Spring 2004

English 101.10 -- Language and Composition I

Paper 4: Writing for Print Forums

So far, you've written a paper about a personal experience or interest, an essay written to a specific audience, and a collaborative class web project. The Web project gave you a change to learn to write for the different expectations and needs of online readers and introduced you to a particular type of electronic forum. For this next assignment, you will write for a a specific print forum.

In terms of writing, a forum is a specific publication. For example, English teachers would be an audience, but College English, a prominent professional journal in their field, would be the forum where they publish and read articles. It is common for different magazines or jounrals to have their own guidelines, styles, and criteria.

For this paper, you will write about a topic of your choice and tailor your essay or article to a specific forum. Your forum might be a magazine, newspaper, or a professional or academic Journal of your choice. Please note that you are expected to research your topic. If your forum does not use in-text (parenthetical) citations, still include a seperate works cited page.

Browse through several different forums, and after selecting one, browse some more, looking through several issues and volumes to familiarize yourself with overall patterns you find there. Start by reading through the tables of contents to get an idea of what topics and issues are included.

Then, actually read some of the articles to get a feel for tone or style that is accepted in that publication. Complete the forum analysis listed under Resources on the class website.

Research your topic and draft an essay or article that would be appropriate for your forum. Your paper should conform to the guidelines and conventions appropriate for your forum.

Each paper should consist of 5-7 pages. See the Course Requirements page for more information about what needs to be turned in with your paper in order for it to be considered complete.

The final unit draft of this paper is due on Monday, at the beginning of the tenth week of class. Bring your rough drafts in progress with you each day to class until then.