Critical Thinking & Information Literacy
Across the Curriculum
Small Group Essay Instructions
English 201: James Torrence
Rough drafts are due in class week#7.
Final drafts (four pages + bibliography) must be emailed (one file per group) by the deadline in your schedule.
The purpose of this assignment is to learn/practice the art of combining the various components of a research
project into a cohesive unit.
Each of you has chosen a nation. I want you to write a four-page essay about the international relations of
those nations. This assignment will be much easier if you work with classmates studying neighboring nations,
nations in the same region, or nations which just happen to have a lot in common one way or another.
Please note that this assignment is analytical in nature. Successful essays should synthesize a thesis and support
it with information relevant to all the countries your group has been studying, identifying the interplay between
nations. Unsuccessful essays will consist of several mini-essays, one about each country concerned. In other words,
you are writing a single essay which unifies the analyses of everyone within the group.
Your response must have an analytical thesis statement, which encapsulates your group’s opinion, and the rest of the
essay must support that statement as clearly and efficiently as possible.
Research and document at least five sources. You may use sources from your previous essays, if they
are relevant to the group project, but additional research will improve the quality of your essay. Support
your ideas as thoroughly as you can.
Please attach an MLA-standard bibliography and use in-text citations.
The grading criteria for this assignment are the same as for your other assignments this quarter. However, I
will also be looking for equal distribution of labor.
This group project is worth 10% of your grade for this course.
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