assignments ENGL 101 Writing Rhetorically: PARTNER INTERVIEW mini-paper
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Overview
Every class needs an icebreaker, even though everyone absolutely hates them. So just to try to make it a little more awful--no, kidding, really, to to try to make it more useful, our icebreaker is meant to 1) help you think about how to write the first paper and 2) help you to see the process for how most of the assignments in our class will go. And, of course, help you to make a connection with at least one other person in our class and, also, to just generally know the people you will spend the next 15 weeks with--because we all have a story, and those stories affect who we are and how we react and participate in any given situation including a class. Also: prizes (see below).
Our Writing Fellow and I will do a sample version of this interview/mini-paper on in class to help you know us better and, also, so you have a model that you can use to help you write your interview.
Details
In order to write this short introduction of your partner you have to gather two kinds of information then you've got to put it together into a mini-essay.
You'll have two class periods to work on this with your partner. You should probably bring your laptop to class for this purpose. The paper is due on Wednesday, 18 September 2018. You'll have to read your introduction out loud to the class. So it's not a bad idea to practice. You'll have a chance to do a little workshopping on your paper on Wednesday
Format Rules
Prizes!
During the class that we read our introductions, everyone will have a voting ballot with everyone's name on it. As a class, you will vote for the following categories:
Every winner gets his or her choice of a 10 dollar Dunkin' Donuts gift card or a 10 dollar gift certificate to the campus book store.
Every class needs an icebreaker, even though everyone absolutely hates them. So just to try to make it a little more awful--no, kidding, really, to to try to make it more useful, our icebreaker is meant to 1) help you think about how to write the first paper and 2) help you to see the process for how most of the assignments in our class will go. And, of course, help you to make a connection with at least one other person in our class and, also, to just generally know the people you will spend the next 15 weeks with--because we all have a story, and those stories affect who we are and how we react and participate in any given situation including a class. Also: prizes (see below).
Our Writing Fellow and I will do a sample version of this interview/mini-paper on in class to help you know us better and, also, so you have a model that you can use to help you write your interview.
Details
In order to write this short introduction of your partner you have to gather two kinds of information then you've got to put it together into a mini-essay.
- Basic Facts. These are the easiest things to get out of a person. Things like when you were born and where. If you have siblings. Where you went to high school. Favorites: food, movie, TV show, book, whatever. Hobbies. Dumb interesting facts. Major. Thing they can't stand the smell of. This isn't a complete list, but, you know what I mean. You want to know just the kinds of things that identify a person.
- A story or two that really tells you something about who this person is. This is much harder. People are often super bad about telling stories about themselves. You might ask your partner to tell you a story that their family or friends always tells about themselves. That can be a good place to start. Proudest moment story? Most embarrassing moment story? Best school story? Worst? Story that involves adventure? Story that is about summer time stuff? Stories about you and your family?
Here's the thing: at first, this part is going to be hard, but once you get started you'll get some good stories and that will form the basis of your introduction. Because that is the key to this assignment: you want to tell a story about your partner that tells the class something about who they are, what they care about, what matters to them, etc. - Once you've gathered enough stuff about your partner, write a 375 word introduction of your partner (that's roughly one and a half double-spaced typed pages in 12 point font). The introduction should be interesting to listen to. It should focus on one or two stories about this person and it should revolve around a thesis--a main idea or main point--about what you've learned about this person and how this story proves this main point.
You'll have two class periods to work on this with your partner. You should probably bring your laptop to class for this purpose. The paper is due on Wednesday, 18 September 2018. You'll have to read your introduction out loud to the class. So it's not a bad idea to practice. You'll have a chance to do a little workshopping on your paper on Wednesday
Format Rules
- 12 point Garamond font
- Single space your name, ENGL 101, and the due date in the TOP LEFT CORNER
- Have a title to your essay. Don't bold or Italicize your own title. Title should be the same size and font as rest of paper. Title should be centered on the page after your name/date info.
- Double-space your writing.
Prizes!
During the class that we read our introductions, everyone will have a voting ballot with everyone's name on it. As a class, you will vote for the following categories:
- Best Information/story
Who's got the best story out of their interview partner and has done the best job of using the other information to give us a complete picture of this classmate. - Best duo
What two classmates do an equally great job of telling each others' stories. - Funniest
Who made us laugh - Best Overall
Who did just a great job all around: good story, good facts, wasn't boring when they were reading. They had a clear main idea and all of their information supported it.
Every winner gets his or her choice of a 10 dollar Dunkin' Donuts gift card or a 10 dollar gift certificate to the campus book store.