essay

Choose one of the following topics and compose an organized, well developed essay. Unsurprisingly, your essay should contain a clear thesis statement, strong topic sentences, and illuminating examples and discussion.

Because this is an “in-class” essay, I will not be reviewing drafts.

“In-class” essays do not have a required length, but I would suggest 400 or 500 words would be a good target.

Stay off of the internet. This paper should be your ideas and phrases. If you use ideas from other sources and I catch you, you will earn a zero for this assignment.

Topic #1

One of the reasons that we study literature is to gain insight, an admittedly slippery concept. Nonetheless, in the most basic sense, literature offers us glimpses of lives that we would normally not come into contact with. And isn’t that type of knowledge in itself insight? So your assignment is this: Choose one story from this semester’s readings and discuss what insight you gleaned from it? In other words, what did you learn from reading “What You Pawn I Will Redeem”? Or “The Kind of Light That Shines on Texas”? Obviously, your paper will be completely subjective—which is a “good thing.” But you need to use the primary text to support your ideas. (Causal analysis.)

Topic #2

A university education is expensive. Over the last few years, the State of Texas has contributed fewer and fewer dollars to higher education. So the economic burden falls more significantly to students and their families. When paying their semester bills, many students simply ignore the many different “fees” included in their expenses. One is called an “intercollegiate athletic fee,” and for full-time students, that fee is $120 per semester. (So you can do that math. That means that over the course of earning a bachelor’s degree at MSU, students will likely pay over $1000 to support MSU athletics.) Most MSU students do not realize that they are a major contributor to the university’s athletic department—although The Wichitan recently had a story on this issue. Do you support continuing the practice of MSU students financing MSU athletics? (Position paper.)

Topic #3

Speculate on the effects of a possible rule or policy change where you work. (This needs to be a change that might actually be possible, if not likely.) (Effects essay.)

Topic #4

Similar to number three, speculate on the effects of a potential rule change in a sport, in other words, a shift in rules that has NOT yet occurred. (Again, this change needs to be plausible.) (Effects essay.)