In-Class Essay #2 directions & topic choices

In-Class Essay #2 Directions & Topics
WR 121, Prof. C. Agatucci - Fall 2004
Essays #2, #3, & Final Exam Essay (timed "In-Class" essays) will be scored using Final Exam Essay evaluation criteria, and letter graded: 2 highest grades [ @ 20%] will be computed
in determining final course grade, but see also WR 121 Final Exam Policy.
NO Late or "Make-Up" In-Class Essays are allowed.
NO Revision Option is offered on In-Class Essays to improve original score/grade.

For deadlines, preparation, & materials needed, see also WR 121 Course Plan

Assigned Topic Choice. Prepare your essay in response to one of the assigned topics given below.
NOTE WELL: Essays that do not address an assigned topic choice, and/or fail to address all parts of the chosen assigned topic will receive failing scores & grades!!
Advice: Make sure your essay is unified by a clearly stated thesis and narrowed focus that addresses the assigned topic you've chosen. Your essay should also be logically organized, coherent, and well developed with supporting explanation, specific examples and detail drawn from observation, experience, and reading. See also In-Class Essay #2 Evaluation checklist provided below.

Avoid Plagiarism: Cite Your Source/s.
In-Class Essay Topics are reading based, and you will be expected to introduce the primary reading and cite the reading at least twice in your in-class essays. In-Text Citations may be summary, paraphrase, and/or quotation of points and/or passages from the reading relevant to your own essay points.
You will also be expected to provide a Works Cited page at the end of your bluebook, giving complete MLA-style bibliographical entry for the reading (and any other "outside" sources) cited in your in-class essay.

Prepare Works Cited in advance: You are allowed--and encouraged--to write out Works Cited bibliographical entries in advance on this Essay #2 Topics handout and bring them to the in-class writing period. BUT do not write in your bluebook/s in advance: Bluebooks must be BLANK and will be checked at beginning of in-class writing period.

Bring Muller textbook to in-class writing period to assist you in quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing, and citing from Muller reading source/s. Recommended: Choose & mark reading passages that you plan to cite (summarize, paraphrase, and/or quote) in advance.
Advice on In-Text Citations:
--In first reference to relevant Muller reading source(s) that you bring into your in-class essay, introduce the author’s full name and title of the article; author tags should accompany any summary from the Muller reading.
--Follow MLA-style for in-text citations previously explained and illustrated in class, review Muller on "MLA Parenthetical Documentation" (699-700), and/or ask Cora for help!! Author and page numbers must be cited for quotations and paraphrases.
--Citations should be integrated into your essay discussion at points where they are most relevant to a point you are making - which can be your thesis point and/or one of your supporting "body" points. You may use citations in many ways - e.g. to introduce or express, develop or illustrate, provide a definition, introduce an idea that you wish to develop with your own examples, present an alternative or contrasting view that you disagree with, etc.
--Summarize, quote, or paraphrase only as much of the reading as needed and relevant to help you make your own points! Avoid long quotations unless they are really necessary. Remember, this is your essay developing your thesis opinion in response to the chosen assigned topic! Reading citations should play a supporting role - don't let the reading author's voice drown out your own voice!
--Don't expect quotations and paraphrases to speak for themselves. In general, all quotations especially should be accompanied by your own commentary. No two readers are likely to read, interpret and emphasize a quotation in the same way you would. It's your job as author to explain how/why the citation is relevant to your essay points.

Essay Length: In-Class Essays should be 800 to 1000 words--not counting the separate Works Cited page at the end of your bluebook essay. Warning: the perceived length of handwritten essays in bluebook pages can be misleading and come to very different word counts than word-processed double spaced pages.
Tip: Prepare your Preliminary Draft on wordprocessor and use the word count feature to judge the length of your essay. More Strategies for Success on Timed In-Class Essays will be discussed in class.

General Directions (very similar to those you will receive for the WR 121 Final Exam Essay):
Choose one of the following topics for your In Class Essay #2 Exam. Whichever topic you choose, make sure your essay addresses the chosen topic and is unified by a clearly stated thesis and a narrowed focus so that you can develop a limited number of points in persuasive detail. The essay must be well-developed with supporting examples, specifics, or details collected from observation, experience, and reading. Topic choices are drawn from Muller readings.
In your essay, you must incorporate at least two citations from the relevant Muller article/s, citing the author/s correctly and avoiding plagiarism. [Review also above advice and directions.]

