Essay 1: Diagnostic Essay – “Claiming an Education”
Purpose:
This diagnostic essay will help the instructor assess your current writing and critical thinking skills at the start of the term. It will also help you reflect on your own learning habits and goals as you begin English 1302.
Focus Reading:
Adrienne Rich, “Claiming an Education” (1977 Convocation Speech)
https://www.yorku.ca/cvandaal/files/ClaimingAnEducation.pdf
Assignment Overview:
After reading Adrienne Rich’s call to action in “Claiming an Education,” write a 2–3 page essay in which you analyze your own approach to learning. Rich challenges students to take responsibility for their education—to “claim” rather than “receive” it. Using her ideas as a framework, position yourself on the spectrum of active learning.
Guiding Questions:
• Are you an active or passive learner? Or a combination of both? Why?
• What specific experiences from English 1301 demonstrate how you “claimed” your education?
• If your previous experience could have been better, explain why. What barriers, attitudes, or habits may have held you back?
• How do Rich’s ideas connect to your own educational journey and learning style?
Your essay should go beyond personal reflection; it should show critical engagement with Rich’s ideas and your own experiences as evidence.
Conclusion:
The conclusion should offer new insights rather than simply restate your main points. Reflect on what you have learned about yourself as a student, and identify specific practices or attitudes that you intend to continue—or change—in English 1302. What do you hope to gain by the end of this course? How will you actively “claim” your education this term?
