Write a paper that analyzes Isaac Asimov's essay, The Relativity of Wrong. Investigate and reveal (a) what this article reveals about science ---its way of perceiving, processes of thought, and approach to truth--- and (b) how this article is constructed rhetorically in terms of communicating about science.

In order to accomplish these two interrelated tasks, you must consider the questions listed below. You may not answer them all in you paper, but you must judiciously select a good portion of them to blend into your well-crafted analysis.

• What is the purpose of Asimov's article's? What is its thesis or main point?
• Who is the intended audience?
• How is the article organized and why is it put together that way?
• What counts as evidence in support of Asimov's main conclusion?
• What kind of language ---terms, expressions, idioms--- is used and how does that language present science as a specific discipline (say, separate from philosophy)?
• What assumptions does Asimov hold (e.g., human beings are good by nature, the world is improving by design, education is going to hell, people are irrational...)?
• What biases does Asimov reveal (e.g., God creates miracles, mathematics is required for understanding science, science is the best foundation for determining good behavior...)?
• How do you perceive science through Asimov's eyes? What are the goals and purposes of science?
• How does the content of Asimov's essay support those disciplinary goals and purposes?
• What have you learned about science by analyzing Asimov's essay closely?

---after Carolyn Haynes, Miami University, Ohio

• Please limit yourself to two pages or less. No bibliographic references are required.
• Your audience for this paper is your professors and fellow students in this class. What vocabulary, syntax, and format would you use to communicate effectively with the mixed collegiate audience that sits in our classroom?
• Expectations and limits related to the mechanics of writing, proof reading, and editing, as outlined in the syllabus, are in effect. A fatal error policy is in effect.
• For this paper, please do not use a separate title page. Write your name legibly on the back side of the second page and nowhere else on the essay. Fold your paper lengthwise with your name visible on the outside.

Main Learning Objective:
Can the student understand an expert essay about science, take apart and consciously differentiate its components of disciplinary content and style, and communicate appreciation of the scientific perspective?