Topic #1: Parental Influence
Both Annie Dillard, in “An American Childhood,” and Robert Coles, in “I Listen to My Parents and Wonder What They Believe,” explain how parents’ values and behaviors can affect their children - positively and/or negatively. Write an essay in which you identify two or three influential values and/or behaviors of your parents, and analyze how and why they have influenced you.
Remember: You must state and develop a clear thesis that addresses the assigned topic, and you must integrate at least two relevant citations from Dillard and/or Coles, citing the author correctly and avoiding plagiarism.

Topic #2: Reading and/or Writing Effectively
Mortimer Adler's "How to Mark a Book," Peter Elbow's "Freewriting," and Donald Murray's "The Maker's Eye: Revising Your Own Manuscripts" present the authors’ advice for developing effective reading or writing practices. Write an essay in which you identify, illustrate, and analyze the effectiveness of two or three strategies that you use in your own reading and/or writing processes.
Remember: You must state and develop a clear thesis that addresses the assigned topic, and you must integrate at least two relevant citations from Adler, Elbow, and/or Murray, citing the author/s correctly and avoiding plagiarism.

Topic #3: Ethnic Identification and Its Consequences
In "The Cult of Ethnicity," Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., expresses his concerns about the "unhealthy" consequences of "promoting, celebrating, and perpetuating separate ethnic origins and identities" in the U.S.A. today, although he concedes that there can also be some "healthy consequences" (48, 8). In response to Schlesinger's essay, however, Jamie Taylor explains that "strong identification" with one's ethnicity can be healthy, rather than divisive (38-39). Write an essay which you identify and analyze at least one "healthy" consequence and at least one "unhealthy" consequence of strong identification and celebration of people's ethnic origins.
Remember: You must state and develop a clear thesis that addresses the assigned topic, and you must integrate at least two relevant citations from Schlesinger and/or Taylor.

Topic #4: Appeals of Advertising
In "Red, White, and Beer," Dave Barry offers a satirical analysis of how television commercials have used "retail patriotism" (520) to sell beer. Analyze the appeals used in at least one case described by Barry and in at least one case from your own experience of U.S. advertising, to demonstrate (a) why such appeals are effective in persuading U.S. consumers to buy the advertised products; and/or (b) how critical analysis of such appeals can help consumers resist these advertising tactics.
Remember: You must state and develop a clear thesis that addresses the assigned topic, and you must introduce at least two relevant citations from Barry.

Topic #5: How Males Can Live Longer
Natalie Angier analyzes several biological, social and psychological differences between males and females, applying selected research findings (current as of 1999, when Angier's article was first published), to explain "Why Men Don't Last: Self-Destruction as a Way of Life." Whether you agree or disagree with Angier's causal analyses, the fact remains that, in 2004, females do tend to live longer than males in our society, as well as in those of many other cultures. Write an essay in which you explain and illustrate "How Males Can Live Longer," drawing upon your own experiences/observations, as well as at least one of Angier's points.
Remember: You must state and develop a clear thesis that addresses the assigned topic, and you must introduce at least two relevant citations from Angier.

Adler, Mortimer J. "How to Mark a Book." Rpt. The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across

the Disciplines. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. 8th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 47-49.

Angier, Natalie. "Why Men Don't Last: Self-Destruction as a Way of Life." New York Times 17 Feb. 1999.

Rpt. The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. 8th ed.

Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 223-226.

Barry, Dave. "Red, White, and Beer."   Dave Barry's Greatest Hits, 1988. Rpt. The McGraw-Hill
        Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. 8th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill,
        2003. 519-521.

Coles, Robert. “I Listen to My Parents and I Wonder What They Believe.” Redbook February 1980.

Rpt. The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. 8th ed.

Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 438-442.

Dillard, Annie. "An American Childhood." An American Childhood. HarperCollins, 1987. Rpt. The

McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller.

8th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 184-189.

Elbow, Peter. "Freewriting." Writing Without Teachers. Oxford UP, 1973. Rpt.

The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller.

8th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 52-56.

Murray, Donald M. "The Maker's Eye: Revising Your Own Manuscripts." The Writer 1973. Rpt.

The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller.

8th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 56-60.

