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RANSDELL’S ASSIGNMENT PACKET FOR ENGLISH 102/108

GENERAL TIPS FOR WRITING ACADEMIC PAPERS

1) Create a unique, interesting thesis. The thesis is the purpose of your paper—the main thing you want to prove. A strong thesis needs to be debatable (not everyone agrees), innovative (fresh), and manageable (you don’t need to write a book, just an essay).

You want your readers to think: “Wow, I never thought about that!”

You also want them to think: “I am not sure I agree…. but I will read the rest of the essay to find out.”

2) Provide a road map of your essay by stating your thesis (main point) and forecasting important sections of your essay. Include this information at the end of your first paragraph unless you start with an anecdote or similar device. The forecast hints at how you will prove your thesis. Your intro should also include the subject of your essay and author (if applicable).

3) Organize your essay in standard academic fashion (meaningful title, introduction with thesis/forecast, topic sentences followed by PIE paragraphs, conclusion).

4) Your conclusion should balance the intro by summarizing your main points. It should also be a similar length. The conclusion is the one place where you have room to break form by adding extra information or sneaking in information that didn’t fit anywhere else. Try to leave your reader with a lasting impression that’s a natural progression from your writing.

5) The key to writing a successful paper lies in the depth of your analysis. (For a “profile,” the key is getting good information from your subjects and choosing crucial elements to include in your finished essay.) Discuss specifics and wrestle with them. Dig down under the surface and analyze details. Most body paragraphs (pars. aside from the intro and conclusion) should have PIE: point or topic sentence that states the main idea of your paragraph and shows a direct tie to the thesis or previous paragraph), illustration (an example or bit of proof), and explanation (your reasoning or analysis). In general, you should use one sentence to state your point, one or two to describe your proof, and several to explain how the proof proves your point. A basic body paragraph might look like this:

10% = point or topic sentence20% = illustration (proof) or example70% = explanation or analysis

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Most of each body paragraph should be your analysis, not a quote from the text or research material.

6) Think in sets of paragraphs. Paragraphs don’t cost anything, so instead of stuffing all your ideas inside just one, spread out your points and give attention to each. Offer your information in small bits and connect the points. In high school you may have learned how to write a five-paragraph essay. That’s a good foundation, but now it’s time to let your imagination and creativity broaden your scope.

7) In general, write in present tense: “Dewey explains that……”

8) Save drafts of your essay in different files and back them up to avoid losing them. When you submit your essay, include drafts, especially any I commented on.

9) Word process your drafts and final versions. Double-space your essays using one-inch margins and a twelve-point font. You must submit a hard copy of your essay in order to receive a grade for it. You must also upload your essay to d2l.

10) Create a title that makes us curious about your essay, not “Essay 1” or “Family” or the name of the text you’re analyzing. Use MLA format: capitalize words other than articles or prepositions or conjunctions unless they’re the first or last words. For example: Procrastination Is the Best Tool of All.

11) To avoid losing credit, compose your essay in Academic English. (That means: use standard punctuation and avoid grammar mistakes.) Editing is quite hard work, but it is very important. All writers need to go through this process, me included. If you turn in work with lots of small mistakes, your readers will assume that you are lazy. Not only will you lose credibility, but your readers won’t trust the content of your words. If you’re concerned about your editing skills, stop by my office hours with a sample text or essay draft that we can review together. Take the time to edit carefully, paying special attention to the items we reviewed in class.

12) Write first, edit last. Even though grammar and punctuation are important, save yourself time by focusing on content first rather than editing material you throw out later anyway. After you are satisfied with the content of your essay, edit your essay for grammar and style.

13) Be your own best editor. To edit successfully, first spend ample time trying to find easy mistakes yourself. Use your grammar text to help with punctuation and other rules. Then get some outside help. If English isn’t your first language, try to find a native speaker who can help you. Even if English IS your first language, try to find someone who is “good” at English to help with small details.

14) Make sure your essay corresponds to the assignment and satisfies its requirements. (A research paper must include research, for example.) Otherwise your paper won’t earn a passing grade.

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15) Formatting: On your first page, include at the top: your name, my name, course number, type of essay, date. Number the subsequent pages. (You don’t need a title page.)

16) If you get stuck when you’re trying to write the introduction, write a different part of your essay first. Often writers don’t discover what they’re trying to say until they reach the conclusion and start working backwards.

17) A note on style: omit unnecessary information such as “I think” or “I liked this text.” Of course it’s what you think: It’s your essay! Of course you liked this text. Otherwise you would have chosen something else to write about!

