Essay 1: The College Conversation This semester’s first paper asks you to demonstrate your abilities to carefully consider and write about the arguments of others. Your task? Write a paper in which you explain what “they say” about higher education in America today, describing and summarizing two (2) out of the four following texts: “Why I Teach Plato to Plumbers” (File on Canvas) “Are Too Many People Going to College?” (p. 344-363) “Two Years Are Better Than Four” (p. 365-368) “Shut Up About Harvard” (p. 390-396) This essay is due on Saturday, Sept 25, at 11:59 PM. A successful essay will: Have correct MLA formatting, including a Works Cited page Be at least 800 words long (not including the Works Cited page!) Be clearly organized into focused paragraphs – an introductory paragraph and at least 2 body paragraphs (no conclusion needed for this essay) Have a strong, specific thesis statement that tells the reader what they say Be proofread for correct spelling and grammar Use language appropriate to the academic context A successful essay should NOT: Include YOUR opinions about college (we’ll work on the “I say” part in future essays!) Tell the reader which text is “better” Use any direct quotes from the text (hold your horses on quoting for now) Have a conclusion paragraph (sounds strange, I know – we’ll get to conclusions later in the class) Use any sources outside of the two you choose from They Say/I Say Example Essay Outline Introductory Paragraph A few sentences introducing the topic of college. Consider these questions: who does the college conversation affect? Why does it matter? Who is talking about it? What are some popular opinions people have? End with a thesis statement. Pre-Writing Activity #1 will help you formulate this important sentence. Body Paragraph #1: Summary of First Text of Your Choice State the author’s name, the title of the text, and their main argument Summarize the author’s supporting points in your own words Body Paragraph #2: Summary of Second Text of Your Choice State the author’s name, the title of the text, and their main argument Summarize the author’s supporting points in your own words
