Midterm Prompt and Instructions English 50 / Fall 2016

The Prompt

In “American Innovation Beyond STEM,” Fareed Zakaria speaks about the necessity of a “broad general education.” Like Liz Addison, Freeman Hrabowski, and even Gerald Graff, Zakaria concludes that the purpose of education is not simply about getting a job. Write an essay in which you make an argument about the purpose of a college educationbeyondhow it affects job prospects and earning potential, beginning with Zakaria’s video and drawing upon at least two of the other sources we have covered on our syllabus. As always, you should add specific examples that demonstrate your point and you should feel free to practice comparison and contrast and/or cause and effect if it serves your argument.

This midterm is worth 10% of your grade. Here is how you should prepare:

  1. Brainstorm.
  2. Review the basics of a good thesis statement (DLA C.3, your class notes, and previous thesis statements and comments).
  3. Review your notes on summaries identify what you need to include to write a good summary of Zakaria’s talk.
  4. Then, fill out the outline on the back of this sheet.Make sure you include support and details for your body paragraphs and conclusion. Since you can use your book during the exam, you should indicate, on your outline, page numbers to reference while writing (and you’ll want to tab or annotate those places in your book for ease of access).
  5. Bring this prompt, your textbook, a blue book, and a writing instrument to class on Thursday, 10/19. You will not be able to use anything other than these materials, so do not write an outline or notes on a separate sheet of paper.

Requirements

Your essay should be a minimum of five paragraphs.

Your introduction must include a hook and a good summary of Fareed Zakaria’s video, which you should use to transition to your thesis.

Your thesis statement should be the last sentence of the introduction.

In addition to an introduction paragraph, you need at least three body paragraphsand a conclusion paragraph with a SO WHAT.

You should avoid the 1st and 2nd person POV – no “I,” “me,” “my,” “mine,” “you,” “your,” or “yours” – throughout the entire essay, including the hook.

Your essay should be composed of fluid, readable sentences, with proper capitalization and punctuation, free of fragments, comma splices, and run-ons.

Instructions for Writing in Class

•Double-space your writing (skip every other line).

•You may write on the back of each page.

•Format this essay as if you were typing it: number the pagesas you would a formal essay.

•Use quotations and cite appropriately with page numbers. If you are using words that are not your own, indicate that you are doing so with quotation marks – failing to do so will result in an F.

I. INTRODUCTION

Hook ______

Background ______

Thesis______

II. Body Paragraph 1

Topic Sentence ______

______Evidence

______

______

II. Body Paragraph 2

Topic Sentence ______

______Evidence

______

______

II. Body Paragraph 3

Topic Sentence ______

______Evidence

______

______

V. Conclusion

Drop the mic statement

______

______