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Honors Assignment for English 101

Due Dates:
Complete Draft 11/11
Polished Draft 12/02

Footnote 18:
Before you can start work on the Honors Assignment for English 101, you will need to bring a document to me called Footnote 18, issued by the Honors College. It is your (the student's) responsibility to observe deadlines for registering for honors credit, and any other requirements from the Honors College. The instructor undertakes to file the completion form with the Honors College no later than one month after the end of the semester.

Assignment:
To compose an overview and analysis of texts used for teaching English 101, Freshman Composition (other than the book used in this section, Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading & Writing).

The paper should include an overview of the goals and objectives for courses using these texts (as you interpret them), and an analysis concentrating on what you perceive to be the theory/ideology on which the book is based.

In order to generate some material for comparison, I suggest that you use two to three textbooks (suggestions below).

Finally, write a conclusion stating which text you prefer, including e.g methods, exercises, and explaining why the methods and theory/ideology of that book seems the most viable and useful to you. This conclusion will very likely lead you into an ongoing discourse in the scholarly community about why composition is taught at American universities, what exactly is composition, and how should it be taught. Remember, it is your interpretation I am interested in, and as to the outcome of your paper, there is no "correct" conclusion to be reached.

Suggested textbooks:
Hayden Library has a vast collection of textbooks written for use in teaching Composition. Access the library catalog (http://www.asu.edu/lib) and make a subject search for "Composition And Exercises English Language." You will find a number of books to include in your survey. Modern editions often have very good websites with support and teaching materials which you might want to take a look at.

Constraints:

Length: 3-5 typed pages using double space and 12 point font
Put your name on each page and number pages
Give your work a title.