For this final paper, consider revising and developing one of the short responses of your choice.  (If you would prefer to tackle a completely new subject, please talk to me first.  You might want to respond to a CFP for a conference.) The final paper should be about 2,500 words (10+ pages), not counting references.  It will be worth 35% of your final grade and is due the last day of class, along with your complete portfolio.

Now that you are familiar with  some of the conversational terms currently circulating in the field of composition studies, this assignment asks you to enter the conversation yourself.  It will be up to you to specify your purpose and to choose a specific professional audience.  To guide you in this, please take a look at recent calls for conference papers that you will find in current issues of journals and on several of the online composition sites and please feel free to discuss possibilities with me.  The Composition Resources page should provide some starting points.
 
Continue the habit of reviewing briefly  the main arguments of anything you cite to introduce material to readers who may not have read the same articles you have and to refresh other readers' memories. Remember, you will probably be writing to a variety of readers (just as you did for the review of current theory): some might be new to the field of composition studies (e.g., other members of this class); other readers might include scholars who normally explore other areas; still others are likely to be experts in this particular area of composition studies.  The common ground among these readers is their interest and involvement in the field of composition studies. In other words, you are writing to a group of professionals in this field.

Think about multiple readers in terms of your primary and secondary audiences.  The primary audience might, for instance, be the readers reviewing submissions for a specific conference.  The secondary audiences (others who you can assume would be interested in your topic) might include me, other members of the class, other graduate students or faculty members who study composition (here or at other schools).

On a separate piece of paper, please let me know who you have in mind as your primary audience; if you choose to respond to a specific call for papers, you can simply give me a copy of that call.

I will expect you to incorporate at least two sources from beyond the syllabus. These sources might be ones that you found in your review of current theory. (As a rough estimate, plan on having a total of 5-10 sources for your final draft; at least two of these should be references you've found from outside reading.)

Just as a reminder, here are some sources that might prove useful:

• The select bibliography
• The ERIC database
• The Wilson database
• The MLA online bibliography
• Online resources in composition

Feel free to discuss your response with other class members or with me before the deadline.

Your response should be about 2,500 words (10+ pages).  A draft of this last assignment is due to me and your group members during week 15 (right after Thanksgiving Break).

Attach a brief cover memo that states who you have in mind as your primary audience.  If you are responding to a specific call for papers, please attach a copy of  it.

Use parenthetical documentation to refer to specific passages and page numbers.

Provide a full list of Works Cited for all sources.

The final paper/extended response is worth 30% of your final grade.

• Please make sure that your intro captures your readers' attention in some way and that your thesis is clear.  As a very general rule, your thesis should be clear within the first tenth of the paper (i.e., by the end of page 1 for a 10-page paper; by the end of page 2 for a 20-page essay; etc.).

• Meet for group conferences during Week 15

• Review the evaluative criteria for this assignment.

• Submit the final version--along with all of your other work for the semester-- by or before  4:00 p.m. on Tuesday of Finals Week.

When I evaluate your final extended  response (worth 35-36 points), I will be looking  at:

• YOUR OVERALL UNDERSTANDING of the  issue under discussion (12 points)
• Do you establish credibility?
• Do you demonstrate knowledge of the subject?
• Do you show expertise in your critique, discussion, or  recommendation(s)
 
• YOUR CRITICAL ENGAGEMENT (12 points)
• Do you have a clear, well-focused point (whether it's a question, extension, critique, connection, etc.)?
• Do you develop and support your point with specific examples, passages from or references to current research?
• How have you organized your response to maintain your focus and develop your ideas?

• YOUR AWARENESS OF A PROFESSIONAL AUDIENCE (12 points)
• Do you show an awareness of readers' needs in your decisions about organization
• Do you show an awareness of readers' needs in your decisions about content? Specifically:
• in your decisions about tone and style
• in your decisions about the amount of detail you provide in descriptions, explanations, or analyses
• in your decisions about what points you will emphasize (through placement in your text, use of supporting documentation, etc.)
 
• ATTENTION TO YOUR OWN WRITING (see general criteria for A, B, C, D). If you need a review of punctuation or usage, check out the handouts available from Purdue's on-line writing center.
• SENTENCE STYLE is well-suited to peer audience and purpose
• TONE and WORD CHOICE are well-suited to  peer audience and purpose
• Avoids WORDINESS
• Avoids  PASSIVE VOICE when possible
• Avoids  SUBJECT-VERB disagreements and other grammatical errors
• Uses PUNCTUATION correctly
• Provides parenthetical DOCUMENTATION
• Provides a full "Works Cited" list
• Avoids SPELLING and PROOFREADING errors