CPST 1203 DU Applied Minds how Engineers Think Essay

CPST1203 Winter 2020
TC2: Engineering Fundamentals Essay Instructions
CPST1203
TC2: Engineering Fundamentals Essay
Assignment Instructions
In this major assignment students will read a book about engineering, plus at least one
secondary resource discussing either the book or its subject matter, and then write an essay of
approximately 750-1000 words about the book.
A list of pre-approved books is provided on the Brightspace course site. If a student wishes to
review a book not provided on this list, approval must be acquired from the instructor.
Contents
Essay Instructions ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1
Standard Option Instructions ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1
Advanced Option Instructions ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Format Specifications …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2
Submission Instructions ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
Tips for Identifying Central Argument …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Essay Instructions
Students have two options for the subject matter of their essay:
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Standard Option: Assess and respond to the central argument of the book that they
have read.
Advanced Option: Assess and respond to a specific idea or topic covered in the book in
greater detail.
If a student wishes to take the advanced option, they must receive the instructor’s approval:
note that a student must be able to articulate the idea they have for their paper, as this option is
not simply provided so that students can stop reading after one chapter.
Both options are detailed below.
Standard Option Instructions
Students will write a 750- to 1000-word essay analyzing and responding to the central argument
of the book that they read this semester. This essay must reference at least one secondary
source besides the book itself (for example, a book review or an article discussing a topic or case
study raised in the book).
CPST1203 Winter 2020
TC2: Engineering Fundamentals Essay Instructions
This essay must accomplish two goals: to inform the reader about the book, and to persuade
the reader of the student’s opinion of the book. These two goals are explained in greater detail
below.
Advanced Option Instructions
Students who find a subtopic in the book they read more compelling than the central topic of
the book are welcome to write an essay addressing a specific idea or topic from the book at
length. This essay must still be approximately 1000 words in length and include at least one
secondary source.
Before proceeding with this option, students must discuss their idea with the instructor and
receive approval.
Format Specifications
A title page is not required. A title for the book review should appear in boldface, centred, at the
top of the first page.
Essays should be double-spaced and use an appropriate font for print (e.g. Times New Roman).
The student’s name and banner number should appear at the top right of the first page.
Pages should be numbered.
APA style should be used for in-text citations.
A Reference List, in APA format, must be included.
Submission Instructions
Essays should be saved as PDFs and named according to the filename conventions in the
CPST1203 Syllabus.
Essays must be submitted by 11:59pm on the due date specified in the Assignment Schedule on
Brightspace.
Tips for Identifying a Book’s Central Argument
To make an argument related to a book, it is important to identify for your reader what the book
is about.
While every book on the pre-approved reading list is “about engineering,” this two-word phrase
is not an adequate summary of what any book is about.
First, the book likely has a more specific topic than simply “engineering.” It may be about “the
engineering of structures” or “how failure shapes the design process in engineering.”
Second, the author likely has a particular point of view on their chosen topic and a particular
way of expressing that point of view. The book might be a single, cumulative argument that
CPST1203 Winter 2020
TC2: Engineering Fundamentals Essay Instructions
builds its case a bit more with every chapter. Alternately, it might be a broad overview of a topic,
demonstrating similar points across chapters focusing on a variety of sub-topics. It may be
instructional, educational, or argumentative.
Basically, the questions to ask yourself when considering this component of your essay are:
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What is the author trying to say in this book?
How do they go about saying it?
Your goal is to give your reader, who likely has not read the book in question, a clear sense of
the content of the book.