1) Is a “Near Miss” Just Luck?

Draft Due: Fri. Sept. 16

Final Due: Fri. Sept. 23

I told you how when driving home from Montana I just barely missed hitting a deer. We've all had similar experiences where it seemed we were either very lucky (as in the case above) and barely avoided a tragedy or very unlucky and missed out on a great opportunity. In this essay I want you to discuss an event in your life that falls into this category. In particular, I want you to discuss whether you believe that the near miss was due to chance or some sort of deterministic process. Whatever your conclusion, be sure to construct a logical essay that first tells the story of the near miss and then makes an argument regarding determinism vs. randomness.

For this introductory essay, I will focus my attention on grammar, spelling, and the flow and interest of the essay. The essay should be typed and should be about 250-350 words.

I strongly suggest reading Chapter 4 in The Everyday Writer before starting your paper. This has many good suggestions on composing and revising.

For this particular paper, I will use the following grading guidelines:

The F paper is reserved for a failure to comply with the terms of the assignment.
The D paper doesn't answer the question that was asked.
The C paper is full of grammatical errors, or is very hard to follow due to a poor choice of overall structure.
The B paper has few grammatical errors. It's easily understood after one reading, and addresses the question asked.
The A paper has all the qualities of a B paper, but in addition it is lively, well paced, and interesting. The sure mark of an A paper is that the reader continues to think about it after reading it. (Portions excerpted from Lewis Hyde's guidelines.)

2) How to Survive as a Gustie

Due: Mon. Oct. 3

You survived your first 3 weeks! You've attended classes, been to the gym, washed your clothes (I hope) and learned the basics of getting around and surviving at college. Now it's time to share what you've learned with your classmates, friends, and those fortunate souls who will be coming here when you are a wise old sophomore.

In this project you will collaborate with a classmate to write an essay and prepare a five-minute presentation.

Pick one survival skill you've learned since coming to Gustavus and tell us all about it. Why is it important and how to do it? Try to pick something both interesting and unusual (i.e. not "How to get to the caf"). Your audience for this paper is a class of incoming students much like yourself, so make it something that they would want to read. Be funny, creative, serious or whatever works for you. These should be relatively short (100-200 words) and typed. Unlike the first assignment, you will be responsible for revising these papers. We will be collecting them and making a small booklet.

I strongly suggest reading section 4c, 5a, and 5f in The Everyday Writer before starting your paper. These sections have some really helpful suggestions about writing to your audience, brainstorming ideas, and working collaboratively.

For this particular paper, I will use the following grading guidelines:

The F paper is reserved for a failure to comply with the terms of the assignment.
The D paper doesn't answer the question that was asked.
The C paper is full of grammatical errors, or is very hard to follow due to a poor choice of overall structure.
The B paper has few grammatical errors. It's easily understood after one reading, and addresses the question asked.
The A paper has all the qualities of a B paper, but in addition it is lively, well paced, and interesting. The sure mark of an A paper is that the reader continues to think about it after reading it. (Portions excerpted from Lewis Hyde's guidelines.)

3) Evaluate a Nobel Conference Talk

Due: Fri. Sept. 30
Download the Nobel conference talk evaluation form here.

4) Research Paper Prospectus

Due: Fri. Oct. 7

5) Adapting to Life as a Gustie

Due: Fri. Oct. 14
For my freshman year of college I lived at home and commuted to Saint Louis University. I then transferred to the University of Missouri for the remainder of my undergraduate education. In hindsight I think that this worked out pretty well for me. My freshman year I had almost no social life (hence the transfer) and spent a lot of time studying and got decent grades. My friends who went directly to Mizzou had a pretty rough first year academically even though they were all at least as smart as me. My first year at Mizzou also went well because by that point I understood the academic demands of college and was able to say no (usually) when I had work to do. At least that's how I think about it today.

In this short assignment I want you to reflect on your first month as a Gustie and tell us about how people's expectations of you have changed and what you have (or have not done) to address these changes. By people I mean everyone and anyone, your parents, your teachers, your roommates, teammates etc. This shouldn't be a laundary list. Pick one or two ideas and focus on them. Most importantly, be honest! If I read sixteen essays that all say "I have to study harder" I know you are all trying to suck up to the Prof.

This essay should be relatively short (1-1.5 typed pages). As in the second writing assignment we will be editing these and possibly including them in our booklet.

The F paper is reserved for a failure to comply with the terms of the assignment.
The D paper doesn't answer the question that was asked.
The C paper is full of grammatical errors, or is very hard to follow due to a poor choice of overall structure.
The B paper has few grammatical errors. It's easily understood after one reading, and addresses the question asked.
The A paper has all the qualities of a B paper, but in addition it is lively, well paced, and interesting. The sure mark of an A paper is that the reader continues to think about it after reading it. (Portions excerpted from Lewis Hyde's guidelines.)

6) Does God Play Dice?

Due: Fri. Nov. 11
In a famous letter from Albert Einstein to the physicist Max Born concerning the probabilistic nature of quantum dynamics, Einstein expresses his displeasure with the theory with the now famous quote "I am convinced that He [God] does not play dice." Do you think that this quote applies to natural systems that behave chaotically?

For this essay, I will focus my attention on the construction of the essay, the development of ideas, and the persuasiveness of your argument. The persuasiveness of an argument is greatly enhanced by citing the work of others and incorporating their ideas into your own._ Be sure to cite these works and include a properly formatted bibliography._ The essay should be typed and should be 3 to 4 pages. I recommend you use a word-processor with a spell-checker.

I strongly suggest reading Chapter 9 in The Everyday Writer before starting your paper. This has many good suggestions on composing and revising.

For this particular paper, I will use the following grading guidelines:

The F paper is reserved for a failure to comply with the terms of the assignment.
The D paper doesn't answer the question that was asked.
The C paper is full of grammatical errors, or is very hard to follow due to a poor choice of overall structure.
The B paper has few grammatical errors. It's easily understood after one reading, and addresses the question asked.
The A paper has all the qualities of a B paper, but in addition it is lively, well paced, and interesting. The sure mark of an A paper is that the reader continues to think about it after reading it. (Portions excerpted from Lewis Hyde's guidelines.)