Assignment for Monday, 11/3

Please note that there is no class on Wednesday, 10/29 (Advisement Day). There is no class assignment for next Monday, but remember that the final draft of your second essay assignment is due. See you then.

Writing Conference #2 - Schedule

We do NOT have class next week; instead, you are each meeting one-on-one with me for a 15-minute writing conference. The schedule is posted below in case you are unsure about when and where to meet me. Please do NOT be late for your conference, and make sure you bring TWO copies of your essay.

Monday, October 20 - NGT 456

• 12:00pm: Vergara
• 12:15pm: Ponamarenko
• 12:45pm: Maharajh
• 1:00pm: Avellino
• 1:15pm: Ruzzier-Gaul
• 1:45pm: Thibodeau
• 2:00pm: Swaebe
• 2:30pm: Keitt
• 2:45pm: Loizzo

Monday, October 20 - MAN 610

• 4pm: Evers
• 4:15pm: O'Neal
• 4:30pm: Fountain
• 4:45pm: Flora
• 5:00pm: Smith
• 5:15pm: Beauchamp

Assignment for Wednesday, 10/15

Please note that there is NO CLASS ON MONDAY, 10/13, due to the holiday.

For next Wednesday, continue reading in HPOP up to and including Chapter 27. Also, please remember that your THESIS STATEMENT for Essay Assignment #2 is also due on Wednesday.

Essay Assigment #2

Comparative Analysis Essay

Assignment: Download, and read, the following two articles:

• Michael Bronski, “There’s Something About Harry” (available here)
• Christine Schoefer, “Harry Potter’s Girl Trouble” (available here)

After reading the articles, write a short essay that offers a comparative analysis of the two texts. Your essay should be 4-5 pages, double-spaced, and typed with 1” margins. You should use appropriate citations from the texts (we will discuss citation formats in class).

Objectives: The goal of this essay is to help you make the transition from a critical response of one text (the first essay assignment) to a comparative analysis of two different texts. Once again, you will need to offer a thesis statement and supporting textual evidence, and you will need to employ critical reading skills (to provide a close and detailed reading of the texts) and critical thinking skills (to formulate a response to the texts). For this assignment, however, you will not only analyze each text individually, but in relation to each other.

I suggest that you follow these steps in completing the assignment:

• Review the first text (or your notes on it) to understand its central argument and the points it uses to support its thesis.
• Review the second text (or your notes on it) to understand its central argument and the points it uses to support its thesis.
• Once you have a clear understanding of each text, move towards a comparison of the readings. What common ideas/topics do they address? What similarities or differences are there in their approach to these common ideas/topics? Where are their major points of agreement? Where are their major points of difference? Write down preliminary answers to these questions.
• Move from these general questions towards one statement that summarizes how these separate readings relate to each other. This statement (your preliminary thesis) will provide the foundation upon which your discussion will be built.
• Once you’ve identified a preliminary thesis statement, prepare a tentative outline that organizes each of the points you will use to support your thesis according to one of the structural models discussed above. This outline should identify what textual evidence you plan to use in support of your ideas. There are generally two recommended ways to organize comparison essays:

1. Identify the specific points that will support your thesis and discuss the relevant section of each reading that pertains to this supporting point. Thus a full discussion of supporting point number one would include a detailed analysis of each reading as it relates to this point. This would be followed by a full discussion of supporting point number two, number three, etc. In this model, each reading is discussed at multiple points throughout the paper.

2. Each reading is discussed separately and fully as it relates to the topic. This format can be problematic in that it limits the amount of direct interaction between the separate readings. Students need to be careful to employ a comparative approach even as they discuss each essay separately.

• Once you have an outline, you are ready to start writing your first draft. Write the draft based on the outline, but do NOT feel that you have to slavishly follow it. If, while writing the essay, you discover alternative points or different ways of structuring your argument, modify the outline to match.

Deadlines: I will ask you to first draft a one-sentence thesis statement. This statement should clearly identify the texts you will use for the paper, and how you are going to compare the two. TWO COPIES of this statement are due in class on Wednesday, October 15. (I will collect one and you will use the other for feedback.) If, due to an emergency, you cannot come to class on Wednesday, make arrangements with me to deliver the thesis by Wednesday morning through alternative means. We will give each other feedback on our thesis statements in class, and I may return additional feedback at your writing conference.

Your first draft of the essay will be due IN CONFERENCE with me on either Monday, October 20 or Wednesday, October 22. (A sign-up sheet for conference times will be available in class the previous Wednesday.) We will meet one-on-one for a 15-minute conference concerning the draft. You should bring TWO COPIES of the draft paper (you will read one copy while I read the other). Again, you can decide which of the two days you will meet with me, but be aware of the trade-offs involved.

Your final draft is due on Monday, November 3, at the beginning of class. You should attach the copy of your first draft with my comments and notations from the writing conference.
Just to be clear, these again are the deadlines:

Wednesday, October 15
One-Sentence Thesis Due (2 copies)

Monday/Wednesday, October 20-22
First Draft Due (2 copies)

Monday, November 3
Final Draft Due (w/ 1st draft attached)

Grading: Grading will be based on the criteria provided in your syllabus. However, FIVE additional considerations will also be factored into your grade:

• If you do not bring two copies of the thesis statement to class on October 15, I may deduct a full letter grade from your grade for the assignment.
• If you do not meet with me in conference to discuss your first draft, I will deduct a full letter grade from your grade for the assignment.
• If you hand in your essay late, without a valid and documented excuse, I may deduct a full letter grade from your grade for the assignment.
• If you do not attach your thesis statement and first draft to the final draft, I may deduct a third of a letter grade from your grade for the assignment for each offense.
• In general, you should revise extensively between the first draft and final draft. A lack of revision will be reflected negatively in the final grade.
  

Assignment for Wednesday, 10/8

For Wednesday, continue reading in HPOP up through chapter 22. We will discuss on Wednesday.

No Assignment for Monday, 10/6

There is no assignment for next Monday. Enjoy your weekend!