English 111 G/H Rhetoric and Composition
Essay 2
 

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Score Sheet	Learning Log	E1 | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5

See an example Essay 2:  Example 1 | Example 2

E2: Writing in a major

In this essay, you will explain the kinds of writing done in a particular major and its associated careers. You will demonstrate your understanding of the type of work and the writing you will be doing in your field, how that writing will help you accomplish your work, and what skills you’ll need to do that work effectively. The goal is to show how effective writing skills can contribute to success.

Although this is a first-year course, start thinking about what you will eventually declare as a major. Think about why you would choose that major and how you expect to use it after you graduate. Keep records of both your exploratory writing and your research and interview notes.

One important goal for this assignment is to help you see that writing will be important in your academic and professional careers. This way, you can start developing your skills now in order to be successful later. This course will then have a clearer purpose.

Once you’ve chosen a major to investigate, look at the kinds of writing done in the related professions. In some disciplines, the ways professionals write is clear and easy to identify—reports of various kinds, for example. In others, there is more "hidden" writing; that is, writing that is less traditional or happens less regularly. Don’t define writing too narrowly. Short pieces of writing—brief memos, notes to colleagues—can be just as important as longer pieces, such as conference papers or proposals. Remember too that you are trying to see what kind of writing your future may present. Find out about all the writing that is possible for top professionals. Also consider the writing that you will do at the university while preparing for your career.

You must address your essay to a real audience and accommodate those readers throughout. You might write a feature article for your department or a club’s newsletter-- Accounting Club News, for example. Another possibility is to write an informational pamphlet that could be distributed to prospective majors in your department. You could write a report for distribution to an introductory class in the discipline, informing students of what they may be getting into. You could also write this as a report or extended memo addressed to a prospective employer, demonstrating your understanding of the field. Remember to document this assignment in a research style appropriate to your form and its audience.

Begin your essay by briefly discussing how you chose your major. Using the research from the library and interviews (which you will generate through the prewriting assignments), consider the entire range of writing, both formal and informal. Make connections between the specific skills you discover you will need and the coursework designed to develop those skills. Support your assertions with evidence and examples from your research. Your thesis statement should contain a claim about the significance of writing in your field. You might decide to write your thesis as an enthymeme in this essay, as you did in E1, by stating a claim that needs to be developed and proven plus the stated reasons for that claim. Subsequent paragraphs will then support and prove your claim. Conclude your paper by leaving your readers with something to think about.

You will share drafts, provide feedback, revise, edit, and proofread. Use the Writing Center for advice and help in writing and revising the essay. You will workshop the final draft with your peer group.

E2 due date: ___/___ Length: 3-5 pages

Prewriting assignments

Assignment 1: Freewriting
Think back to the types of exploration you did when preparing to write your critique of self (E1). Have you ever wondered what you wanted to do with your life and how you wanted to spend your time? Most of us will need to work for a living. The kind of work you do will affect your life. Work is not everything, but doing something challenging and rewarding can make it more enjoyable.

Now focus your thoughts on what you want to do for a living. Do some exploratory writing about the following questions. First, what do you want to do most? Think about it, even if it’s only a dream. Spend some time imagining exactly what your life would be like. Do you want to work with and help people? Are you more comfortable working by yourself, primarily with objects rather than people? What does your ideal life tell you about yourself?

Next, from a realistic perspective, what do you think you can do that you will be good at? What kind of work have you done? Did you like it? Were you good at it? Can that work provide a direction for your education? Also, have you taken any tests or spoken with anyone about what you like or are best prepared to do? What have these tests or counselors told you? Don’t limit yourself to only those things they have told you are capable of, but consider their advice.

Assignment #1 due: ____/____

Assignment #2: Information summary memo
After you have considered these options, both the fantastic and the realistic, select a single major at NMSU that you are interested in pursuing. Check through the undergraduate catalog and other sources of information to see what is involved in that major, especially the sequence of courses you’ll take and the kinds of writing you’ll do in those courses. Descriptions are available through campus advising centers. Talk to several people to get a sense of the role writing plays in that major, including some seniors in the major. Summarize this information and present it to your instructor in a memo.

Assignment #2 due: ____/____

Assignment #3: Library research
Go the current periodicals shelves in the library and look at one professional or trade journal that represents your discipline. Ask a professor or a research librarian for recommendations. You can also find journals by searching for articles on a CD index (e.g., ERIC, Agricola) in your discipline and noting where they appear. Once you’ve located the journal, look at the three most recent issues. Look at the article abstracts. What are some common themes? Through the abstracts or by skimming the issues, find three articles you could read to get information on an area of your professional interest. Write down the publication information. Use MLA, APA, or the style sheet of your discipline. Here are sample formats:

MLA
Author’s last name, First name. "Title of article." Title of journal Day Month Year: #-#.

