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English 101-0930 Spring 2020

Analysis Assignment   

Proposal due February 8th in class  

First Draft due February 15th in class  

Final Draft due February 22nd by 11:59pm  

   

500-600 words  

   

This is the first of our three essays this semester. For this essay, you simply need to do a deep reading of either:  

Two Years Are Better Than Four by Liz Addison p. 365  

Or   

Google, Democracy and the Truth about Internet Search by Carole Cadwalladr p.480  

   

I want you to choose a stance from which to write your essay, and I want you to think about the essay like a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end.   

   

The story can be your experience of reading the work. It could be that your viewpoint changed. It could be that the reading led you to a different way of thinking, or it could be that somehow the reading related to something happening in your life at the moment, or it could be something completely different. As long as you are able to express your ideas in a way that your peers can understand, the analysis is your choice.  

   

Here are some questions you can think about as you write:  

1. If your audienceisto be your classmates, what would you like to say to them about this essay?   
2. What is your stance about the reading? Do you like it or not, and why?  
3. Did your point of view change because of the reading? 
4. Which parts of the reading do you like or dislike? 

   

I want you to choose three parts of the reading to illustrate your point. At least one part should be expressed as an in text citation using MLA format, which we will discuss in class. The other two parts can be summarized if preferred.  

   

   

Rubric  

A – The essay has a clear stance, stays focused, and has a beginning, middle and conclusion. It contains three references to the work including one in text citation using MLA format.  

B – The essay is mostly clear and focused. It contains at least two references to the work being discussed.  

C – The essay is somewhat clear and focused. It contains at least one reference to the work.  

D – The essay is mostly confusing. It contains no reference to the selected work.  

F – There is no essay.  

 

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English 101-0930 Fall 2019

Synthesis Assignment

Topic Sentence due March 7th in class

Proposal due March 14th in class

First Draft due March 21st in class

Final Draft due April 4th by 11:59pm

 

750-900 words

 

This is the second of our three essays this semester. For this essay, you need to compare and contrast two sources related to one of the following questions:

 

1. Are we in a race against the machine? What impact have technology and our environment had on our sense of reality and self?
2. What does gender have to do with it? How has our understanding of gender changed over time?

 

Some essays you can read in relation to these questions are:

For Question 1:

Google, Democracy and the Truth about Internet Search by Carole Cadwalladr p. 480

 

Does Texting Affect Writing by Michaela Cullington p. 462

 

How I Learned to Love Snapchat by Jenna Wortham p. 474

 

Go Ahead: Waste Time on the Internet by Kenneth Goldsmith p. 500

 

Does a Protest’s Size Matter by Zeynep Tufekci p. 525

 

 

For Question 2:

Teaching Men to Be Emotionally Honest by Andrew Reiner p. 589

 

From He to She in First Grade by Laurie Frankel p. 583

 

What About Gender Roles in Same Sex Relationships by Stephen Mays p. 596

 

Artificial Intelligence’s White Guy Problem by Kate Crawford p. 599

 

Which writer on your chosen topic do you agree with most? Does the commonly accepted view of the truth about said matter align with your own sense of what is true about it?

 

For this essay, I want you to think about the following:

1. Choose a clear stance. Introduce it in your opening paragraph.
2. For the body of your essay, choose at least three supporting ideas. Find evidence to illustrate your ideas.
3. In your conclusion, give your readers something to take away, something that you may have learned in your research, perhaps a further question that you could ask about the topic in future exploration.

 

Use at least three MLA format in text citations, and include a list of Works Cited. 

 

Rubric

A – The essay has a clear stance, stays focused, and has a beginning, middle and conclusion. It contains three in text citations using MLA format and a list of Works Cited.

B – The essay is mostly clear and focused. It contains at least two in text citations.

C – The essay is somewhat clear and focused. It contains at least one in text citation.

D – The essay is mostly confusing. It contains no reference to the selected work.

F – There is no essay.

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English 101-0930 Fall 2019 

Documented Paper Assignment  

Thesis Statement due April 4th in class 

Proposal due April 11th in class WITH proposed third researched source 

First Draft due May 1st by 11:59pm  

(Please submit first draft by email to ybrener@bmcc.cuny.edu) 

Final Draft due May 13th  by 11:59pm 

 

900–1000 words 

 

This is the third and final of our three essays this semester. For this assignment, you need to write a thesis-driven paper using at least three researched sources. I will provide two sources, and you will find the third, reliable source. Your source will be a peer-reviewed paper or a book. We will discuss in class how to select reputable sources. 

 

This essay will focus on our readings about food from the textbook, still keeping in mind the question of what is true and what is learned. You can choose from the following questions: 

 

1. Have current events changed our eating habits, our shopping habits, and our attitude toward nutrition? If so, how? 

1. Which factor contributes more to healthy eating: education or economics?  

1. Who influences our eating habits more: our family or the larger environment we live in? 

 

I will provide two sources, and you will provide the third source. 

Here are some essays you can use as sources from the textbook: 

 

Escape From the Western Diet by Michael Pollan p. 624 

 

Why Don’t Convenience Stores Sell Better Food by Olga Khazan p. 632 

 

Don’t Blame the Eater by David Zinczenko p. 647 

 

The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food by Michael Moss p. 656 

 

How Junk Food Can End Obesity by David H Freedman p. 681 

 

For this essay, I want you to think about the following: 

1. What is your thesis statement? How will you prove your point? 

1. For the body of your essay, choose at least three supporting ideas, with supporting sources, and in text citations. 

1. In your conclusion, refer back to your thesis, give your readers something to take away, something that you may have learned in your research, perhaps a further question that you could ask about the topic in future exploration. Make sure you close your question in a satisfactory way. 

1. Your list of Works Cited will contain at least three sources: two provided by me, and one provided by you. 

 

Use correct MLA format in text citations, Works Cited list.   

 

Rubric 

A – The essay has a strong thesis, stays focused, and refers back to the thesis in the conclusion. It has a clear beginning, middle, and end.  It contains three in text citations with supporting sources, one of which is found by you, using MLA format and a list of Works Cited. 

B – The essay has an understandable thesis. It is mostly clear and focused. It contains at least two in text citations from at least two sources, one of which is found by you. 

C – The thesis is not entirely clear. The essay is somewhat clear and focused. It contains at least one in text citation. 

D – The essay is mostly confusing. It contains no clear thesis, or no reference to the selected work. 

F – There is no essay.