Final Exam Essay
Purpose:
Learning Outcome(s) Addressed:
Analyze significant primary texts and works of art, ancient, pre-modern, and modern, as forms of cultural and creative expression.
Explain the ways in which humanistic and/or artistic expression throughout the ages expresses the culture and values of its time and place.
Recognize the ways in which both change and continuity have affected human history..
Practice the critical and analytical methodologies of the Humanities and/or Fine Arts.
Skills:
the ability to read primary British literature text on a college level
the employment of critical thinking and analysis
the ability to write a college level essay that is well organized, stylistically appropriate, inclusive of good research support, and which employs good fundamentals of grammar, mechanics, and punctuation
Knowledge:
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your ability to read critically at a college level and to analyze and express your understanding of the assigned readings through college level essay writing. Your ability to read and read well are essential for your continued success as a student and in your future workplace where as a college graduate you will be expected to demonstrate college level reading, analysis, and communication skills.
Task:
To complete this assignment you should address the following essay prompt:
For your final exam essay, write about these three works of literature from this course: “The long love that in my thought doth harbour” by sir thomas wyatt, “The sun rising” by john donne, and “She walks in beauty” by lord byron and discuss how one definitive theme or element present in all of your chosen works is shaped or changed as a result of history and/or culture. In your essay, you may wish consider aspects of gender norms, racial inequality or inequity, religious freedom, philosophical beliefs, politics power shifts, etc. Your goal is to write an essay that offers a strong argumentative claim which is supported by evidence from the literature to demonstrate your understanding of the course material.
To ensure a well-supported argument, be certain to include direct quotations from the assigned literature in every body paragraph to support your claim. While you may include quotations from the editorial sections of the textbook to establish context for your argument, your essay is about your understanding of the literature. As such, your evidence should primarily come in the form of direct quotations taken from the literary works. Once you quote from the literary text, explain how that quotation proves your point. Essays will be graded based on engagement with the assigned literature, basic essay structure, research incorporation, professional style and clarity, and grammar, mechanics, and punctuation.
The Basic Essay Requirements:
Essays must follow MLA formatting Guidelines.
Essays should be 3 to 5 pages in length
Essays must use direct quotations from three literary works assigned for the course.
Essays must include a correct MLA Works Cited page
Essays must be submitted in Microsoft Word format
Essays must be submitted to the Online Campus Assignment Dropbox
Criteria for success:
Essays will be graded based on the English Department Standards for Written Work.
Essays should demonstrate sophomore college level writing skills to allow clear demonstration of the course learning outcomes
Essays should demonstrate critical and analytical methods to convey an understanding of the literature
Essays should analyze one or more pieces of the literature assigned up to this point in the course
″Literature″ for the purpose of this essay is defined as poetry, short stories, speeches, or essays, or plays
Essays should demonstrate good research skills to avoid plagiarism.
