Goldberg: Discovery Core A07: Comp Assignment 8

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

Composition Assignment 8 (Nov. 12)

Composition Assignment 8: Full Argumentative Essay

Having worked through different components of a standard argumentative essay, we are now ready to tackle the real thing. We will devote the entire week to this exercise, with no additional reading, and some limited online and research work. We will go step-by-step through the process of generating ideas, identifying a writing question, developing a tentative thesis statement, creating an organizational plan, writing a draft, and revising and editing the draft. For this assignment, you will write an argumentative analytical essay that on any issue that has been raised thus far in the course, using at least two of the assigned reading sources. As the basis or starting point for this assignment, you may use a previously submitted essay for the course or a question/response you have posted to Blackboard. You may also draw on a question/response that I or fellow students have posted. (You may not draw on the composition assignments they have posted, however.) If you do use the ideas of others as a starting point, be sure to cite them in your essay. The essay should contain at least one point in which you are directly contesting an argument made by another author, and at least one point in which you are extending the author's point or generating a new point from his or her argument. The essay should contain a Bibliography with full citations, and all sources and page numbers (where applicable) should be cited within the essay. The essay should be between 1000-1500 words (note change from earlier assignment).

The different parts of the assignment are:

Identify topic, sources and writing question (Post to Blackboard Thursday, 2pm)
Generate thesis statement and outline (either a "Do/Say Plan" or one of the "Formal Outlines"—NMHH, p. 50-54). We will be covering this in class on Thursday. (Post to Blackboard Forum "Arugmentative Essay Organization" by Sunday, 3pm.)
Complete essay, including revision, by Wednesday, Nov. 21, 5pm by posting to the Assignments section of Blackboard.

This assignment is your first chance to put into practice the insights you have gained from your self-assessment essay. I would strongly encourage students to me with or email me to discuss their essay at its various stages. I will not be on campus on Wednesday or Friday this week, but I will always be available by email (including on the weekend).

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.
19. Provide an effective introduction that grabs the readers attention and frames the thesis.
20. Provide an effective conclusion that summarizes the argument, answers the "so what" question, and leaves the reader with a clear ending point.
21. Appreciate legal or ethical standards for appropriate and responsible information use; apply citation formats such as MLA, Chicago, or APA; cite sources appropriately.	Writer does cite sources of information either within or at the end of the piece. Writer does not use an identifiable citation format.	Writer cites information within and at the end of the piece using an identifiable citation format.	20; Part 4

Steps to take for Composition Assignment:

Review NMHH chs. 3 and 4 as needed.
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.
Begin the prewriting process by identifying a topic (probably with the readings you will be using) and then moving to a writing question (which will be answered by the thesis statement). Post your writing question and the sources you will be writing on to the Blackboard Forum "Arugmentative Essay Organization" by Thursday, Nov. 15, 2pm.
We will be working to develop your ideas in class on Thursday. Bring a copy of your writing question and all of your writing notes to class. Develop your ideas using one of the techniques discussed in Chapter 3. As with the last assignment, use at least one means of discussing your ideas with others: the instructor, your peers (email or Blackboard), or the Writing Center. You may also use anyone outside the class to supplement this process, but you must choose at least one of the first set of sources for collaboration. At the end of the paper (with the word count), note specifically how you fulfilled this part of the assignment. Post your tentative thesis statement and organizational strategy to the Blackboard Forum "Arugmentative Essay Organization" by Sunday, 3pm. I will respond to it by the end of the day. Others may add comments as they see fit.
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 8) section using the Submission guidelines. The essay is due Wednesday, Nov. 21, at 5pm. (Note change from usual time.)
BRING ENOUGH COPIES FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR GROUP MEMBERS ON TUESDAY NOV. 27. (NEW)

Online Activity
Identify encyclopedia entries, web sites and newspaper articles for your research report. Post to Blackboard Group Page by Tuesday, Nov. 20, 5:30pm.

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