Writing assignments
Analytical essay: Philosophers' Fictions
From an NU literature seminar, this assignment asks students to write an analytical essay that illuminates significant campus issues and events free from cultural bias.
Argumentative essay
From an NU literature seminar, this assignment requires students to support their argument with at least three secondary sources.
Critical book review
From an NU anthropology seminar, this assignment asks students to write a critical book review of the sort that might appear in an academic journal.
Definition essay
From an NU writing course, this is a worksheet for an assignment to write an essay defining a term or concept.
Research paper--castles seminar
From an NU anthropology seminar, this assignments asks students to write a scholarly introduction that might appear in an academic journal.
Satire essay
From an NU literature seminar, this assignment asks students to write a satire on some aspect of social institutions, government, current event or human behavior.
Style assignment
Two writing prompts--from a Northwestern course on Utopian literature--that ask students to imitate the style of works they’ve studied. The assignment is intended to get students to explore the author’s style and use that style as a springboard for developing their own ideas about the course texts.
Writing assignments English freshman seminar
These detailed assignments show the progression of writing skills that students are expected to develop throughout a course taught at Northwestern. Peer editing sheets for the assignments are included.
Plato Symposium Paper Topics
The assignment description includes explanations of how to formulate a strong thesis, organize and support ideas, write an interesting introduction and conclusion, etc., depending on the topic chosen.
Close reading assignments
Explains, with an illustrative example, writing assignments that involve close readings: essays and discussion board posts
Evaluate with evidence--castles seminar
From an NU anthropology seminar, this assignment asks students to evaluate evidence in order to answer a question raised in the course.
