IAH 206 Week 2 Short Essay Assignment Description and Prompts
Due: June 25 by 11:59pm (late essays will not be accepted)
Length: 500-750 words
Value: 25 points* – 5% of your final grade. Required completion to be eligible to pass the
course.
INSTRUCTIONS
Being able to articulate and work with the course ideas is important in understanding the arc of
medicine in the United States. While discussion and quizzes help with that, longer answers assist
in refining course materials and demonstrate engagement with the topic. Choose ONE of the
prompts below to address and write a 500-750 short essay that explores the prompt while making
use of course materials and lectures. The essay should use course materials and show critical
engagement with the topic.
FORMATTING
All files must be uploaded as a .doc or .docx. No other file formats will be accepted. In addition,
please make sure your file is formatted in the following way:
– Font: 12pt, Times New Roman
– Spacing: Double-spaced.
– Margins: One inch margins on all sides
– Citation: MLA
– Works Cited Page: Since all the outside material is collected on D2L, you need not have
a works cited. However, quotes should be apparent and make use of MLA citation within
the document.
GRADING
While the essay is worth 5% of your course grade, the initial grade will be points based. Toward
the end of the semester, I’ll release instructions on how to calculate your final grade. Evaluated
essays will include comments that explain the grade the essay earned. Foremost will be the
content of the answer, but penalties will accrue for spelling, grammar, construction, formatting,
and citation.
Roughly, the answers break down with 20 points for the quality of the answer itself and 5 points
for the technical parts of the answer (spelling, construction, etc.).
RESOURCES
As part of your answer, you may use only materials assigned for the class. Remember, that
includes lectures as well as the texts. Texts can be from any week of the course. Do not use texts
from outside the course to support your answer.
PROMPTS for Last Names A-H
– Consider the ways in which the “miracle” cures of the 21st century often mirror those of the
19th. Making use of at least two different course sources, write an essay that argues for or against
these types of cures.
– Examine the ways in which Samuel Thomson and anti-vaccine groups talk about the profession
of medicine. Write an essay that takes a stand on this language and makes use of at least two
sources from the class.
– Look at the figure of the doctor in George Dedlow. Using at least two other class sources (three
total) write an argument that argues for the advancement (or not) of the physician over the course
of the class.
PROMPTS for Last Names I-Z
– Write an essay that compares the gendered medical experiences in George Dedlow and the
Yellow Wallpaper. Form an argument that uses these two texts to either support or deny the
notion that medical experience depends upon gender.
– Look at the Water Cure and Prentice Mulford’s method. Write an argument that makes use of
these two sources to either support or deny the value in such “cures.” Be sure to consider social
aspects as well as medical.
– Examine the ways in which race plays a role in both Arkansaw Doctor and the Tuskegee Exam.
Write an argument that considers the role of race in medicine.
*All points in the class are not created equal. The 25 point value for this assignment takes into
consideration the requirements and allows a grade that fairly reflects the quality of the writing
along with engagement with the material.
