Discussion Chapter 5: Essay Question
Instructions: Please post directly into Discussion board. Please remember to proofread for grammar and spelling errors, and answer question in essay format (no numbering, bullets, outline, half or incomplete sentences).
Please refer to the syllabus for assignment requirements and the discussion rubric for additional support.
When Essay Questions contain multiple parts (Ex: Part a, Part b, etc.) - the length is still 400 words for the entire essay answers (400 words for a + b together). Some questions have short replies, some have longer.
Be sure to have an Introduction in the paper that introduces each question/topic in the essay you will be discussing so the reader (and Instructor can identify your answer specifically). Remember the guidelines in the Syllabus:
No numbering, bulleting or outlining. So do not write "Essay question 2a" and then discuss it, and then write "Essay question 2b" and then discuss it as if they are two short answerquestions. When the two questions correspond with each other begin your essay answer with an Introduction statement that indicates what you will be discussing in the short paper (1-2 pages).
Then transition the two essay answers smoothly with a statement or two at the beginning of the paragraph; and always wrap things up with a conclusion. For this course, 2-3 sentences restating your main points is enough.
Alternatively, students can choose to write a 400 word count essay for each question part (400 words for Part a and 400 words for Part b), which means 2 separate essays; instead of combining the question parts into one 400 word essay as discussed above. Most of time, one essay can be used to answer multiple questions because the concepts relate.
This is a choice each student will have to make when the questions have multiple parts. Some students may want to present the topics in separate essays when they do not cover similar concepts from the text (2 totally different topics) and the questions are vastly different. I highly recommend using 2 essay replies when the topics differ.
Lastly, please do not forget to address each question in the assignment. Students often answer only 1 or 2 questions in each part thinking this is sufficient. I am reading and grading for answers to each question I have included; when a part is left out points are lost.
Chapter 5: Groups, Organizations, and Bureaucracies
Identify the primary and secondary groups of which you are a member, then make another list of the primary and secondary groups to which you belonged 5 years ago. Which groups in these two periods were most important for shaping (a) your view of yourself, (b) your political beliefs, (c) your goals in life, and (d) your friendships? Be specific