i need one essay and one research due tomorrow

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P. Shafer | TSU | Spring 2015 | ENGL 1020s | Information about Major Papers 1 (Personal Essay) and 2 (Research Paper)

The following information is intended to help guide through your two major papers, a personal essay (requiring no outside sources) and a research papers (requiring three sources). The sooner you start on these papers, the sooner we can begin the process of me giving you feedback, you improving your paper, and then me providing even more feedback and you continuing to improve your writing. Of course, every time we go through these feedback stages, your grades will improve as well. Technically, so that you will have the best chance possible to be successful on these two major assignments, they are not due until the end of the semester. So, it is a fairly simple situation: I respect you enough to give you the choice: wait and throw something together at the last minute (in which case you will simply have to accept whatever grade you get), or taking the opportunity to start this process much sooner (and in turn give yourself a real shot at a grade that you and I can both be proud of). It’s up to you.

Major Paper 1: Personal Essay	Major Paper 2: Research Paper
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS
descriptive, explanatory, reflective, looks inward (to YOUR own expertise and experience, to the world IN THERE)	argumentative, process analysis, literary analysis, question/answer, problem/solution, looks outward (to OTHER people’s expertise and experience, the world OUT THERE)
ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS
MUST MAKE A POINT and EXPLAIN it	MUST MAKE A CLAIM and SUPPORT it
will rely primarily on EXPLANATIONS and DETAILS	will rely primarily on EVIDENCE and EXAMPLES found in sources
requires NO outside sources (although you may use them if you want to)	requires at least three credible outside sources, may be PRINT, ELECTRONIC, or EMPIRICAL (at least ONE of them MUST be a secondary source--the university definitely wants you to use the library to find this secondary source)
range of 2-4 pages	range of 3-5 pages
MUST be in MLA form (double spaced, 12-pt font, etc.)	MUST be in MLA form (double spaced, 12-pt font, etc.)
does NOT have to follow conventional intro-body-conclusion academic form (although it can, of course)	MUST follow conventional intro-body-conclusion academic form
MUST have a title	MUST have a title
MAY use a conventional thesis question or statement, OR may use an implied these (IF it works well)	MUST have a conventional thesis question or statement, positioned effectively
	MUST have direct quotes and in-text citations
	MUST have a properly formatted Works Cited page
MAY be submitted to the appropriate drop boxes on eLearn, revised, and edited many times over the remainder of the semester	MAY be submitted to the appropriate drop boxes on eLearn, revised, and edited many times over the remainder of the semester
does NOT have to be uploaded to your ePortfolio on eLearn (although it certainly CAN be)	MUST also be uploaded to your ePortfolio on eLearn after I mark it with a university generated rubric (we will cover this later in the semester)
MUST demonstrate effective use of transition words, phrases, and techniques, as well as useful organizational indicators and signal phrases	MUST demonstrate effective use of transition words, phrases, and techniques, as well as useful organizational indicators and signal phrases
MAY use images (photos, art, diagrams, etc.) IF they help you express yourself better (NOT as filler)	MAY use images (photos, art, diagrams, etc.) IF they help you express yourself better (NOT as filler)
worth up to 200 points	worth up to 200 points
GRADING CATEGORIES
will be graded primarily on the following five aspects: 1) thesis and development (20%) 2) organization and flow (20%) 3) descriptions and details (20%) 4) MLA formatting (20%) 5) writing mechanics (20%)	will be graded primarily on the following five aspects: 1) thesis and development (20%) 2) organization and flow (20%) 3) use of information from sources (20%) 4) MLA formatting (20%) 5) writing mechanics (20%)
POSSIBLE TOPICS
music example(s): Which kind of music affects my emotional state the most? Who was my favorite artist or genre in high school? What kind of music did my parents listen to when they were younger?	music example(s): How do the song lyrics of a particular performer or genre represent sex? Love? Money? Power? Women? How do song lyrics use both literal and figurative language (metaphors, similes, hyperbole, etc.)?
TV example(s): What is my current favorite TV show? Which TV show offends you the most?	TV example(s): How does a specific TV show represent love? Drugs? Family? Money? What is the limit to how many hours of TV a child should watch a day?
films example(s): Which films do I watch repeatedly? Who is my favorite actor?	films example(s): How does a specific film represent love? Drugs? Family? Violence? How do films construct their narratives?
video games example(s): Which game do I currently play the most? Which game is the first one I can remember actually being good at?	video games example(s): Do violent video games actually cause children who play them to become violent as well? What are the specific elements that make a game “good?”
sports example(s): What is my favorite sport to watch? To play? Who is my favorite athlete?	sports example(s): Who is the best point guard in the history of the NBA? Who is the best quarterback playing in the NFL today?
technology example(s): Which app(s) do I rely on everyday? How did I learn how to text?	technology example(s): How is technology both a blessing and a curse? How is technology changing the university classroom?
careers example(s): What possible career(s) do I hope to work toward in my life? What are my specific plans that will help this come to fruition? Which jobs have my parents worked? Grandparents?	careers example(s): Which career fields are forecasted to experience the most growth over the next 20 years?
science example(s): What is my favorite science subject? Which one do you hate?	science example(s): What makes a person who he/she is, genetics or environment? Should cloning be made legal?
privacy example(s): Do I mind sharing aspects of my life with my professors in papers?	privacy example(s): How has the Internet changed privacy laws around the world?
driving/road rage example(s): Which particular behavior on the road bothers me the most? What are my three most notable driving strengths?	driving/road rage example(s): Is the use of traffic cameras fair? How can we teach drivers to handle their stress when they get behind the wheel?
language example(s): Do I speak more than one language? Is there a “home” language” and a “school” language in my family? Which other language(s) would I like to learn? Which cuss words bother me the most?	language example(s): How do different languages create meaning? Which three languages are the most useful to know in the contemporary business world? How is British English similar to/different from American English? How have cuss words changed in the past 50 years?
environment example(s): Where is my favorite place to vacation? How did I perceive my grandparents’ house when you were younger?	environment example(s): Have pollution problems improved over the past 20 years?
relationships example(s): Who is the most important person in my life? Have I ever lost a good friend?	relationships example(s): Do families function differently now than they did 200 years ago? Are there psychological reasons why we choose certain friends?
identity example(s): Am I the same person I was five years ago? How will I change over the next five years?	identity example(s): How does culture influence a person’s identity? Is racial discrimination really a thing of the past?

