The editorial committee of e.g., UW’s online journal of 100-level writing, is pleased to announce the winning essay for 2010-11:
Kayhan Nejad, “Literal and Metaphorical: Racial Themes in Harry Potter”
This essay was chosen to represent excellence in academic writing based on the EWPs four Outcomes. Specifically the essay takes a complex view of of the Harry Potter series by reading the novels at two different levels—the more literal level and a metaphorical level—and in so doing puts the novels in critical conversation with themselves. The paper also engages with the critical conversations surrounding Rowling’s series through a variety of academic sources, including literary criticism and scholarly journals. His essay follows a clearly articulated line of inquiry that leads the reader through a multi-stage argument.
And our i.e. winner for 2010-11:
Pat Origenes, “That’s So Ghetto!”
This essay was chosen to represent excellence in genre writing. Modeled on Beverely Gross’s “Bitch,” the essay constructs an academic argument about the meanings and stakes of “Ghetto” by employing academically non-traditional evidence such as personal experience, dictionary definitions (both “traditional” like the OED and “non-traditional” like slang dictionaries), contemporary media sources, and interviews. The author also makes stylistic choices to target audiences that might fall outside of traditional “academic” audiences and in so doing demonstrates the broad stakes of recognizing the power of language.
Selections for the journal were made by members of e.g. editorial committee. All members present at editorial committee meetings offer an opinion on which essays should be selected for publication, except in cases where an editor happens to be the instructor of one of the student submitters. In this case, the editor does not read, evaluate, or offer an opinion/vote on work submitted by his or her former student.
The e.g. editorial committee found the above works to be an exemplary piece of 100-level writing demonstrating excellence in claim and communication and proficiency in the Expository Writing Program’s outcomes
