EssayYour first research essay should be a fully completed work of 5 pages. Your topic may be related to the development of any idea that has already been expressed as part of the course; your thesis should be a synthesis of carefully documented research and critical analysis of this topic. The essay should incorporate the general parts of an academic essay—an introduction and thesis, a body of specific evidence/support/analysis, and a conclusion that emphasizes the answers to questions you may have asked within your research.Your writing should address the Core Learning Outcomes of the course and the Instructor Specific Learning Outcomes, as specified on the syllabus. I have included them here for your convenience:Analyze the disciplinary content in its own context and in relationship to the issues, questions, and positions of other disciplines.Compare and contrast differences and similarities among the disciplines in terms of central concerns, values, methodologies, and relationships to public life.Synthesize diverse perspectives to achieve an interdisciplinary understanding.Analyze the relationships among academic knowledge, professional work, and the responsibilities of local and global citizenship.Interpret and critique the possible “real world” connections or behaviors associated with the viewing or playing of media violence.Instructor Learning OutcomesIdentify, discuss and critique the representations of serial killers as heroes, celebrities, and icons in modern media forms. Explain the characteristics of the media forms, genres, and methods for each subject.Describe and analyze the popular culture forms that encourage audience identification or participation through violence or vicarious experience.Evaluate multiple perspectives, modes of inquiry and expression, and processes for decision-making in the disciplines.SpecificsYour essay should conform to the MLA format for citations within the text and in your works cited. Therefore, your writing should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins, in a 10-12-pitch font. The grading of this essay will be based upon the objective skills we have focused upon in our course lectures and discussions—incorporating your research sources seamlessly within your own writing, building upon your skills as a “close-reading” expert and analysis of your topic, and answering the larger questions about “why” we are studying serial killers as heroes (as well as, “why” your topic is popular? important? significant? worthy of study? definitive of its audience?)ResourcesYou should carefully construct your essay by looking at the examples we have studied within our course—the popular culture essays that have been part of your reading assignments, our in-class examples, and the writing process that has been investigated in our class assignments (Discussion Postings, etc).MLAAPA (Links to an external site.)RubricLE 300: Integrative and Interdisciplinary Learning CapstoneLE 300: Integrative and Interdisciplinary Learning CapstoneCriteriaRatingsPts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLE Integrative 1: Insightful QuestioningRubric Description: Accomplished (Capstone): Asks meaningful questions that show an understanding of the need for an interdisciplinary approach to solving a complex problem. Competent (Second Milestone): Asks questions about complex problems that show an attempt to understand and solve the problem from a single disciplinary perspective. Developing (First Milestone): Asks surface-level questions about complex problems. Beginning (Benchmark): Acknowledges that problems are complex without being able to pose surface-level questions about them. Not Applicable: Not applicable to this assignment.threshold: 3.0 pts4 ptsAccomplished (Capstone)3 ptsCompetent (Second Milestone)2 ptsDeveloping (First Milestone)1 ptsBeginning (Benchmark)0 ptsNot Applicable-- This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLE Integrative 2: Gathering information from multiple disciplinesRubric Description: Accomplished (Capstone): Assembles intentionally focused, relevant information from multiple reputable sources (or using disciplinary methods) from multiple disciplines. Competent (Second Milestone): Assembles relevant information from multiple, different reputable disciplinary sources or using disciplinary methods. Developing (First Milestone): Assembles tangentially related information from sources or methods from different disciplines. Beginning (Benchmark): Finds disconnected information from sources or methods without acknowledgement of their disciplinary origin or reputability. Not Applicable: Not applicable to this assignment.threshold: 3.0 pts4 ptsAccomplished (Capstone)3 ptsCompetent (Second Milestone)2 ptsDeveloping (First Milestone)1 ptsBeginning (Benchmark)0 ptsNot Applicable-- This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLE Integrative 3: Analysis of patterns and connections from disciplinesRubric Description: Accomplished (Capstone): Organizes and synthesizes evidence from multiple disciplines to reveal insightful patterns, differences, or similarities related to the problem the student is analyzing. Competent (Second Milestone): Organizes evidence from one or more disciplines to reveal important patterns, differences, or similarities related to the problem the student is analyzing. Developing (First Milestone): Organizes evidence from at least one discipline, but the organization is not effective in revealing important patterns, differences, or similarities. Beginning (Benchmark): Lists evidence, but it is not organized and/ or is