Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
Argumentative Essay 1
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
For our first assignment you will do two things. First, you will complete sections 1 through 4 of the
‘How to Write a Critical Analysis’ guide based on one of the below themes. These themes are
intentionally vague or broad, to give you the widest possible range of thesis questions. You may
choose to focus on a single text or explore a theme across multiple texts that we have read; however
you must be able to provide sufficient depth and evidence for your chosen argument, and that by
necessity becomes more difficult as you add more source material. Your thesis should be interesting,
non-obvious, and be reasonable to disagree with.
Essentially,
you are writing the introduction to a full paper, but you are only writing the
introduction
. As such, you have to create your premise and argument, introduce your source
text,
and tell me what the paper is going to say even though you are not writing the full paper. Your tone,
language, and approach should all be the same as if you were writing an essay.
The word limit for this portion of the assignment is a maximum of 500 words, to encourage clarity
and concision. You should very briefly introduce the text, your point of confusion or contradiction,
and your thesis for your audience; think of this as an elevator pitch where you have a very short
amount of time to fully convey your point in a clear and interesting manner.
Second, I want you to provide 5-7 key quotes from the text that support that argument. In addition,
a very brief (3-4 sentence) summary of why they are relevant. Keep two things in mind: 1) You don’t
need to analyze them in any detail, simply tell me why you chose them. 2) This is 3-4 sentences to
summarize all of the quotes, not 3-4 sentences per quote. Further, your quotes and summary are not
included in the 500 word maximum wordcount outlined above, and can be as long or as short as you
believe to be necessary.
The assignment will be scored according to the following rubric:
1) A clear opening statement that tells me which piece(s) you are analyzing, and indicates which
prompt you are referring to. (10 points)
2) Describe the point of contention or confusion that you’re responding to. If you are basing
your argument on a key contradiction, briefly tell me what it is and why it is contradictory. In
developing this portion of the introduction, you should form a question that you will then
answer (and argue for) in the rest of your paper. For instance, you may ask yourself when
reading Gilgamesh ‘why is Gilgamesh treated as a hero when he abandons his people for an
extended period?’ Turn that question into a clear statement that outlines your origin point
for the essay. For instance, ‘Gilgamesh is treated as a hero within this text, yet for large
portions of the story he is avoiding his political responsibilities. His heroism therefore seems
tied to actions separate from those responsibilities.’ (20 points).
3) The thesis. This is the moment at which you will guide your reader towards your argument.
You must clearly express a statement that is simultaneously subjective, creative, and relevant.
It should relate to the two previous requirements, while also setting up your argument. This
can be two to three sentences, and for this essay must start with the phrase ‘In this
paper, I will argue… (30 points).
4) Tell me how you will make the argument. Remember, you are making this argument about
the text or material you are analyzing, not history/humanity in general. Your argument may
not hold true globally, but if you believe it to be true within the material then it is an
acceptable claim. As such, it should be clearly tied to every sentence that comes before it. By
Dr. James Parker HON171: The Human Event
now, you should see how precise this paragraph should be. Every single word should serve
the singular purpose of guiding your reader towards your argument. Take them by the hand,
explain the piece and the themes, the formative questions, and the argument you intend to
make. (10 points)
5) Key quotes. Your summary sentences should describe their relevance and why you chose
them, and the quotes must fit that description. Don’t tell me that your quotes contribute
something to the argument when they are clearly irrelevant. (20 points) 6) Spelling, grammar,
and format (10 points).
Themes
1) The relationship between humans and gods
2) Forms of leadership in ancient texts
3) Individual or group understandings of death
4) The relationship between heroism and suffering
5) The obligations of leaders towards their followers
6) Definitions of justness or wisdom
