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This class will help you learn to write different types of essays. Bear in mind the templates we used last term—you’re welcome to use them anytime they seem helpful. But the focus will now be on reading different kinds of essays, among them the “how-to” essay, the “definition” essay, and argumentative essays, namely essays driving home particular points in controversial areas like religion and politics.
The goal of the course is to learn how to persuade your readers to respect your opinion, and if possible to change the reader’s opinion. Each week you will get a different method but you will choose your own topics.
The course consists in a series of enjoyable readings, all online or available as PDFs on the syllabus, that will be mined for particular techniques: good thesis statements, that is, the announcement in your essay of why or how your opinion should be followed; definition, that is, your explanation of important terms in your essay; method, that is, how you arrive at your opinion as well as justify it, and finally tone: with your topic of choice, does it make sense to be serious, humorous, straightforward, satiric? Read each essay twice, first to understand it, then to examine the ingredients of the argument. Identify what you’d consider the point that needs to be argued and then see how the writer argues it.
Requirements: All students must come to class with thoughts about the reading. All students must meet essay deadlines. Do all the readings during the week in which they are assigned and turn in all essays on time. Essays must be typed and proofread. Every week, you will produce an essay of 2-3 pages on a topic following the method of that week. You may write more if you wish. Every week, you will be ready to offer editing help on essays written for this class and receive help with your own. Every week, we will spend some time writing in class. |
