Responding to College Freshman Writing
Begin by reading:
"How to Say Nothing in 500 Words" by Paul McHenry Roberts
The writing assignment:
Choose one (and only one!) of these topics:
- Do you think the "D" allegedly earned by the 500-word student essay on college football is overly harsh or is it deserved? Justify your answer.
- Roberts seems to have a low opinion of the writing abilities of the typical college freshman. Is he right? And if he is, does his advice hit the mark?
- Roberts has taken two risks. One is that students will misread this as an essay opposing football (it's not). The other is that they will miss the humor. Write an essay in which you discuss how this essay is tailored to its target audience. (Of course, to do this, you will have to figure out who the target audience is and what kind of writing will appeal to them.)
Mechanical details:
- The final product will be typed and double-spaced according to MLA format.
- The essay will be at least 1300 words long. (That's about 4 pages in standard format.)
- If the paper does not meet the minimum length requirement, it will be penalized. If you can't think up enough material for four pages, ask for help! Go to the Writing Center! Ask the instructor for advice!
- The final copy of the paper will be submitted through the Blackboard drop box. You will find the drop box link in the Blackboard folder for the week the essay is due.
Due dates:
- Analyzing your draft: Bring your rough draft of Essay #4 to class Monday, November 7, 2022
- Peer Editing: Bring two paper copies of your rough draft of Essay #4 to class Wednesday, November 9, 2022
- Final Copy Due: Friday, November 11, 2022
This essay is worth 100 points.