This final essay exam will be written in-class during our exam time, and will be an extended and organized discussion of what you have learned about yourself as a writer this semester.

This assignment requires you to reflect on your progress as a writer this semester.  To prepare for the exam, you need to review each of the papers you’ve completed, including the comments from me and from your draft workshop partners (while you will not have comments on your final paper, as it will be due at the exam period, you may still write about it).  As you look at these papers, think about what would you do differently in that paper now, with what you’ve learned over the course of the semester.  While I’ve worked with each of you on your writing in groups and in conference, I’ve seen people both excited to learn new ways to approach writing frustrated by the demands of college writing.  I also find that, even as our brief semester rapidly progresses, students begin to identify strengths and weaknesses in their writing very accurately—that’s one of the goals of the writer’s reflections you’ve turned in with each paper.  Your consideration of your writing in this final essay will address some of the writing we’ve done in this class, what you’ve learned, and how you’ve felt.  As always, your paper needs to be driven by a central purpose or point—showing what you learned as you wrote your papers this semester.

During the exam period, then, you will write a focused essay reflecting on your progress as a writer.  When you discuss and evaluate your growth as a writer, consider these questions—remember, though, that these questions are just intended to help you brainstorm ideas, and you should not address each of these question in your paper.  Instead, think carefully about how you might organize this material—a discussion of the different areas of the paper, like organization and style?  or a discussion of two very different papers?  I suggest that you avoid the most immediate way that comes to mind of organizing your paper, simply discussing your progress paper by paper in a chronological fashion.  While this obvious approach is not necessarily a bad one, it also does not allow you an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to organize an argument, and often this structure limits your thinking about your work.  

• What have you learned about writing this semester? 
• What have you learned about yourself as a writer?
• How have you been challenged? 
• What disappointments and frustrations have you had to deal with? 
• What rewards have you had in your writing? 
• What new writing techniques have you learned?
• How has your approach to writing changed?
• Has your approach to revision changed this semester?
• Do you find that you responded differently to more personal writing, or to more analytical writing?
• Did draft workshops or in-class writing workshops change the way you write?
• What do you think you learned in this class that you might use in others?

DO NOT answer all these questions.  Use them as brainstorming to think of how you’d like to structure your essay.  As always, be very specific with your evidence; make specific reference to your writing to make your points.  You may wish to quote a passage from a paper and its revision to indicate your more effective later writing.  You may choose to describe how you narrowed a paper topic down effectively.  You may also want to discuss experiences you had in draft workshops.  Feel free to use any prewriting exercises you did or any homework assignments, in addition to your papers and any experiences you had working with me during office hours or with a tutor, for instance. 

While the essay will be written in-class, I still expect you to pay particular attention to how you organize and support your material.  The essay should have a clear argumentative thesis addressing what you learned this semester, and how that learning process is reflected in your revision; the paper will be evaluated based on the clarity and organization of your argument, and the strength of your supportive detail.  Do take advantage of your spell-checker as you write and be sure to proofread when you finish, but don’t obsess over small mechanical problems until after your content is in place.  And remember to save your work as you write.

Prepare for the exam before class (don’t wait until the exam period!).  You may bring one page of notes, either handwritten or on the computer. You may not write substantial sections of the paper in advance, but if you would like to write your thesis and topic sentences as an outline, you may.  I will check your notes at the beginning of the exam.   

When you complete your essay, please print a copy out, and then save the final copy to your flashdrive or disk.  Finally, please post it in the appropriate section of Blackboard.  As you post the paper, please be sure that your file is named properly:  Your last name Your first name final (Hammond Lisa final.doc).  When you’ve posted your paper, you’re done for the semester!