Essay on "Mystery of the Italian Renaissance"

Quoted Instructions for "Mystery of the Italian Renaissance" Assignment:

Unit 2: Informative Essay Assignment Prompt.

Your second major writing project in this course will be an informative and surprising essay about a subject you are curious about or that interests you. Your goal is to explore that curiosity or connection by writing a research-based, minimum 1200-word essay that will both inform and entertain your classmates by presenting relevant and surprising information about the topic.

This essay is not to be an encyclopedic list of facts about a certain subject. If someone needed a complete overview of Florida, for instance, that information can be easily found in an encyclopedia. Remember that your audience is not in a *****need-to-know***** situation; it is merely uninformed and curious. You will work with that curiosity, using rhetorical sensitivity to inform them and broaden their view of your topic. Keep in mind that this essay is informative, not argumentative. You are not arguing a local issue, you are surprising readers with focused information.

This essay requires you to use research*****”a minimum of four sources, three of which should be articles, reports, or documents found via online databases. If you are unsure about a source, email me to see if it is acceptable. One of your four sources (or one of the one*****s you use) should be based on primary research. For instance, perhaps you can learn more about Las Vegas artists by interviewing someone who used to live in Las Vegas or more about education or medicine by interviewing a teacher or medical practitioner. On-site observation and interviewing can reveal many interesting facts and details about your topic that may not be commonly known or show up in research literature. When you do this primary research, however, be sure to inform your sources about the nature of your essay.

As always, your essay should be typed and double-spaced in 12-point, Times New Roman font. Your essay should also include a works cited page and should adhere to correct MLA style, which we will discuss throughout this unit. Your works cited page does not count toward the *****word minimum***** word count for this essay.

SCORING GUIDE FOR AN INFORMATIVE AND SURPRISING ESSAY

Title and opening paragraph

VERY EFFECTIVE WORK

-- Title is original and grabs the reader*****s

attention

-- Opening line grabs the reader*****s

interest.

-- No assumptions made that the reader

will be interested in the subject or is

familiar with the assignment

Support (logos)

VERY EFFECTIVE WORK

-- The interview or observations are used

to convincingly support the *****s

views and opinions

--Ethnocentric research is used to

uncover surprising information.

Author*****s purpose for intended audience

VERY EFFECTIVE WORK

--The author*****s purpose for the intended

audience is clear.

Incorporating field research into an essay

VERY EFFECTIVE PARTIALLY EFFECTIVE NEEDS SUBSTANTIAL WORK

-- Quotes from interviews incorporated

into own sentences

-- Paraphrasing is used when necessary

-- Observations use *****show***** words

instead of *****tell***** words.

-- It*****s very clear where information is

coming from. All quotes have *****tags.*****

Organization

VERY EFFECTIVE PARTIALLY EFFECTIVE NEEDS SUBSTANTIAL WORK

--Sentences show an understanding of

old/new contract

--Paragraphs show unity and focus

-The ordering of paragraphs follows a

consistent logic

*****s professionalism: sentence clarity, grammar, sentence style, and word choice

VERY EFFECTIVE WORK

--Each sentence can be understood the

first time it is read but sentences are also

complex and varied

--Very few spelling, punctuation and/or

grammatical mistakes

--Choices in diction are effective