Diagnostic Essay: Tuesday, January 23
Select one of the following topics. (Use of "I" is allowed for both choices.) Note that while the first two topics are similar, they are not identical: a moment of glory may be brief, not life-changing; a life-changing event may not be a moment of glory!

1.) Write a narrative account of a time you enjoyed a "moment of glory" other than completing high school, receiving your driver's license, or participating in a sports- or competition-related event. Explain what happened, how you reacted, and why you reacted the way that you did. Be sure to explain both the immediate and the long-term significance of this event.

2.) Write a narrative account of a time you experienced a "life-changing event" (as above, other than completing high school, receiving your driver's license, or participating in a sports- or competition-related event). This may be something you only later came to realize had significantly changed your life, or one that you immediately recognized as life-changing when it happened. Again, explain what happened, how you reacted, and why you reacted the way that you did, as well as both the immediate and the long-term significance of this event.

3.) Why are you here? That is, why are you attending BCC? What are your goals, your purpose, et cetera.

Compare-Contrast Essay: Due Thursday, February 8
After reading Patterns for a Purpose, Chapter 8 and the assigned compare-contrast essays, select one of the following topics and compose a persuasive comparison-contrast essay; that is, you must assert something significant about the subjects, that one of the two is in some way superior to the other (for example, "A is funnier than B because..."). In addition, your essay should have a title, ideally one more creative or original than "A vs. B."

1.) Compare/contrast two similar television shows (but not The Simpsons and Family Guy); for example, two situation comedies, two news broadcasts, two police dramas, and so on.

2.) Contrast print advertisements from at least twenty-five or thirty years ago with ads for similar products in contemporary magazines; for example, advertisements for health and beauty products or for automobiles in Life or Look from the 1950s compared to those in today's magazines. Caution: research is required; in addition, you must include photocopies or printouts of the ads discussed!

3.) Compare/contrast the movie and book versions of the same story; for example, consider Richard Condon, The Manchurian Candidate (as The Manchurian Candidate,1962, and The Manchurian Candidate, 2004), H. G. Wells, The War of the Worlds (the classic The War of the Worlds, 1953, and the less than classic 2005 remake), C. S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 2005, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 1979 (television, animated), and The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe,1988 (BBC television)), and so on. The book version of the story can be a novel, short story, or play; however, do not attempt this topic using a movie and the novelization of the movie!

Note: Many additional texts that have been made into movies are listed on my Literature and Film page, specifically, here. Feel free to select one of these, but do not follow the instructions for the Literature and Film Research Project. That is, you are not to compare/contrast two or more versions of the same film, or write about the differences between the versions. Instead, be sure to focus on how one version adapts, revises, or alters the story, what is changed or left out, and why.

4.) Compare/contrast two similar fictional characters, ideally from the same genre: Batman and Superman, Captain Kirk and Captain Picard, Indiana Jones and Han Solo, Emma Woodhouse and Elizabeth Bennet, and so on.

Practice Summary:  In-class assignment, Tuesday, February 20
(Word document for this assignment posted here.)
After reading Patterns for a Purpose, Chapter 1 (PP 14-21) and Concise Wadsworth Handbook, pp. 379-389, go to ReelViews: Movie Reviews and Criticism (http://www.reelviews.net/main0.html) and select a movie review (any movie: new release, currently showing, or an older movie) from the site. After reading your article thoroughly, compose a clear, well-written summary of the review (not of the movie itself), roughly one to two pages. Your summary must be typed, double-spaced, and grammatically correct; in addition, you must attach a complete copy (photocopy or printout) of your source.
See also, How to Write a Summary

Preliminary Thesis: Due Thursday, February 22
(Word document for this assignment posted here.)
You must establish a clear thesis before you can begin to put together a focused, well-organized, and purposeful research essay. After reading Patterns for a Purpose, Chapter 2, Concise Wadsworth Handbook, pp. 26-31, and the assigned persuasive essays, select one of the following broad topics. These topics need to be further restricted, so narrow and focus the topic yourself; then, compose a clear, well-written, explicit, and assertive thesis statement on the topic.

