Syllabus | Policies | Work | Schedule | Assignments | Handouts | Links

Advanced Strategies for Rhetoric and Research
The Practices of Memory
English 190.9
Spring 2004

Writing Assignment 1: Writing Diagnostic

The first piece of writing you will do in this class is meant to be a writing diagnostic essay. It is intended to be a ungraded assignment which I will use to get to know a bit about your writing ability. While this essay will not be graded, you should make an effort to do you best as I will comment upon it and the more accurately your assignment reflects your ability to write, the more useful my comments will be for you.

Prompt

Book X of his Augustine's Confessions is a meditation on memory. In sections 8 and 9, Augustine begins to define the mechanics of his memory. For this diagnostic writing, I would like you to write an essay in which you explore the mechanics of memory. As you start to write this essay, you may want to think of some of the following questions:

• Why do some memories take hold in memory while others are quickly forgotten?
• Why do some memories remain longer in memory than others?
• How and why do memories come to mind?
• How does the difference in time between the memory and its recollection affect a memory?
• Does Augustine's conception of memory resonate with you?
• What metaphors of the mind make it easier to think about the workings of memory and recollection?

Your essay should have an introduction, a conclusion, a thesis, and concrete examples which support your point. It should be 2-3 pages in length and follow the General Guidelines for Written Work.

Due: 20 January 2004

Last Modified: 7 January 2004

Syllabus | Policies | Work | Schedule | Assignments | Handouts | Links