CT project assignment sheet

1. ENGL 102-07
Critical Thought Project
“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
Overview: For this unit, you will be constructing a “deliverable” after writing an essay first draft
in which you are asked to contextualize a problem/issue that exists in our world, and then
propose what you think would solve this problem/issue. In order to do this, you must detail the
context of the problem for the reader by doing focused, effective research; establish and evaluate
what is currently being done/has been done about this problem; and propose your solution in
terms of what could be done and who will solve the problem. Your deliverable should give the
reader a clear insight as to what the problem is, why the problem needs to be solved (why your
audience should care about this problem), and what could fix the problem.
What you will need to do: The first step to constructing your deliverable is determining a
problem/issue that you think is worth writing about and solving (something that you need/want
to be solved). After finding a problem to write about, you will need to provide context for your
reader. Assume that your audience has little to no knowledge about the topic, and give enough
information for the reader to have a solid grasp of what the problem is, how it came to be, and
why the problem is important/needs to be solved. After informing the reader about the problem,
be sure to evaluate what is being done/has been about the issue/problem. By doing this
evaluation, you are setting up the solution to your problem. The last step is detailing your
solution to the problem, and how you think this will work. It is essential that you use concrete
evidence to support your solution.
Necessary Steps of Constructing the Deliverable:
• Detail and Describe what the problem is (causes of the problem, and other relevant
information for context). This is the informative portion of your deliverable.
• Persuade the reader as to why the problem needs to be solved (why should your audience
do something about this problem? How should they think and feel about this problem?)
• Evaluate what is being done/has been done about the problem recently (this will help set
up your proposed solution).
• Propose your solution with what could be done and who will do solve the problem, with
evidence and justification to support your solution.
• Incorporate at least 8 sources into your deliverable to support your contextualization
of the problem and/or your proposed solution from the following:
o 2 articles from Academic Search Premier database
o 1 published book or eBook
o 1 major newspaper article
o 1 credible web site
o 1 online media source, such as a Ted talk, a podcast, or an interactive
presentation (YouTube videos must be okayed by me prior to their inclusion)
o 2 sources that include information that disagrees with your position on the issue
The Deliverable:
Your deliverable will need to be composed in at least 3 modalities. You will all be required to
incorporate the linguistic mode for your deliverable (words written, typed, displayed). In addition

2. ENGL 102-07
to your written mode, you may use the visual mode (live images, still images, images moving on a
screen), the haptic mode (something that can be physically touched), or the auditory mode
(spoken words, sung words, nonverbal music or noise) to supplement the linguistic mode portion
of your deliverable.
What Components Must Be Included in Your Deliverable:
• At least 2 modalities to facilitate the ideas you present in your writing,
• Annotated Bibliography of all your sources in MLA format that corresponds with the
following areas: Context, Call to Action, Evaluation, and Solution.
Through this unit, students will be able to:
• Accurately assess and effectively respond to a wide variety of audiences and rhetorical
situations.
• Comprehend college-level and professional prose and analyze how authors present their
ideas in view of their probable purposes, audiences, and occasions.
• Present ideas as related to, but clearly distinguished from, the ideas of others (including
the ability to paraphrase, summarize, and correctly cite and document borrowed
material).
• Focus on, articulate, and sustain a purpose that meets the needs of specific writing
situations.
• Explicitly articulate why they are writing, who they are writing for, and what they are
saying.
• Write critical analyses and syntheses of college-level and professional prose.
• Be able to make the connection between questions and problems in your life both within
and outside of college.
• Gather and evaluate information and use it for a rhetorical purpose in writing a research
paper.
• Attend to and productively incorporate a variety of perspectives.
• Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading.
• Understand writing as an open process that permits writers to use later invention and re-
thinking to revise their work.
• Use conventions of format and structure appropriate to the rhetorical situation and
practice appropriate means of documenting their work.
• Locate, evaluate, organize, and use research material collected from electronic sources,
including scholarly library databases; other official databases (e.g., federal government
databases); and informal electronic networks and internet sources.
Due Dates:
• First Draft of Essay: Monday, March 19th at midnight
• Final Project: Monday, April 2nd before class
• Rhetorical Reflection: Friday, April 6th at midnight