Responding to Visions of Citizenship, Responsibility, and Community

Project 1

Project 1 Schedule

“Like a well-balanced stock portfolio, we need more than one path to the goal we seek.” – Deborah Tannen, “The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope of Dialogue”

 

Purposes:

This essay serves as the culmination of the readings thus far.  In brief, this prompt asks you to closely consider the themes of citizenship, responsibility, and community with the help of the readings and personal experience.  Ultimately, you will place yourself in dialogue with the writers to interrogate foundational concepts in the readings.

 

Preparation and research:

As we will discuss in class, you already possess knowledge that will aid you in this project.  Incorporating central thematic concerns in the readings for this unit will help complement and complicate your personal experiences.  In addition, reading responses and class discussion are valuable tools for starting the writing process.

 

As you know, this essay is a short one (3 full pages minimum).  Instead of incorporating research from secondary sources, we will stick with the readings and personal experience.  There are benefits to this approach --- you can jump right into the writing process, you can brush up on quoting from sources and citation expectations, and save the lengthier research process for upcoming papers.  One of the main drawbacks to this approach is the limited scope of your conclusions.  Therefore, you may find some of your ideas deepening and changing throughout the session.  Remind yourself that this is our ultimate goal; it will make your writing experience more rewarding.

 

The Details:

For this essay, pick one of the readings as your main focus (Barber, Palmer, Tannen, de Tocqueville).  In the essay, you will need to briefly summarize the reading you choose.  You may be able to summarize your reading in a few sentences near the beginning of your paper.  Or you may decide to dedicate an entire paragraph to the summary, but the summary should not be more than a paragraph of your paper.  The rest of your essay will be a response to the chosen reading.  In your response, you will want to consider the author’s vision of citizenship, responsibility, and community.  What is his/her vision?  What are its components?  What kind of citizen is the author advocating (if any)?  Does the writer see any problems that hinder the actualization of this “ideal” citizen?  In this response section, bring in another reading(s) to create a dialogue between yourself, the “main” reading, and other writers.  Do you find that another writer’s vision complements the main reading?  Bring it into your paper (through summary, paraphrase, or quotation) and explain how this new view complicates your discussion.  Or do you see slight or major variations between writers’ visions about citizenship or community?  How do they differ?  Where do you stand in this discussion and why?

 

Finally, remember that personal experience is part of this paper as well.  The best advice I can give you is to choose personal experiences that are developed and relevant to the discussion.  Hazy and general “I think” statements are not the type of personal experience I am referring to.  Instead, you may want to narrate your recollection of Channel One in conjunction with Barber’s account.  Perhaps you have chosen either Palmer or Tannen as your central reading.  Can you vividly describe a classroom experience that complements, questions, or widens the discussion of their central tenets?

 

Draft/PR: 6.19

Final copy: 6.20

 

The formatting guidelines for this paper include: following MLA guidelines for citations, three full pages, double-spaced, typed, ‘normal’ margins (1”-1.25”), TNR font, and a header.  The header should include your name, my name, class and section #, and the date.  The upper right corner of the header should include your last name and page #.  Remember to also include your title and a Works Cited page (not one of the three pages of your essay).

 

To reiterate some of my expectations:

There is not one “right” way to approach this essay.  I hope that I will see a variety of responses to this assignment.  However, a successful paper will incorporate the key components well.  These expectations include: a brief summary of your main reading, a response that incorporates central tenets of your reading, use of personal experiences that are compelling and focused, and the introduction of another reading(s) to complicate your discussion.  You must use two readings in your essay and can use more.  A successful essay may not (indeed, probably will not) address every idea of the chosen reading in detail.  However, the parts that are chosen will be addressed closely (perhaps through quotation) and thoughtfully (recognizing the complexity of the concepts).  As we will discuss in class, use a thesis sentence(s) to focus your conversation early on.  As you conclude your paper, try to bring together some of your findings from the writing process.  I certainly don’t expect you to find all the answers in three pages though --- so maybe you could gesture to what is left undecided or could use further interrogation in your conclusion as well. 

 

In addition to the “grading criteria” located in Writing at UK, the following may help as you work from the draft stage to the final copy stage.

 

Content/Organization

Is your introduction effective—does it grab my attention?

Do you have a clear thesis with a specific focus and argument?

Do your paragraphs address and develop your thesis?

Are your transitions effective between paragraphs and sentences?

Do you come up with effective examples to support your points?

Do you utilize topic sentences?

Do you stay focused?

If applicable, do you address another point of view?

Does your conclusion answer the question, “so what?”

Does your paper as a whole show a thoughtful analysis of the assigned topic?

Style/Mechanics

Is your style appropriate for your audience?

Are your sentences varied in length and structure?

Do you write with active, vigorous verbs?

Are your ideas clearly expressed through refined word choices and syntax?

When occasion merits, do you write descriptively with concrete images?

Do you try to use metaphor and simile to enhance your points?

Mechanics/Conventions

Is your paper spell-checked?

Is your paper free from reoccurring grammatical errors?

Do you cite your sources correctly (both in-text and on a works cited page)?

Does your paper have a title?

Do you place your last name and page number on the upper right margin of each page?

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