This short paper (minimum 300 words, submitted via email) asks you to discuss a topic of your choice while drawing on the lessons from our Style readings. Your writing should address some combination of the following prompts:
- First, choose a topic, something you that interests you and that you can write about for at least a few hundred words. For example, I might write about the Barcelona soccer team, the band R.E.M., the author Don DeLillo, or other things that interest me. Choose something you can write about without doing any additional research.
- Once you have a topic in mind, tell us about it. What is important about this topic? What do you like about it? What background information or context can you offer to help us better understand the topic and its significance?
- Ultimately, make an argument of sorts about your topic: why is this topic important? Why should we care about it or learn about it? What do you want us to know or understand about the topic?
As you work on this writing, you should aim to address the main lessons from our Style readings. The books offers many recommendations, but try to focus on the main ones:
- Follow the rules of punctuation we read at the end of the book.
- Follow the recommendations for clarity: make the main character of your sentence the subject; make the main action of the sentence the verb.
- Take steps to make your writing cohesive and coherent.
- Avoid nominalizations and passive voice except when appropriate.
Matt King 