English 102                                                                                                   Jim Roth’s Website

 

 

Four ProQuest Articles Write-an-Essay Assignment

 

Helpful Resources

 

F What's an Essay?  "The Pitfalls of Technology" video example

F"The Power of Specific Examples" video

F Writing the Introduction to an Essay about Something You Have Read

 

Other Incredibly Useful Resources

        What's an Essay Planning Sheet? The Document

        What's an Essay Planning Sheet?  "The Milkshake Essay" video example

        

 

Four ProQuest Articles Write-an-Essay Assignment

 

Directions:

 

  1. First, please be sure you have watched the ProQuest tutorials in the previous CANVAS assignment and taken the respective quiz.  If you need more information, ProQuest provides an excellent How-To Guide. (You’ll need to log in to access ProQuest and the Guide.)

 

  1. Next, if you have not already done so, use this new knowledge to locate, print out, read, and critically mark the four professional articles listed below.  (Techniques for marking (annotating) articles were presented in an assignment earlier in this module.)

 

(Even though you will write an essay responding to only one of these articles, please locate, print out, read, and critically mark all four.  We likely will return to them later in the quarter.) 

 

  1. Then select ONE of the four articles and write a 400 to 500 word essay in response, using the respective prompt below.

 

  1. In your essay, occasionally refer to the article you chose, using either MLA or APA format.  Be sure to blend words and ideas of the professional essay with your own where appropriate and use proper MLA or APA format to credit those words or ideas.  Finally, be sure to include a Works Cited page (MLA) or a References page (APA) listing the ProQuest article you chose.

 

Professional Articles to locate using our SCC library’s ProQuest database

  1. “The Invisible Flying Cat” by Malcolm Browne
  2. “English is a Crazy Language” by Richard Lederer
  3. “If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?” by Geeta Kothari
  4. “The Wounds that Can’t Be Stitched Up” by Ruth Russell

 

ESSAY PROMPTS

 

 

1. “The Invisible Flying Cat” by Malcolm Browne

 

Is science fun, dull, or in between?  In a short essay, state your opinion and share with your reader encounters and experiences that have shaped it.

 

 

2. “English is a Crazy Language” by Richard Lederer

Below is the text of a bill introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives.  In a short essay, give your position on it and reasons for holding that position.

The Government of the United States shall preserve and enhance the role of English as the official language of the United States of America. Unless specifically stated in applicable law, no person has a right, entitlement, or claim to have the Government of the United States or any of its officials or representatives act, communicate, perform or provide services, or provide materials in any language other than English. If exceptions are made, that does not create a legal entitlement to additional services in that language or any language other than English.

 

 3. “If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?” by Geeta Kothari

 

The types of foods we eat and the food customs we practice can say a lot about ourselves, our families, and our cultures.  Write a short essay about the symbolism of food and eating in your family or culture.  What food traditions do you, your family, and/or your culture practice?  What do they mean to you?

 

 

4. “The Wounds that Can’t Be Stitched Up” by Ruth Russell

 

Even though the auto accident Russell writes about took place more than twenty years earlier, she only recently realized the depth to which it affected her.  Write a short essay describing an event in your past that continues to affect you.  Please describe the event and the effects you’ve discovered it still has on you.  All responses will be kept completely private.