book, play, CD, or video
game (that is, a value argument) and an analysis of the value claims
in your review. You will consider the quality of the work in the context of
its particular genre as well as its inherent aesthetic value. You will then
offer a brief analysis of your determination of value. What were your criteria?
Did you compare this work to an imaginary ideal? Did you admire craftsmanship?
Performance? Composition?
Due dates:
* 3/13 I will read examples of successful dialogue essays
* 3/2 Draft workshop: Bring two copies of your draft to class.
* 3/4Paper due by start of class. Those not on time for class will be counted
as having a late paper.
Length: 800-1000 words (3-4 pages)
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Description: For this paper topic, you should choose a significant
issue that you have been thinking and/or writing about, and write a two-person
dialogue in which that issue is debated. Use 60 Minutes or 20/20 as a model
(even though they generally involve 4 people, the basic format is the same).
The types of subjects covered by such newscasts would be appropriate for this
paper. This would be a great place to attempt a claim of policy change.
Things to consider:
1. You should write dialogue that is as natural as possible, so the style
should be like the spoken word. But first you probably need to decide who
these two people are to each other: friends, strangers at a party, participants
in a formal debate. Each of these situations would require a different level
of formality. You should write a brief introduction to place the dialogue
into context.
2. This assignment asks you to be creative in different ways than you need to be in a more formal essay. I encourage this: give your speakers personality, and don't be afraid to let them go at each other. But don't sacrifice the argument to conversational cleverness--while this may be an assignment custom-made for the frustrated playwrights among you, entertaining should take a back seat to informing and persuading.
3. One of the most important things you'll do in this task is see how different points in a given argument counter the particulars from the opposite side. You'll also have the opportunity to weigh both sides of an argument to see if one side holds up better than the other. Cite information from other sources when necessary. (We'll talk about this in class.) You need to argue well on both sides of the issue to earn better than a "C" for this assignment.
4. If you are an expert on both sides of the topic
you pick, you need not do research. Otherwise consult the internet or the
library for information or authorities as evidence. Be sure to cite those
authorities.