Unit 8: Exploratory Assignment

• Due Sunday by 11:59pm
• Points 50
• Submitting a file upload
• File Types doc, docx, and pdf
• Available Mar 2 at 12am – Mar 8 at 11:59pm 7 days

For your final writing assignment, do the following:

• Spend some time researching through Park’s library guidesLinks to an external site., information about your majorLinks to an external site., Park’s undergraduate catalogLinks to an external site., and any other relevant web sites to learn about the types of writing done by academics in your major and/or professionals in your intended career field. Find at least four sources that address how writers write in your discipline, major, or career.
• Then, write a short, informative essay aimed at your fellow college students, that explains what kinds of writing is done in your major academic/career field.

Guidelines for Exploratory Assignment

Length/Due Date: approximately 400-600 words, due Sunday, 11:59 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST).

Style/Format: This, as all essays in EN106, should be formatted according to MLA formatting guidelines. No matter what format you follow, be sure to do/use the following: 

• Use 12 point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced.
• Use 1-inch margins top, bottom, and sides.
• Although no cover page is needed, you should include your name, my name, the course number/title, and date at the upper left-hand corner of the manuscript.

Research & Documentation: This assignment must include formal references to at least four sources. Use your skills of quotation, paraphrase, and summary to incorporate information from these sources, and be sure to provide in-text citations using MLA formatting guidelines. And, of course, you must also provide appropriate documentation for any other sources you cite.

File format: Please submit your essay as a , x, or .rtf file. These formats are available in most word processors, including Google Docs and Open Office, and will ensure that your instructor is able to comment on your work.

Works Cited/References: Your essay should include a works cited page containing an entry for each individual source you reference in the body of the essay.

Titles: Include a descriptive title at the beginning of your essay that tips your readers off to your thesis. Do not format your title with quotation marks, boldface, underlining or italics.

Cover pages: Please do not format your essay to include a cover page.

Deadline: Submit your final draft essay no later than 11:59 p.m. CST on Sunday at the end of this unit.

Use of essays for future courses: Please understand that your essay may be used—anonymously—as a sample for future EN106 students and instructors unless you expressly request that it not be used. Your work, of course, will only be used for educational purposes.

Why Is This Assignment Important?

EN106 is designed to help you succeed in college-level writing. However, “college-level writing” means something different depending on what major, field, or discipline you are studying. For instance, business majors write in different genres, for different audiences and purposes, and use different conventions for citation than, say, criminal justice majors. This assignment will help you recognize what writing looks like in your field.

Think of this assignment as a way to help apply your knowledge about writing from EN106 to the rest of your career as a Park student, and beyond! Good luck.