Common English 101 and 102 Student Issues
English 101
Narrative Paper
Do: write a story about yourself
Don’t: write a resume, try to write about your whole
life, write in “telling” not “showing,” rely on clichés
*See Creative Writing Overview Handout
Profile Paper
Do: interview a person and write someone/thing
else’s story
Don’t: write another’s resume, don’t try to write
about the subject’s whole life rather than finding an
angle, don’t write a transcript, don’t write in a Q-and-
A format
Rhetorical Analysis
Do: rhetorically analyze a text and may write over
ethos, pathos, logos, textual, visual (proximity,
alignment, repetition, contrast), contextual (class, race,
gender, etc.), purpose, audience, conventions
Don’t: summarize the text rather than analyze it
(don’t answer the “what” not the “why”), don’t
research incorrectly, don’t point out the obvious
Stakeholder Research Paper
Do: present the various people / institutions that
hold “stakes” in an issue
Don’t: only present your own opinions about the
issue, don’t look in a superficial way at who is affected
by the issue, don’t avoid having a thesis statement
that argues a point, don’t do research incorrectly
Want more help? Find us at
the Writing Studio!
Locations: Colson Hall G02 & Evansdale Library
Appointments:
Call 304.293.5788 or
Stop by Colson Hall G02 or
Visit http://speakwritewvu.edu/writing-studio
English 102
Evaluation Paper
Do: set up criteria to evaluate a subject (film,
restaurants, article, etc.)
Don’t: summarize rather than analyze, don’t list
obvious criteria or don’t make criteria clear, don’t
apply the criteria to specific moments in the subject
(certain scenes in film, hostesses in restaurants, etc.)
Annotated Bibliography
Do: find X amount of sources and annotated them
(summarize, evaluate, connect to own research)
Don’t: only summarize the source, don’t forget to
evaluate the source or say how it connects to your
own research
Proposal
Do: propose a topic to research
Don’t: propose a clear topic, don’t forget to engage
with the conversation that already exists in that field,
and don’t forget to offer a methodology for your own
research
Research Paper
Do: research a topic within a certain field (may be
qualitative)
Don’t: research incorrectly, don’t choose a topic too
broad (limit your focus), don’t summarize rather than
analyze, don’t forget to make a clear argument, don’t
forget to include a complete methodology, don’t
neglect to follow rubric guides
Persuasive Paper / Op-Ed
Do: write a persuasive paper with a clear argument
about an issue
Don’t: try to tackle too big of an issue (e.g., abortion,
gun control, etc.), don’t forget to choose a clear side,
don’t neglect to account for a counterargument, don’t
forget to consider a clear audience