Cover Letter / Reflective Essay Assignment - University of Washington

Cover Letter / Reflective Essay Assignment
The cover letter, in many ways, represents the goals of this course in the most
through and complete form. In a 2 - 3 page, single spaced letter, you will construct an
argument that places your writing within the English 131 Portfolio Evaluation Rubric
(see proceeding pages) and that uses an analysis of your own writing selections as
evidence. Everything that we have been working towards in class has been building
towards this assignment which is designed to allow you to demonstrate your own
fulfillment of the course outcomes in several ways:
1. Meta-perspective – One of the main concerns of this class has been to assist you
in constructing a critical and analytic perspective on your own writing, therefore
allowing you to take that viewpoint into other writing situations beyond the
English 131 classroom. The cover letter is a means for you to demonstrate your
proficiency in this area. By showing me where your writing fulfills each course
outcome, you will also be simultaneously proving your ability to effectively
critique your own writing.
2. Explanation – It is up to you which of your papers you choose to submit and
revise as the best examples of your work. Your cover letter should explain to me
in no uncertain terms why you chose to use these particular papers. In addition,
you should also explain what revisions you have made and why. Using the
language of the outcomes, describe how the work that you have chosen illustrates
your strengths (and weaknesses) as a writer, reader, and thinker.
3. Argumentation – The main goal of the content of the cover letter itself is to
argue for a specific interpretation of your performance based on the Portfolio
Evaluation Rubric. Utilizing the argumentation techniques that you have been
practicing all quarter, tell me why you have achieved a certain level of
proficiency. Be aware that while you are arguing, you are also framing my own
reading and directing it to the strongest points of your writing.
Format: Length: 2-3 pages
Format: business letter format, single-spaced, block format
Rough Draft Due: Mon, 3/9
Final Draft Due: With the portfolio (do include your peer review copies)
Business Letter Format:
The business letter format has the same font and margin requirements that have
been required for all of your papers (Times New Roman, 12pt, 1 inch margins).
However, your name and header will appear differently and you will single-space. You
do not need a Works Cited Page or MLA documentation, but if you quote, it should be
clear which document you are using.
The paragraphs will be in block format which means that they will not be
indented and will be separated by a blank line. You will be addressing your cover letter
directly to me, but all of the academic standards and rhetorical conventions that we have
learned still apply. Your grade on the portfolio will depend partially on your
performance on the cover letter itself, so dot your i’s and cross your t’s.
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Sample:
Jun Xu
Department of English, Box 354330
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-4330
Dear Dr. Xu:
I am writing this letter to you in order to illustrate, as a sample, the format of the cover
letter. As you can clearly see, the tone of the letter itself is formal and controlled,
mirroring the tone that I have been struggling to establish in my own writing all quarter
long. In your Portfolio Packet you noted that each cover letter should use “the same font
and margin requirements that have been required for all of [our] papers.” Taking this
direction into account, I have taken care to use Times New Roman Font at the 12 point
size requirement and have set my page margins at a sensible one inch.
You may also notice that the paragraphs themselves are not indented. I am however
careful to leave a space in-between each separate paragraph in order to properly conform
to the “block format” that is required of a business letter of this type. There are many
reasons to do this, the foremost among them being that you told me to.
Blah Blah Blah… and so on.
Sincerely,
Of course this sample only illustrates the format requirements of the cover letter and not
its content requirements. How you chose to argue for your particular place in the Rubric
is up to you and will be dependant on your engagement with your own work. I would
like you to remember that there are multiple requirements for this course, some of which
you may be more proficient in than others. Learning is not an even and linear process
and telling me about your experience in this class may be an important part of explaining
your argument. However, keep the following things in mind:
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TIPS FOR THE COVER LETTER:
The cover letter is not a place to…
- tell me how English 131 “changed your life.” Of course, I hope that this class,
both in its content and writing challenges, has given you something to think about in a
larger context. But remember to consider your audience (me). It is essential in this
assignment to address your audience effectively in a way that is convincing. Overt
appeals to my ego as a teacher or overly emotional sentiments will be noticed (and I
probably won’t believe you anyways).
- tell me how you have “progressed from a novice to an expert academic
writer in ten easy weeks.” Again, remember that learning does not progress in a straight
line from ignorance to enlightenment. Your claim does not have to necessarily imply that
you are now a perfect writer and that the class has been wonderful in order for you to
prove that you have fulfilled the outcomes. Again, remember your audience. Are you
interested in claiming that you are an “expert” at this point? Will I be interested in
arguing against you?
-apologize. I am not interested in reading any type of apology for any work that
you HAVEN’T done over the course of this quarter. Of course we all have things that we
could have done better in the last ten weeks and we all have reasons for why those things
didn’t happen. Your energy should be directed at engaging me in the work that you
HAVE done. Just as false enthusiasm will discourage my reading of your argument, sob
stories will distract from the credit that you may have rightfully earned.
-critique the class. There will be a formal opportunity on the last day for each
and every one of you to officially evaluate both the structure of the course and my
performance as your instructor. Citing problems of the course within your cover letter
can only direct my attention to the problems in your writing, instead of making me
excited about its strengths.
-tell me how all of your work is perfect. It’s not. I will be grading based on
your overall performance, while paying close attention to the outcomes as they are
outlined in the cover letter. This does not mean, however, that all of your papers have to
be pitch-perfect in order to make a good grade. While your major paper selection should
illustrate all four of the outcomes, it is not necessary for your shorter papers to
necessarily illustrate EVERY point (that’s why you get to chose 4-6) In addition,
pointing out your own imperfections has the double effect of telling me that you can see
where you have still fallen short (thus telling me that you know the difference between
failing and succeeding in this case) and also acts like a counterclaim that heads my own
criticism off at the pass. But be careful to not overdo it. And remember, I will still be
grading based on these imperfections, but may react differently if I have to find them
myself.
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The cover letter is a GREAT place to…
- honestly and effectively evaluate your own work. Remember that I will be
constructing my own evaluation of your work in my reading of your revised pieces. In
this way, the cover letter serves as a powerful rhetorical device that can direct me, ahead
of time, to the best and brightest parts of your writing. It might also be a place to
acknowledge any weaknesses (which will illustrate your ability to identify them as such)
and therefore allow you to incorporate them into your argument, strengthening it overall.
- illustrate your proficiency in the outcomes as you are identifying them. Use
the skills in academic writing that you have accumulated! Quote your own work and
analyze it! Construct an argument that tracks a claim down several lines of inquiry! Sell
your argument with some of the rhetorical devices that we have explored. This time,
your writing has an immediate importance and context. Use it to your advantage!
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