18) For papers that include research, include a Works Cited page that follows MLA style. (If your major field of study uses APA, feel free to use that style instead, but use it consistently and correctly throughout your document.) You can get all the information you need from Writer’s Help (as accessed through d2l). You can also find information easily through: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

19) You must do your own original writing for every assignment in this class. Your peers and I will offer advice, but the ideas and writing must be your own. Often you will need to quote another’s work; be sure to give credit where it is due. Put quotation marks around borrowed words and give the citation in parenthesis: “Parrots don’t usually turn into human beings” (Barnes 45). Note that in most cases, your quotations shouldn’t be more than one sentence long. At other times you will want to paraphrase an author’s work. That’s fine too; simply put the reference in parenthesis: (Barnes 45).

20) Using sources means integrating them into your text, not cutting and pasting long blocks of text. Block quotes (three lines or longer) are generally effective. Avoid them.

21) Note that doing minimal amount of work usually earns a minimal grade. If you’ve barely made the minimum word count, for example, it’s unlikely that your essay will be strong enough to earn a stellar grade.

22) Make full use of workshopping sessions. Your peers will often have excellent suggestions. If your drafts don’t show changes, you won’t get credit for workshopping them.

23) Be aware of possible additional resources. The Think Tank offers 15-minute sessions. To make the most of your time, be prepared by bringing along the assignment and your laptop or tablet. (It’s too difficult for the tutors to read your essay from a cell phone.) The WSIP, The Writing Skills Improvement Program, offers free, hour-long tutoring sessions with professional tutors. To improve your writing as much as possible, sign up for these helpful weekly sessions.

24) To get full credit, you must submit your entire essay packet on time. You will need to turn in, in this order:

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Final Draft (with Works Cited page if applicable)A list of peers’ comments (worth five points)Drafts 1A, 1B (5 points each) clearly labeled with peers’ names OR my conference draftDrafts 2A, 2B (5 points each) clearly labeled with peers’ names(Drafts 3A, 3B if applicable)Any drafts I commented on

You will also need to upload your final essay to d2l by midnight on the day it’s due. (doc, docx, rtf only)

*Your essay is not submitted until I receive both versions.

In very rare cases and as a worse-case scenario, it is possible that your essay may be accepted in only one format; however, you will lose a letter grade.

THE WRITING PROCESS

Drafting: If you’ve read hundreds of books and penned thousands of words, you might be able to produce an A/B paper in a couple of drafts. If you’re not an avid reader and haven’t spent much time writing, you should plan on creating multiple drafts per essay and investing a lot of time to achieve a passing grade in this class.

Most writers do their best revising by concentrating on one area of writing per draft. One plan might be:

Draft 1: Just get it out.Draft 2: Coordinate your thesis with your topic sentences.Draft 3: Develop the analysis (add more examples and explanation).Draft 4: Edit for grammar and style.

Note: The reason to do multiple drafts is that you can’t hope to improve any one draft by a thousand percent. Instead you need to improve on it a few steps at a time. Each workshopping session should help you get to the next level.

Don’t forget to edit your final draft. Note the famous words of Peter Elbow: “Not editing is like leaving your dirty socks around for someone else to find.” (Writing with Power, p. 234)

WORKSHOPPING: THE WRITER

For a couple of class periods before each essay is due, we’ll devote our time to workshopping. The point of workshopping is for you to gather enough information to go on to the next draft. Workshopping is an excellent way to find out how your writing is working and to learn about yourself as a writer. It might be frustrating to realize that your

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draft still needs work, but if you can make use of opportunities for revision, chances are that your writing will be more effective and earn you higher grades.

Your classmates will work hard to offer their best advice, but that’s not to say that they will always be right! Sometimes you need to reject advice rather than embrace it. The point is that by thinking carefully about the decisions you make in your writing, you’ll develop a better sense of what your writing is doing and what it still needs to do. Here’s the beauty of being the writer--you make the final decisions.

For each essay, you’ll have the opportunity to get feedback from your classmates. Make the most of your time by preparing your best possible draft. Think about the information you need from your peers and ask them specific questions about your draft. Press them for an honest opinion about your work. If they gloss over your material and tell you it’s “really good” or “it really flows,” realize that they might not have spent enough time on your draft to give you a solid reading.

Note that you are responsible for 1) bringing copies of your drafts to class, 2) asking your classmates to provide complete, signed responses, (not “good job, keep working”), 3) submitting a list of classmates’ comments and your responses.

For full credit (10 points per workshopping session), bring two drafts labeled 1A and 1B (first workshop), new and improved drafts labeled 2A and 2B (second workshop), and new and improved drafts labeled 3A and 3B (third workshop). Use the information you gather from one class period to bring a stronger draft to the next one. Recycled drafts will not earn credit.

If you have to miss class, come to class without your draft, or fail to get comments from your classmates, you will lose points. In some cases you might be able to regain some points from outside readers, but you will need to consult me first.