1.)  Teaching Intelligent Design in public schools

2.)  School voucher programs

3.)  Compulsory motorcycle helmet laws

4.)  Bio-medical stem-cell research
5.)  Cell-phone Bans (e.g., while driving, et cetera)

6.)  Bilingual Education or English-Only Programs (the term “Bilingual Education” refers not to teaching a second language to English-speaking students, for example French or Spanish in high school. Rather, it refers to teaching non-native English speakers (or E.S.L. students) in their native language, in place of or in addition to English-language instruction)

7.)  A debatable topic of your own, developed in consultation with the instructor, but not Abortion, the Death Penalty, Animal Experimentation, or any other subject that has been done to death

Your work should take the following form:

Topic: the topic selected from the list.
Focus: a narrowed form of the subject, and the issue or debate involved.
Opinion: your subjective opinion on the debate or issue.
Thesis: your opinion, worded objectively.

For example:

Topic: Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia (Note: not a real topic choice)
Focus: Should physician-assisted suicide be legalized for terminally ill patients?
Opinion: I think that assisted suicide should be okay, if the person is already dying anyhow.
Thesis: Voluntary physician-assisted suicide should be a legal option for terminally ill patients, to alleviate prolonged physical and emotional suffering and to avoid unnecessary expense.

Summary 1: Due Thursday, March 1
After reading Patterns for a Purpose, Chapter 1 and Concise Wadsworth Handbook, pp. 379-389, find at least one critical or scholarly article on the topic selected for your research essay (500-1000 words minimum) . You may use articles from books, magazines, or online sources, but they must be reputable sources (see Concise Wadsworth Handbook, pp. 364-366 and 376-379, on evaluating sources). Acceptable sources (requiring minimal evaluation) can be accessed through EbscoHost (On-Campus Access; Off-Campus Access)  in the BCC library. After reading your article thoroughly, compose a clear, well-written summary, roughly one to two pages. Your summary must be typed, double-spaced, and grammatically correct; in addition, you must attach a complete copy (photocopy or printout) of your source.

Process Analysis Essay: Due  Thursday, March 15
After reading Patterns for a Purpose, Chapter 7 and the assigned process analysis essays, select one of the following topics and compose a clear, well-written directive process analysis. Your reader should be able to understand and complete the process successfully by following your instructions, and your essay should establish why it is important or even pleasurable to learn this process.

While use of the second person ("you") may be appropriate in your introduction and/or conclusion, remember that the focus of the essay is on the process, not the reader. Instead, use the indefinite pronoun ("Next, one should make sure that...") or the imperative mood ("Next, close the door...").

1.) If you have an unusual hobby or interest, explain one specific process associated with that hobby: for example, how to groom a horse, evaluate the worth of a baseball card, stretch and prep a canvas, et cetera. Do not attempt to explain an entire hobby, however; that is, while how to make kick a field goal may be an appropriate topic, how to play football is by definition far too broad a topic!

2.) Explain a process that people should know so they can cope with an unusual emergency situation: not how to administer CPR or how to administer first aid to someone badly cut, but what to do if  pursued by an alligator or if your car goes off the Ben Franklin Bridge, for example.

3.) Assume that the college is putting together a new handbook for freshmen to help these students adjust to school and be successful. You have been asked to contribute to the handbook by describing an important academic survival skill. Explain one specific process that students should know so they can cope with their first semester: how to register for classes, take notes, prepare for an exam, study for finals, and so on (but not how to read a book or how to write an essay). Be sure that your process analysis is written in such a way that it is genuinely useful to a new student.

4.) Write a humorous explanation of a process: how to flunk a test, how to make a bad impression on a date, how to irritate a teacher, how to make a bad impression on a job interview, or how to be a slob, for instance. This topic is the most challenging of the four, as it asks you to explain how to do something wrong, or how to do something badly.

