This assignment is designed both to improve your writing and to assist me in responding effectively and efficiently to your writing.

1. Attach a cover sheet to your essay. On this typed sheet (or sheets if you need more than one page) you should have:
(a) your name and the title of the essay
(b) your thesis statement in a sentence of two. This may be drawn directly from the essay or it may be worded differently. It should state clearly and precisely what your argument for the essay will be. It should also be clear to me from reading your thesis statement what text(s) you will be examining.
(c) a list of your key sentences (one from each paragraph worded exactly as they are in the essay) in order. That is, starting with the first paragraph following the introduction, type (or cut and paste) in order the key sentence from each paragraph of the essay. If there are eight paragraphs, there should be a list of eight key sentences.

2. Using either the back of the last page of the essay or a separate sheet of paper stapled at the back of the essay, write a self-assessment both of your writing process (how did this essay go for you, where did you struggle or get stuck, what went well and what didn’t) and the product (what do you think are the essay’s strengths and weaknesses?). I will read this after I read and evaluate the paper but before I write my final comments to you. It will assist me in offering you the most useful feedback I can.

No essay will be accepted without both a cover sheet and a self-assessment! Please do not forget!

When coming up with your own topics, remember I expect them to a) significantly engage recent reading(s) b) be focused and manageable and c) based on personally-voiced assertion.