Schlesinger, Arthur M., Jr. "The Cult of Ethnicity." Time July 8, 1981. Rpt. The McGraw-Hill Reader:
        Issues Across the Disciplines. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. 8th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003.
        47-49.
Taylor, Jamie. "Cultish Behavior or Doltish Behavior?" The McGraw-Hill Reader:
        Issues Across the Disciplines. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. 8th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 38-39.

In-Class Essay #2 Evaluation                    Name___________________________
WR 121, Fall 2004, Prof. C. Agatucci
Two highest scores/grades on three in-class                         Grade & Score_______________
essays count (2 @ 20% of course grade)                              No Late/Make Up Allowed

____Must be written in blank bluebook(s) or In-Class Essay will not be accepted for grading.
____Must avoid plagiarism: see Category #6 below

PASSING SCORES & GRADES: High Pass = 4 (Grade of A);
Clear Pass = 3 (Grade of B); Marginal Pass = 3- (Grade of C)
FAILING SCORES & GRADES: Fail = 2 (Grade of D); Low Fail = 1 (Grade of F)
In-Class Essays must demonstrate at least minimum competency (score of “3-”)
in all 6 of the following categories in order to receive a Passing Score/Grade:

_____1. ASSIGNED TOPIC & TOPIC FOCUS: Clearly addresses (all parts of) assigned topic question & explores relevant issues; topic/thesis is well focused (limited enough) to allow for satisfactory treatment in an essay of 750-1000 words within timed writing period.

____2. CONTENT, THESIS/PURPOSE: Shows depth, complexity of thought (not simplistic) in exploring issues relevant to assigned topic; establishes and maintains a clear "focus" unified by a thesis statement, with clear controlling sentences (e.g. thesis/purpose statements, topic sentences, thesis transitions); engaged writing to communicate with the intended audience. Essay must be written to make a central point--i.e. unified by, organized and developed to support a clear, focused thesis that responds explicitly to assigned topic.

____3. ORGANIZATION, COHERENCE, ESSAY FORM: Effectively organized by a clear, logical organizational pattern appropriate to assigned topic & thesis; essay structure (e.g., introduction, conclusion, transitions & paragraph breaks) clearly establishes and carries out organizational pattern; effective transitions, logical reasoning, & clear expression maintain strong coherence throughout the essay.

____4. PARAGRAPH DEVELOPMENT: Body paragraphs are well-developed, drawing upon reading, personal experience, observation; general points (e.g. topic sentences) are developed with strong supporting detail & well-selected examples, with sufficient explanation to establish relevance of body points & specific evidence to the essay topic & thesis.

____5. STYLE & COMMAND OF STANDARD WRITTEN ENGLISH: Clear, coherent, effective style demonstrates control of diction/word choice & sentence structure, creating tone appropriate to topic/purpose; & pleasing sentence variety; strong Command of standard written English is demonstrated by few flaws in grammar, usage, punctuation, mechanics; no serious patterns of errors (e.g. subject-verb agreement, verb form/tense, persistent misuse of commas) and no more than three (3) major/high distortion errors (errors that hurt clarity)—e.g. fragments; run-on (CS) comma splices & (FS) fused sentences; unclear pronoun references, word choices, or sentence structure.

____6. EFFECTIVE & RESPONSIBLE USE OF READING. Demonstrates strong reading comprehension & integrates smoothly, effectively viewpoint/s &/or quotations from relevant reading, as required by assigned topic; avoids plagiarism: all sources are cited responsibly within (in-text) & at the end of (Works Cited) the essay; good faith effort to follow MLA style.

Outcome 1 Write essays that . . .
    ...use a thesis to establish control over content;
    ...supply relevant and adequate supporting details drawn from observation, personal experience and/or responsive reading;
    ...employ the organizational strategies of effective beginnings, transitions, and endings; and
    ...conform to standard edited English.
Outcome 2 Achieve Outcome 1 under time constraints (prior to the final exam), while conforming to expectations of an assigned topic and of edited English appropriate for timed writing.
Outcome 4 Employ one or more sources responsibly (without plagiarizing) in a summary or another writing assignment.
Outcome 5 Demonstrate, in an essay, a sustained style employing rhetorically effective tone, persona, diction, idiom, and syntax [i.e. sentence style & word choice].

In addition, preparatory & follow-up assignments & activities--e.g. written plans, preliminary drafts & author's directions, writer's workshops--will help you achieve WR 121 learning Outcomes #7, #8, & #9.