APA
Author’s last name, First initial (Year). Title of article. Title of journal volume, p. #-#.

Skim through the articles. Is there a standard style or format for each article or type of article? What is the format and structure? That is, does the article use subheads and graphs? An essay approach? A magazine style? Submit a memo containing a discussion of these elements along with the publication information of the three articles you found.

Assignment #3 due: ___/____

Assignment #4: Two options
For assignment #4, you will interview a professional with knowledge of writing in your field. You may choose either a professor or a practitioner. Make sure to act professionally during the interview and to observe the etiquette of professional interviews. Keep records of the interview, including information about your contact person, a script for the interview, and your notes (or the tape recording, if your subject will let you tape the interview). Write thank you letters to whomever you interview and offer to provide them a copy of your report. Keep all these materials to hand in with the assignment. Submit a memo concerning this interview. You may submit a transcript or a summary of the interview. Follow the guidelines below.

Assignment #4 due: ___/____

Option 1: Interview a professor
Interview a professor in your selected major. You will need to contact the professor and set up an interview time. When you interview this person, ask about the following:

• The kinds of writing (including hidden writing) he or she does and how it contributes to the work of the department.
• The kinds of writing the professor expects his or her students to do and what skills he or she expects them to have.
• Courses that may be helpful for you to take.

Option 2: Interview a practitioner
Interview a practitioner in the discipline or field, someone who is working at the job you eventually want to have. Look in the phone book for possible businesses or government agencies where you would ideally like to work. When you interview this person, ask about the following:

• The kinds of writing he or she does at her job and how it contributes to the work of the discipline, profession, or organization.
• The kinds of problems the writing on the job presents.
• Whether he or she was properly prepared for writing at work while being educated.
• What he or she would have done differently in order to better prepare and to get the necessary skills.
• What kinds of "hidden" writing--writing in journals, notebooks, case files, rounds reports, accident reports, etc.--he or she does.

Use the interview to get a complete sense of just how much writing your career will require of you, how that writing contributes to the work you will be doing, and how to prepare yourself effectively for that writing while still in school.

Assignment 5: Coursework
Based on the goals mentioned in your exploratory writing and the information you learned in the library research and interviews, what courses should you consider taking to help you advance your writing abilities? Refer to the undergraduate catalog to determine the required courses in your major, but also consider possible elective courses that may help you pursue your goals. Identify the courses in which you will do writing. What kinds of writing will you do? How will that writing help you develop specific skills? Write a memo reporting this information and submit it to your instructor.

Assignment #5 due: ___/___

Evaluation criteria
Use the following questions about the main elements of an essay to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your essay. Use these questions when reading each others’ essays for peer critiquing. Your instructor will be using these criteria when evaluating your essay.

Description and discussion of writing in major

• How well does the essay identify uses of writing in the writer’s major and possible careers?
• Does the essay’s thesis/purpose describe the significance of that writing?
• Does the writer identify his or her target audience?
• Does the essay’s organization suit the intended audience?
• Where did you need more examples to support the thesis/enthymeme?
• How smoothly is the research from interviews and journals integrated in the essay?

Documentation

• Are the materials from journals and interviews attributed through proper parenthetical citation?
• Is the format of works cited page accurate, using MLA, APA, or Chicago style?

Writing process
Your instructor will also look at your writing process to see whether

• invention strategies are evident through E1 assignments
• multiple drafts demonstrate development of essay
• revision is based on peer and instructor response
• essay has been edited and proofread

General characteristics of effective essays
Evaluate your essay against the course goals for English 111. An effective essay will demonstrate these characteristics.

Critical thinking: Essay demonstrates control over conceiving and defending a statement about a topic, including defining and limiting a topic. Makes a clear and arguable statement about topic, developing statements logically and adequately. Recognizes complications or alternative viewpoints. Paragraphs are sequenced and clearly developed.

Argument, structure, and development: Essay makes an argument to an audience. Essay is structured around a controlling idea or thesis statement. Evidence illustrates or argues the controlling idea. Evidence is appropriate to topic and purpose. Evidence is sufficient. Audience is defined implicitly or explicitly and accommodated through essay. Whole paper structure supports controlling idea.

Standard edited English awareness: Language use contributes to success of essay. Vocabulary and syntax are appropriate to purpose and occasion. Sentences vary to reinforce logic of essay. Essay demonstrates understanding of standard English conventions, including sentence boundaries and completeness, concord, appropriate modification, and mechanics, including spelling, punctuation, and manuscript conventions.

Copyright 1997 Department of English

New Mexico State University

Use only with permission