The midterm exam for our course will be held on Wednesday, October 17. The exam is based on a short reading, usually (but not always) from The New York Times or a similar publication. For the exam, students are asked to write an in-class essay analyzing and responding to the article’s main arguments and ideas.
The article will be distributed to students on the class prior to the exam. That way you can take notes, annotate the text, and look up any unfamiliar words. However, the exam questions will not be distributed until the day of the exam. Make sure to bring your copy of the article to class, as there will be no extra copies available.
The midterm exam is worth 10% of your final grade.
PREPARATION GUIDELINES
- Read the entire article once to get an overview of what it is about.
- Read the article a second time, this time underlining the argument and key ideas/examples related to the argument. Also, look up any vocabulary words with which you are unfamiliar.
- Review the author’s thesis. Make sure you can identity where in the article the thesis is outlined, and be able to explain it in your own words.
- Decide whether you agree or disagree with the author’s thesis. Come up with specific reasons why you agree/disagree. Then, think of personal experiences, or other knowledge you have on the topic that you may refer to in your essay.
Note: While you are allowed to write on the article, do not come to class with pre-written paragraphs. Only small annotations (underlining and notes in the margins) are allowed. I will go around and check your articles before the beginning of the exam. Those who do not follow the guidelines will be given a fresh copy of the article.
