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This index features assignments by American River
College professors as well as those found online at other colleges and
universities.
Assignments - Some of the above assignments are written out below for easier browsing.
Will Davis, Biology instructor and MESA Director:
Change the World BIO 300 assignment
Throughout much of the semester, students individually investigate a biological topic of interest to them, and then apply their knowledge by writing a convincing and knowledgeable letter to a decision maker. Who receives the letter depends upon the issue, but common choices are local or regional elected officials, government agency representatives, an advocacy organization such as the American Cancer Society or Sierra Club, or a private organization such a Procter and Gamble or Exxon Oil Co. The assignment has three parts. First they gather the information and compile it into a draft report that addresses the biological topic only and does not include personal opinion or recommendations for action. As a class we attend a library orientation in which the reference librarian focuses specifically on this project, so they have knowledge of the library and its resources. They receive feedback from fellow students and from me on their report draft, then they revise the draft to produce a final report. Finally, based on the expertise developed while producing the report, they craft a persuasive letter. The letter provides a reasoned and accurate explanation of the biology involved and includes their personal position and specific recommendation(s) for action. A response to their letter is requested. When students turn in a copy for me to grade, they also turn in a signed original in an addressed envelope. I tell them that it will be mailed, but when I return the graded letter, I leave the stack of envelopes on my desk and announce that if they do not want it mailed, just take back their letter. Seldom do students not want their letter mailed. Many students have reported to me about a received response. Most are simple acknowledgement letters, but there have been a good number of students who have contacted me, amazed that they received substantive responses. One student was invited to attend a conference, another promised a copy of a soon to be issued report, and several have been told their comments would be considered in the development of future reports. The November/December issue of the Journal of College Science Teaching landed in my mail this morning, and it includes an article titled “Civic Engagement in the Science Classroom”. Letter writing, voting, and volunteering with civic organizations are identified as ways students can engage. Margaret Mead is quoted as saying “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” Too many student assignments eventually end up in the student’s trash can. Why not have them end up as a letter in someone else’s trash can? Or, just maybe, they end up changing the world. Thank you Will Davis for sharing this assignment.
Dixie Thomas (ARC ECE Department.) sharing a Magazine/Journal/Textbook Reading Comparison Assignment Assignment Goal: Topic Choices:
Directions: Your paper will have seven sections-
Be thorough, presenting information in depth, supported by quotes or examples. Present the sections in the order they are listed. Make sure your paper is free from spelling and typing errors. Format: APA Citation for journals: Example:
Thank you Dixie Thomas for sharing this assignment.
Red Wassenich, Austin Community College: Students Take a Stand A Developmental Writing instructor came to me with this assignment. This would arguably only be good for introductory students, although I wonder. - Students are given a topic or topics to do free writing about in class. We used a lot of the typical suspects (gun control, legalization of marijuana, etc.) because we wanted ones the students would probably have thought about. They were to take a stand on the issue. - The next step was to revise the paper incorporating research to back up their stance. The instructor asked me to put together a packaged set of research on each topic. I countered that they would learn no research skills. He said that's true but they aren't capable of doing that well enough yet to get good stuff. So I put together packets on reserve that had the sort of stuff we tell them they should be using: background, stats, mix of opinions, etc. - The students were much more motivated to think about the research since they had already taken a stand. It seemed to decrease the tendency to just take the first sources they came across and use them. - Since there was no way the packets would match everyone's views, they asked if it was OK to find other stuff on their own. Then they asked if it was OK to change their stance after they researched it. That's when I was sold. Red Wassenich Thank you Red Wassenich for sharing this assignment on a discussion listserve.
