Before drafting this essay, you will need to read the Louis Menand essay assigned from the web this week. You will also want to review pages onLocating Information & Writing with Sourceslocated in the Excelsior College OWL.
This semester, I have asked you to reflect on your personal experiences that led you to college and to write about your purpose for attending college. Now, we move beyond the personal, and I ask you to consider the purpose of higher education in the U.S. Essentially, for this research paper, I am asking you to answer the following question:What roleshouldhigher education play in our culture?
This essay will provide a basic response to this question, using the essay by Louis Menand “Live and Learn: Why We Have College” as a starting point. Think about the questions Menand raises about higher education. Should higher education focus on jobs, critical thinking, creating leaders for tomorrow, or other purposes? In addition to citing Menand’s essay, you should locate at least two additional sources that you find on your own to support your assertion.
Your target audience for this essay will be your classmates and me, your teacher. Be sure to include a clear thesis for your research paper, one that responds to the question of the assignment, and to follow a point-by-point structure for your body paragraphs. Your essay should be three to five pages, typed and double-spaced. Be sure to follow APA guidelines and provide both in-text citations and a references page for the sources you choose to include in your essay.
Compose your work using a word processor (or other software as appropriate) and save it frequently to your computer. When you’re ready to submit your work, click Browse My Computer and find your file. Once you’ve located your file click Open and, if successful, the file name will appear under the Attached files heading. Scroll to the bottom of the page, click Submit and you’re done. Be sure to check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors before you post it.
