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ESSAY 1: Social Literacy Essay

For this progression, you will craft a thesis-driven essay in which you
discuss your own social literacy within the context of a larger
conversation.
To achieve this, you will need to reflect upon the various factors
(communal, cultural, political, familial, academic, etc.) that contribute to
your social literacy. In this way, you are becoming literate in regard to
your understanding of the ways in which these outside forces have
played a role in shaping your thoughts and your ability to be an active,
self-aware member of your various communities and beyond. You
should include information about how you might have acquired certain
behaviors and attitudes related to social literacy and what you have
learned from the experience. In addition, you should not only consider
how these behaviors and/or words may have affected you, but how they
affect society as well.
You may wish to consider some or a few of the following as you draft
your essay:
o Your educational background as well as that of those closest to you
and how this relationship might have influenced you.
o The attitude towards communication within any communities you
might belong.
o The ways in which the various speeches we have read throughout the
progression were crafted.
o Any transformative experiences that pertain to your literacy.
o Your feelings in general towards your own concept of social literacy.

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In order to position your thoughts on social literacy within a larger

conversation, you will need to provide information and analysis of at
least two of the three commencement speeches we have read.
You are not being graded on the ideas you hold but rather on your ability
to convey them and support them in an effectual way. In other words, its
not explicitly about what you say, but rather how you support your
claims.
Essay Guidelines
A. The completed essay should be submitted in a two pocket folder
(your working folder) with all the drafts as well as your peer review
sheet and any comments received from me.
B. The essay should explore an event (or a series of events) that
exemplifies your social literacy practices relevant to some aspect of the
speeches we have read.
C. The essay should have a thesis, which provides context for and
addresses the importance of social literacy for you personally and
perhaps also for people generally. In other words, think beyond yourself
to show your audience this is an issue of importance beyond just you.
D. The essay should have a title and an introductory paragraph that
provides the necessary information for your audience to understand the
context of the conversation yet be engaging enough to garner the
readers interest.
E. The essay should support claims about your literacy through vivid
description and analysis of the significant event along with what others
have to say about social literacy.
F. The essay should have effective transitions (between sentences,
paragraphs, and larger sections).

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G. The essay should be free of mechanical, grammatical, and usage

errors. Make sure you proofread.
H. The essay should show adequate knowledge of the required reading
material by implementing quotes from at least two of the
commencement speeches (minimum requirement).
I. You will need to have completed and turned in all three exercises in
order to turn in Essay 1.
Genres: Evidence-Based Argument/Creative Non-Fiction. 1250-1500
words, double-spaced, using MLA format. Your paper must include a
Works Cited (not included in the word count).