ESSAY 3: Evaluating and Reviewing

 In Essay 3, you will want to begin by reading Chapter 11: Evaluating and Reviewing, paying special attention to the example essays.

Most of chapter 11 will give you excellent information on how to generate ideas for your selected topic, prewrite, and revise your essay.

ASSIGNMENT: Evaluating and Reviewing

You will do ONE ESSAY FROM THE CHOICES LISTED BELOW. Your essay should be about 500 words. It should be an original essay written specifically for this course and not recycled from something you previously wrote. DO NOT use research with this assignment.

Essay Topic Choices based on Evaluation, Ch. 11

1. Think of a general product (Smartphone), and list at least three criteria that you think are essential for it.  Then evaluate one product (such as an iPhone) based on how well it meets your criteria. You can point out strengths and weaknesses. What suggestions might you make to others about this product? To the manufacturer?

2. Take some time from your busy day and watch some reality TV. Reflect upon the quality of these shows: the good, the bad, the ugly. Write an evaluative essay where you list and discuss the criteria for a good reality TV show. Use examples from the shows you have watched to support your criteria. For example, if you determine that "drama" is an essential component of a successful show, provide a specific instance of "drama" from a show.

3. Write an evaluation of a college course you have taken or are now taking. (Do not use this one or mention an instructor's name.) Does the instructor present the material clearly, understandably, and engagingly? Can you confer with the instructor if you need to? Are the assignments pointed and purposeful? Is the textbook helpful, readable, and easy to use? Does the course give you your money's worth?

4. Evaluate an unfamiliar magazine, an essay in this textbook, a proposal under consideration at work, a source you have read for a college class, or a website about an area that interests you. Be sure to specify your criteria for evaluation and identify the evidence that supports your judgment.

5. Visit a restaurant, a museum, or a tourist attraction, and write an evaluation of it for others who might consider a visit. As you write your essay, be sure to specify your criteria and include plenty of details to support your position and address readers' needs and interests.

6. Read "The Hunger Games" (Ch. 11, p. 198) and then select a movie to review, being sure to present criteria for evaluation and overall judgment.

7. Analyze an advertisement from a magazine.  Advertisers spend millions of dollars generating ads that capture a viewer’s attention in some way, so there is a great deal to analyze.  Ask yourself:  How does the advertisement capture the viewer’s attention?  What type of person is the advertisement trying to influence?  What does the advertisement present in print or picture?  How does the ad hold the viewer’s attention?  Does it use humor, fear, and/or vanity as a motivator?  Do you think the ad succeeds in what it sets out to do? Don’t limit yourself to these questions, but use them as a starting point.  Be sure to refer to specifics from the ad, both visual and verbal, in order to support your conclusions.

• Be sure to select a full-page ad so that you can get a good sense of the visuals.
• Choosing an ad from a magazine with which you are familiar may be helpful as you will have a good sense of audience.
• You can choose your own advertisement or click here for some ads. For ads that span the decades from the 1940's on, go to this site and click on any decade of your choice to see popular ads of the time.   

REFER TO THE CHAPTER TO DRAFT YOUR ESSAY.

SUBMITTING YOUR ESSAY:
Following these directions is very important, both in terms of formatting your essay, saving it, and emailing it to me. I will return an essay if it does not adhere to the below directions.

1. Type the draft you will submit through word processing.  I prefer Microsoft Word.  Please save your essay with your last name and the name of the assignment, as in Smith, Essay 3. Keep in mind that I need to download your essay, and I will not be able to associate it with you by its title.
    

2. Format your essay using the Modern Language Association (MLA style) for spacing, font size, etc. You  can do any of the following.

   • See your text's Appendix: Quick Format Guide.
     
   • Review Blackboard, Essay 1 area where you will find additional formatting information.
   • View this tutorial.

3. Send your essay to me at [email protected]

I have email filters set up, and an essay with a label not described here will be filtered into the correct email folder.