Length: 3 – 5 double-spaced typewritten pages
This semester we’ve spent a considerable amount of time studying The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal, The Thin Blue Line by Errol Morris, and “The Postmodern Challenge” by Richard Sherwin. If you were asked, “What was the class about?,” the answer would not be easy nor easily expressed in one simple sentence. Each of these texts contains its own unique arguments, themes, and challenges, but it is also possible to see a common set of concerns, a way of approaching difficult problems that they all share.
Prompt: Suppose someone does ask you, “What was your English 124 class about?” For this option, write a paper that attempts to understand and explain what this course was about to you—your particular way of understanding all that we have studied, read, and viewed this semester . This may not necessarily be only about the subject matter of the work this semester, but also about the approaches to thinking, reading, writing, and working with difficult questions. As you plan and begin to write this final paper, be sure to make reference to specific texts, films, and materials that you feel are most relevant to explaining your understanding of the course. Please know that I am not looking for any specific “right answer” to this question—only that you offer your honest, thoughtful, and thorough response.
Grading Criteria:
1. Does the writer address the prompt in an honest, thoughtful, and thorough manner?
2. Does the writer make reference to specific texts, films, and other relevant materials to explain his/her/their understanding of the course?
3. Is the paper mostly free of mechanical and grammatical errors?