Goldberg: Discovery Core A07: Comp Assign 5

Discovery Core I/CUSP 101 & 107 (Composition and Individual and Society)
The Human Place in Nature/Autumn 2007

Composition Assignment 5 (Oct. 23)

Composition Assignment 5: Short Argumentative Essay 1

This week, we will return to working on reading comprehension and paragraph development while taking a step forward by focusing more systematically on the use of logic and evidence to create a legitimate argument. This type of assignment is called a short analytical argumentative paper. We will do two versions of this assignment, this week and next week. For this week's assignment, you will be focusing on one point in either of the two essays assigned this week from Uncommon Ground and present an argument about why you disagree with that point. Like the Critical Response paper, you will be focusing on only one point. This time, however, you will not bring in your own experiences as evidence. Your perspective will be "objective," matching the tone of the essay's writer. In a sense, you will be entering into a conversation with the writer, who will be an academic addressing both an academic and a college-educated general audience.

Your essay should contain the following structure:

introduction that contains a thesis statement (usually at the end of the paragraph)
a paragraph explaining the author's specific point
a paragraph or two explaining your objections
a conclusion that explains why your point is important.

In order to be able to fulfill this last criteria, you will need a focused thesis that matters; that can answer the "so what" question. You will find that being able to answer this question is a usually unstated but essential component in assessing college essays.

In the next few assignments, we will add new components to increase the depth and complexity of the assignment. Eventually, you will be writing a 1250-1750 word argumentative essay that will become the central assignment of the course.

Learning Outcome	Criteria: Weak	Strong	NMHH
1. Understand and effectively respond to assignments as given and seek clarification for questions about assignments when necessary.	Writing leaves out most of the required parts of the essay, including content, structure, and tone. Student does not communicate with instructor about most to any concerns or questions s/he has about the assignment, or communicates and doesn't follow up when confusion still exists.	Writing contains all of the required parts of the essay and demonstrates a deep understanding of its intent. Student gets clarification from instructor on all questions or concerns, and follows up as necessary.	2a,b,c
2. Shape well-developed paragraphs with effective transitions leading to an integrated text.	Paragraphs have multiple ideas and little internal consistency; sentences do not follow each other logically; ideas are not supported by logic and evidence. Reader cannot determine the logical connection between paragraphs.	Paragraphs contain a single idea that is developed to its natural conclusion given the scope of the topic sentence and with the proper support for assertions made. Reader follows the argument or narrative within and between paragraphs with ease.	4 b,c, d; 5f
3. Adopt appropriate and genuine voice, tone, and level of formality.	Choice of voice, tone, and level of formality creates dissonance with the reader because they do not correspond to the needs of the assignment (using humor inappropriately, using academic language in a personal essay, etc.); consistency of choice is maintained throughout.	Choice of voice, tone, and level of formality draw the reader in and enhance interest rather than distract it.	2c,d.e.f
4. Make thoughtful choices about diction (word choice) and syntax (word order); distinguish correct from captivating.	Use of wrong, inappropriate or nonexistent words creates confusion or suggests a different meaning for the reader.	Diction and syntax choices enhance interest and help clarify meaning for the reader.	5h, i; Parts 8, 9
5. Edit with care so that choices regarding grammar, punctuation, style, spelling and mechanics enhance rather than detract from the writing's meaning and effect.	Reader has trouble understanding the majority of sentences because of these errors. Inconsistencies in usage, tense, etc. cause reader to be distracted.	Reader reads through the piece without stopping to ponder meaning. Errors are minimal and non-invasive, and grammar, punctuation, etc. improves the experience of the reader.	5h, i; Parts 7, 10. 11
6. Write with precision--employ adequate details, definition, and context.	Piece communicates only surface or imprecise ideas and descriptions. Writing is abstract and non-specific with few or no details or imprecise or confusing definitions and with little or no integration to the context of the piece's argument or framework so that reader is confused about the writer's true intent.	Piece communicates the essence of the writer's intended meaning with clarity and specificity, offering details and definitions as needed within the argument or framework of the piece.
7. Develop a focused thesis that allows for appropriate depth and complexity.	Piece does not contain a thesis. Piece contains a very broad thesis with no specificity, a thesis that is unarguable, or a thesis with too many parts to be developed adequately within the space constraints of the assignment.	Thesis lays out the complexities of the argument to be developed, conveys the importance of the assertion, and restricts its scope to the space constraints of the assignment.	3b; 5d
8. Utilize clear organizational strategies to develop lines of inquiry.	Piece contains no obvious organizational strategy, bounces from point to point without making connections, and provides little or no sense of the overall direction of the argument.	Organizational strategy leads the reader through the complexities of the argument laid out by the thesis, and leads logically to a compelling conclusion.	3c; 5e
9. Value and practice genuine intellectual exploration and risk-taking.	Piece includes few if any original ideas or conclusions that are not obvious and unchallengeable; writer's work never develops intellectually over the life of the course.	Piece demonstrates willingness to push beyond the obvious and assert ideas and conclusions that compel the reader's attention; writer's work demonstrates intellectual growth over the length of the course.	1a; 2a; 3a
10. Examine personal position on a topic or a text; perform comparison of new and prior knowledge.	Piece reveals little or surface reflection of your own position; piece contains little or no attention to the implications of an observation. Reader learns little or nothing from the discussion.	Piece contains evidence of deep reflection going beyond obvious observations; reader comes away with worthwhile insight based on writer's self-reflections.	1a
11. Follow all formatting and submission guidelines.
13. Use active reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communication--learn how to read more precisely and evocatively, to make sense of difficult texts, both linguistic and visual.	Piece reveals little to no understanding of both the basic and underlying meaning of the source, or only a surface understanding of both; piece demonstrates little to no ability to contextualize points or facts within larger argument or framework of source.	Piece communicates the essence of both the basic and underlying meaning of a source in a complex way that does justice to its context within the argument or framework of the source.	7
17. Question the meaning of texts, and assess text based on a variety of criteria.	Analysis of text does not assess the logic, evidence, authorial perspective or methodology fairly or at all, or provides little or no details; analysis of text misreads the obvious intended meaning of the source's author.	Analysis of text fairly assesses the logic, evidence, authorial perspective and methodology with sufficient detail while clearly conveying the intended meaning.	7a, b. c; 10a, b
18. Argue from the effective use of appropriate evidence supported by the rules of logic to support the thesis.

