EAP101B - Essay 1

We say something is good when it does its job well. So if we want to understand what a good essay is, we need to ask ourselves: What is an essay's "job"? What is its most essential function?

In a brief essay, attempt to answer the question: What, for you, is the most important function of an essay—what exactly is it that you want your essays to do well?

Think of this as a way for you to lay out your personal vision for what you want to accomplish through your writing in college. Be as specific as possible. Unlike in other classes, what you write in this essay can actually influence how I judge your work. If you are able to clearly explain to me what your own standards for success are, I can hold you to your own standards.

Support your points using evidence from the texts (and other sources) we've encountered in this class. Cite your sources using MLA format. You're welcome to draw on your own personal experiences and observations as well.

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Sources we’ve used so far:

• They Say, I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein (book)

• American Ways by Gary Althen and Janet Bennett (Chapter 3, “Ways of Reasoning”) (book)

• “All About Essays” by Austin Woerner (video file on a website)

• Student essays from Deliberations (journal articles)

• “Classical Rhetoric: An Overview of Its Early Development” (occasional paper - cite as a journal article)

• “History of a Liberal Arts Education” (webpage)