WORKSHOPPING: THE READER

Giving your classmates feedback will help them think about their essays, help you become a more perceptive reader, and give you strategies for working through your own essays. There are two basic types of comments: suggestions or directives. Use suggestions when you’re not sure what’s wrong but want to offer possibilities: You might…. You could…. Use directives when you feel more confident about what the essay needs: Add a thesis. Find more proof.

Write comments about your classmates’ content on the margins of their drafts and a short paragraph at the end. Make “facilitative” comments to help the writers consider new lines of thought: What about...? Write “directive” comments when you feel confident that you know what’s wrong: Add more analysis.

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If you’re not sure what to write about, then try SAR: Suggest (make a few suggestions for improvements), Admire (what are some things that are working well and that the writers shouldn’t change), Respond (as a reader to something interesting about the content)

For all drafts:

* Respond to aspects you find particularly interesting. (I like this because....)* Praise parts that seem effective (writers assume that everything is effective!)* Warn writers about serious flaws (if you can’t find the thesis, say so)* Give your overall impression about what the writer should do to create the next draft

Considerations for Day 1: 1) Is there a clear thesis and forecast?2) Does the intro mention the name of the text(s) the essay is based on and its (their) author(s)? (if applicable)3) Do the body paragraphs match the thesis?4) In what ways does the draft match the essay assignment?

Considerations for Day 2:1) Does the author include a hook or does the essay start too abruptly?2) Does each TS (topic sentence) have a clear tie to the thesis or preceding paragraph?3) Do the paragraphs have PIE? (point, illustration, explanation)4) What points could be added? What extra proof would be helpful?5) Consider the essay’s organization. Which paragraphs might be more effective elsewhere?

Considerations for Day 3: 1) Is the title interesting and appropriate? If not, what other titles would you suggest?2) Does the thesis include a clear forecast that helps you make your way through the essay?3) Where should the writer add more proof? (What other facts might the author use?)4) Where should the writer add more analysis? (What sections need longer explanations?)5) How well does the conclusion match the intro? (They should reflect one another without being worded exactly the same way, and they should be a similar length.)6) Does the conclusion provide closure, or does it present key points that should have come earlier?7) How could the writer leave readers with more food for thought?

For your end comment:

* Give your overall impression of the essay’s strengths and weaknesses.* Point out especially noticeable problems. (“Your conclusion doesn’t match your thesis.”)* Encourage your classmates by including positive comments.

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* Respond as a reader--share some of your own views about the topic.

Although using Standard Written English is important, drafting is not the time to worry about it. Please ignore spelling and grammar until the last day of workshopping unless you can’t understand what the writer is trying to say. Editing should be the very final step in writing an essay.

NOTE: If you need time to complete your responses, you may take them home, or, if the essays are due the next class period, send your classmates comments via email. If your responses on your classmates’ drafts are incomplete, YOU WILL LOSE POINTS.

GRADING STANDARDS

Guidelines for essay types differ, but in general, when I evaluate your essay, I will consider your focus (thesis), analysis (how well you explain and decipher your points), organization (how the pieces fit together), strength of proof (persuasiveness), ingenuity (novelty of approach), rhetorical awareness (the effectiveness of your essay given its context), style (tone/word choice), and mechanics (grammar and spelling).

More specifically:A C essay needs to have a title, an introduction, a conclusion, a discernible, debatable thesis, and a coherent structure. The body paragraphs need to have at least minimal discussion and examples. The essay needs to adhere to the assignment, meet the minimum length requirement, and demonstrate an adequate use of mechanics. (If applicable, it needs to include research and a Works Cited or References page.)

A B essay needs to have a title that reflects the thesis, an organized introduction that has a balanced length, a logical conclusion, a discernible, interesting, and manageable thesis, a forecasting statement, a purposeful structure that is easy for readers to follow, multiple examples and associated analysis (PIE paragraphs), appropriate tone and style, a fairly accurate use of mechanics, and a mix of sentence structures. It needs to show some creative thought and personal voice. The essay also needs to match the assignment and meet the medium length requirement. (If applicable, it needs to include adequate research and a Works Cited or References page.)

An A essay needs to have an unusual but logical title, a balanced and organized introduction that engages readers in your topic, an innovative thesis that is debatable and manageable, a forecasting statement, a purposeful structure that is crystal clear, in-depth analysis in the form of extended PIE paragraphs, a perfect or near-perfect use of mechanics, a mix of sentence structures, and accurate, college-level vocabulary. It needs to show extensive creative thinking and a unique and vibrant personal voice. Your essay also needs to match or stretch beyond the assignment and demonstrate a deliberate and appropriate use of tone and style. (If applicable, it needs to include abundant research and a Works Cited or References page.)

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A D essay fails to satisfy one or more expectations for a C essay. An E essay misinterprets the assignment or the depth thereof or is riddled with errors.

