Graduate DiplomaReading & Writing

Spring Term Session 4

Assessment InformationCompare and contrast essays

Essay structureAnalysis of model essay

Language of comparison and contrast

Spring Term EAP Assignmentsin Reading & Writing Classes

1.2500 word essay

2.Class test (in week 25 – very similar format to Autumn term)

2500 word essay

- a compare & contrast essay- an argument based on your reading (3 or 4

articles)- your choice of topic- deadline is week 24- first draft submission in week 21 (for feedback

and tutorials in week 23)- by the end of week 19 you should have

confirmed which articles you will be using as source material

- by the end of week 18 you should have confirmed your topic

•Stem cell research

•Organ donation

•Corporal punishment

•Different approaches to parental discipline of children

•Approaches to dealing with stressful events

•Approaches to preventing / dealing with drug addiction

•Funding of higher education

•Home schooling vs traditional schooling

•Female religious leaders

•Organic food

•Euthanasia –

•Compare and contrast between eastern and western religions

•Two novels written by the same author

•Social development patterns of adolescent boys and girls

•User-friendliness of two software programs

SUGGESTED TOPICS (if you don’t want to decide by yourself)

What do you think are the biggest differences between Japan and the United States?

Are there any similarities?

Did you mention any of the following?

•newness •racial heterogeneity•vast territory•informality•an ethic of individualism •an ancient and homogenous society•an ethic that emphasizes the importance of groups •a tradition of formal behavior governing every aspect of daily living, •a homogenous society of one nationality and a few underrepresented minority groups, •a country with originally European roots•liberal immigration policies have resulted in its becoming a heterogeneous society of many ethnicities – •group interaction and sense of space. •people pride themselves on individualism and informality, •people value groups •people admire and reward a person who rises above the crowd; •their sense of size and scale developed out of the vastness of the continent, •their genius lies in the diminutive and miniature.

How about these?

•has a “mother” society that has influenced the daughter in countless ways:

•the art of business and commerce

•beautiful, well-stocked department stores.

•love to shop

•are enthusiastic consumers of convenience products and fast foods.

•have always emphasized the importance of work,

•are paying penalties for their commitment to work

•people regularly put in twelve or more hours a day at their jobs,

•the normal workweek is six days,

•many people who want to get ahead voluntarily work on Saturday and / or

Sunday in addition to their normal five-day workweek.

If you had to write an essay comparing and

contrasting Japan and the United States, how would

you organise it? Prepare a plan with your group and

be prepared to present it to the rest of the class.

The following paragraph comes from a model essay

on this topic. Where do you expect to find this

paragraph within the essay?

Other areas of difference between Japan and the United

States involve issues of group interaction and sense of

space. Whereas people in the United States pride

themselves on individualism and informality, Japanese value

groups and formality. People in the United States admire and

reward a person who rises above the crowd; in contrast, a

Japanese proverb says, “the nail that sticks up gets

hammered down”. In addition, while North Americans’ sense

of size and scale developed out of the vastness of the

continent, Japanese genius lies in the diminutive and

miniature. For example, the United States builds airplanes,

while Japan produces transistors.

Other areas of difference between Japan and the United

States involve issues of group interaction and sense of

space. Whereas people in the United States pride

themselves on individualism and informality, Japanese value

groups and formality. People in the United States admire and

reward a person who rises above the crowd; in contrast, a

Japanese proverb says, “the nail that sticks up gets

hammered down”. In addition, while North Americans’ sense

of size and scale developed out of the vastness of the

continent, Japanese genius lies in the diminutive and

miniature. For example, the United States builds airplanes,

while Japan produces transistors.

Answer the same question about the following three

paragraphs.

Japan and the United States: different, yet alike. Although

the two societies differ in many areas such as racial

heterogeneity versus racial homogeneity, individualism

versus group cooperation, and informal versus formal forms

of behavior, they share more than one common experience.

Furthermore, their differences probably contribute as much

as their similarities toward the mutual interest the two

countries have in each other. It will be interesting to see

where this reciprocal fascination leads in the future.

Both, for example, have transplanted cultures. Each

nation has a “mother” society – China for Japan and

Great Britain for the United States – that has

influenced the daughter in countless ways: in

language, religion, art, literature, social customs,

and ways of thinking. Japan, of course, has had

more time than the United States to work out its

unique interpretation of the older Chinese culture,

but both countries reflect their cultural ancestry.

In spite of these differences, these two

apparently opposite cultures share several

important experiences.

Now let’s look at the introduction. First, just the

vocabulary. Can you see the structure of the

introduction from looking at the vocabulary?

the culture of a place

an integral part of its society

a remote Indian village in Brazil

a highly industrialized city in Western Europe.

The culture of Japan fascinates people in the United States

at first glance

it seems so different.

newness

racial heterogeneity

vast territory

informality

an ethic of individualism

an ancient and homogenous society

an ethic that emphasizes the importance of groups

a tradition of formal behavior governing every aspect of daily living,

on the surface

U.S. and Japanese societies seem totally opposite.

The culture of a place is an integral part of its society whether that place

is a remote Indian village in Brazil or a highly industrialized city in

Western Europe. The culture of Japan fascinates people in the United

States because, at first glance, it seems so different. Everything that

characterized the United States – newness, racial heterogeneity, vast

territory, informality, and an ethic of individualism – is absent in Japan.

There, one finds an ancient and homogenous society, an ethic that

emphasizes the importance of groups, and a tradition of formal behavior

governing every aspect of daily living, from drinking tea to saying hello.

On the surface at least, U.S. and Japanese societies seem totally

opposite.