Two parts to this 750.
Part 1 (mandatory): Come up with a bunch of questions for your subject. What do you want to know about it? What are some different lenses you can use to look at its history (e.g. etymology, through the news, etc.)? Come up with at least five candidates.
In class, we’ll synthesize our questions and lenses to create a master list, kind of like we did with subjects and genres, so that when you go into the library, you’ll know what you want to know.
Which brings me to the other thing I wanted to talk about, which is why we’re doing this essay. How is it relevant to your life as a college student, and your larger life as a smart person loose in the world?
The first reason has to do with writing. After writing a ten (or so) page essay, you’ll probably think of yourself differently. I know I did after my first long essay in college. You’ll know that you’re capable of more than you may have thought back in September. Your idea of your intellectual capacity and your writing prowess will grow.
The second (and bigger) reason has to do with research. Coming up with good questions and understanding how to find answers is an important skill. Ten years ago, the challenge in research was in finding answers; now the big challenge is understand how to evaluate sources and sort through the massive junkpile of internet crap to figure out which of the million answers are factual and reliable.
This skill is not only relevant to any career, but to any life, as you’ll find out the first time you have a really sick kid and you’re up at midnight, scared out of your mind, sorting through page after page of Google results, trying to figure out what to believe.
Oh, and I almost forgot–
Part 2: Pick another couple of genres from the list (or come up with a new one), and write another creative tile or two.