A note about grammar: College writing requires the use of Standard Written English. If your essay contains multiple errors per page (commas or minor spelling mistakes), your essay will be marked down one-third of a letter grade. If your essay has several errors per paragraph, your essay will be marked down two-thirds of a letter grade. If your essay is riddled with mistakes, especially serious mistakes such as run-ons and fragments that affect the readers’ comprehension, your essay will be lowered a complete letter grade. You will need to compose your essays in SWE (Standard Written English) to succeed in this course.

GRADED PAPERS

If I were to comment on all the things that you did well in your essays, your papers would be covered with ink, and I would be exhausted after reading each one! The nature of commenting, for the most part, is to mark things that aren’t working. Thus, most of the comments I make on your essays are designed to help you revise your work or otherwise strengthen your writing skills. If I think I understand what you’re trying to accomplish in your essay, my comments will mostly be directive: Add an example here; extend this line of thought; develop this paragraph. When I’m not sure of your goals for the essay, my comments will be mostly facilitative, designed to help you re-think key points: What’s your overall goal for this paper? How can you make these points add up? How else might you explain the author’s choices? What are some other aspects of the text that you noticed? I expect that you will receive higher grades as you progress through the semester and that your efforts will culminate in a strong portfolio.

Some abbreviations you might find on your paper:

E1= Essay 1Th? = Where is your thesis? or, How does this tie to your thesis?FC?= What’s your forecast?TS?= What is your topic sentence?PIE?= Where is your point, illustration, and explanation?I?= Is this your illustration? Or, do you have an illustration?E?= Is this your explanation? Or, can you elaborate on your explanation?Squiggly line= a phrase that doesn’t work well or doesn’t make senseCheck marks= strong pointsUnderlining= strong points

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D.R.’s Grammar Highlights

Note: following these simple guidelines might help you prevent common mistakes that could lower your grade.

When you make grammar mistakes, your readers may have to reread your sentence in order to understand it. That confuses them and makes them lose time. If you make enough mistakes, they’ll start to disagree with your opinions automatically! Instead, observe some simple rules to make your writing more effective.

1) Add a comma after a long introductory phrase: Even though it was long after midnight, I wrote three more drafts of my English essay. This comma helps your readers find the subject of your sentence.

2) Add a comma after a conjunction ONLY when the phrase that follows is an independent clause (a complete sentence). I thought I had enough time to write my essay, but I had to work until dawn to finish my work. (Note the difference: I thought I had enough time to write my essay but had to work until dawn to finish my work. No subject= no comma.)

3) Use commas around non-restrictive (unnecessary) clauses: My roommate, who never turns off her alarm clock, drives me crazy. The sentence could simply read “My roommate drives me crazy.” (If you have two roommates, the information becomes necessary so that you can explain which roommate is the sleepyhead: My roommate who never turns off her alarm clock drives me crazy. My other roommate never bothers to set one.)

4) Divide sentences with a semi-colon; use a comma after words such as “however.” We went to a terrific party last night; however, the food tasted awful.

5) Avoid run-ons. In other words, don’t run two sentences together your readers will be irritated. See what I mean? Run-ons are frustrating for readers because they assume they have misread and have to go back and reread your sentence only to find out that YOU are the one who made the mistake. Instead write: Don’t run two sentences together. Your readers will be irritated. If you want the sentences to work closely together, you might use a semi-colon instead: Don’t run two sentences together; your readers will be irritated.

6) Avoid fragments unless they are clearly used on purpose. A fragment is a word or phrase masquerading as a sentence but that is incomplete in some way. Bad idea? Once in a while it makes sense to use a fragment stylistically, but you have to be careful that it doesn’t seem like a mistake. For example, “Bad idea” isn’t a full sentence, but it demonstrates my example.

7) Avoid “number” mistakes. Grammatically, “everyone” is singular, but “their” is plural. Therefore it’s awkward to write: Everyone should bring their syllabus. Instead make the

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phrase plural: Students should bring their syllabi. (You can also use the singular form, but it’s awkward too: Everyone should bring his or her syllabus.)

8) Use colons precisely. A colon means one of two things: a list is coming, or an example is coming. If you have an example or a direct quote coming, that example/quote might be a full sentence. Johnny told me a lot of things that night: “I’m not sure why I decided to sign up for college, but now that I did, I’m stuck.”

Course Goals:

Goal 1: Rhetorical Awareness

Learn strategies for analyzing texts’ audiences, purposes, and contexts as a means of developing facility in reading and writing.

Student Learning Outcomes:

1B. analyze the ways a text’s purposes, audiences, and contexts influence rhetorical options.

1E. respond to a variety of writing contexts calling for purposeful shifts in structure, medium, design, level of formality, tone, and/or voice.

Goal 2: Critical Thinking and Composing

Use reading and writing for purposes of critical thinking, research, problem solving, action, and participation in conversations within and across different communities.


2A. employ a variety of research methods, including primary and/or secondary research, for purposes of inquiry.

