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At the beginning of the semester, I proposed three writing projects that would allow new college students to engage with the cognitive dissonance that accompanies the transition to college, as well as to foster resilience to persist and to thrive throughout this transition. We have reached now reached the crossroads of midterm and our second writing project. Midterm is a busy and challenging time on our large campus. In addition to academic pressures, students may face economic, social, and familial obligations as well.
In this second writing project, I try to account for these challenges and obligations by inviting students to focus on the problems they have encountered with higher education. But rather than focus solely on the dissonant aspects of their education, I ask students to build resilience by concentrating on solutions as well. Even as current events diminish the hope for easy solutions to long-standing problems, I still believe in the possibility of writing toward a more equitable future. Writing Project 2, based on “Our Universities: The Outrageous Reality” by Andrew Delbanco, an article published this past summer in the New York Review of Books, presents the problems for an audience of educated readers—precisely the audience that many students need to write for as they pursue their education beyond the basics.
The following writing prompts and guidelines focus our discussion through the article and into the work of Writing Project 2.
Writing Project 2: Education as Problem/Solution
In Writing Project 1, you considered stories and stereotypes. As you read and write about problems and solutions associated with education, build on this knowledge and learn new theories for Writing Project 2. In doing so, you will take part in a conversation that has engaged and concerned our country for generations.
To begin the discussion read “Our Universities, the Outrageous Reality” by Andrew Delbanco. Then, based on the article, consider an issue that poses a potential problem in education for your generation. Why would your generation consider this issue a potential problem in education? What practices, experiences, or solutions would you suggest to ameliorate this issue so that future students do not encounter the same potential problem? Why would this solution work to address the problem?
Select one of the following prompts to guide your writing:
LENGTH | 1200-1800 words (4-6 pages) |
STYLE | MLA |
CITATION | Delbanco’s article must be quoted, summarized, and/or paraphrased with internal citations. |
OPTIONAL | Other references may come from any of the books listed in Delbanco’s review, or any of the texts cited in the review’s footnotes. |
OPTIONAL | You may conduct interviews with students and/or teachers for additional supporting evidence. |
GENRE | Imagine this essay as an opinion piece written in response to Delbanco’s review. You should use the optional references sparingly, or not at all. If you find an additional source, please consult with me first. Be sure to provide me with a copy of your additional source for approval. |
If your students have an idea for a guest blog post based on the sample writing prompt, please let me know by December 1, 2015. I would be happy to work with student guest bloggers toward publication in Beyond the Basics.
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