Response Essay
The Response Essay is an informal assignment in which students will begin to formulate their ideas about the New American University concept and practice using the They Say/I Say templates to place their ideas in conversation with others.
The Response Essay is a 300-600 word essay in which students will respond to the arguments put forward by Michael Crow and William Dabars in the Introduction to Designing the New American University, modeled after Christopher Newfield's "What is New About the New American University?"
In the first part of the essay, you should present Crow and Dabars' argument using the "They Say" techniques described in Chapters 1-3 of Graff and Birkenstein. You should use both summary and quotation, considering which technique serves your purpose most effectively. Remember to represent their ideas accurately but also "know where you are going" and focus on the aspects of their argument that are most relevant to you.
In the second part of the essay, you should respond to Crow and Dabars using the "I Say" techniques descibed in Chapters 4-7 of Graff and Birkenstein. You will need decide what kind of response you want to write (agree/disagree/partially agree), distinguish what you are saying from what they say, consider naysayers, and answer the questions of "So what?" and "Who cares?"
This is a formative assignment and is graded on completion. It is worth 10% of you overall grade and a maximum of 10 points. Essays will be considered complete if they do the following:
1) Approximately 300-600 words (1 points)
2) Responds to Crow and Dabars (2 points)
3) Uses at least one "They Say" template each from Chapters 1-3 (3 points)
4) Uses at least one "I Say" template each from Chapters 4-7 (4 points)
Formatting
Response essays should be formatted in MLA format.