Academic

Conversation Assignment Sheet Imagine that you enter a parlor. You come late. When you arrive, others have long preceded you, and they are engaged in a heated discussion, a discussion too heated for them to pause and tell you exactly what it is about. In fact the discussion had already begun long before any of them got there, so that no one present is qualified to retrace for you all the steps that had gone before. You listen for a while, until you decide that you have caught the tenor of the argument; then you put in your oar. Someone answers, you answer him; another comes to your defense; another aligns himself against you, to either the embarrassment or gratification of your opponent, depending on the quality of your allys assistance. However, the discussion is interminable. The hour grows late, you must depart, with the discussion still vigorously in progress. -Kenneth Burke, The Philosophy of Literary Form Draft #1 (Dialogue or Play): This draft should be written in the form of dialogue or a play. Include a cast of characters (to include your sources and yourself as well) and an introduction/setting description. You can imagine this as a scene from a movie, a radio talk show, etc. Be creative. What personality do these sources have? How do they represent themselves and how do others perceive them? Your main goal in this draft is that your cast will demonstrate how the sources are working with or against each other and they are helping or working into your inquiry. However, you should also pay attention to whatever genre of conversation you choose to construct. What details would be included for your readers if it were a morning TV talk show, a radio show, a movie, etc? You will workshop Step #1 with your classmates. Minimum length: three pages. Draft #2 (Academic Essay): This draft should be written in the form of an academic essay. Keep in mind that personal stories and experience are still strongly encouraged. Academic does not mean stiff or impersonal. Playing with the academic form is okay, even welcome. You may include your primary research in this draft if you are ready to do so. Make sure to use MLA citation. Minimum length: three pages. You will be taking elements of Draft #1 and Draft #2 and ideas from your primary research to develop your inquiry paper and presentation. Grading: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Synthesis of research, both primary and secondary. Sophisticated and detailed portrayal of learning through inquiry. Playfulness. Use of MLA documentation and limited use of implicit citations. Structure that is built around themes and ideas, not sources. Explanation of learning in inquiry project