Background:
Since the beginning of this semester, we have been focusing on technology and media-related topics, whether we were reading about ChatGPT and AI or discussing the consequences of cancel culture. However, for this last essay assignment, we will turn our focus to a different topic that will help you explore your future academic and career goals as well as satisfy one of the SLOs (Student Learning Outcomes) for our class:
Use reflective writing to explore aspects of their identities, career goals, interests, learning experiences, and/or values.
As a community college student myself, I spent a number of years “trying out” different majors. I began my academic career as a Psychology major, and then I switched to Business for a few semesters. Finally, I came to the realization that I was just doing what other people expected of me, when the answer was right there! As someone who had always enjoyed reading and writing, majoring in English seemed like the ideal path for me. But, getting to this point took a good deal of reflection, trial and error, and advice from educators.
Choosing a major is a pivotal decision in one’s academic journey, shaping future career prospects and personal growth. For this essay, you will spend time doing some personal reflection as well as research to explore your potential major. At the same time, some of you may have different goals other than selecting a major like pursuing a certificate, seeking personal enrichment, or something else.
Writing Task/Prompt:
For this assignment, you will write a five-seven page essay (worth 100 pts.) that encourages you to engage in both self-reflection and research to determine the best path forward for your academic and personal aspirations. Through introspection and investigation, you will gain clarity on your interests, strengths, and goals, while also examining your field of study’s academic possibilities and career opportunities.
If you are undecided about a major, that’s okay too, as this will give you a chance to explore different options. You may even find that this project will help you narrow down your major.
This essay will include the different writing styles/genres that we are covering in this class (narration, description, analysis, and argument). Your essay should also be split up into different sections (listed below), but be unified with a thesis statement that is supported with personal experience as well as logical reasoning and evidence from at least five credible sources.
Sections of Your Essay:
Each Part should encompass around one-two paragraphs (this is mainly about the body of your essay. You, of course, still need introduction and conclusion paragraphs).
Part 1: Personal Reflection
Reflect on your academic journey thus far and consider your interests, strengths, and goals. What experiences, classes, or activities have sparked your curiosity or passion? Describe any uncertainties or challenges you may have encountered in determining your academic path. Are there specific skills or knowledge areas you wish to develop? How do you envision your future, both academically and personally?
In this section, narration, description, and analysis will come into play.
Part 2: Exploration and Goal Setting
Explore various academic paths available to you, including selecting a major, pursuing a certificate or specialized training, or engaging in self-directed learning. Research the requirements, curriculum, and potential outcomes associated with each option. Consider how each path aligns with your interests, strengths, and long-term goals. Evaluate the feasibility and practicality of each option based on your personal circumstances and aspirations.
In this section, analysis and narration will come into play.
Part 3: Synthesis and Action Plan
Synthesize your personal reflections with your exploration findings. How do your interests, strengths, and goals inform your decision-making process? Reflect on the potential benefits and challenges of each academic path you have considered. Develop a concrete action plan outlining steps you will take to further explore your chosen path or paths. Consider seeking guidance from academic advisors, mentors, or professionals in your field(s) of interest.
In this section, argumentation and analysis will come into play.
Part 4: Optional: Controversial Topic Exploration
While this is not required, to broaden your essay, you might choose a controversial topic within your potential major or area of interest and conduct in-depth research. This could be an ethical dilemma, a technological advancement, a policy debate, or any issue currently sparking discussion in your field. Analyze various perspectives on the topic, the arguments presented, and the potential implications for the future of the field. Reflect on how this controversy might impact your decision to pursue this major and how you might engage with such issues in your future career. As an example, let’s say you are majoring in Nursing or another medical field, you could look into how technology is being used to prolong lives, the Ozempic weight loss trend, or something else.
In this section, argumentation and analysis will come into play.
Begin Researching:
Go online and type your subject into Google or another search engine and do some preliminary research to see what’s out there
When you are researching college majors or how to choose a major, I would recommend either avoiding or being cautious about using sources that are connected to specific colleges (unless it is the college you are interested in attending), as this will generally be more of an advertisement for that specific school. Instead, look for general sources that are not affiliated with specific colleges.
Go to the Cuyamaca College LibraryLinks to an external site. homepage and research answers to your questions. Based on your research, formulate a working thesis
Devise a search strategy and gather sources. Gather more sources than you need; this way you can go through and evaluate them and see what’s most useful for your project. Keep track of your sources!
