Thesis on the Importance and Implications of Claims

1. Several readings have stressed the influence of our existing ideas and concepts on our perceptions, experience, dialogue, and communication. Write a paper that chooses two specific discussions of this connection to focus on and develop your own thesis about the importance or implications of their claims. Relevant authors include: (Willy Ermine, David Bohm, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joe Couture, and others).

Prompted Writing Assignment: Details
Assignment Motivation: This assignment gives students an opportunity to deepen understanding of course themes through answering a prompt that guides engagement with a particular argument or text.
Details: Specific paper prompts will be posted on OWL after class sessions. This prompt will generally involve a theme or question in that week’s reading which has been discussed in class. Students should choose one of these prompts and write a paper in response.
The precise form of the paper will vary depending on the prompt, but all papers must be organized around a clearly stated thesis.
The paper must:

1. Explain what the motivating question/prompt means.
2. Explain what are the stakes or implications of this question: why does it matter? What are some different possible ways of responding?
3. Choose the response that you think is best.
4. Explain why, using evidence from the texts.
   The paper should include a thesis that summarizes your response to the prompt.
   How you organize this is up to you. It may be helpful to organize your paper in separate sections following these four tasks, or you may mix them together. The thesis for your paper should be stated at the beginning and should be used to organize your paper, and everything that you say in the paper should be related to its thesis.

The assignment is not a research paper. It is not necessary to consult additional sources beyond the assigned reading, but if you choose to do so, be sure to include them in your bibliography. Copying material from an online source or article is plagiarism. This includes copying material generated by an ChatGPT or similar AI tool. Plagiarism results in an automatic zero.
Template introductions and conclusions are strongly discouraged. It is not necessary to write empty summary sentences or broad general introductory sentences.
Assessment Rubric: Papers will receive a number grade out of 100 that follows the following rubric:
Thesis: Is there a clearly presented thesis that effectively organizes the argument of the paper? Does this thesis show nuanced and careful consideration of the prompt’s question? (20 points)
Clarity and Writing Mechanics: Are sentences clear and grammatically correct? Is the paper well organized? Do you build effective transitions between ideas in a way that develops a coherent over-all thesis? Does the paper follow MLA style for its bibliography and a consistent citation style? (20 points)
Accuracy and Comprehension: Does the paper demonstrate a basic understanding of the stakes of the prompt’s question? Does it adequately and accurately explain and utilize relevant evidence from the text? Do you use citations in an effective and accurate way to support your description? Do you include all relevant background material and properly situate the context of your argument? (20 points)
Coherence and Precision: Does your paper present its position in a clear and coherent fashion? Does the paper include precise details in supporting its argument (rather than broad generalizations)? Does it follow a logical form in providing support and evidence for its thesis? Is its own argument plausible? (20 points)
Depth of reflection: Does your paper demonstrate significant reflection on the implications of the prompt?, Does the paper include consideration of possible criticisms or counter-arguments to its thesis? Does it demonstrate consideration of the implications of its own thesis? (20 points)