ENC 1102.1729 Paper #1 Assignment

Nick Melczarek, instructor Department phone: 392-6650
Office: Turlington 4357 e-mail nickym@melczarek.net
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Office hours: MW Per 4 (10:40-11:30 a.m.)
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course listserve: FALL-1729-L@lists.ufl.edu
Contents (click to jump to the following sections)
Paper 1 Assignment (read all the way through -- there are helpful tips throughout):
»» (Reader Response paper): Compose a 3 - 4 page Reader Response analysis from your choice of one of the following options (back to Contents)

  • Rationale:
    Basically, in 3-4 pages, analyze any aspect(s) of how your chosen selections "work" as they do (how what's in the text, and the act of reading that text, together create a particular effect or evoke reactions). Use terms and concepts from the critical/theoretical material we've read (Eco, Foucault, Barthes, Cowles) when/where/if they apply. Employ critical literary vocabulary(from the Terms site) when/where/if they apply. I'm asking you to do on paper the kind of thing we've done already in class -- only more formally.
  • Caveats/cautions:
    -- This is not an exercise to see how many terms you can cram in your paper, nor will you receive extra credit for doing so. Use the literary and/or critical terms at your disposal only when/if they help you explain your ideas.
    -- By "3-4 pages" I mean 3-4 pages; 2 pages plus two lines on page 3 doesn't count! (Nor does enlarging the font size, nor enlarging the margins.) This is not an invitation to pad you paper with needless material; rather, this is an opportunity for you to fully explain your ideas and illustrate those ideas with examples from the original texts. If you're padding, waffling, or tangenting, I'll know it -- and it'll count against you.
  • Thesis note: Be sure that you state clearly and directly your thesis -- i.e. the point of your paper, which is what you consider is/are the ultimate effect(s)/outcome(s) of the elements you analyze in your paper. As such, try not to phrase your thesis as "In this paper I will show that ..." -- your reader already works from the assumption that you're going to show her something. Instead, early in your paper simply present your paper's thesis, indicate what pieces of literature you're going to discuss, whom they're written by; indicate also that you're performing a reader response analysis; and indicate what concepts from which critical writers (Eco, Foucault, etc.) you use in your paper.
  • Need a little help with your thesis? Before you start writing, have a look at "timesaver #3 (a)," "timesaver #3(b) and "timesaver #4" on the writing tips site -- these items will help you AND save you oodles of time!!!

    Be sure to consult the writing tips site!
    (back to Contents)

    »» What I'll look for in this paper: (Papers 2 & 3 will have additional requirements)

    Content-wise:

    Writing mechanics:

    (back to Contents)
    »» DUE DATES AND ACTIVITY DATES: (see regular schedule site as well for corrolary assignments) (back to Contents)
    »» Troubleshooting & therapy: If you have questions about the assignment or your paper that we don't address in class or during conference times, (back to Contents)

    Ciao, Nick