On “The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Assignments in many disciplines ask you to analyze texts. In a statistics course, you may analyze a set of data to find the standard deviation from the mean. In a psychology course, you may analyze case studies. In this course, you will first summarize, then analyze a non-fiction text. In critical analysis essays, we closely examine texts to understand their messages, interpret their meanings, and make connections to the world around us.
Your final essay should be 3 pages in length and include the following:
-a summary of the text, in your own words
-a thesis statement followed by
-your interpretation of the text, with supporting evidence from the text
Your essay should also follow MLA guidelines:
- essays should be written in 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman
- essays should be double-spaced
- include a descriptive title
- include name and page numbers on every page
- include a works cited page (this is in addition to the 3 pages)
We will have a peer review session in class. Please bring two copies of your draft to class.
As discussed in class, you could format your essay accordingly:
- introduction (introduce the author, the text/ TEDTalk, the context + include your thesis statement) – about half a page
- a summary of the text, including the main ideas and examples – about a page
- your analysis of the text (your thesis statement/ argument about the text supported by your interpretation of the text) – about a page and a half
- a conclusion – could be one or two lines
Submit the final draft on Blackboard + as hard copy by Tuesday, February 20th.
