In Fall 2014 we introduced a new anthology for WR 098—Globalization: A Reader for Writers. Rosario’s final paper is one positive result of this text, a collection that prompted enthusiastic engagement because the issues it explores resonate with international students. In her essay, Rosario demonstrates an engagement with texts that anticipates the use of exhibit and argument sources in WR 100 and 150 while following the final paper assignment for WR 098, which involves analyzing a theme by engaging with a novel and two essays from the anthology.
Rosario chooses passages from The Namesake quite astutely to support her claims and interweaves Lahiri’s language smoothly and clearly with her own. Her paragraphs show a persuasive balance between evidence and analysis. She strategically adapts insights from Ali’s essay to her analysis of the novel. Carefully acknowledging distinctions between the contexts she and Wasserstrom analyze, she challenges the central claim of his essay. Rosario’s paper invites student writers of all levels to question others’ arguments and to use well-chosen evidence and meticulous analysis to create their own contributions to intellectual conversations.
— HOLLY SCHAAF
WR 098: Introduction to College Reading and Writing in English