Jane Hemmerling, ARC English Composition, Social Movements Assignment, from Primary & Secondary Sources College Composition Research Paper: Language and Rhetoric of an American Social Movement Assignment: Write a research paper that analyzes primary texts from an American social movement that organized to achieve some social change. The focus of your paper should be to analyze primary sources from the movement and make an argument about these sources and their relevance to the movement. Your paper should also provide adequate background to understand these sources, so be sure to include social, cultural and historical contexts that are relevant to your focus. Your paper should identify an appropriate focus and attempt to persuade the reader to your point of view. The paper needs to analyze its primary sources and argue your position. You are free to choose the focus of your research paper, but choose carefully: you MUST be able to do research on this topic in the library. Further, this assignment does NOT ask for a simple historical report but asks you to analyze your topic, to focus on some aspect of the social movement you select and explain its significance to an audience who will have little knowledge of the issues.Annotated Bibliography: To help pace and organize your research, you are required to submit an annotated bibliography the day that you give your research presentation. The annotated bibliography is simply a list of sources that you have consulted with a quick summary of its usefulness, relevance (or irrelevance) to your project; you will not necessarily use all of the sources in your annotated bibliography for your final paper. (over for sample) You should plan to include at least fifteen references in your annotated bibliography. The sources can include full-length books, articles from periodicals and journals, newspapers, and internet sites—sources you can use to establish the social, historic, and cultural contexts that will provide information about your focus. You must include at least ten non-internet sites (such as scholarly journals or books) in your annotated bibliography. Also, must include at least two primary sources which should provide the most important material for analysis in your paper; the rest may be secondary sources. This shouldn't be difficult if you spend time with the research librarian. MLA format requirement: Make sure that you cite your sources, using MLA-style citations, and that you include a works-cited page for your paper. Your works cited must contain at least ten items, including scholarly sources and at least two must be primary sources; the rest may be secondary sources. Length: Your finished text should be at least eight full pages (2,000 words), not including the works cited page. Here are some ideas for social movements that you may be interested in researching. However, this list is not exhaustive, so you may choose another movement not on the list. If you do want to choose a topic that does not appear on this list, please talk to me ahead of time to make sure it is acceptable for this assignment.
**Please note: no papers on abortion or gun ownership: I want this to be a creative and explorative research paper based on new critical analysis on your part, not a regurgitation of a high school debate class. Sample Entries from Annotated Bibliography
Cawardine, William H. The Pullman Strike. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr and Company, 1973. This book is my first primary source because it was written by Reverend William H. Cawardine, who was the Reverend of Pullman City at the time of the Pullman Strike. William wrote this book as the Pullman Strike was coming to an end and he gave a sense of feeling to his audience reading his book. This also contained many facts that internet sites and other books don’t give because its one of the few that was written during its time and goes into great detail of the happening of the strike.
Hirsch, Susan E. After the Strike: A Century of Labor Struggle at Pullman. Chicago, University of Illinois Press, 2003. This source gave me an idea of what happened after the strike. It explained clearly what when this matter was taken to the courts, the workers of the Pullman Company obtained equal and fair wages. The book also talked about contemporary labor problems and how we are affected by the events of the Pullman Strike as it has been used as precedence in many court cases. Thank you Jane Hemmerling for sharing this assignment.
Jane Hemmerling, ARC English, Research Presentations College Composition Assignment Part II - Research Presentation Instructions In preparation for your research paper on an American social movement, you will do a short, 10-15 minute presentation of your research to the class. The purpose of this assignment is to give you practice presenting academic material in an organized, collegiate fashion, and to share your knowledge of the social movement you have chosen to research along with useful sources you have found. You may also prepare a short one-page handout for the class if you think it would be helpful to your presentation. Your research presentation should include at least the following elements: -- Define for the class what your social movement is – what was its cause specifically. -- Why did you choose this topic? Was there something in particular that you felt connected to or interested by? How did you first hear about this movement? -- Are there many different groups or factions within this movement, or is it relatively cohesive group? --What are primary texts from the movement that you will be analyzing?
Thank you Jane Hemmerling
for sharing this second assignment.
A Work of Literature and its Criticism History Select a well known, classic novel that is at least fifty years old. Review the criticism available and identify what the critics were saying about the work over the years. How did the perspective change? What were the social issues that had an impact on the criticism? What were the qualities of the book that made it endure over the years? (What makes it a classic?) Author unknown.
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