Writing Assignments

Economic Life is one of the writing intensive courses in the Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) programs at Wright State. The writing assignments for this course are part of the Writing in General Education components of the WAC program. The purpose of the WAC program are (1) to improve your writing proficiency, meaning your ability to develop ideas and transmit information for an appropriate style, correct grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling; (2) to encourage you to use writing as a learning tool to explore and structure ideas, articulate thoughts and questions, and to discover what you know and do not know, thereby empowering you to use writing as a tool of discovery, self-disciple, and though; and (3) to demonstrate the ways in which writing is integral to all disciplines, essential to the learning and conveying of knowledge in all fields.

For the Writing in General Education component of WAC, you are required to complete writing assignment(s) totaling approximately 1500 words. You will receive a separate grade for the writing component. You will be assigned a grade of "pass" or "no-entry". In addition, the writing assignment(s) will count for a total of 20% toward your final grade. So, it is possible to pass and/or fail both the course and the writing component, pass the course and fail the writing component attached to the course, or to pass the writing component and fail the course itself.

The writing course for this course will allow you to apply economic principles to contemporary problems as well as improve your writing skills. Papers will be graded according to the following criteria: content, organization/style, grammar/punctuation, and format. See attached form.

You will complete one assignment worth 20% of your final grade. The writing assignment will be completed in both a draft and final form. The total possible number of points is 25. The draft paper will be graded. The grade on the final paper can be no more than 3 points  ( representing approximately one letter grade) higher than the grade assigned to the draft paper. So the draft needs to be well written as well.

Paper Format: The paper will be handed in at the beginning of class. Late papers will not be accepted. A draft and final paper will be handed in. The draft/final paper will be at least 1500 words, double-spaced, and typed on plain white paper using a PC word-processing environment. Word Perfect is available at no charge in the university computer labs. Use grammar and spell checkers. Attach a title page which should include the papers title, your name, class section, and date.Staple the paper in the upper left hand corner. Do not put papers in a binder. Draft papers must be stapled to the final paper.

Specific Assignment:

Choose one major topic area (see syllabus) and highlight the major points discussed about the topic area using your own words. No more than 1 or 2 paragraphs. Include in your paper a discussion of how this topic area relates to your economic life as a student, an employee(er), a family member, and a consumer. Also discuss your own experiences that helped you to understand the topic on a personal level? Explain how. Are there other courses you have taken at WSU or other Universities/colleges that have similar issues? What are the connections? How has our discussion in class changed your thinking or enhanced your understanding of our world?

Remember, this is not a research paper. I don't want you to "do research" at the library or on the internet. This paper is to demonstrate how well you are able to apply what you have learned and to improve your writing skills.

Knowledge accrues at three levels. At the first level, you can memorize the definitions. At the second level, you understand the definitions and are able to relate the concept in your own words. At finally the third level, you are able to apply the concept; that is, you are able to use the concept to describe the world around you. Your task is to aim for the second and third levels of understanding in your paper.