Application Essays:
Appreciations and Critiques

Six times during the semester (starting Feb 5) you will turn in a 700-word (roughly two pages) essay applying the material covered most recently* in class.  The essays can be either an appreciation of the material, showing how it clarifies our understanding of the real world, or a critique of the material, showing its internal logical inconsistencies and/or its contradiction to what is happening in the real world.  Or a combination of these, if you think it appropriate.  I don't care which way you go as long as you maintain a clear focus on the relationship between what we read and the real world we try to operate in.

[* "Most recently" means "since the previous paper was handed in (or the beginning of the course)".]

Format

• Your essays should be computer-printed or typed on 8.5x11" paper, double-spaced, with 1" margins all around.  The printing should be in some standard serif font (e.g., Times New Roman).
• The essay should have the writing mechanics (spelling, punctuation, word usage, etc. etc.) one would expect of a college student in an upper-division course.  Poor mechanics will count against you.  Students who abbreviate "et cetera" as "ect." instead of "etc." will be shot.
• The figure of 700 words is a minimum.  Feel free to write more, but mere verbosity will result in a lower grade, not a higher one.  If you write more, you should have more to say.