Stephanie Kern, Adjunct Faculty
English Adjunct Colloquium
April 18, 2013
English Composition II
Recommended Goals for Out-of-Class Essay Assignments
Essay 1: Reading between the lines of a text
Students should create an argument that analyzes two texts from Reading Literature and Writing
Argument. Students should identify one text that states a message or issue outright and another text
that subtly implies a similar message or issue. Students should then compare the consequences and
impact of the different delivery styles. It is important that a student be able to
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Create an argument rather than just summarize the texts
Create an argument that requires close analysis of the texts
State that argument in a specific, single sentence (thesis)
Focus on that single argument consistently throughout the essay
Support the argument with quotes and evidence from the text
Use those quotes correctly (i.e. copying the quote precisely, punctuating and formatting
correctly, citing in-text and producing a Works Cited page)
Use a strong organizational approach (an introduction, body paragraphs with supporting
points, and conclusion)
Summarize appropriately, rather than constantly
Write at least four pages
Essay 2: Using two or three texts to make a single point
This assignment repeats and reinforces the goals of the first assignment while requiring students to
do more complex thinking—and writing—about the reading. Students will be developing an
argument about a topic related to the texts and using those texts as evidence or support. In a sense,
students will be treating the literary texts like outside research. The students’ challenge will be to
draw from these literary texts in order to “prove” and develop a point-of-view independent of the
texts, dealing with some important issue. In addition to reinforcing the goals of Essay 1, completing
Essay 2 should enable the student to
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Identify an important concern, anxiety, or issue within two to three literary texts
Create an argument about a single important issue (for example, domestic abuse,
homophobia, or legal injustice) that is related to the identified concern, anxiety, or issue
within the two or three literary texts but can stand alone
Use two or three literary texts as evidence to support a perspective on that issue
Support that argument with quotations that are particularly well-chosen
Organize the essay in a sophisticated manner, weaving the texts together within every body
paragraph rather than discussing each text separately
Write more than four pages
Stephanie Kern, Adjunct Faculty
English Adjunct Colloquium
April 18, 2013
Essay 3: Creating an argument supported by research
Here, the student is still creating an argument about a relationship between two texts but, this time,
the student will also locate an outside source to explain that relationship. The student should
identify a surprising similarity or difference that the student can attribute to social, historical, or
cultural influences on the text. The student should find an outside source that focuses on these
influences. This assignment is a kind of introduction to the Research Essay since it requires minimal
searching and can be used to begin a discussion about search strategies. In addition to reaching the
goals of Essays 1 and 2, the student who completes Essay 3 will be able to
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Introduce the outside text(s) clearly
Use material from an outside source to analyze/interpret the literary texts
Make clear connections between the assigned texts and outside text(s) in order to sustain an
argument
Write more than four pages
Essay 4: Creating an argument supported by research
For this assignment, the student will identify an issue that an author fails to raise in his/her text. The
student will explore why the author omits this issue, why the issue should be included, and how the
author might have effectively referenced this issue. Students should use a combination of literary
texts that do address the issue they have identified and outside sources that explain the implications
of their issue in order to support their position.
Asking students to work with a piece of literature means building on the analysis skills they have
developed over the course of the semester. Analyzing a subjective text presents a particular challenge
to identifying omitted concerns. Keeping the instructions for this assignment generally broad should
prepare the student for the broader research and writing parameters they will likely encounter in
other disciplines.
By the end of the course, students should have learned the following aspects of the research process:
 Use a variety of the research tools offered by RVCC’s library
 Understand what a search engine is and when it is and is not the best tool for college
research
 Understand how to identify appropriate media, databases, and articles and choose resources
selectively
 Conduct advanced searches in academic databases
 Recognize a scholarly article
 Read a scholarly article selectively for their topic (e.g. we need to show them that they don’t
have to read all the research but can use the introduction and the discussion sections. They
need to know how to use the Works Cited in an article to find other sources.)
 Use MLA format for quotations, citations, and a Works Cited page
Stephanie Kern, Adjunct Faculty
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English Adjunct Colloquium
April 18, 2013
Understand why it matters that information be cited according to standard format
Understand the basic information in a citation and use it to locate a source (The librarians
report that students have trouble reading/ using citations.)
Within Essay 4, in addition to meeting the goals for Essays 1-3, students should be able to do the
following:
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Construct their own argument in response to a reading from the assigned text
Locate and use appropriate sources to support their argument
Articulate why they made the source choices they did
Make inferences about implied ideas or positions
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of subjective, sophisticated, or subtle material