Assignment:
We have considered, as a group, the ways in which various texts explored knowledge, wisdom, truth, enlightenment. Plato spoke about the difference between real wisdom vs. the conceit of wisdom. For this paper you are invited to make your own observations about knowledge, wisdom and/or truth. You may want to pick up where one of the more recent works left off and explore the relationship of technology and education, for example.
There is no predetermined formula to follow or structure to imitate as you attempt to organize your essay, but your writing and critical thinking are bound to be more successful if you adhere to the following principles:
*Provide readers with a rich, detailed description of your claim(s). Work to make your claim(s) evolve.
*Keep your narrating to a minimum, and make sure that any stories you tell serve the purpose of supporting a claim.
*Make sure you reference your claim from time to time. Readers will appreciate being reminded of what you see and why it's noteworthy, but don't condescend or beat them over the head with repetition. A useful way to proofread here is to look at each page and consider how that page is serving to further your claim.
*Let your discoveries, insights, realizations, claims or theories serve as the driving force behind the essay. In other words, make these things prominent-use them to create shifts or transitions as you build paragraphs or make your way from one discussion to another.
*Keep in mind an academic audience that is ready to challenge their ideas that are unsupportable, over generalized, obvious, or poorly articulated.
The paper should ultimately include:
*Two or three secondary sources e.g. two framing texts and another written or visual text.
*Contextual information.
*An evolving thesis that offers an interpretive perspective.
*Analytical claims that are specific.
*A conclusion that does more than simply repeat the ideas of the essay, that instead opens up avenues for readers' further thinking and/or questions about the uses and ideologies of space.
You will draft and revise your essay based on comments and feedback you receive in class.
Be sure to include a works cited page and follow correct MLA citation procedures.
The standard WRT105 rubric will be the method of assessment.
Framing Texts:
Freire, Paolo: "The Banking Concept of Education"
Gatto, James: "Against School"
Plato: "Allegory of the Cave"
Joyce, James: "Araby"
The Matrix
Schiff, Stacy: "Know it All: Can Wikipedia Conquer Expertise?".