Major Writing Assignments, US115H, Fall 2001
Below are the major writing assignments required in this course. Note that all
assignments should follow MLA format, as discussed in NSMH Ch. 44, and should
evidence a commitment to the writing process. Click on "Posts" to find out
about assignments for the electronic discussion board.
One: Personal Essay
Write a personal essay in which you explain your attitudes toward technology,
computers in particular, illustrating your ideas with personal experiences and
reflections. As you invent material for your essay, you could consider the following
questions:
• Are you a technophile or a technophobe: do you love to acquire and experiment with
the latest electronic gadgets and games, or are you afraid of computers, preferring more
familiar technologies, like pens, paper, and books? Why do you feel the way you do?
• Are you a technotopian or a technoskeptic: in other words, are you optimistic about
the effects of information technologies, or do you believe that, as an individual or a
society, there are serious negative consequences for our increasing reliance on computers?
What has influenced your thinking about the digital future?
Two: Definition Essay (choose one)
Extended Definition Essay. From the first three chapters of CyberReader pick an unclear or
contested term (like virtual reality, cyberspace, virtual community,
or hacker ethic) and write an extended definition of it, using the following
outline to guide your thinking and writing:
a. Introduction: Provide a context for your essay by explaining the need to clarify your
chosen term. What difference do the various definitions make, and who would care?
b. Define the term: Give a short definition, either from a dictionary or paraphrased or
quoted from authoritative sources.
c. Stipulation: Explain the various qualifying features of the term you’re defining.
d. Negation: Show what the term is not, clearing up confusion about possible meanings if
there are any.
e. Examples: Give two or three examples of the term or illustrate it in a number of ways.
(or)
Classic Definition Argument. This kind of argument is structured in a criteria-match
format in which one makes the claim X is (not) a Y. Taking an issue from CyberReader Chapter Two or Three,
you could argue, for example, that some online discussion group you’re a part of is a
real community or that computer hacking is not a criminal activity or that having filters
on university computers is an invasion of your privacy.
a. Introduce your topic, giving a rationale for what’s at stake in your definitional
claim.
b. Give the criteria for your Y term, explaining its essential features.
c. Examine your X term in light of the criteria you’ve set up. (You can also
discuss your criteria and your match in a point-by-point arrangement.)
d. Conclude appropriately, given your rhetorical situation.
Three: Rhetorical Analysis or
Evaluation-Response Essay (choose one)
Rhetorical Analysis Essay. Write an essay in which you analyze the transcripts of a
number of online discussions, paying particular attention to issues of sexual politics and
gender identity. In order to do this assignment, you must visit the same chat room at
least twice, for a length of at least fifteen minutes each time, logging on once as a male
character and once as a female. Print the transcripts of your conversations and analyze
them in light of the issues raised in the course readings.
• What kind of persona did you adopt for each character? How did people
respond to you? Do you see any communication patterns emerge as regards gender identity?
Describe them. Do your own findings support or call into question the ideas of the
articles on sexual politics and gender identity in the course readings? Explain.
• This essay is a combination of your own original research and your response to the
conversation of the articles of the course readings.
(or)
Evaluation-Response Essay. Write an essay in which you take part in the dialogue from the
course readings over electronic literacies and virtual books, evaluating the benefits or
disadvantages of digital literacy (screens, with their electronic texts and images) as
opposed to traditional print literacy. Are you basically optimistic about the use and
effects of electronic literacies and virtual books (like Paglia or Kurzweil), do you think
that digital environments will have negative cultural effects (like Postman and Birkerts),
or do you fall somewhere in between? Develop criteria and evaluate electronic literacies
in light of your those; a classical evaluation argument is structured much like a
definitional argument, in a criteria-match format, using the claim X is (not) a good Y.
Give space in your discussion both to a positive statement of your position and to a reply
to potential criticisms, demonstrating that you have considered all sides of the issue.
Four: Toulmin Analysis Essay
Now that you understand some of the basic issues involved in censorship, copyright,
and intellectual property, write an essay in which you analyze the op-ed pieces by Senator
J. James Exon and James Harrington (CyberReader
pp.144-8) using the six elements of argument as set forth by Stephen Toulmin: claims,
reasons, warrants, qualifiers, backing, and rebuttal. Carefully explain the structure of
each writer’s argument. In order to conclude your analysis, you could speculate on
the effectiveness of each writer’s argument, using the "Questions for
Rereading" on CR 148 to stimulate your thinking.
Five: Exploratory Essay
Forthcoming.
Six: Position Paper
Forthcoming.
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