2B. evaluate the quality, appropriateness, and credibility of sources.

2D. synthesize research findings in development of an argument.

2F. compose persuasive researched arguments for various audiences and purposes, and in multiple modalities.

Goal 3: Reflection and Revision

Understand composing processes as flexible and collaborative, drawing upon multiple strategies and informed by reflection.

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3A. adapt composing and revision processes for a variety of technologies and modalities.

3D. identify the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.

3F. reflect on their progress as academic writers.

Goal 4: Conventions

Understand conventions as related to purpose, audience, and genre, including such areas as mechanics, usage, citation practices, as well as structure, style, graphics, and design.


4B. reflect on why genre conventions for structure, paragraphing, tone, and mechanics vary.

4C. identify and effectively use variations in genre conventions, including formats and/or design features.

4D. demonstrate familiarity with the concepts of intellectual property (such as fair use and copyright) that motivate documentation conventions.

ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS

Essay 1: Rhetorical Analysis

Purpose: To perform an in-depth rhetorical analysis of one of our class texts combined with a personal component. Choose one of the essays (by Barry, Pinker, Baron, Hill, Rubin, or Staples), one of the visual texts from EA (14, 246, 384, 403, 418), or one of our class video texts (commercials or trailers). Considering factors such as ethos, logos, and pathos, analyze the choices the writer used for the original audience. Is the writer persuasive? Admirable? Enviable? Is the text effective? Convincing? Thought provoking? Does it use effective pieces of logic? How well does the text work on you personally? Given the chance, how would you rewrite the text?

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Class Commercials

Doritos Dog Buries Cat Commercial 2012 https://youtu.be/r2EcgNfK3PABest Commercial Ever (Norway) https://youtu.be/x-OqKWXirsUChevy Camaro Miss Evelyn https://youtu.be/yIZbctgp48Y2018 Super Bowl “Tide Ad” Commercial Compilation https://youtu.be/IIW3l-ENHdAOnze helden zijn terug! https://youtu.be/a6W2ZMpsxhgJeep Wrangler | 2019 | Super Bowl Commercial | Ad's world https://youtu.be/bGvGPY0b8dU#GuacWorld :60 | 2018 Big Game Commercial | Avocados From Mexico https://youtu.be/ijVLdH5dt-c Super Bowl XLV - Darth Vader in Volkswagen TV Spot https://youtu.be/eGZNocni6zEKevin Hart Hyundai 'First Date' Super Bowl 2016 TV Commercial https://youtu.be/wapLaF5jmrUBudweiser: Super Bowl XLVIII Puppy Love #BudEpicAds https://youtu.be/dlNO2trC-mkEnglish Course https://youtu.be/8Ke3StjGfX8

Goals and SLOs for this essay:

Goal 1: Rhetorical Awareness1B. analyze the ways a text’s purposes, audiences, and contexts influence rhetorical options.

Goal 2: Critical Thinking and Composing2B. evaluate the quality, appropriateness, and credibility of sources.

Goal 3: Reflection and Revision3D. identify the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes.3F. reflect on their progress as academic writers.

Goal 4: Conventions 4B. reflect on why genre conventions for structure, paragraphing, tone, and mechanics vary.4C. identify and effectively use variations in genre conventions, including formats and/or design features.

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https://youtu.be/dlNO2trC-mk

4D. demonstrate familiarity with the concepts of intellectual property (such as fair use and copyright) that motivate documentation conventions.

Writer’s Tips:

1. To create your thesis, consider some of the following aspects of your chosen text:

the author’s message and purpose the original audience and contextexpectations—yours and the authorscultural context—this might include nationality, location, time frameemotional appeals—how the author (writer, company, etc.) makes you feel

(the use of pathos)ethical appeals—how you feel about the author (the use of ethos), credibility,

trustworthinesslogical appeals—use of concrete points, organization (the use of logos)the deliberate use of language—syntax, diction, vocabulary, formality, accentthe style and tone—formal, informal, cheerful, sarcastic, humorous, etc.personal factor—your unique tie to this text (why it works/doesn’t work for you)

2. Summarize your text briefly within your intro or as the second paragraph.

3. Your essay needn’t be exhaustive: Instead, choose a few salient factors to analyze in depth. (Don’t try to cover twenty points. Cover five points well.)

4. Balance your essay between analyzing the text’s effectiveness for its given audience and your personal angle (how it works on you or how you would revise it). (60-40, 50-50)

5. Show appropriate use of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing.

6. Prepare your essay in the form of an academic essay with an intro, body paragraphs with PIE, and a conclusion.

7. Make use of workshopping sessions to improve your work.

8. Edit your essay carefully to avoid careless mistakes.

Length: 1000-1500 words (4-6 typed pages). If your essay runs a bit longer, that’s fine. If your essay is way too short, it won’t explain enough to be effective, so it won’t earn a passing grade.

