Project #2:

Joining the Conversation about Grit

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Whats more important to achieving success: natural talent or hard work? Are there
personality traits that the most successful individual share? Can the latest research in
psychology help individuals to be more successful? Should successful children be the goal of
parents? Long an interest of psychologists and educators, individuals capacity for success has
enjoyed a recent boost in the public arena as researchers have grown increasingly interested
in what they call grit; sometimes defined as motivation, perseverance, or persistence, grit
is hypothesized to be even more influential in achievement than talent or intelligence. In
2016, Angela Duckworth, the most influential grit researcher, wrote a long-awaited book
about her findings, which garnered much attentionboth positive and negativefrom
academic and popular writers.
In Project #2, you will have the opportunity to explore the conversation about grit by reading,
reflecting on, and writing about proponents and critics arguments about grits value. In so
doing, you will develop and articulate your own perspective on grit.

Learning Outcomes

While all of the Core Values of FYW apply to all ICC1 assignments, this assignment is designed
to help you specifically reach Core Values II and III. Among other skills and practices, you will
increase
your understanding of texts as conversations
your awareness of how texts rely on other texts
your ability to synthesize and participate in conversations
your ability to identify how texts are crafted for different audiences
your ability to analyze how the same subject is treated in different genres
your ability to shape your writing to achieve a specific purpose

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Readings

Duckworth, Angela. The Key to Success? Grit. TED. April 2013. Web. 9 September 2016.
(http://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit?language=en)
Duckworth, Angela. Showing Up. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. New York:
Scriber, 2016: 3-14. (Blackboard)
Duckworth, Angela. Conclusion. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. New York:
Scriber, 2016: 269-277. (Blackboard)

Glenn, John. Why Grit Matters More Than Talent. The Federalist. July 2016. Web. 9
September 2016. (http://thefederalist.com/2016/07/22/why-grit-matters-more-thantalent/)
Engber, Daniel. Is Grit Really the Key to Success? Slate. May 2016. Web. 9 September
2016. (http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/cover_story/2016/05/
angela_duckworth_says_grit_is_the_key_to_success_in_work_and_life_is_this.html)

Additional Resources
Duckworths Grit Scale: http://angeladuckworth.com/grit-scale/
Angela Duckworth on Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance The Psychology Podcast.
February 2016. Web. 9 September 2016.
http://thepsychologypodcast.com/angela-duckworth-on-grit-the-power-of-passion-andperseverance/

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Denby, David. The Limits of Grit, New Yorker. June 2016. Web. 9 September 2016.
http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-limits-of-grit
Kohn, Alfie. The Downside of Grit. Washington Post. 6 April 2014. Web. 19 July 2015.
(http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/downside-grit/)

Project Components
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Critical Engagement Assignment

Reading Summaries (for later inclusion in your annotated bibliography)
Essay drafts + feedback + revisions
Reflection

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Essay Instructions

In this essay, you will further the conversation about grit. First, provide an introduction to the
concept of grit as discussed in at least 3 readings (Duckworths chapters, Glenn, Engber),
highlighting key claims and controversies. You may incorporate any of the other required
reading on grit or any of the supplemental resources as well. This introduction will likely be
longer than the introductory paragraph you are used toit will likely be multiple paragraphs
and pages, in fact! The goal is to synthesize the texts to create a coherent overview of the
conversation.
Then, discuss from your own perspective the possibilities as well as any limits to the theory of
grit as it applies to high school or college students. For instance, even though the research on
grit is inconclusive, does it make sense to try and grow grittiness in college? Is grit really
just another way of encouraging students to behave and follow rules? Has grit helped you
achieve something remarkable or find a passion? Have you been successful without grit?
Whatever the focus of this portion of your essay, remember to integrate your experiences
with those of the writers to create that back-and-forth of ideas typical of conversations.

Nuts and Bolts

Essay Title: The title is important and provides an indication of the meaning of your essay
Length: 800-1,000 words.
Presentation: header and page numbers are requiredno cover.

Your Name

Professors name

Course name/number

Date
Sources: Duckworth, Glenn, Engber, as above. You may incorporate any of the additional
readings from this guide as well, or an outside source with instructor permission.

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Citations: You should use informal citation to reference sources in your assignment and
include a works cited page in MLA or APA style.

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Due dates:
Peer Review Draft: Friday, October 14
Instructor Draft: Friday, October 21
Conferences: Week of October 24-28