Fall 2006
Writing 2
Pecchenino
Unit One Final Portfolio Assignment
Due Monday, October 23, 2006
Part I: Write a 1 to 2 page summary of Carl Sandburg’s poem “Men of Science Say
Their Say,” that attempts to define Sandburg’s opinion of the effects of science and
scientists on society. Your summary should be detailed and should reference specific
lines in order to prove that Sandburg is indeed saying what you think he is saying. Avoid
generalities, and be sure to summarize the way the meaning of the poem progresses from
beginning to end. If any part of your summary has come from in-class discussions, be
sure to cite this, and then provide your own details. DO NOT USE ANY OUTSIDE
LITERARY ANALYSES IN THIS PART OF THE ASSIGNMENT!!!
Purpose/Expectations: The purpose of this part of the assignment is to see if you can
take a complex poem with multiple movements and pull from it what the author is trying
to get his readers to understand about “men of science.” An outstanding summary will
include textual analysis of lines significant to the poem’s meaning. It will show how
Sandburg gets his opinion across, not merely that he does. It will be organized in a
logical fashion. It will demonstrate a unique voice and style without excess commentary
or bias. It will be almost entirely free of grammar and punctuation errors, and will use
proper MLA formatting.
Part II: In an essay of 4 to 5 pages in length, compare and contrast Sandburg’s attitude
toward science (as you have defined it in your summary) with the attitude found in one of
the three more overtly philosophical articles on the role of science we have read in this
unit (Oppenheimer, Einstein, or Russell). Where does your chosen author’s opinion
converge and/or diverge with that of Sandburg? What kinds of concerns does Sandburg
bring up that your author seems to ignore? What are the implications of these similarities
and differences which you have found? Use specific textual evidence to back up your
claims. Finally, in your concluding paragraph I would like you to give your own
personal stance on the role of science in society. Is your opinion close to that of
Sandburg? Do you find yourself siding with one of the other authors we have read? Do
you find your opinion to be a mixture of the opinions you have analyzed? Even in your
personal conclusion, be sure that you have something concrete to say and reasons to back
up your feelings.
Purpose/Expectations: The purpose of this part of the assignment is to see if you can
bring multiple sources into conversation with one another. I am not looking for a mere
list of similarities and differences, but rather detailed analyses of these similarities and
differences that support a strong thesis, leading up to your concluding remarks regarding
your own opinion of the role of science in society. As we have been discussing in class,
your intro and conclusion are as important as any other part of your essay, so be sure
those are both strong (particularly the conclusion). An outstanding paper will
demonstrate deep textual analysis, with an aim toward unpacking and comparing
particularly difficult lines from the texts. An outstanding paper will be logically
organized, with clear links between ideas. If any outside sources are used (including
Fall 2006
Writing 2
Pecchenino
head notes from Writing About the World) they must be cited using proper MLA
formatting. Finally, it will be almost entirely free of grammar and punctuation errors.
Part III: In addition to your final draft of this paper, you must turn in your two rough
drafts with your peers’ comments on them from our in-class workshop on Monday,
October 17.
Purpose/Expectations: I want to see these for a couple reasons. One, I want to see what
kind of advice people are giving each other. For workshopping to be effective, all people
involved need to be putting forth a strong effort. I just want to make sure everyone is
really trying to help out their fellow classmates. Another reason I want to see these drafts
is to see what kinds of criticism you, as a writer, tend to heed or ignore.
Part IV: Finally, please include all in-class writing assignments and reading quizzes/free
writes. You need not type up your reading quizzes/free writes, but I would ask that type
up the in-class writing assignments, which tend to be more formal and task driven. These
three assignments come from Oct. 4, Oct. 9, and Oct. 11.
Purpose/Expectations: I want to see how you write when you are not worrying about
being perfect. There are often things we do in our “informal” writing that can be a great
asset to our more “formal” work. In other words, I am looking to see how you think I
want you to write.
Percentages
Part I (Summary): 25%
Part II (Essay): 60%
Part III (Drafts): 5%
Part IV (In-Class): 10%