Unit 1 Essay: My Jaundiced Eye
Personal Narrative and Definition
DUE DATE
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020, 08:00 A.M.
Upload to Canvas in one of the following formats, using the
"Submit" button on the official Assignment 1 page:
‣ Portable Document Format .pdf
‣ MS Word .doc or .docx
VALUE
5 points; complete/Incomplete. This assignment will not be
assigned a letter grade. Timely completion of it will earn all 5
points for you. However, for non-completion or incomplete
submission, all 5 points will be withheld. (Late submissions
may incur penalties against those points.)
CONTEXT
The phrase, "a jaundiced eye," means, "to regard with
suspicion after having been tricked or taken advantage of." In
other words, to become skeptical.
The theme of this course is skepticism and skeptical inquiry.
As you’ve no doubt learned from your readings for this unit,
skepticism can serve as a guiding philosophy, a social
perspective, and a personal attitude, all at the same time.
However, for the purpose of studying skepticism productively,
we need to define it as a style of critical inquiry, and
distinguish it from other concepts for which it is frequently
confused. These will be the starting point for your pilgrimage
in this course toward skeptical enlightenment.
ASSIGNMENT
Choose a Topic and Narrate:
Select one of the following subjects in which you are, or were
at some point, a believer, and explain why and how you
should be (or have since become) more skeptical of it:
‣ a popular conspiracy theory;
‣ a psychic or extrasensory ability (channeling spirits;
clairvoyance, mind control, etc.);
‣ ghosts and poltergeists;
‣ UFOs / alien abduction* (these are not the same as
the existence of life elsewhere in the universe,
which is a known statistical probability);
‣ a popular urban myth (doesn’t have to be limited to
myths in the U.S.);
‣ demon/spirit possession;
‣ good luck charms, or bad omens.
Define and Discuss:
Follow your personal narrative with an extended definition of
the term "skepticism" based upon one of the following terms:
‣ belief / disbelief
‣ faith (doesn’t have to be religious faith)
‣ cynicism or jadedness
‣ certainty / doubt
‣ trust / distrust
‣ open- / closed-mindedness
‣ factualness / truthfulness
DEVELOPMENT
Introduction:
Develop a three-stage introduction (see the Unit 1 modules
for guidance) in the following way:
- Hook: open with a quote from Carl Sagan’s "The Fine Art
of Baloney Detection," and use it to introduce a relevant
subject for this essay; - Topic: personally introduce your own topic selected from
the list above (you’re permitted to use pronouns such as
"I" and "me"; - Thesis: using your topic, tentatively define "skepticism"
based upon one of the terms listed above.
Body: - Summarize in at least one paragraph the topic you
selected for this assignment.
‣ Consider who your audience is and what it needs
to know about your topic in order to "connect" with
your essay.
‣ Provide details and examples, as needed. - Narrate and explain fully in at least two points—at
least two fully developed paragraphs—why and how
you should be (or have since become) more skeptical
of your selected topic. As this is a personal essay, you
are permitted to reference your own experiences and
use first-person personal pronouns.
Conclusion:
Conclude your essay with at least one fully developed
definition of "skepticism" reliant on one or more of the
criteria listed above.
‣ If you choose to include more than one, then give
each its own separate paragraph of discussion,
rather than talk about them all together in a single
paragraph.
‣ Include at least one properly cited quote from any
of the assigned author readings for UNIT 1 other
than Carl Sagan. (Review contextual, or
"parenthetical," citations in your handbook, or see
the Unit 1 modules for guidance.)
English 120: College Composition and Reading Fall 2020 Instructor: K. Sherlock
STYLE AND GUIDELINES
‣ MLA Style: Your essay must be composed in proper MLA
document design. Please just take the no-fuss alternative
and download the MLA document template for this
purpose, a button for which is available at the top of official
"Assignment" page for this unit.
‣ Voice and Tone: Although you're expected to use the
pronouns "I," "my," and "me" in this "Personal Response"
part of your essay, the overall tone and vocabulary should
be clear and neutral so as to make it easy for adult readers
of any age, background, or culture to understand your
writing.
‣ Citations: A simple "Works Cited" of the texts you quote and
reference should be included at the end on a separate page,
and composed in proper MLA citation style (again, as
prompted by the MLA document template you are asked to
use). Remember to use only MLA style, not APA or others.
‣ File Uploads: Canvas is not very friendly to Google Docs.
Please, if at all possible, use another word processing app
(Word or Pages is ideal) to compose and upload your
document. PDFs are encouraged.
‣ File Naming Protocols: Make sure the document’s file name
conforms to proper protocols:
Lastname-Initial-120-section####-Essay1-FIN.pdf
"FIN" means "final version" but if you upload a working draft,
change this part of the file name to "DFT."
ASSESSMENT
Complete/Incomplete:
This is a "Complete/Incomplete" assignment: you will either
receive all 5 points based upon successful completion, or 0
points for unsuccessful completion or incompletion. Below is
the rubric by which your essay will be scored.
‣ If you submit an essay by the due date and it successfully
meets at least 70% of the scoring criteria, your essay will be
grade as "Complete," and you will earn 5 points. (Please
note that you cannot succeed without successfully
developing the essay’s body, which comprises 55% of the
overall grade.)
‣ If you submit an essay by the due date and receive a grade
of "Incomplete," you’ll be afforded one week to re-do and
resubmit, after which time, if enough of the scoring criteria
are successfully met, your grade will be changed to
"Complete," and you will receive 5 points.
‣ If you do not submit an essay by the due date, you will be
graded as "Incomplete" and receive a score of 0 without
further opportunity to submit the essay for a grade.
Scoring Criteria:
Successful completion of this assignment will be determined
by the following criteria:
• 15% Summary (Introduction): An effective summary should
1) introduce author by full name, correctly spelled; 2)
identify full primary title of text; 3) use correct markers:
italics for book/periodical; double quotation marks for
essay/article; 4) introduce a specific topic 5) assert a
thesis that tentatively defines "skepticism" based upon
one or more listed criteria.
• 55% Development: Effective essay development should 1)
summarize the topic with an understanding of the
audience’s needs; 2) develop two or more major points
about the writer’s personal experience with this topic and
the need for skepticism; 3) conclude with an extended
definition of "skepticism" reliant on one or more of the
listed criteria; 4) quotes one or more of the assigned
authors using proper double-quotation marks and
contextual citations.
• 15% Writing Competency: Competent writing should 1)
avoid common errors of grammar, punctuation, sentence
mechanics, and usage; 2) contain effectively organized
and cohesively developed paragraphs that have
controlling topic statements, clear explanation, good use
of support, and proper discussion/interpretation of these;
3) use language with precision and control; 4) use a
respectfully neutral tone free of slang, vulgarity, and
colloquialisms; 5) demonstrate it has undergone editing
and refinement before being submitted.
• 10% Document Design and Style: Correct MLA style should
be demonstrate in 1) document design and layout with
regard to title page, margins, headers and pagination,
and typography (font size and types); 2) double-spacing
throughout (including Works Cited); paragraph indention;
parenthetical (contextual) citations; 3) bibliographic
references organized and a Works Cited set with
hanging indentions; 4) demonstrate it has undergone an
adjustment of settings to effect MLA style, or that it you
have made use of the MLA document template.
• 05% Document Formatting: Document should 1) be saved
in a supported file type such as MS Word or PDF; 2)
possess a file name consistent with the required filenaming protocols (e.g., Surname_F-120-4512-1-FIN.pdf).