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Preparation for Essay 2: Research Presentation

To prepare for this essay, you’ll give a visual/oral presentation on your research to your classmates (3-5 minutes, create a video or present with a Power Point or similar application) and share your most important points on a two-page handout that includes citations (make copies for your classmates). Your handout will be graded by me on visual presentation, quality of information, and accurate citations. Your presentation will be graded by your classmates on visual appeal, clarity of information, and verbal delivery. (5% of final grade)

Essay 2: Researching Motivation

Purpose: To research an aspect of motivation theory, positive psychology, or closely related issues. Write an essay citing at least five sources to explain your topic; also explain your personal ties to or interest in the topic and explain how the information might pertain or somehow be useful to you.

Possible topics (maximum 2 classmates per topic):

The Habits of Mind (curiosity, openness, engagement, creativity, persistence,responsibility, flexibility, metacognition) http://wpacouncil.org/files/framework-for-success-postsecondary-writing.pdf

Michael J. Gelb, innovation and creativity in thinking skillsWilliam Moulton Marston and personality psychologyAbraham Maslow and self-actualization theoryAlbert Bandura and self-efficacy theoryZoltán Dörnyei and Michael Magid, self-concept theoryZoltán Dörnyei and directed motivational currents (second-language theory)Carl Rogers and humanistic psychology, theories of the selfCarl Rogers and person-centered personality theory and personal powerHoward Gardner, The Good Project and The Theory of Multiple IntelligencesMihaly Csikszentmihalyi, flow and creativityChristopher Peterson & Martin Seligman, Character Strengths & Virtues, positive psych.Martin Seligman and Well-Being Theory (P.E.R.M.A.)Barbara Fredrickson, positivityJohn Neulinger, the theory of leisureBarry Zimmerman and self-regulationRoy F. Baumeister: willpower and self-esteemJulia Cameron and The Artist’s WayEdward L. Deci and Richard Ryan, self-determination theoryMalcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success (the 10,000-Hour Rule)Eric Maisel and creativity coachingDaniel Goleman and Emotional IntelligenceMary K. Rothbart, temperament and social development

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Edward Tory Higgins and self-discrepancy theoryWalter Mischel, self-control and the Marshmallow TestRichard Koch and the 80/20 PrincipleDean Keith Simonton, genius and creativitySteven Covey and the habits of successful people Daniel Kahneman, biases of intuition, Thinking Fast and SlowLouise Hays—positive affirmations, You Can Heal Your LifeRobert House and path-goal theoryFritz Heider and Attribution Theory—how we make sense of the worldDebbie Ford, Marianne Williamson, shadow effect, The Dark Side of the Light ChasersWalter Isaacson on the nature of genius, creativity, and innovationBenjamin Bloom, Nathanial Gage, and Educational PsychologyDifferential psychology—differences in personality, motivation, aptitude, etc.Personality psychology and the Big Five ModelRobert Sternberg and intelligence theory and aptitude researchTony Robbins and Personal Power

Start your research at library.arizona.edu. Also check for Ted Talks and podcasts on YouTube.

For more options, peruse the Journal of Creative Behavior; however, additional topics must be approved by the instructor.


Goal 1: Rhetorical Awareness1E. respond to a variety of writing contexts calling for purposeful shifts in structure, medium, design, level of formality, tone, and/or voice.

Goal 2: Critical Thinking and Composing2A. employ a variety of research methods, including primary and/or secondary research, for purposes of inquiry.2B. evaluate the quality, appropriateness, and credibility of sources.2D. synthesize research findings in development of an argument.


Goal 4: Conventions 4C. identify and effectively use variations in genre conventions, including formats and/or design features. 4D. demonstrate familiarity with the concepts of intellectual property (such as fair use and copyright) that motivate documentation conventions.

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Writer’s Tips:

1. This is a research paper. You have to do research. As a minimum, you must use at least five sources. (For every missing source, you will lose a letter grade.) However, you can also be creative in your approach. For example, depending on your topic, you might want to conduct an interview or write a survey to give to fellow students. NOTE THAT DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS DO NOT COUNT.

2. Correctly cite material inside your essay and create a Works Cited page according to MLA (or APA). Otherwise your essay will be marked down a letter grade.

3. For the most part, opt to paraphrase material rather than using a direct quote. In other words, put the material in your own words and sentences. Long block quotes (longer than three lines) may weaken your essay in several ways: 1) They take away from your own writing voice 2) Readers may get bored and skip them 3) Readers may assume you didn’t care enough about your essay to integrate your points smoothly.

4. When a short direct quote is appropriate, be careful to use quotation marks around borrowed material and to acknowledge the author. Also credit paraphrased material.

