The Goal:
In this lesson you will learn more about critical thinking, and you will learn more about the drafting process and the revision process. You will also write your first essay for the course, an analytical essay. Keep in mind that writing for a college course means writing for an academic audience, so using first or second person, except for an example in an essay, is not usually acceptable. You also want to make sure you are keeping the tone formal for that audience, so sarcasm and exclamation marks are not usual in such essays.
What to Read:
“How to Read like a Writer‘ by Mike Bunn in Writing Spaces, Vol 2.
“Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott, excerpt from Bird by Bird
*The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan: Chapters 3-7 (60 pages)
Paper #1:
Your first paper! This paper is an analysis of a food culture, behavior, or idea. Please read Paper 1 Requirements for complete details.
Discussion:
As you are writing your own paper, notice Michael Pollan’s writing style and structure. How does he organize his ideas? Does he have an easy-to-follow style? Why?
What’s the difference between corn the food and corn the commodity? Why is it a problem that consumers have a fairly fixed amount they can eat?
“Eating industrial meat takes an almost heroic act of not knowing or, now, forgetting” (Pollan, 84). What does this say about us as rational creatures? Is this what we have to do to stay sane?
Submission Checklist:
- Paper #1, an analysis (100 points)
- Contribution to this week’s discussion (30 points)