INTG 101-16: Introduction to Liberal Arts
Essay #2

For the first essay, you considered the ways that Curious intersected with your own opinion and experiences of our current age of curiosity, creativity, and innovation. For your second essay, you will turn your attention outward and look at the experience of someone else, specifically a MC faculty or staff member.

Part I:
Choose a MC faculty (or staff) member who is in (or is related to) the discipline in which you think you might major. Contact that person and arrange a time to interview him/her. You can adapt your questions to suit your conversational style and personality, but generally speaking, your interview should cover several points:

(1) How did this person come to this discipline? What was his/her journey in the field as a scholar and teacher? What is this person’s specific research area and/or are his/her artistic or scholarly interests and curiosities?

(2) How did this person come to Monmouth College? How does his/her discipline interact with the liberal arts mentality?

(3) What advice would this person have for a young and curious scholar (like you) as he/she enters the discipline?

Part II:
Using the information gleaned during the interview and your knowledge of Curious, write a 750-1000 word, thesis-driven essay about what you learned from this faculty/staff member by hearing about their journey and work. In your essay, make sure you address how curiosity in its various forms has impacted and continues to influence this person’s journey (and potentially your own).

Important Tips:

-When contacting your interviewee via email, make sure that your email is written in a professional manner, including a salutation; a professionally written body that briefly explains the assignment and politely requests to arrange a meeting at that person’s convenience; a respectful closing followed by your name; and proper punctuation, spelling, and grammar. If you contact your interviewee in person, you should follow a similarly respectful “script.”

-During your interview, you may want to record the interview. If so, make sure you ask before you record. If you choose not to record the interview, then you need to take notes so that you can refer to specific information and statements in your paper. (If you do record, you will still want to take some notes – just in case something happens to the recording.)

-Directly following the interview, it is often helpful to write down some of the points that particularly struck you and/or recurring themes in your interview. These points often are fodder for your thesis.

-You will want to check MLA style (and the Bedford Handbook) to see how one cites an interview properly. The interview and Leslie’s text Curious should be your primary sources.

-Writing is a process, so we will work through that process. By the time you turn in your final draft, you should expect to have written and revised at least 2 drafts (and revising is more than simply changing grammar and mechanics). Think about strengthening your argument and content. Our timeline and due dates are as follows:

  • October 7 – Introduce essay prompt
  • October 23 – First draft due + peer review
  • October 30 – Revision of first draft due + in-class workshop
  • November 6 – Final revision due

-Make sure you proofread your final draft thoroughly and carefully to correct all spelling and grammar errors.

-Consider the following guidelines for academic writing and voice:

  • Writing in the third person (“you”) is generally unacceptable. On occasion, first person (“I”) is acceptable – but use it judiciously.
  • Contractions are typically not used in formal academic writing.
  • Beware of the “empty this.” (Ex: This tells the reader that she should pay attention. This what tells the reader that she should pay attention.)

-Consult The Bedford Handbook for guidelines on MLA format and manuscript form. (You may also want to consult the Pudue OWL – Online Writing Lab: