You will be asked to write a six to eight Personal Essays based on our assigned readings or other issues that have come up in class. There will be a specific prompt given for each essay that you will respond to. These will be provided on the Class Schedule for each assigned essay. 

The most important aspect of a Personal Essay is that it be personal, and that it uniquely reflects your own experiences, background, and beliefs. Given that focus please do not use automated writing / AI tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly, CoPilot, etc. at any point in developing your essays. Do not use them for brainstorming ideas, do not use them for writing, and do not use them for polishing or correcting your work. I am truly interested in your own thoughts expressed in your own words using your own unique voice and these tools obscure or eliminate that. This policy is further explained in our Syllabus. 

Each Personal Essay should be at least 500 words long. Given this brief length, please do not include a summarizing introductory or concluding paragraph in your essay.  Please compose your essay entirely using Google Docs. Do not start your document somewhere else and then cut and paste it into Google Docs, or type it in after writing it somewhere else. Start with a blank Google Doc and compose your essay there. Your essay must show a complete version history in your Google Doc that shows the process by which you developed this essay. You may use the spelling and grammar checker available in Google Docs, please do not use any other tools in developing or checking your essay. 

You are however allowed and in fact encouraged to use the services of the UMD Writer's Workshop to assist you with writing your personal essays or exam questions. The Writers' Workshop offers free one-to-one writing support to all members of UMD's campus community (including you!). Sessions are held synchronously online or in-person with a graduate student or faculty consultant. You may bring any of your personal essays or exam questions at any stage in the writing process. To make an appointment, visit d.umn.edu/writwork or stop by the Workshop’s front desk located on the second floor of Martin Library.  

You will turn in the URL for your Google Doc to Canvas. Please make sure that you have the file permissions set on your essay to allow anyone with the link to edit. Do not modify your essay after the submission deadline (or it will be considered late based on the date of the most recent edit).

Personal Essays will be graded on a 5 point scale, where one point is awarded for each of the following : 

1. Your essay is personal, and could really have only been written by you.  

2. Your essay is engaging, and not boring to read. If you are bored when writing the essay, it will be boring to read, so please find a direction for your essay that is interesting for you to refect on and write about.  

3. Your essay follows the guidelines described above and is focused on the given prompt. 

4. Your essay is specific and does not rely on being vague or using a lot of generic content. It reaches our 500 word minimum without padding or repetition.

5. Your essay is relatively clear and easy to read. This does not mean perfect, just that it is understandable and coherent. 

Personal Essays submitted or modified 1 - 24 hours after the deadline will automatically lose 1 point (of a possible 5), and will then lose another 1/2 point per full school day they are late.