5. Prepare your essay in the form of an academic essay with an intro, body paragraphs with PIE, and a conclusion.



Length: 1500-2000 words (5-7 typed pages). It’s fine if your paper runs a bit longer.

Essay 3: Arguing Motivation

Purpose: Use some of your and/or your classmates’ research from Unit 2 to analyze the actions of one or more characters from the UA’s production of Richard III. Prepare your findings in the form of a persuasive dialogue showing how the characters exemplify or fail to exemplify the notions of motivation that you have studied. Then write a brief reflection explaining some of the choices you made to make your dialogue persuasive.

You might choose to have the characters talk to one another or to you, you might discuss the play with a classmate, you might have the characters talk to specialists (psychologists, etc.). Use your imagination to create an example of dialectical thinking.

Then include a brief explanation as to why you chose your approach and interlocutor.

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Goal 2: Critical Thinking and Composing2D. synthesize research findings in development of an argument.2F. compose persuasive researched arguments for various audiences and purposes, and in multiple modalities.


Writer’s Tips:

1. Write your dialogue in a form that makes it easy to read and include the setting to get us started:

Setting: John and Sally, who are cousins, discuss the play at a coffee shop after the performance.

John: What do you think went wrong with Richard?

Sally: He demonstrates a classic case of a complete lack of Emotional Intelligence.

John: What do you mean by that?

Sally: Don’t you remember about the book by David Goleman? We read about it in class.

John: Remind me of some of the important points.

Sally: Well, to start off with, it’s important to remember that emotional intelligence is more important than a high I.Q.

John: Are you crazy? You have no idea what you’re talking about.

ETC.!

2. Fold the most important aspects of your and/or your classmates’ research into the dialogue. Not all pieces of information are equally effective, but to be considered for an A, you’ll probably need at least ten pieces of research, for a B, at least eight, for a C, at least five. Underline, highlight, or italicize your research. Otherwise you will lose a letter grade.

3. Credit your sources by working the reference into the dialogue: “When I read about motivation in Dell Smith’s article in Psychology Today, I learned that…..”

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6. Include a Works Cited page.

Length: 1500-2000 words (6-8 typed pages). It’s fine if your paper runs a little longer.Divide your information this way: 5 pages of dialogue, 1 page of explanation OR 4 pages of dialogue, 2 pages of explanation.

*For extra credit, you may present your dialogue to the class by reading it with one or more classmates. (This is limited to the first six students who offer to do so; your presentation can last for up to five minutes—abbreviate your paper if necessary.)

Some tips for oral presentations:Before your presentation:Print out copies of the dialogue for all the participants and practice several times.Check the timing: abbreviate if necessary

During the presentation:Stand in front of the class or use the space in a creative way.Speak loudly and slowly.Use props.Exaggerate any emotions.

Note: If you’d prefer, you might create a video outside of class and show it during class.Points: 20 bonus points for you, 5 each for your volunteer speakers.

Essay 4: Portfolio Reflection

Purpose: Detail your most important gains from this class this semester and show off some of your writing skills, your writing voice, and your creativity.

For your final portfolio, you’ll be creating a document that helps you keep track of many aspects of your class this semester. Because it’s a long project, we’ll be creating pieces as we go along. For multi-modal practice, you’ll submit your reflection using Adobe Sparks. Where appropriate, use vivid but appropriate language, humor, and visuals.

You need to complete the following steps:

Step 1: Create a website through Adobe Sparks. (We’ll do this in class.)Step 2: On the website, include the title and a few visualsStep 3: Include a link to a Word document that contains your Intro and Conclusion

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Step 4: Include a link to a Word document that contains Reflections of Essay 1, 2, 3, and The Writing ProStep 5: On d2l, share a link to your website that is open to email.arizona.edu.Step 6: As a backup, upload your two Word documents to d2l as separate files.

*Note that you must complete all steps to receive a grade.

Title [something unique to your experience, with a touch of humor if applicable]

Introduction [to be written the next-to-last week of class, 400-600 words]

Choose one of the following prompts to introduce us to your portfolio reflection:

What did you learn about writing this semester?

OR: Now that you have completed the composition sequence, what are some of your reflections on college writing?

OR: What did you learn about yourself through your and your classmates’ writing this semester?

OR: An appropriate variation that we discuss and agree on.

Note: Feel free to take shortcuts: As I wrote about in ‘Valor at the Drive-In,” . . .

Unit 1 Reflection

For each category, address some of the questions. Concentrate on the items that are the most pertinent or illuminating. (400-600 words)

a/ GoalsIn what ways did this unit (anything we did for this essay, including homework, in-class writing, brainstorming, and drafting) help you learn or review rhetorical awareness?In what ways did this unit help you practice critical thinking?What are some useful terms you learned during this unit? (Define them in your own words.)What did you learn about language use? (Use specific examples.)

b/ Preparation

What interesting discoveries did you make while doing preparatory writing for this unit?

