Writing Assignments

do I really have to read all of this stuff? I know this!

So, yes, I know this is dry stuff; I also know many of you already know this material, but don't just pass it by. Consider this:

Not all English classes are alike. What you did in 101, 28, high school, whaterver may not be what is expected here or at CSUDH or UCLA.

Not all English teachers are alike. What Professors Carrillo or Stoddart or ??? expected may not be what is expected here or at CSUDH or UCLA.

If your paper is the wrong format; if the file format is unreadable by me; if you turn an essay in without documented (meaning parenthetically-cited) quotations, you won't get your papers read, and your grade will plummet. So, yes, read this stuff; it's not that long.

general information about essays

The 100-point essays will generally require you to develop papers of 3-4 full typed pages in standard MLA format (see below) to adequately cover the topic. Papers less than three full pages will not be accepted, and if you are trying for a higher score (a "B" or "A"), you will need a minimum of four full pages. You'll want to use specific examples whenever possible to support your thesis (yes, you always need a thesis). There should be sufficient direct quotations from your sources, and these should be parenthetically cited. Yes, this is all information you should have gotten from English 101, and it is still in play. In fact, this is true for any analysis of someone's writing and any research paper you do in any class ever! Well, the format may not be MLA in a psych or sociology class or at a school that uses Chicago Style manuals, but still....

Content is most important with these essays, but I will look closely at the form of the essays as well, so you'll need to edit and proofread to eliminate as many of the spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax errors as possible to earn a high score.

NOTE: these are not just personal opinion papers.

In fact, there is no reason to reference yourself in any of them.

Get rid of, "I think that what Edgar Allen Poe means is..."

Replace that with, "In Poe's story he shows the psychological effects of guilt when he writes, 'Blah, blah, blah' (221)."

Be sure to reveiw the entire reading-to-writing process in the lectures.

mla essay format

All essays must be in standard MLA (Modern Language Association) format; this is the format you should have learned in earlier English classes, but who can say? College and university academic standards require that papers written in the humanities (there is a different format for scientific papers) be submitted in this format.

For complete information on what this format looks like, refer to any college writer's handbook, such as Rules for Writers. I have also included a copy of a sample MLA paper with some instructions that you can look at here (I've saved the files in two formats; you should be able to open at least one):

Sample MLA Essay in Word (.doc) Format
Sample MLA Essay in Rich-text (.rtf) Format

You can also find information on the MLA format and more general information on academic writing at the following web site:

Purdue OWL site (be sure to click on "MLA Guide").

You can also visit the school's Writing Lab in the Learning Assistance Center for more help.

Please look over the format of your essay before you submit it. You will lose points for incorrectly-formatted papers; in some cases, essays will not be accepted if the format is too far from the MLA standards.

how to submit your essays

Your essays will be submitted to me as attachments to e-mail. Write the paper in standard MLA format in Word, save your paper on your hard drive or on a thumb drive, and attach the file to an e-mail addressed to me. When sending assignments, YOUR E-MAIL MESSAGE should include your name, the class, and the name of the assignment which is attached (this is in addition to the heading information that you'll have on the attached essay itself). Send your e-mail to me at jrcorbally@gmail.com.

NOTE: you must save your file as a Word (.doc or .docx) file or as a rich-text-format (.rtf) file, or as a .pdf before attaching it. If you send a .odt or .wps file, I cannot open it; if you copy/paste the text directly into your e-mail; it will lose the MLA formatting, and I will not read it; if you send me a link to GoogleDocs or OneDrive, I will not click the link (I do not have or want accounts, and the file format gets messed up in those programs).

don't have word?

You must still save your file as a .doc, .docx, .pdf or .rtf file (most software will allow you to do this). If you send me a .odt or .wps or even a file on GoogleDocs or OneDrive, they will be returned. Also, do not send me any zipped files, please.

NOTE: Microsoft Office 365 is FREE for students enrolled in LACCD classes. Visit the LAHC Website, go to the Student Portal, and follow the instructions to download the software.

special notes about the Research Paper

The main Research Paper for the class will be turned in in stages: the Research Proposal must be APPROVED before the next stage will be accepted; the Outline and Annotated Sources must be turned in before the final stage will be accepted. Be sure you keep up with each part of the Research Paper; all due dates are on the Class Schedule page. The total for the entire project will be 200 points.

late essays, revisions and extra credit

Try to get all work in on time. Late essays will always (unless there's some problem with my server on the day the work is due) be penalized. A late essay will lose 10% of the total score. NOTE: Any essay that is more than one week late will receive no credit! To avoid a late penalty (or a zero), it's a very good idea to submit work early. Always keep a copy of your work in case it gets lost in transmission.

NOTE: the Final Paper may not be turned in late; it is due the last Friday of the semester. If it is not turned in on time (or in advance), it will earn a 0 (zero).

Revisions are super, but in such a short class, I just can't turn around that many papers that quickly (I have seven classes), but do feel free to ask questions about your papers as you are putting them together.

The final Discussion Question is a bonus (extra credit) question. It is optional, and it does not require you to put up responses, just your posting. It is worth up to 20 bonus points :)

links to individual essay assignments

All links are on our Class Schedule page.

the other writing assignments

In addition to these essays, you have several discussions you will participate in. Those are, essentially, like in-class essays that are assigned in a traditional face-to-face class. They are designed to demonstrate that you understand and can apply critical thinking to the readings. They are not simple "chat" topics. Detailed information on this is found on the Class Discussions page.