Essay topics

Choose one of the following topics for a 500-word essay due Thursday, 2 February 2010. You don't necessarily have to agree with the topic you choose--just write the essay as if you do. Your target audience is your teacher and fellow classmates in ENGL 1020.

1. Studying persuasive writing is a waste of time, and it should not be a required course for graduation at MSCC.

2. Persuasive writing is the most valuable course a Motlow State student can take (Don't assume I prefer you choose this one. While this one is closer to my view, reading an essay on #1 would be much more fun).

3. The so-called Tea Party movement is the most significant grassroots movement in American politics this century.

4. The so-called Tea Party movement is dangerous and un-American.

5. Religion is a highly personal matter, and discussing religion in public is inappropriate.

6. Humans are religious beings, and efforts to cleanse religion from public life are not only futile, but dangerous.

7. Fluency in Lithuanian should be a graduation requirement for all students at Motlow State (Yes, this one is goofy, but if you're creative it could also be fun).

8. If you just can't get started on any of these choices, then select one of the following choices from Patterns, pages 703-04: number 1, 3, 7, 8, or 9.

Come to class Tuesday with at least a topic, main idea, and rough outline. If you want to do more, up to and including writing a rough draft, please don't hesitate, but it's not required. We'll spend a few minutes in groups discussing your main idea and how you plan to support and develop it. For this essay you don't need any sources or works cited, but you certainly may cite sources if you want to do so and are comfortable in documenting them.

I'll go over the mechanics of the paper on Tuesday, but for those of you who are interested, here is a little early guidance (from my lecture notes):

* 500 words
* Typed, double-spaced
* 12-point standard font (Times New-Roman, Arial, or other sans-serif font)
* No cover page
* Name, date, course listed in the upper right-hand corner
* Skip few lines after name, date, course, and center title in bold-face font
* Double-skip after title, then body of essay.

Happy prewriting!