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Assignments |
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| English 102 Writing Assignments |
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- Format the title page of a research paper three ways
using MLA, APA, and CMS styles.
- Design your own letterhead, either for your personal
or business correspondence. Next, create a one page professional
resume and cover letter. Be sure to print the cover letter
using the letterhead template you have created and make
sure to follow the conventions of formatting for a standard
business letter.
- Write a series of one-hour timed essays comparing and
contrasting two or more of the primary and secondary characters
in Norman Maclean’s “A River Runs through It.”
Make sure each one of your essays begins with a conclusion
(i.e. a thesis statement, a controlling idea, a confirmed
hypothesis) that you have reached from your careful reading
of the story.
- Prove your thesis statement by documenting your essay
with direct quotations from the story.
- Make sure to frame each direct quotation using one
of three methods discussed in our handbook.
- Employ the MLA style of documentation for your intext
citations and your Works Cited.
- Complete each of the Library Skills Modules.
- After writing your series of timed essays, exchange timed
essays with all members of your group. Ask them to choose
the essay of yours they believe to be the best of the series.
Then, choose two characters to compare and contrast for
a full-blown research paper of approximately five to seven
pages on “A River Runs through It” and begin
your research.
- Carefully reread the story a second or third time,
taking notes on cards and copying any and all direct
quotations that might help you prove your case.
- Next, read and re-read the essays assigned in Norman
Maclean (Stegner, Blew, Dexter. . .) making sure to
take down direct quotations from these sources that
will strengthen your own conclusions and support your
thesis.
- Quickly write and share your first draft of the essay
with your peers. Use their comments, ideas, and their
essays to strengthen your own, but be sure to properly
acknowledge any borrowed material.
- Find a way to incorporate at least some direct quotations
from class lectures and discussions into your citations.
In other words, take good notes in class and use your
notes to support your case.
- Make two copies of your final draft. Format one copy
using MLA style. Format the other copy using CMS style.
Share both copies of your final draft with at least
four members of our class. Ask these peer reviewers
to rate your essay (Superb, Excellent, Good, Passing)in all four categories using our class rubric. Keep
their grades.
- Turn in your two copies of your final drafts on top of a photocopy
of your notes, your first draft, and two or more of
your original timed essays.
- After carefully reading the example of a topic proposal
in our handbook and prewriting —brainstorming ideas,
making a list of possible thesis questions, consulting peers,
conducting preliminary research—write a series of
four topic proposals on a single narrowly defined subject.
At least one of these ideas must relate to a topic or theme
in “A River Runs through It.” For example, consider
the subject of unexpected death and in particular “The
Death of Paul Davidson Maclean” (as we have discussed
it in our class).
- Review “Seven Steps to Effective Library Research”
and then read “How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography”
from “The Guide to Effective Research at Cornell”
(http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/tutorial.html).
Next create a formal annotated bibliography on the topic
your peers and instructor have chosen from their favorite
of your four proposals.
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