For Thusday

Please write a short paragraph that accomplishes the following:

• Explains what your general topic and subtopic is. (Subtopic should be suitably specific.)
• Explains exactly what you want to find out about your subtopic.
• Explains why answering your question will contribute to our understanding of the topic.  (Remember this assignment is more than an informative report; your goal is to provide some new, original analysis.)

Here is a sample paragraph based on the condom article we looked at in class:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is facing an epidemic of children as young as ten becoming pregnant or infected with sexually transmitted diseases.  Responses from city health organizations and the school district have generated significant controversy.  In my essay, I plan to understand the nature of this controversy and discover the key areas where conflict exists.  Understanding the key points of disagreement will help us to make the best decisions for our children's health.

Please contact me if you have any problems or questions.

Bottled Water Article

We may use this article in a future class.  You aren't formally assigned to read it yet, but feel free.

Essay Two Assignment

For this assignment, each member of the class will write an essay based on the same hypothetical situation. Please imagine the following scenario:

You work for a corporation that owns several amusement parks. Last week, you were sent to Ferretland--a ferret-themed amusement park in Zanesville, Ohio, which has been losing money for years. The purpose of your visit was to inspect the park and decide whether it should remain open. Zanesville residents are against closing the park because it has been a Zanesville landmark for over 85 years, and because the closing would cost the city over one hundred jobs. You interviewed dozens of employees and local residents and found many of their stories very moving. Upon completing the inspection, however, you determine that the park is riddled with problems that will make it next to impossible to keep open. These problems include: 1) the buildings and grounds are very old and in need of costly repairs, 2) the rides have been poorly maintained and their operators are not very well-trained, 3) the ferret theme does not generate enough interest to draw people to the park.

Your assignment is to write your report to your bosses, detailing a specific course of action. The bosses expect you make a final decision on the fate of the park, and provide reasons to support this decision. You will need to invent the details you use to support your conclusion.

Remember to use the skills we've discussed in the class so far: strive to write clear sentences, and well-developed paragraphs that provide focused support for the essay's thesis. Your essay should also demonstrate awareness of your rhetorical situation: your language, tone, and examples should be appropriate for your purpose and audience. You may choose to acknowledge and refute any counterarguments.

Length should be between 800 and 1000 words. Although a real business report would not be formatted according to MLA guidelines, please use MLA for this assignment.

This essay's due date will be announced. Have fun!

Meeting Times for 2/2

Hey, guys.  I think I can provide better feedback on your papers if we have one-on-one conferences tomorrow.  With that in mind, please come to class at the following times:

Kathryn and Chanel: 1:10 (normal time)
Abby and Amber: 1:55

Thanks.  See you tomorrow.