Advanced Composition -- Assignment #4

English 4700 Advanced Composition
Dr. Richard Nordquist
Summer 2008 (Study Abroad in England)
Armstrong Atlantic State University
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Assignment #4

Informative Article

Final Revision Due: All assignments for the summer 2008 independent-study version of this class must be submitted no later than July 28, 2008.
Drafts for Review: Drafts may be submitted at any time (up to and including July 22, 2008) as Word docs attached to e-mail sent to nordqudi@mail.armstrong.edu. When sending drafts, be sure to provide your name, the name of the course, and the name of the particular assignment you are working on. To help me provide you with useful feedback, I encourage you to send along specific questions and concerns when you submit drafts.
Length: 1,300-1,500 words (approximately five to seven double-spaced word-processed pages)

In this assignment, we are writing an informative article on a subject of particular interest to us--a subject that we have researched thoughtfully and/or experienced first-hand. Our aim is to inform our readers (an audience of our peers--mature, intelligent, and worldly wise) about the distinctive qualities of the subject we have chosen and to inform them in such a way that our readers, too, may become interested in our subject. The initial challenge will probably be to focus the topic and find an effective angle (we don't want the article to sound like an encyclopedia entry, for instance, or a term paper). As in the last two assignments, the slant of the essay should not be primarily personal; through close observation and factual investigation, we should attempt to convey what we perceive to be the essence of our subject. (Be sure to keep track of your sources: we'll discuss citation format, which will depend in part on the approach you take in your article.) Attend to the guidelines, suggestions, and requirements that follow.

Due Dates

Send me an e-mail message if you would like to discuss topic ideas or if you get an early start on your draft and would like a quick, early response.
Drafts (following the guidelines and format outlined below) are due as early in the term as possible but certainly no later than July 22.

Because guided revision is an essential part of this course, submitting a draft on time is critical.

Final version of the essay (following the guidelines and format below) is due as early in the term as possible but no later than the end of the summer term--July 28.

Required Readings in Zinsser's On Writing Well:
Read carefully Chapters 15 (Science and Technology), 19 (Humor), 20 (The Sound of Your Own Voice) and 21 (Enjoyment, Fear, and Confidence).

Required Online Readings (Models of Exposition)
-"The Story of an Eyewitness: The San Francisco Earthquake," by Jack London (1906)
-"Ideal Village That Refused to Die," by Ed Vulliamy (The Guardian , 2004)
-"Wired for Vision," by Michael Collins (Guardian, May 2008)
-"Paint Me a River," by Iain Sinclair (Guardian, 2005)
-"The Olympics Scam," by Iain Sinclair (LRB, June 2008)
-"What Does It Mean to Be British?" (The Observer, 2007)-
-"The Itch," by Atul Gawande (The New Yorker, June 30, 2008)
--"The Making of the Book of Kells," by Bernard Muir (Lingua Franca, November 2000)

Composing Strategies

Because of the diverse nature of the topics possible for this assignment, we may be employing some distinctively different strategies.   If you give yourself a good head start on the assignment, we can (through e-mail) discuss some of the various ways to develop your article--methods that are interesting as well as informative. Be prepared to do some practical research (this is not just a memory piece)--and (as always) leave plenty of time to revise. For general guidelines, review the strategies recommended for assignments #2 and #3, and follow the standard format outlined for past assignments. In addition, check out the guidelines at the following web sites:

Writing to Inform

Writing to Inform Checklist

Some additional things to keep in mind:

        1. Prepare for this assignment by reading some good informative articles in magazines such as The New Yorker and The Smithsonian. If you'd like to borrow some magazines and read some additional examples, please just let me know: I have an office full of materials that I'll be happy to share with you.

        2. As always, give a lot of thought to your choice of a topic--something that you're interested in, something that you already know something about, something that you're prepared to learn more about through research, and something that you'll enjoy writing about.

        3. As you research and then draft your article, consider the needs and interests of your potential readers: what do they need to know about this topic, and what will they want to know about it?

        4. As you move from draft to revision, two of your main concerns will be making the article both informative and interesting. Try your draft out on friends and family members (preferably those who enjoy reading): get feedback from some real readers.   (And, as usual, start the project early enough so that you can get feedback from me as well.)

        5.   As you work on converting your draft into a polished article, feel free to e-mail any portion of your work to me for quick feedback.

        6.    Review the strategies recommended on the previous assignment sheets–particularly strategies related to targeting an audience and revising & editing.

Format
When you send me drafts (remember to include at the top of the draft your name, the name of the course, the title of the particular assignment, and the date of submission), be sure to let me know which parts of the article you think are working out just fine--and which parts are giving you problems.

The final version of the essay should be word processed, following the standard format (see previous assignments). Following your essay, provide a brief self-evaluation by responding to these questions:

        1. What part of this profile do you like most, and why?
        2. What part gave you the most difficulty? Explain.
        3. What is your overall evaluation of the profile--its particular strengths and possible weaknesses?

Please be as specific as you can in your answers.

Your Name
e-mail address

Date

Title of Essay

Begin essay here...
Name of Assignment
Status (e.g., Revision #2)

approx. length: (in words)

English 4700 is taught by Dr. Richard Nordquist.
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Solms Hall 211C
11935 Abercorn Street
Savannah, Georgia 31419
912/344 2613

e-mail: richard.nordquist@armstrong.edu

02 July 2008