Alone Together

English 100-Spring 2016
Prof. Mandazi
ESSAY 4
Readings
• Sherry Turkle, “Alone Together”
• Kenji Yoshino, “Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights”
Question for Writing:
Yoshino calls authenticity, “our common human wish to express ourselves without being
impeded by unreasoning demands for conformity” (Yoshino, 296). But, in our “culture
of simulation” (Turkle 266), where explicit and implicit rules of behavior surround us in a
multimedia format, is there any such thing as authenticity? If so, what is it, and why
does it matter?
Drafting/Thinking Questions
Can you be authentic and still assimilate? What is the real point of assimilation? Is all
identity a performance? Is digital interaction inauthentic by default? Can you have
multiple identities for multiple platforms? How do culture and choice interact to shape
who we are? How do levels of authenticity shape relationships?
Dates for Drafts
• Thursday 3/24-1st Rough Draft due on Sakai by 5pm. Bring a paper copy or
your laptop to class for peer review.
• Monday 3/28-Computer Lab
• Tuesday 3/29- Second Rough Draft due on Sakai by 5pm. Bring a paper copy or
your laptop to class for revision exercises.
• Thursday 3/31- Organization/Connection workshop. Submit draft outline sheet
on Sakai by 5pm.
• Monday 4/4- Final Draft (5 FULL PAGES!) Due on Sakai by 5pm.
All Drafts
• Papers should be in 12 point Times New Roman, double-spaced, with one inch
margins.
• Papers should have name, course and section, semester, assignment number,
version and due date in the upper left-hand corner (single spaced).
• Original title in regular type and centered on first page.
• Cite using in-text MLA citation format- see handbook for examples.
Keep in mind the following as you write and revise:
• Project (Also called thesis or argument): Your discussion should make an
original claim which addresses the question directly. Be sure your reader
understands what your main claim is by the end of your first paragraph.
• Citation: You must use citations to advance and support your discussion.
• Do not summarize the essay. You are responding to the ideas it raises, not
repeating them.
• As you write, keep asking yourself: So what? Why does that matter?
Explain why that matters.