English 101Project 2

This mid-term is taken from the course text, New Directions: Reading, Writing and
Critical Thinking, by Peter S. Gardner, and can be found on page 101 of the second
edition published in 2005 by Cambridge University Press.
Essay Topics
Write an essay on one of the following topics. Support your points with an
appropriate combination of references to the readings in this chapter as well as
personal experiences and observations.

1. Discuss the extent to which you agree with one of the following quotations:
What I wish for all students is some release from the clammy grip of
the future. I wish them a chance to savor each segment of their
education as an experience in itself and not as a grim preparation for
the next step. I wish them the right to experiment, to trip and fall, to
learn that defeat is as instructive as victory and is not the end of the
world. (William Zinsser, U.S. writer and educator)
or
The purpose of education, finally, is to create in a person the ability to
look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions, to say to
himself this is black or this is white, to decide for himself whether there
is a God in heaven or not. (James Baldwin, U.S. author)

2. Conduct an analysis of two of the readings and put them in conversation with
one another for a paper. Choose a side in the debate and prepare an
argument based on the readings. You may also write from a position of
ambivalence.
3. Analyze the qualities of good teachers and good students. Consider such
things as goals, values, teaching and learning styles, behaviors, and
character traits.
4. Explain how well the educational system in your country prepares students
for the challenges they will face in the real world. What are the strengths and
weaknesses of the education students receive? Do you have any
recommendations for its improvement?

5. Examine the pros and cons of using the internet as an educational tool. To
what degree does this mass medium enhance, and to what degree does it
obstruct, students learning?
Assessment:
You must reference at least two of the four readings about education weve used as
a class. This includes the articles by Holt, Sadker and Sadker, Rothenberg (and the
editorial response), and West.
You must include direct quotations from the articles as well as summary and
paraphrase of portions of the articles.
Format: 2-4 typed, double-spaced pages with standard margins and page numbers
starting on the second page.

Assigned: 10/7/15
First Draft Due: 10/12/15 (three-four typed copies) Class will be at the Writing
Center, AUD 442
Second Draft Due: 10/14/15 (three-four typed copies) Peer-review day
Final Draft Due: 10/19/15 (one typed copy due at the beginning of class)
Absolutely no late or emailed work will be accepted.

Total: 50 points