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Paper Instructions:

Choose two novels from our syllabus and write a comparative paper that addresses one or more central themes present in both novels. 

Your paper should have introductory and concluding paragraphs, a clear argumentative thesis, at least four paragraphs of development, and proper MLA in-text citation and a Works Cited page. (See the Orientation Module for MLA guidelines.)

As this is a research paper, your work should be supported not only with relevant textual details from both novels but also with a minimum of four secondary sources, two of which may be scholarly articles from the lesson content. 

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Paper Instructions:

In her address to the United Nations, Malala said, “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Explain your thinking, using evidence from the videos/transcripts and your own experience to support your response. Write a journal response of at least 400 words or one and a half pages.

video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rNhZu3ttIU

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Paper Instructions:

Persuasive Speech Assignment

Assignment:  
• Present a 6-8-minute extemporaneous persuasive speech to the class. Do not write out a speech like an English paper.  The outline will serve as speech notes.
• Include, as specified, an appropriate typed outline, works cited page, and copies of your research sources.  
• A professional, appropriate college-level visual aid is required with your presentation (as discussed). Visual aid must be incorporated into your speech (used effectively).
• Include at least 3 to 4 vocal citations in your speech.
Description of a Persuasive Speech:  
A persuasive speech attempts to change or reinforce the attitudes, beliefs, values and/or behavior of receivers. 
Persuasive speeches may attempt to: 
(A) Persuade the audience “what is or what is not so”.  For example, “the Loch Ness monster is real” or “aerobic exercise prevents heart attacks.”
(B) Persuade the audience how good or bad something is (the value/worth of an idea, action, person, or object).  For example, “killing animals to get meat is morally wrong”.
(C) Persuade the audience what ought to be (what should or should not be done).  For example, “violent video games should not be sold to children” or “the drinking age should be lowered to 18", 
or may cover any combination of these objectives.
Objectives of Persuasive Speech Assignment: 
To provide an opportunity for practicing presentation skills, to promote critical thinking skills, especially that of being able to consider/reason from/understand a variety of perspectives other than one's own, to encourage informed global citizenship through the presentation process, to promote information competency/literacy.
Time Limits:  6-8 minutes  
Failure to meet these time guidelines (short or long) will result in a lower evaluation.  Consider that you may be nervous, so you may speak faster or slower than normal.  You should practice and time your speech multiple times. 
What to Turn in at the Time of Your Speech:  
At the time of your speech you will turn in: 
1) Comprehensive Outline of your speech. Follow my example. A detailed Works Cited page in MLA style. Uploaded in Canvas
Research Source Guidelines: 
For this assignment you must have at least 3 to 4 credible and/or scholarly research sources besides yourself.
• Wikipedia does NOT count as a source.

Remember anytime you cite statistics, stories, etc. in your speech, you must tell us where the information came from (give vocal citations in your speech; parenthetical citations in your research paper).  For example, “According to a study reported recently in National Geographic, forty-percent of the earth’s animals are considered endangered species.”