unrelated to focus. Not Applicable: Not applicable to this assignment.threshold: 3.0 pts4 ptsAccomplished (Capstone)3 ptsCompetent (Second Milestone)2 ptsDeveloping (First Milestone)1 ptsBeginning (Benchmark)0 ptsNot Applicable-- This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLE Integrative 4: Synthesizing Disciplinary PerspectivesRubric Description: Accomplished (Capstone): Independently creates holistic understandings or frameworks out of multiple parts (synthesizes) or draws conclusions by combining examples, facts, or theories from more than one field of study or perspective. Competent (Second Milestone): Independently compares, contrasts, and connects examples, facts, or theories from more than one field of study or perspective. Developing (First Milestone): When prompted, compares and contrasts examples, facts, or theories from more than one field of study or perspective. Beginning (Benchmark): When prompted, presents examples, facts, or theories from more than one field of study or perspective. Not Applicable: Not applicable to this assignment.threshold: 3.0 pts4 ptsAccomplished (Capstone)3 ptsCompetent (Second Milestone)2 ptsDeveloping (First Milestone)1 ptsBeginning (Benchmark)0 ptsNot Applicable-- This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLE Integrative 5: TransferRubric Description: Accomplished (Capstone): Makes explicit references to previous learning in general education or major and applies that knowledge and those skills to demonstrate comprehension and performance in novel situations in a new and creative way. Competent (Second Milestone): Makes references to previous learning in general education or major and shows evidence of applying that knowledge and those skills to demonstrate comprehension and performance in novel situations. Developing (First Milestone): Makes references to previous learning in general education or major and attempts to apply that knowledge and those skills to demonstrate comprehension and performance in novel situations. Beginning (Benchmark): Makes vague references to previous learning in general education or major but does not apply knowledge and skills to demonstrate comprehension and performance in novel situations. Not Applicable: Not applicable to this assignment.threshold: 3.0 pts4 ptsAccomplished (Capstone)3 ptsCompetent (Second Milestone)2 ptsDeveloping (First Milestone)1 ptsBeginning (Benchmark)0 ptsNot Applicable-- This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeLE Integrative 6: Interdisciplinary CollaborationRubric Description: Accomplished (Capstone): Helps the team move forward by articulating the merits of alternative ideas or proposals generated by the team from an interdisciplinary perspective. Competent (Second Milestone): Offers alternative solutions or courses of action from student’s discipline (or an interdisciplinary perspective) that build on the ideas of others. Developing (First Milestone): Offers new suggestions from the student’s discipline to advance the work of the group. Beginning (Benchmark): Shares ideas but does not advance the work of the group. Not Applicable: Not applicable to this assignment.threshold: 3.0 pts4 ptsAccomplished (Capstone)3 ptsCompetent (Second Milestone)2 ptsDeveloping (First Milestone)1 ptsBeginning (Benchmark)0 ptsNot Applicable--Total Points: 0PreviousNext

Please see the attached document for the assignment.The purpose of this assignment is to understand that the comparison and contrast rhetorical strategy is an everyday practice, which develops critical thinking skills. Once we fully understand the comparison and contrast rhetorical strategy, we can adequately analyze two essays at the same time, focusing on thematic, structural, and stylistic elements.This exercise improves our critical thinking skills, composition skills, and communication skills by forcing us to develop and discuss complex concepts. After we come to an understanding about the comparison and contrast rhetorical strategy, we will apply the strategy to create our own comparison and contrast analysis of two sources.undefinedTopic ChoicesundefinedChoose one set of readings from the following:undefined Race Relations: Baldwin’s “My Dungeon Shook” & Jackson’s “The City that Bleeds” (both on Blackboard) Writing and Art: Baldwin’s “The Creative Process” & Orwell’s “Why I Write” (both on Blackboard) Technology: Sedaris’ “Stepping Out” (on Blackboard) & Gitlin’s “Supersaturation, or, The Media Torrent and Disposable Feeling” (85-90 in Wake Tech English 111 Reader) Free Speech: Malik’s “The Myth of the Free Speech Crisis” & Berkowitz’s “Defending Democratic Norms Requires Defending Free Speech” (links provided on Blackboard) undefinedEach set of essays has subject matter that links them together. The topics labeling each set are broad, so you will need to narrow the focus. For example, what are Gitlin and Sedaris saying about technology in their texts? What are Baldwin and Jackson saying about race relations? Your comparison and contrast should focus on the pair’s discussion of the topic through comparing and contrasting their contents (such as the issues they cover and if the issues are similar or different) and their styles (how they present their message). You are required to discuss at least two elements of each author’s style.undefinedWhen analyzing these two essays, focus on the content (themes, topics, examples, etc.) and the style (punctuation, vocabulary, images, etc.). When writing your analysis, you may use either the point-by-point method or the block method. Refer to the Organizational Structure section below.