CORE 101 Argument Essay (Essay 3)
Draft 1 Due: Monday, Dec. 4
Final Draft Due: by 5:00pm Wednesday, December 12
CORE 101 Interview Assignment
(WMA Audio File & 300 word commentary) Due: Thursday, November 29
For your third essay, you will write an argument that’s aimed toward the audience of Whim, The
Tartan, The Burgs, or The New River Voice. The topic is up to you – but it needs to appeal to the
readers of one of these publications and it needs to be something you already know about from
personal experience: aside from your interview, it should not require any research. Your
argument may be about an issue of importance to the campus or the community, or it may be
about something in or about our local media itself; whatever you choose to write about, you must
take a stand and use solid illustrations to support what you are arguing. You will also need to
check to see what’s already been said about your topic in the local media so that you may enter
the conversation appropriately.
Towards the ends of providing solid evidence, you will interview someone who is an
“expert” on the issue you’re writing about. The 20-minute (minimum) interview will be
recorded with a library recorder, like the kind we used in conference for essay 2, and uploaded to
D2L as a WMA file, along with a 300 word (minimum) commentary about the experience. Just
like an essay, your interview should have an introduction (to your topic and the person you are
interviewing), a body (questions/follow-up conversation), and a conclusion (wrap up, than the
person for their time).
In addition to your “expert,” I will ask you to consult Whim, The Tartan, The Burgs,
and/or The New River Voice to see how your issue has been discussed previously so that you
may provide a context for your audience.
Your essay must be 3-5 pages, double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12pt font with 1”
margins all the way around and no extra spacing between paragraphs. You must quote from both
your interview and at least one article in Whim, The Tartan, The Burgs, or The New River Voice
and you must cite these quotations using proper APA format.
The essay must at least reach the bottom of the third page, 2.5 pages do not count and
points will be docked if the piece is not 3 full pages long; this includes those who get to 3 pages
via creative spacing, font sizes, margins, etc. I have been known to simply give students a D
and stop responding to an essay that is too short.
Digital Audio Recording Device Instructions1
Directions: Go to McConnell Library to check out your Digital Audio Recording Device. You will
sign a permission sheet. Make sure that you have enough time to do your interview based on the date
the device is due back to the library.
*** If you need to check out the device for longer than is stated, IT IS IMPORTANT that you inform
the library employee, so that he or she can extend the date, and you may keep the device over
Thanksgiving Break without late charges.
Step 1: Insert the two AAA batteries matching the + - images on the device. If your device does not
turn on, make sure you have matched the + and -.
Step 2: Your device will prompt you to set the date so that you can easily find your audio file on
your computer later. Use the dark direction keys (+, - , << , >> ), located around the silver PLAY/OK
button to change your date and time. It does not have to be accurate, you just need to know what you
set it for so that you can locate it later.
Step 3: When you are ready to record, press the REC button and wait for the red light. Then, set your
recorder down and do not mess with it until the end of your interview.
Step 4: When you are done with your interview, press the Stop button. To avoid potentially erasing
your file accidentally, do not press any other buttons on your device.
Step 5: Using the small black cord in the device’s case, inserting the small port into the device and
the larger USB port into the computer you are using. Once the software has been automatically
installed, there will be a folder that appears, which will likely have several files available to you. This
is where setting your date comes in handy so it is easier to locate in your file.
Step 6: Locate your file; it will be in WMA (Windows Media Audio) format or in MP3 format.
Listen to your file to make sure it is you and your interview person. Make sure it is 20 minutes long,
minimum. Be aware that if your interview is shorter than 20 minutes, you will not receive full credit.
Step 7: Right-click your file to copy/paste it to a secure location. I suggest saving it to your H: drive
on a campus computer, saving it to a jump drive if you have one, saving it to your own personal
computer’s desktop, and emailing it to yourself. It is important that you back up your file this way in
at least two or more places. Once you turn in your device back to the library, it is often difficult for
the library to re-locate the exact device that you rented.
Step 8: Submit your file to the D2L Dropbox. Keep your file somewhere accessible until the end of
the semester in case there are any technological problems between now and when I grade your
interview.
Step 9: Return the device package back to the library by your due date. Include: the hard black case,
the black USB cord, the two AAA batteries, the recording device itself, and the paper instruction
booklet.
1
Thanks, Claire Hall, RU English Dept. for instructions.