Final Essay

Advice

In the end your education is about you: the papers you write, the things you research, the thoughts you express. Part of learning to write is learning to think about the process of writing and the effort, or craft, of your compositions. This assignment is an opportunity to reflect upon the work you’ve done throughout the semester. It is your chance to think and say what you’ve learned, consider what you have done well and where you can improve.

The writing assignment

Please reflect on your experience as a student in this course. A bulleted list is just fine. Please include:

• Three things I will remember about this course.
• The best thing about this English course (either the way it was presented or the effect on me).
• Something I would change about my work as a student/writer if I could go back in time.

Hints for Success

• Take this assignment seriously. Yes, it is quite brief and informal, but it may be one of the most important assignments of the term. All of us are “works in progress.” When you look back and try to learn from the experience, that’s when some real education occurs.
• Show, don’t just tell. This was one of the first things you learned in my class. Be specific and concrete.
• Don’t write about the wrong thing(s). This is not a moment to complain about the computer equipment, the schedule, or the instructor’s haircut.

Mechanical Details

• The essay will be at least 500 words long.
• There is a drop box in the Blackboard folder for “Final Exam Week” The drop box will close at the end of our scheduled final exam time, but you may submit your final essay earlier if you like.
• In previous semesters, Blackboard has overloaded during final exam week and lost essays, so I suggest you also email your essay as an attachment to callen@ashland.edu. No, this won’t work as a strategy to submit the paper late. I won’t pay attention to late essays.
• This essay is worth 75 points.