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

Writing Project 4: Researching Social Memory

Research Project

Writing project 4 will be a persuasive essay about some aspect of social memory. Your focus can be on a social group and what constitutes their social memories (what practices, rituals, objects does the social group use to help maintain their social identity), you can focus upon a social memory and its significance (a holiday, a monument, a story or set of stories, an historical event, etc.), or you can focus upon an issue important to the study of social memory (memory vs. history, individual vs. social memory, truth and reconciliation courts). Which ever approach you take, you will want to narrow your focus, establish an arguable thesis, and support that thesis by using your sources. This essay is, essentially, a large synthesis paper, so guidelines for Writing Project 3 may be of use.

7-10 pages; 8 sources minimum, no more than 2 from the Web.

Peer Review Draft Due: 26 April

For your Peer Review Draft, bring an electronic copy of your document saved as either a MS Word document (.doc) or Rich Text Format (.rtf). We will upload the documents into Comment.

Final Portfolio Due: 4 May

Based upon your peer-review, revise your essay at least once. Your Project 4 Portfolio should include:

• the final draft of your essay, clearly marked as such,
• a printout of your essay, with comments, from Comment
• all earlier drafts of your essay, clearly marked as draft 1, draft 2, etc.,
• any prewriting you may have,
• and a brief cover letter discussing:
  • what changes you made after the peer review and why you made them,
  • and why you believe your final draft successfully fulfills the assignment.
  • Feel free to also include such information as:
    • resources which you drew upon,
    • what you struggled with,
    • what you think you learned,
    • what writing and rhetorical issues you focused upon, etc.
  • This cover letter should be professional, clearly written, and well organized.

Last Modified: 12 April 2004

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