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In what ways were the homework assignments or in-class writing prompts useful or helpful?(If applicable) What research did you perform for this unit? What did you find especially interesting?(If applicable) What activities did you do outside of class to prepare for this unit? How did they help you?

c/ Drafting

How did you first gather ideas for your essay?Which brainstorming or outlining techniques were useful?What did you do to start drafting?What were some key changes you made from one draft to another? (give specific details)Overall, what was easy and/or difficult about writing this essay?What do you like the best about your essay and why?What might still need work and why?

d/ Workshopping

What did you learn about your own draft through workshopping?Which comments on your first draft were particularly useful?Which comments on subsequent drafts were particularly useful?What useful ideas came to you through reading some of your classmates’ drafts?What are some problems that you avoided through seeing some of your classmates’ difficulties?What are some techniques or features that you emulated or admired?

Unit 2 Reflection

For a more creative way to reflect on this unit, address some of the above questions about goals, preparation, workshopping, and drafting in the form of a letter to a friend, relative, etc. For example, you might start: “Hi, Uncle Jerry! You were asking how school is going this semester. Well . . .” Then include a brief explanation as to why you would choose to write to this particular person. (400-600 words altogether).

Unit 3 Reflection

For a more creative way to reflect on this unit, address some of the above questions about goals, preparation, workshopping, and drafting in the form of a dialog. Have a conversation with a friend, a relative, a character (or characters) from the play, an actor (or actors), the playwright, the director, etc. Or, if you prefer, write your reflection in the form of a stand-up comic doing a monolog. Then write a brief explanation about your approach. (400-600 words altogether)

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The Writing Pro

I spend a good deal of time analyzing your writing. Reflect on some of my comments on your essays, whether positive and negative, and offer your own feedback. (400-600 words)

Conclusion [to be written the last week of class, 600-1000 words or longer]

Now that you have finished the composition sequence, it’s time to show off. Finish your semester by responding to one of the following scenarios:

1. Wowing your Employer

You’ve made it through the first two interviews for your dream job, but you have one more hurdle. You have been invited to a final interview with the president of the company. Your mission: Convince the president to hire you. The caveat? Half of your responsibilities have to do with writing. In a dialog, explain why your superior writing skills should land you the job. Then examine your rhetorical choices. (600-1000 words altogether)

2. Breaking the Bad News

Imagine you’re the CEO of the dream company that you own. Your best friend’s relative desperately wants a job, but the person has terrible writing skills. Unfortunately, writing is the most important skill for this particular position. Write a letter in which you explain why you cannot offer a job—at least for now—and offer specific advice. Then write a brief explanation as to some of your rhetorical choices. (600-1000 words altogether)

3. Interviewing for Zoology Today

Good news! You’re so famous for being the best writer in your chosen profession (zoology, for example) that the national publication (on your topic) wants to interview you about how you learned to write so well. Write the interview; then recap your rhetorical choices. (600-1000 words altogether).

For example:Reporter Sam Smith: Your writing is so effective that it looks effortless. Did you practice along the way?You: Well, I’m glad you asked that question. I might be an effective writer now, but . . .

4. Speaking at the Banquet

Time to celebrate! You won the yearly Writing Award for your profession. You will be honored at a banquet for 500 people. However, since many students will be in the audience, you are expected to give an inspiring acceptance speech that explains how

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you’ve come to be such an effective writer. Write your speech; then recap your rhetorical choices. (600-1000 words altogether)


Goal 2: Critical Thinking and Composing 2C. incorporate evidence, such as through summaries, paraphrases, quotations,

and visuals.

Goal 3: Reflection and Revision 3B. produce multiple revisions on global and local levels. 3C. suggest useful global and local revisions to other writers. 3E. evaluate and act on peer and instructor feedback to revise their texts. 3F. reflect on their progress as academic writers.

Goal 4: Conventions 4A. follow appropriate conventions for grammar, punctuation, and spelling,

through practice in composing and revising.

Important Notes

1. This is our last project together—make it memorable (and, preferably, fun).

2. To add personal flair, consider adding visuals such as artwork, drawings, or photos. Play with aspects of Word such as fonts.

3. Where possible, try adding humor. For example, “The Painful Ups and Downs of a Writing Apprentice” is a better title than “My Writing This Semester.”

4. Organize your intro in a deliberate fashion.

5. Use specifics to make your points.

6. Make use of each workshopping session.

7. Remember to edit your essay to avoid careless mistakes.

8. Make all your hard work this semester pay off!

9. Remember that, in general, more writing = more thinking = higher grades! 😊

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Peer Review Sheet

Your name ____________________

Essay title _____________________

Essay type _____________________

Date Reader’s Name

Their Advice/Your Solution What You Learned through Their Draft

1A

1B

2B

2B

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3A

3B

D.R.

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