Follow these steps to create a speech:
1. Analyze your audience and your interests, selecting an appropriate, worthwhile, and interesting topic on which you can find adequate research.
2. Develop and design your speech using adequate research material to meet the time limits.
3. Create your speech using a clearly organized structure.
a. Before creating an outline, clearly define the purpose of the speech in your mind.  
Example: “To persuade the audience that organically grown food is healthier than ‘regular’ food and they should eat it”. 
b. Use an introduction that includes an attention-getter, establish creditability, and preview, and that establishes relevance to the audience.  In a persuasive speech the introduction should clearly indicate the desired audience response.
Example: “How many of you have ever heard the saying ‘You are what you eat’?  That’s a frightening thought when you begin to consider how many chemicals,
hormones and unsanitary substances there are in many of the things we ingest every day.  And let’s face it – we’ve all got to eat.  But fortunately, there are alternatives.  Organically grown food is healthier than non-organic 'regular' food, and you should eat organic whenever it is feasible.  Today I will explore why organic food, organic produce and eggs, is a healthier option than non-organic food and discuss some easy and inexpensive ways that you can 'go natural'."
c. Clearly establish the problem/need and explain the solution, giving attention to how the solution will work, positive and negative effects of accepting the solution, and audience concerns. Organize a body which includes main points, supporting ideas, and varied support devices.  In a persuasive speech these points will probably be reasons for the position you are advocating.  For example, “1. Organically grown produce does not contain harmful chemical pesticides or growth treatments.  2. Organically produced eggs do not come from chickens that were given growth hormones or altered feed.” 
d. Once main and sub-points have been established, provide varied support in the form of stats, examples, stories, quotes, comparisons, etc.
e. Use transitions.  
f. Incorporate a conclusion that reviews/summarizes the main points and lets the audience know the presentation is ending (provides closure).  The conclusion should recap the desired audience response.
Example: “Today we’ve looked at some of the differences between organically grown and non-organically grown foods and some easy ways to incorporate organic foods into your lifestyle.  It’s only smart to include organically grown products when possible.  So the next time you head to the grocery consider exactly what you’re putting in your cart: chemicals, hormones and pesticides or simply vitamins and minerals.  Make the healthy choice and go natural – choose organic foods.”
4. Reason logically.  Example: If you are talking about organic food, you might cite instances where various pesticides commonly used on produce were linked to some form of illness, say, cancer (of course you would have to research to gather this information).  After making your case and citing appropriate examples you might draw the conclusion that pesticides commonly used in non-organic farming are potentially harmful (inductive reasoning).  Remember to check for logical fallacies.
5. Make use of the Persuasion and Monroe’s motivated sequence (These are things you can do to increase your persuasiveness as a speaker):
A. Identify your goal
B. Know the receivers you’re trying to reach
C. Understand factors affecting your listeners’ attitudes and beliefs
D. Use the 2 principles of influence: consistency and social proof
E. Reason logically (deduction, induction, causal reasoning, reasoning from analogy, etc.) THIS IS HOW YOU WILL MAKE YOUR CASE.
F. Reason ethically (avoid logical fallacies)
G. Gain your listeners’ attention
H. Make your listeners feel as well as think
I. Evoke relevant needs and issues
J. Promise a reward (show how your position can benefit your listeners!!)
6. Use at least 3 or 4 vocal citations as explained.
7. Use appropriate, visible, professional, college-level, and useful visual aids.  Practice using them beforehand.  You must incorporate your visual aid into your speech.
8. Language/Nonverbal – Work on these elements: eye contact, appropriate gestures and posture, avoiding “uhs”, rate, volume, articulation, professional and conversational tone, and appropriate language and grammar.  Use correct pronunciation.  No gum.  Remember the “3 C’s” of speaking: Strive to appear confident, competent, and conversational.  Be enthusiastic.
9. Delivery Style – This is an extemporaneous speech!  DO NOT READ YOUR SPEECH. Do not memorize your speech.  You may have notes cards while you present.  Notes should be used as support, not as a crutch. 
10. Practice, practice, and practice - the #1 thing you can do to insure a good speech.
11. In this class we are here to improve our communication skills, not engage in moral, ethical or political debate over speech content.  Disrespect for fellow speakers will not be tolerated.  Just because you don’t happen to agree with a speech doesn’t mean it’s bad.

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Paper Instructions:

All writers revise their work as part of the writing process. For Touchstone 4, submit a revised version of your Touchstone 3 essay. The process of revising involves “re-thinking” your essay. Your revision should reflect your attention to the following:

4. 
   •rhetorical situation 
   •focus 
   •organization 
   •flow 
   •style 
   •clarity 
   
   As you consider possible revisions, evaluate how your essay can be improved in each of the areas above. Focus your attention on the areas that would benefit most from revision. You can add, delete, or move text as you revise your essay.
   
   Note the following revision guidelines:
   
   •Do not draft a new essay. You must revise your Touchstone 3 draft. 
   •Allow time between drafts so that you can see your original work from a new perspective. 
   •Revision is different from editing and proofreading; however, be sure to edit and proofread your revised essay before you submit it. 
   
   Revise your Touchstone 3 essay using the revision strategies you learned in Unit 4. This revision should reflect significant changes from your first draft, and should incorporate the feedback you received on Touchstone 3. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   B. Think About Your Writing 
   
   Include answers to all of the following reflection questions below your completed revision. 
   
   1. How much time did you spend revising your draft? Which revision strategies did you use, and which of them worked best for you? (2-3 sentences) Sophia says: A good revision takes time. This is your opportunity to re-think, re-arrange, and re-evaluate your writing. Which revision strategies did you use? Do you still agree with your thesis? Do you believe that your evidence supports your thesis, and that you have met the requirements of the assignment? 
   
