Essay Assignment #2 – Critical Review
Davidson – English 099
T 9/25: Essay #2 Assigned. Brainstorming.
R 9/27: Bring five ideas along with established criteria for each
T 10/2: Rough Drafts Due (Minimum Two Pages). Bring a copy for each group
member.
R 10/4: Discussion of Distributed Reviews. Writing Workshop.
T 10/9: 2nd Drafts Due (Minimum Four Pages). Bring a copy for each group
member.
R 10/11: Writing Workshop. Persuasive Strategies.
T 10/16: Final Drafts Due in Folder with Peer Response Drafts. Essay #3 Assigned.
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:
This assignment asks you to begin the process of evaluating, by writing a review of a movie, book, television series, recently released CD or DVD, musical or theatrical performance, art exhibit, restaurant or other public event, service or artistic performance. While you will certainly begin the process by exploring what you personally think and feel about the thing/event in question, you will also need to carefully consider standards/criteria that are appropriate given your rhetorical situation, as well as the attitudes, beliefs, assumptions and/or values your audience will bring to the topic. It is crucial to remember that reviews are a form of argument; and as such, they must be persuasive, meaning that they must present criteria and examples which seem reasonable and appropriate for their respective contexts and audiences.
Thus whatever thing you choose to review, you will need to spend some time not only exploring and analyzing your own reactions, ideas and feelings to the topic, but thinking carefully about the intended audience and context of the thing you are reviewing. You will then need to define standards that are appropriate for this rhetorical situation, and to explain and support your judgments in a way that your audience will not only appreciate, but find persuasive.
FORMAT:
The minimum length of this assignment is FOUR pages. Not three pages and a few lines onto the fourth page – four complete pages. Papers must be typed, double-spaced, 12 point, Times New Roman, with one-inch margins. Any papers that deliberately manipulate any of these stipulations in order to gain length will be docked a minimum of a full letter grade. For the purposes of this assignment do not consult outside sources. You will need to hand in a paper copy and submit your work in electronic format to turnitin.com by no later than midnight on Tuesday, October 16th.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Homework for Tuesday September 18th
Email me a two page draft of your first essay at ryan.davidson@usm.edu by Monday night at Midnight
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Homework for Tuesday September 11th
Bring in detailed instructions on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. There is no minimum length for this assignment although with your instructions someone who has never before made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich should be able to complete the process.
Essay Assignment #1
English 099: Introduction to Composition
Davidson–Assignment 1: Explaining a process
For this essay, you should explain a process that you have encountered in a work environment. In a 2-3 page essay, tell the reader how to do something at work. You should also tell the reader why the steps are necessary. For example, if you write about “how to learn to drive,” you will tell the reader that it is necessary to study the road signs given in the state handbook. You tell the reader, “you need to know the meaning of all the signs, because if you don’t, you will not pass the written exam.” You might add that, “these signs are the language of the road, and they will keep you safe.” By giving the reader a specific step that answers how to do something, you give them clear instruction. By telling why, you convince them it is a necessary part of the process.
To get started, ask yourself these questions. What are the specific steps in doing the job? In what order should the employee complete these steps? Are these steps necessary to complete the job? Why are they necessary? What are the consequences if a step is left out or performed out of turn?
The most successful essay will go beyond a list of steps, or “cookbook writing.” They will explain both how and why. To bring life to the essay, you can provide the reader an example from your experience. For instance, “One time I forgot to wipe the counters tops before I mopped the floor. I looked at the counter and it was covered in bread crumbs, diced onions, and something that looked like melted cheese. I knew I would have to wipe them off, which got the floor dirty. I had to mop again.” Brief examples will illustrate the process and show why something needs to be done in the order you say it should be done.
Davidson–Assignment 1: Explaining a process
For this essay, you should explain a process that you have encountered in a work environment. In a 2-3 page essay, tell the reader how to do something at work. You should also tell the reader why the steps are necessary. For example, if you write about “how to learn to drive,” you will tell the reader that it is necessary to study the road signs given in the state handbook. You tell the reader, “you need to know the meaning of all the signs, because if you don’t, you will not pass the written exam.” You might add that, “these signs are the language of the road, and they will keep you safe.” By giving the reader a specific step that answers how to do something, you give them clear instruction. By telling why, you convince them it is a necessary part of the process.
To get started, ask yourself these questions. What are the specific steps in doing the job? In what order should the employee complete these steps? Are these steps necessary to complete the job? Why are they necessary? What are the consequences if a step is left out or performed out of turn?
The most successful essay will go beyond a list of steps, or “cookbook writing.” They will explain both how and why. To bring life to the essay, you can provide the reader an example from your experience. For instance, “One time I forgot to wipe the counters tops before I mopped the floor. I looked at the counter and it was covered in bread crumbs, diced onions, and something that looked like melted cheese. I knew I would have to wipe them off, which got the floor dirty. I had to mop again.” Brief examples will illustrate the process and show why something needs to be done in the order you say it should be done.
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