Summary 2: Due Thursday, March 22 Tuesday, March 27
Find a second critical or scholarly article on the topic you selected for your research paper. Ideally, this second article should have a different perspective or take a different approach than your first. Again, you may use articles from books, magazines, or online sources, but they must be reputable sources (see Concise Wadsworth Handbook, pp. 364-366 and 376-379, on evaluating sources). Acceptable sources (requiring minimal evaluation) can be accessed through EbscoHost (On-Campus Access; Off-Campus Access) in the BCC library. After reading your article thoroughly, compose a clear, well-written summary. Your summary must be typed, double-spaced, and grammatically correct; in addition, you must attach a complete copy (photocopy or printout) of your source.

Preliminary Bibliography: Due Thursday, April 5
(Word document for this assignment posted here.)
A preliminary bibliography for your Research Paper, with a minimum of five to seven reputable critical or scholarly sources (books, periodicals, or online sources), must be submitted. Your work should be an alphabetical list of the works you have gathered for your research paper, correctly cited according to MLA Style.

Research Paper: Due Thursday, April 19 Due Date changed to Thursday, April 26; see Announcements page
After reading Patterns for a Purpose, Chapter 14, Concise Wadsworth Handbook, pp. 334-444, and the assigned persuasive essays, compose a clear, well-written, properly documented (MLA Style) argumentative essay of at least 1250-1500 words (roughly five pages minimum) on the topic you previously selected (for Summary 1 and Summary 2, above), utilizing the thesis statement and sources from the preliminary bibliography already submitted (see above). The Research Essay should include a cover page and Works Cited page (cover page and Works Cited do not count toward the five-page requirement).

The paper must be argumentative (persuasive), with a clear, explicit, and assertive thesis statement. Essays must use a minimum of three to five reputable critical or scholarly sources (including at least one short quotation, one long—block—quotation, and one paraphrase, from three different sources), and these references should be used to support your assertions and be properly documented (utilizing MLA-style citations for documentation). See also, Research Paper checklist.

Causal Analysis Essay: Due Thursday, April 26 Due Date changed to Tuesday, May 1; see Announcements page
After reading Patterns for a Purpose, Chapter 9 and the assigned cause-and-effect essays, select one of the following topics and compose a clear, well-written essay analyzing cause(s) and/or effect(s). (Use of "I" is allowed for the first and fourth choices only.) See also, "The Cause and Effect Essay" and "Cause and Effect Essay"

1.) If you have an unusual phobia or a particular fear (for example, of heights, math, squirrels, et cetera, but not fear of failure or of spiders) explain the causes and/or effects of that fear. (first-person essay)

2.) Discuss the effects of a single technological advance, such as the compact disc, the VCR, the camcorder, or the microwave oven (but not the computer, the Internet, or cell phones).

3.) If you have children, explain the effects of becoming a parent. You may make this essay humorous, if you wish. (While the use of "I" may be appropriate in your introduction and/or conclusion, remember that the focus of the essay is on the effects on anyone of becoming a parent, not just its effects on you or the reader.)

4.) If you have difficulty with a particular academic subject (English, math, science, etc.), explain why the subject causes you problems and/or the effect of having difficulty with that subject.( first-person essay is acceptable)

5.) Explain the techniques television commercials (or magazine ads) use to influence us. As an alternative, explain the effects of commercials (or magazine ads) on us.

Classification/Division Essay: Section 32 (8:00-9:20 class): Tuesday, 8 May, 8:00-10:00 AM, Laurel 303
 Section 37 (11:00-12:20 class): Thursday, 10 May, 10:10 AM-12:10 PM, Laurel 204

After reading the introduction to Classification and Division in Patterns for a Purpose and the assigned division-classification essays, select any one of the following topics and compose a clear, well-written essay defining at least three distinct categories, citing specific examples. Your categories should display more thought and originality than good, average, and bad; be based on a single clear, specific criterion; and be arranged according to a single, logical organizing principle. In addition, your essay should be persuasive; that is, it should demonstrate that one type or category is best—or worst—in some way. For example:

"Bad drivers can be classified according to how dangerous they are—to themselves and to others—as suicidal, homicidal, or just plain stupid."