First Essay F.A.Q.

When is it due? You must have your first draft written, printed and with you for our class on October 14. (The final version is due October 22.)

How long does it have to be? Your first draft must be at least 6 pages (double-spaced). You will likely edit it later, so the final version will be 5-7 pages.

For whom am I writing? You should assume that your audience is made up of people like you, who have a similar level of general knowledge, but who may not immediately accept your opinion. There’s no need to describe your subject in great detail or explain its background or history, unless this is important to your argument. It is essential, however, that you make your argument with clear reasoning and strong evidence. Your essay is not like a test question, where you recite what you’ve learned; it’s more like an opinion piece in a newspaper, where you explain your own take on the subject.

What are the basic requirements? Make sure you have a clear thesis (an assertion of opinion), and use evidence, including quotations where appropriate, to support it. The thesis should be plainly introduced in the first or second paragraph, and your concluding paragraph should recapitulate your argument. Give your paper a title that identifies the topic succinctly but strikingly. Make sure that whenever you use a direct quotation, or make use of another writer’s idea or information in any way, you provide a proper citation in MLA format. Even your first draft should be proofread carefully — your peers will be reading your essay, and you don't want to embarrass yourself with spelling mistakes.

How do I get a good grade? Most importantly, you must think hard and be creative! Show me that you genuinely care about your idea and the way it is expressed. Stick to your own words, ones you feel confident using, and give your argument a simple structure unless you have an idea that needs an unconventional format and you think you can pull it off. Try to look beyond the obvious and ask your own questions. When you make a statement, trying asking yourself: why is this true, and why does it matter? What are the political, moral, and philosophical implications? However, remember that this is just a short paper, so don’t jump to grand conclusions. If you convincingly demonstrate one minor insight, I’ll be more impressed than if you make broad claims and don’t back them up.

How should it be presented? It must be printed, double-spaced, on white 8.5x11” paper, using Times or a similar font, 12-point, in black ink.

Am I allowed to plagiarize my paper? Uh, no. I will be looking for evidence that your paper is the product of this class and your own intellect. It may not be pieced together from websites, bought from or written by someone else, or even written by you for another class.

Can I get feedback on my paper and revise it? Sure. In class, we are going to read each other’s papers and give feedback on the spot. If you want, you can also meet me during my office hours or after class, or else email me your paper at any time and I will respond when I can.

Why haven’t you told us what to write about? Because in college, in additional to learning lots of valuable stuff, you are expected to become independent thinkers. That includes deciding for yourself what is interesting about a given topic, and deciding what your opinion is. You have each chosen a website that has fostered a sort of online community, so your task is to point out an issue connected to your chosen website. It doesn’t have to be exclusively related to your website; you could discuss a broader issue, using your website as an example.

Could you give us some examples? Alright. Here are some questions that might help you focus your thoughts when you are figuring what your thesis will be. These are just suggestions.

1. Do you think the policies of social networking sites such as Facebook threaten the privacy of their users? What is the danger, exactly? What should be done to improve the situation?

2. Some critics of online communities say these spaces encourage anti-social behavior? Do you agree with this criticism? Why or why not?

3. Some digital communities have received attention because of fraudulent and/or criminal activities on the sites. Do you think online communities encourage this kind of behavior or make certain behaviors more prevalent? Why might people act less (or more) responsibly online than in real life?

4. How has interactivity through online communities changed the way people communicate / get news / view entertainment? Are these changes improvements or not?

5. Some online communities such as Wikipedia or Flickr allow for collaborative creation. What copyright ownership issues does this raise? How important do you think it is that an image or text be attributed to its creator?