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The previous information is based on the topics and requirements generated in all three of my ENGL 1020 classes. They represent my expression of the assignment details that that I believe will challenge/help you the most while also allowing you some practical choices about WHAT you want to write about and HOW you will write about it. This includes the description of those topics you now have to choose from for your two Major Papers. No student should always have to write on ONLY those topics that their teachers think are interesting or important. Therefore, each type of paper offers both a number of specifics that must be met AND a great deal of intellectual freedom on your part as well. I desperately want you to practice and develop the reading and writing skills that you will need in order to do well in all of you future university course, but I also want you to learn not to utterly hate the entire academic writing process, which can be both boring and daunting far too often. As with so many things in life, it is about working to achieve some kind of useful balance. In the most general terms, the first Major Paper is a personal essay that does NOT require the use of any outside sources while the second Major Paper DOES require the incorporation of information gathered from solid sources.

→ MAJOR PAPER 1 (200 PTS)

This essay allows you to explore some concept, relationship, or experience that is important to you. The three most effective modes of communication that I expect you to consider using in this first paper are 1) description, 2) explanation, and possibly 3) narrative. Although we will discuss these in class a great deal throughout the remainder of the semester, I expect you to go ahead and begin gathering your LEGO blocks of models, ideas, and language as soon as possible. As we have said many times in class, this cannot be viewed as the mere chance at a grade in one course, but as practice for all of the writing you will have to do as you continue through your undergraduate, graduate, professional, and personal lives. Developing truly effective communication skills will drastically increase the quality of not only your life, but the lives of those around you.

→ MAJOR PAPER 2 (200 PTS)

This essay allows you to analyze some issue, problem, or that is interesting to you. The three most effective modes of communication that I expect you to consider using in this second paper are 1) analysis/evaluation, 2) problem/solution, and 3) comparison/contrast. Again, while we will discuss these in class a great deal throughout the remainder of the semester, I expect you to go ahead and begin gathering your LEGO blocks of models, ideas, language, and sources as soon as possible. As we have said many times in class, this cannot be viewed as the mere chance at another grade in one course, but as practice for all of the writing you will have to do as you continue through your undergraduate, graduate, professional, and personal lives. As this is a research paper, it should be especially clear how it can serve as the chance to practice those reading, thinking, and writing abilities that will set you apart from other students.