   2. How did the revision process improve your essay? (2-3 sentences) Sophia says: Compare your draft to your revision. Have you added relevant details or removed irrelevant ones? Have you changed the order of details or paragraphs? Have you added transitions for better flow? In which ways is your revision better than your draft? 
   
   3. What did you learn about your writing process or yourself as a writer? (2-3 sentences) Sophia says: Think about the entire process of drafting and revising this essay. Did any part of the process surprise you or reveal something unexpected? 
   
   C. Revision Guidelines 
   
   DIRECTIONS: Refer to the checklist below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until your essay meets all of the guidelines. ÆPrint this checklist! 
   
   Editing and Revising 
   
   ❒ Have you significantly revised your essay, making adjustments in areas that include organization, focus, and clarity?
   ❒ Have you made comprehensive changes in word choice, sentence variety, and style?
   ❒ Have you made revisions that are based on the feedback provided by your evaluator?
   
   
   Essay Prompt: Image Analysis 
   
   ❒ If you chose the image analysis prompt, have you revisited your analysis and interpretation of the image to ensure that you've done more than describe it?
   ❒ Have you revisited your conclusions about the audience and effectiveness of the ad?
   ❒ Did you include the image in your essay?
   ❒ Is your draft 800-1300 words long?
   
   
   
   
   Thesis 
   
   ❒ Have you revised your thesis statement?
   ❒ Did you make sure that your thesis states the overall claim of the essay?
   ❒ Is your thesis one sentence that is located in the introductory paragraph?
   
   
   Focus and Organization 
   
   ❒ Have you reviewed your body paragraphs and made sure that each one has a clear topic sentence?
   ❒ Have you revisited your conclusion paragraph and concluding statement?
   ❒ Have you reviewed the sequence of your ideas?
   ❒ Have you improved your transitions to connect ideas between sentences and paragraphs?
   ❒ Have you improved the flow of your essay?
   ❒ Does your revision have a clear focus?
   ❒ Have you maintained a clear focus and included only relevant details? 
   
   
   Style and Tone 
   
   ❒ Have you ensured that the tone of your essay is unbiased and informative?
   ❒ Have you informed the reader about your topic?
   ❒ Have you reconsidered your word choices? 
   
   
   Conventions 
   
   ❒ Have you checked your draft for grammatical errors?
   ❒ Have you used Spell-Check or another method to check spelling?
   ❒ Have you punctuated your essay correctly?
   
   
   Before You Submit 
   
   ❒ Have you included your name, date, and course at the top left of the page?
   ❒ Have you completed the “Think About Your Writing” questions?
   ❒ Is your essay between three and five pages (approximately 800-1300 words) in length?
   
   
   
   
   D. Scoring 
   
   Your essay and reflection will be scored according to the Informative Rubric, which considers your revision and edits, effectiveness in addressing the writing prompt for either the analysis essay OR the definition essay, the working thesis, organization, style and tone, focus, conventions and proofreading, and your responses to the “Think About Your Writing” questions. 
   
   
   
   E. Helpful Tutorials 
   
   Introduction to Revision 
   Revision Strategies 
   Organization Revision: Cutting, Adding, Moving 
   Revising for Clarity and Focus 

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Paper Instructions:

Suggestions:

- Define Literature in your introduction. Reflect of its importance.  Feel free to quote someone else’s definition, but be sure to reference MLA style. (1/2 a page to a page)

- Select an issue or aspect of life that you will be focusing on.  Then select at least two works of literature, i.e. poems, plays, songs, stories, or films.  Spend time detailing and reflecting on the theme or issue.  How is your topic important to the overall human experience? (1 page)    

- Next, discuss the works of literature you have selected.  Engage them critically; do not just summarize them.  Think about what does each piece say about your topic and how it conveys its message.  Why are these pieces important? How does the work of art expand and complicate its theme?  Does the work tell us something new? (2 pages per work of literature)

-  Consider the themes of the works.    -  For your conclusion, what is the overall connection of literature and life?  What can we learn from each work?  Why do we care about the theme of the words? How do these works of literature, and literature in general, enrich the human condition and experience?  (1/2 a page to a page)

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Paper Instructions:

on the story "the yellow wallpaper"

what's wrong with the lady in the yellow wallpaper?


