Other Essay Assignment Sheets
Browse essay assignment sheets from current and form E110 instructors.
Rhetorical Analysis
Film Analysis: Black Panther
For this assignment, students write a 700 – 1000-word (about 2-3 pages) rhetorical analysis of one scene from Black Panther (Coogler, 2018). In this paper, students must identify a message or idea they think the chosen scene is communicating. Once they identify the message, students must analyze how that part of the film communicates that message or idea. Then, students must make a claim (an argument) about how and/or why your chosen scene contributes to the overall message of the film or how it relates to a broader cultural, social, or political context.
Related Materials:
Film Analysis: Ideology
For this assignment, students analyze a scene from a film they have watched in class (see assignment sheet). The analysis should identify a message that the film is communicating that is either an expression of an ideology or a statement about or critique of an ideology. Students choose one scene of the film and identify something that this scene accomplishes which is significant in terms of the film’s overall project. The essay should be 3 pages long. Additionally, students need to establish a good, specific definition of how they are using the word “ideology” in the first or second paragraph of their essay.
Primary Source Analysis
For this assignment, students write a rhetorical analysis on a single archival artifact (or physical/material primary source). This assignment asks students to hone their close reading and critical thinking skills by focusing on a single source and to use their rhetorical knowledge to draw conclusions about the artifact they
choose. In short, the primary goal of the assignment is to analyze the rhetorical situation of the chosen artifact.
Rhetorical Analysis
For this assignment, students select a text they feel deserves critical attention for its rhetorical efficacy. Students will offer an analysis of both content and context, meaning their essay should balance description of the text itself with a discussion of how the text functions in a social, cultural, or ideological context. Students must engage with formal elements of the text they’re writing about (e.g., text, dialogue, voice-over narration, camera angles, music, colors, font, character positioning, lighting, costumes, the environment, etc.).
Documentary Film Analysis: Skin Deep
For this assignment, students write an essay in which they analyze the rhetorical effectiveness of the documentary film Skin Deep: The Battle Over Morgellons. The student’s essay will make a central claim, in the form of a thesis statement, on how successful (or not) the filmmakers are at achieving their rhetorical aim—what they want their audiences to think about differently or do differently as a result of their documentary project.
Personal Narrative
Creative Nonfiction Essay Writing
For this assignment, students write a 1000-word rich and interesting story through which audiences glean a larger significance that matters, somehow, to them. The student’s narrative must also tend to the need to offer a larger public something of value. More specifically, students are composing a narrative that will teach the audience something valuable they’ve learned about life.
Miscellaneous
Op-Ed
For this assignment, students write an opinion piece about a topic related to the course’s main themes: technology and justice. Students use this essay to begin exploring how technology is affecting our lives, examining the conversations happening (or not happening) around tech and adding their ow valuable perspective to that conversation. Students choose the topic, but it should be inspired by a recent event, and be concise enough to fit about 2 pages of writing.
Literature Review
For this assignment, students identify the issue they’d like to pursue for the semester and begin their exploration. Students use the literature review to summarize and synthesize the current scholarly conversation about their issue. The goal of the essay is to assert the importance of students’ chosen issue and to display for their readers the array of perspectives and responses people have within the issue.
Persuasive Essay
For this assignment, students write a semi-formal persuasive essay on one of the following topics:
- A hotdog is a sandwich.
- The Oxford comma is overrated and isn’t necessary.
- A bicycle is a vehicle.
After choosing a topic, students must argue a position for or against it. The essay should include a clearly articulated thesis and multiple viewpoints. It should also consider all the angles, objections, points, and counterpoints to the students’ chosen position and address them. Students must support their position without using outside sources.