GCC English 101: Common Final Assignment for Spring, 2007

Topic: Volunteerism

Home ~~ Practicing thinking and writing ~~ Documenting sources

Alexis de Tocqueville, a Frenchman who visited the United States in the nineteenth century and who wrote a book, Democracy in America, about his impressions, first noticed the American habit of forming what he called "voluntary associations" to accomplish ends that the very wealthy accomplished by themselves in Europe.  In this new form of organization, Tocqueville observed, "private citizens, by combining together, may constitute bodies of great wealth, influence, and strength, corresponding to the persons of an aristocracy" (342).   Americans in the early years of the new country, seeing work that needed to be done, looked to themselves rather than to their fledgling government.

Over time, in both Europe and in America, governments took over some of that work, providing social services funded by taxes. During the past 50 years, the pendulum has moved back and forth between support provided to citizens in need by government and that provided by fellow citizens freely contributing their time and expertise. In fact, many people consider volunteering to be a civic responsibility, so much so that many secondary schools and college classes require it.

The goal of this writing assignment is to develop an argument about volunteerism and to support it with good reasons, evidence and examples drawn from materials you have read. Your documented essay should contain an argumentative thesis, consist of multiple paragraphs, and clearly identify (in proper MLA format) which sources you have used. Effective arguments also recognize the positions of those who hold an opposing viewpoint and refute those positions as part of their argument. The English Department has a rubric for evaluating argumentative essays.

Becoming informed about the topic

You can approach this topic in a number of ways.  What follows are some suggestions that may be familiar to you from other activities you have done in English 101 this semester:

1. Freewrite for five or ten minutes about your experiences volunteering.  Have you helped raise money for a worthy cause? Collected food or clothing for those less fortunate? Donated blood? Distributed flyers?
   
   
2. Read the attached excerpts we have gathered about volunteerism (VolunteerExcerpts.rtf).  Summarize the main points of the articles. Write an account of the material in the table (VolunteerTable.rtf). This week, April 15-21, 2007, is National Volunteer Week. You can read the President's Proclamation (and other materials) at http://volunteer.gov Look for stories and articles in the news also.
   
   
3. Find more information on the subject by searching one of the library databases (collections of full text magazine and newspaper articles found on the library’s periodicals page) at http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/LMC/Periodicals.html
   
   
4. Look up "volunteer organizations " or "social service organizations" in the physical Yellow Pages or on the Internet Yellow Pages. On the Internet Yellow Pages, narrow your search by your ZIP code. Note that the results are organized into categories. Make a list of as many opportunities as you can think of.
   
   
5. Interview one or two people you know well who contribute their time on a regular basis. What do they do when they volunteer?  How much time do they contribute? What are the rewards? What do the organizations gain from their volunteers? Remember that good interviewers take notes.
   
   
6. Research how you would go about volunteering for a worthy cause.  Choose something that matters to you.  Find out what kind of work that organization has for volunteers. (If you call such organizations, do not mislead them if you are not intending to actually give your time.  Be honest about what you are doing, investigating the subject of volunteerism for a college writing assignment.

	Last updated by Karen Schwalm on April 16, 2007 .  Legal Notice. http://web.gccaz.edu/English/Assessment../Spring07/Final/index.htm