Steps to take for Composition Assignment:

Read Ch. 10 in NMHH, as assigned for Oct. 23.
Re-read the assignment carefully. If you still have any questions, please email me immediately. Remember that if you use UMail, you must type in your name or else I will not know who sent it.
Review my assessment of your past writing assignments. Check with me about any concerns you have or clarifications you need.
Download and then fill out electronically the Writing Improvement Form.
You should have taken careful notes of the essay on which you are writing. Go back over the notes, and re-read the sections you think will be most useful for your essay.
Sketch out some ideas. Email me if you would like to discuss your ideas with me electronically.
Organize your essay into paragraphs.
Write a first draft.
Re-read the essay and revise it to conform to the assignments requirements and criteria (read them carefully), and then edit it to correct obvious errors of grammar and style.
Cut-and-paste your completed Writing Improvement Form into the essay.
Submit the essay and form to Blackboard's Assignments (Composition 5) section using the Submission guidelines. The essay is due Sunday, 8pm, Oct. 28.
Cut-and-paste the essay (NOT the form!) into the Blackboard Discussion Board forum, "Uncommon Ground Essays " Chose a 1-3 word subject line that captures the essence of your essay. Post it as a new thread, not as a response to another thread.
Read all of the essays. You may wait until Sunday at 8pm after the posting deadline to read them, or read them as they are posted. Note that postings you have not yet clicked open will have a "new" marker on the left side.
Reply to at least 2 and not more than 4 postings with a useful comment, insight or question . Limit your reply to 8 sentences. If a posting does not yet have a reply, at least one of your replies should be to it. In general, try to spread out the replies so that everyone gets some response. Read all of the replies to a posting before you reply so that you don't repeat a comment. Your effectiveness in replying is part of your Online Discussion assessment. I will email you if a reply is not adequate to the assignment. Otherwise, I will not contact you about it. The reading and reply requirement falls under the Online section of the course. You should complete all postings by noon, Tuesday, Oct. 30 . It is much more effective if you spread out your responses rather than posting them all at the last minute. CLICK HERE for the Criteria for Assessing Online Discussion. Remember that the criteria includes the need to use logic to make a substantive point, supported by evidence from the class readings. Be sure to provide page citations.

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