As information is to knowledge, so too is a “report” to a “research essay.” You are not writing an extended summary of sources; rather, you are writing a persuasive essay in which sources are used to support your claims. You must make an argument in this essay, not merely summarize facts.
Analyze your sources thoroughly from a persuasive standpoint to determine their usefulness and credibility. If you do not know the author or origin of a source, if you do not thoroughly understand a source, do not use it! Don’t jeopardize your credibility. Remember, don’t let the sources overtake your paper
Requirements for Sources:
Your essay must have at least five credible/reliable sources (you can use sources listed below, but you still need to find at least four of your own sources)
You must include at least one article from the electronic databases (they can be accessed through the library’s homepage)
You can use magazines (i.e. Time, Rolling Stone, GQ), newspapers (e.g. San Diego Union Tribune, New York Times) and books
Limit your use of general websites (Yahoo, CNN, etc.)
Do not use general encyclopedic works (e.g., the dictionary, the Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia) in your essay
You may also conduct interviews and perform surveys
Start researching as soon as possible
**Remember that a well-researched paper will include a variety of sources. Also, for academic papers, books and scholarly journals tend to provide the most credible information.
Sources to Potentially Check Out (or Use) for Your Essay (some are links to websites while others are PDFs):
“I’m a History Professor. Here’s What Students Need to Know About Choosing a Major so They Succeed in College”Links to an external site.
“Building Your Dream Life: How to Turn Passion into Purpose”Links to an external site.
“Choosing the Right College Major”Links to an external site.
“How to Pick Your College Major” (Video)Links to an external site.
“College Alternatives: Less Expensive Career Paths” (Video)Links to an external site.
“Women in STEM Education”Actions
“Six Myths About Choosing Your College Major”Actions
Plagiarism:
Like all essays written for this class, your research essay must constitute original work (that means that you cannot use an essay that you have already written for another class). Furthermore, since this is a research essay, all sources must be cited accurately, using MLA format. Rule of Thumb: If you are ever unsure about whether to cite or not, cite it! If you have any questions about plagiarism or citing, please talk to me and/or review Cuyamaca’s plagiarism policy. We also have a number of MLA resources that we have been discussing over the course of this semester.
AI/ChatGPT Policy for English 120 (8914):
The use of generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Grammarly, Dall-e, etc.) can be used for the following activities in our class:
Brainstorming ideas
Checking grammar and style
Receiving feedback on writing
Help with researching
The use of generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Grammarly, Dall-e, etc.) cannot be used for the following activities in our class:
Writing assignments (Essays, Exploratory Writings, and Quizzes), and this includes smaller sections of the writing like paragraphs and multiple sentences
Impersonating you or your writing in a Discussion or Workshop, including Replies to your peers
Regardless of how you use ChatGPT, you are responsible for the information and content you submit in this class. You also need to include, in the assignment, what parts are generated by ChatGPT, or how you used it to help you. Any assignment that utilizes ChatGPT in an unauthorized manner will be subjected to our Plagiarism policy. In short, this means you will be contacted by me in an email or in my comments on the assignment, and depending on the situation, you may have a chance to redo or revise the assignment (if I give you a 0). However, as we watched in the video, AI detectors are unreliable, and so it’s a mixture of intuition, discussion, and learning as we go. Therefore, in my opinion, it is best to be honest about it as I am more willing to give you another chance to do the work.
Requirements/Rubric:
Your grade will be based on how well your essay:
Addresses the assignment thoughtfully, analytically, and creatively
Contains a clear and concise thesis statement which states an arguable, definitive position
Contains cohesive, focused, body paragraphs that relate back to your thesis
Contains summaries, paraphrases, and direct quotations of a minimum of five sources
Includes specific personal experience where relevant
Contains a logically progressive structure that covers the three (or four) parts mentioned above
Maintains audience awareness (appeal to and persuade your readers)
Includes a counter-argument (the other side of the issue, so you are seen as credible)
Contains sentence variety and an appropriate tone
Is nearly free of punctuation, mechanical, and spelling errors
Is five-seven pages typed, double-spaced and formatted in MLA style (the Works Cited page is not included in the four page requirement)
Avoids plagiarism or the use of AI generated content (this may result in decreased grade and potentially a 0 for the assignment
