Essay Prompt:

Craft an argument that considers the last three essays we’ve read for this class—“In the Basement of the Ivory Tower,” “What’s the Point of a Professor,” and “On the Uses of Liberal Education”—all critiques of our contemporary learning institutions. Write an enthymeme that, in some way, responds to these questions: What problems do you see in academic culture? What do you think academic culture should look like?

(You might end up saying something like: Academic culture is diminished by consumer culture because ____________, OR Academic culture should challenge students’ assumptions and beliefs because _____________.)

Reading 1: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/opinion/sunday/…

Reading 2: On the Uses of Liberal Education (see attached file)

Reading 3:https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/…

Essay Requirements:

Enthymeme-driven (include an enthymeme at the end of your introduction and use your enthymeme to map out your supporting points as you develop your argument)

Refer to AT LEAST two of the articles/essays we have read (especially the three mentioned above). You must include in-text citations and a works cited page for these sources (formatted in MLA style).

Include at least one counterargument

Use evidence (personal examples, observations, cultural objects—like a film, novel, or song—or hypothetical examples) to support your argument

Minimum 4 pages long (maximum 5 pages) not including the works cited page,word count at least 1350.

Please continue reading for more details on the enthymeme and how to use it to develop your argument.