The essay must be word-processed. 1000 words = about 3 full pages with 1" margins on each side using the font Times News Roman set at 12 point. You should title your paper. You should have a header. The paragraph you are reading is double space. It also is in MLA format. If you are new to MLA format make all of your paragraphs look like this one. If you know how to put the paper in MLA format, put it in MLA format. Otherwise make all the paragraphs look like this one.
The essay should contain; what I am looking for:

1. An introduction that leads us in.
2. A thesis statement positioned in a predictable spot in the introduction (second to last sentence in the introduction). Briefly, a thesis is your claim, your main point, the heart of your essay, or if you like driving, the steering wheel of your essay. We should be able to read your thesis and know what you are going to argue, describe, or explain in your essay.
3. In the body of your essay develop at least three ideas that support and defend your thesis. This is 132 so you don't have to limit your ideas to 3. Also, your ideas don't have to be 1 paragraph. If it takes 2 or 3 to fully realize your idea, OK.
4. You must have a conclusion that concludes. Restate your thesis, but do not reproduce it. How has your thesis changed over the course of writing? Conclusions that conclude: What are your suggestions? What are your predictions? Sum up your analysis.

5. You must have a Works Cited page.

(You must make an effort to incorporate at least 2 outside texts into your paper.
I.E. 1 source = primary source; 1 source  = secondary)

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Paper Instructions:

To kill a mockingbird

-- Analyze Jem’s moral development from the beginning to the end of the novel using Kohlberg’s or Gilligan's stages of moral development as a guide. What pivotal/significant moments define his sense of morality? How so?
-- Analyze Scout’s moral development from the beginning to the end of the novel using Kohlberg’s or Gilligan's stages of moral development as a guide. What pivotal/significant moments define her sense of morality? How so?

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Paper Instructions:

The impact of applying ergonomics principles on office work

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Paper Instructions:

This assignment will ask you to quickly evaluate and develop a view of Shemtob and Lat's essay "Public Executions Should be Televised. (Links to an external site.)"  Using this, you will practice how to evaluate to get ready for Essay 1.

First, ask yourself what criteria do you like to see in a good article, news source, or essay?  What do you judge a piece of writing on?  Come up with three criteria that you want to see done well in a writing or essay.  Briefly describe why these criteria or important to you and why you believe they are needed for a good piece of writing.

Second, pick on of your criteria above and apply it to Shemtob and Lat's essay.  Using this criteria, evaluate their essay and how they do or do not use it well.  How would you evaluate this essay based on your criteria?  Is it done well?  Is it done poorly?  Is it okay, but has flaws?  Provide details as to how you would evaluate it and whether you like how this criteria was done in the essay.
Details

You will write your responses in the text box provided below.  Write in clear and complete sentences and use enough detail to fully describe and develop your ideas.

You should try to write at least 100 words for this assignment.

ARTICLE: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/opinion/sunday/executions-should-be-televised.html

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Paper Instructions:

Do the benefits of university/college outweigh its costs?

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Paper Instructions:

Length: about 1750 words 
Prompt:  
Write about an experience that led you to change your mind or change your habits.  Follow the experiential learning cycle – experience, reflection, analysis, experimentation – to demonstrate how you moved from experience to a change of mind or habit. For this essay you should NOT use sources.  Use your own experience to establish expertise. 

In this assignment you will choose an experience (it doesn’t have to be a life threatening illness!), describe it, reflect on what happened, use this to form a theory or codify a practice, and then show how you apply the theory going forward.

This Experiential Learning CyclePreview the document is at the heart of a lot of expository writing:

We already saw this in the SumpterPreview the document essay. The author describes an experience (brain cancer), reflects on how it reshapes her understanding, forms a “theory” (you can plan but you don’t really have control), and then reshapes her behavior to accommodate this new understanding.

In the AndrewsPreview the document essay, the author develops panic disorder (experience), recognizes the problem and researches options (reflective observation), determines a course of action, and actively applies it.

Rationale This assignment validates your own experience as a form of evidence; it makes more transparent the process of moving from experiencing to analyzing to applying; it requires narrative control, good transitions, descriptive writing; it requires you to think about what your readers need to fully understand the transformative experience.

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Paper Instructions:

I need a research report that discusses the effects of social media on identity whether it's personal, social or cultural and discuss whether it's possible to create and maintain an online identity. The project needs to have a visual aid in the form of a chart or graph, at least 4 sources, and must include in-text citations and works cited list.