Readings for week of 11/29 and blog post prompt

Hello, all --

Here is the link to the first of the readings for this week -- an editorial from Inside Higher Ed by Jonathan Kaplan and Terry O'Banion arguing for the importance and effectiveness of for-profit colleges.

And here is the link to the second reading -- a fiery editorial by Gail Mellow, the president of LaGuardia Community College in New York -- arguing that for-profit colleges are basically a scam.

And, finally, here is the blog post prompt for this week: Which of these editorials is more persuasive? Do you think that community colleges are capable of handling the increasing pressure put upon them to re-train the middle class for the new economy? If so, what resources do they need to accomplish this objective? Or do you think that for-profit colleges have an important role to play? And, most importantly -- why do you think as you do about this issue?

Essay 3 Assignment

In third and final formal essay for this course, you will make an argument about one aspect of community college education in the United States. This assignment will require you to:

-- choose one current issue, problem or controversy faced by community colleges generally, or by Kirkwood in particular

-- research that issue, using at least one database (not Google Search)

--You must incorporate at least three secondary sources into your essay.

-- At least two of these sources must be “argument” sources.

-- form an opinion of your own on the issue

-- outline an argument in which you:

-- describe the issue, giving enough background information so that a reasonably intelligent but not very well-informed reader will understand it

-- explain your position on the issue

-- support your argument using verifiable facts

-- You must explain how your position is similar to or different from that of your “argument” sources.

-- You must correctly cite all facts, figures, and other sources using MLA documentation style.

-- write a full-length first draft

-- participate in an in-class writing workshop in which you share portions of your draft with your fellow classmates

-- substantially revise that draft, taking into account the constructive criticism of your peers and your teacher

-- polish the revised draft, editing for sentence clarity

While evaluating your essay, I will pay special attention to your incorporation of quotations and paraphrases into your own sentences and paragraphs.

Due dates:

First draft: Tuesday, 12/7

Final draft: Tuesday, 12/14

Reading for Thursday, 11/18

An article on one community college that is increasing its retention rate despite the fact that it faces all of the institutional challenges we discussed today in class.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/11/AR2010111107782.html

And the link to the Inside Higher Ed op-ed piece on the "completion agenda" and its implications for community colleges: here.

Readings for Tuesday, 11/9 and Thursday, 11/11

I'm sorry to have posted these links so late. Please read these essays and come prepared to discuss the structure of each argument in class. Pay special attention to the way each writer deploys and analyzes evidence in order to support his argument. Come to class ready to discuss. Please do print out these essays and bring them with you.

Tuesday, 11/9: Mauro E. Mujica, "English: Not America's Language?"

http://www.theglobalist.com/printStoryId.aspx?StoryId=3229

Thursday, 11/11: Geoffrey Nunberg, "Lingo Jingo: English-Only and the New Nativism"

http://www.prospect.org//cs/articles;jsessionid=a6DUm8nyjZ7-uP1opV?article=lingo_jingo