Professor Mongar
Fall 2003
Diagnostic Essay
Crisis Consensus Exercise
A diagnostic essay helps the instructor learn your proficiency level in written English.
Your success in this class and my success as an instructor will greatly depend on
diagnosing your weaknesses and strengths so we can strategize together to improve your
performance. You will not be graded on this essay but you must write full sentences, and
use proper spelling and punctuation. Do your best.
Directions: Write a personal response to one the following questions. Be sure to give
examples from the class exercise to support your answer. Do not write the question.
1. Discuss the six people you chose to live and rebuild society. Did you decide based on
race, age, gender, class/education, religious preferences? How do you justify that?
2. Discuss the four people you chose to exclude and why. Did you stereotype any of
them? What are some of the dangers of stereotyping?
3. Most of you excluded those people who might cause violence in a new society. But
you must commit premeditated murder upon four people in order to survive. What kind
of new society will grow from this act of violence?
4. Did you disagree with your team about any of the decisions? Which ones and why?
What made you give in to team pressure?