Assignment 52: Flow!

Only connect.

52.  When you have a rough draft of your paper, underline transitional words and phrases and bold key terms that are repeated.

Assignments 50 and 51: Keep it moving

50.  Spend a minimum of 15 minutes producing a minimum of 150 words relevant to your final paper.

Post it on your blog.

Due:  Midnight on Wednesday, April 20th.

51.  Spend a minimum of 15 minutes producing a minimum of 150 words relevant to your final paper.

Post it on your blog.

Due:  Midnight on Friday, April 22nd.

And remember:  no scheduled class on either of these days except for the FIVE of you who are going to benefit from exchanging drafts on Friday.  You know who you are!  (And so do I.)  One of you should provide me a brief account of your Friday get together:  who came?  how did it go?

Assignment 49: Jump In

Spend a minimum of 15 minutes producing a minimum of 150 words relevant to your final paper.

Post it on your blog.

Due:  Midnight tonight.

A Roundtable Approacheth: April 15th at 10 a.m. in HM 340

ECU Scholars gather to discuss what makes academic writing academic

"What Makes Academic Writing 'Academic'?" (and other questions worth considering):  A Roundtable,
featuring ECU faculty members (from left to right in the photo at left): Chelsea Baker, Jim Hunter, Jennifer McMahon, Houston Mount, and Robin Murphy.

More Questions Worth Considering (feel free to comment by clicking on the button below!):
Preston Marshall:  Does an academic essay need to be persuasive?  I sometimes think that an essay could be interesting without it being there to persuade the reader to any particular view point. I think an essay could just present an idea or be someone giving their opinion on a matter or sharing something interesting. I just wonder if these types of essays fall more into the personal essay category or can an academic essay be just an exploration as well? When I was in high school all of my teachers led me to believe that an essay was there to persuade someone to your view not to just express a view.

"Free Speech" (1943) by Norman Rockwell

Kaylie Blackwell:  What are the best techniques for developing an academic essay?  This question is interesting to me because I have received conflicting advice concerning the development of academic essays. When I was taking Freshman Comp II, we wrote essays that were mainly based on fact rather than opinion. Our final project for that class was to write essay that essentially resembled scholarly journals. We were required to find a minimum of ten references, and we were never allowed to use "I" or even "you." (And don't even get me started on the five-paragraph format I learned in high school.) In [Dr. Benton’s Reading and Writing Advanced Essays] class, we seem to be focusing more on opinion than fact . . . though we can use facts to back up our opinions. Ironically, we are each responding to at least one reference (usually an article) and the words "I" and "you" are permitted. As a result of this conflicting advice, I would really like to know what is universally accepted in developing academic essays.

Laramie Mims:  Which part of an academic essay do you feel should get the most attention or is the most important? I ask this question because I am curious to see which part should be used to hook and keep the reader interested. I realize every part of an academic essay is important, but is there a specific part that you would find most important or deserves the most attention for any reason?

Assignment 45: Make a Work Plan

Annie Oakley hit her targets.

Establish a series of target deadlines that will you get you to a meaningful 8-10 page "They Say/I Say" academic essay by the start of our final at 8 a.m. on Friday, May 6th.

Break your assignment down into many mini-assignments.  For example, you may want to include deadlines for a 50% draft, a rough draft, and feedback conferences (with your favorite readers).  You may want to establish a date for summarizing an essay you want to use as your launching point.

Due:  E-mail your work plan to me, if you haven't already done so, by the start of class on Wednesday, April 13th.

Once you've turned in your work plan, notify me via e-mail every time you hit one of your target goals.  If you miss a goal, send me a new work plan.

Assignment 44: What Makes an Academic Essay "Academic"?

A Scholar (1631) by Rembrandt van Rijn

Send me an original question that we might pose to any professors who agree to attend a roundtable discussion about the general question:  "What makes an an academic essay 'academic'?"  I'll post approved questions here as they come in.  Due:  Thursday, April 14th at 10 a.m..

Assignment 43: Feedback groups

What kind of feedback do you find helpful?

Send me an e-mail letting me know what kind of feedback group you would like to be in.  Are there particular members of the class you would like to get feedback from?  Would you like to exchange work plans?  Would you like to exchange drafts?

Due: before class on Monday, April 11th.

I expect that we will have feedback meetings in class on the next three Fridays: April 15th, April 22nd, and April 29th.