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Spring 2012

Interpolations is a journal of academic writing from the University of Maryland. Annually, the editorial board publish essays highlighting exemplary rhetorical work University of Maryland students first produce when taking English 101: Academic Writing.

Journal Information

Program Director

Dr. Linda Macri

Editor

Adam Lloyd

Spring 2012 Editorial Board

  • Catherine Bayly
  • Jennifer Dunsmore
  • Nabila Hijazi
  • Amy Katzel
  • Kisa Lape
  • Heather Lindenman
  • Maggie Ray

Letter from the Editor

After a long delay Interpolations is back with a truly exceptional new issue. The range of topics, the unique perspectives, the strong research, and the persuasive writing evidenced in these papers is a testament to the incredible work that the University’s freshmen are producing. It is also indicative of the effort and dedication put in by English 101 TAs and the entire Academic Writing Program.

Due to the delay in publication we were able to combine two full semesters worth of submissions which provided us with an overabundance of excellent student essays to choose from. As such, the winnowing process was, perhaps, the most difficult we have faced to date. Our solution was to expand the number of essays to be included in this latest issue. Still, many wonderful essays did not make the cut and I want to be sure to thank all of the students who submitted their essays to us for review. I am always impressed by the number of new college students who have the courage to voluntarily offer their work to be judged by a bunch of unseen strangers, and I applaud each of them for wanting to become a part of the intellectual dialogue taking place at this University.

This will be my last issue as Editor-in-Chief of Interpolations. In the 4 years since I originally conceived of this online journal and, with the help of Dr. Linda Macri and the staff of the Academic Writing Program, Interpolations has grown into a valued resource for both the students and teachers of academic writing. It has been my honor and my pleasure to help encourage the academic discourse among our freshmen, and for me to have the opportunity to read so many insightful essays from this impressive group of students over the years.

Jennifer Dunsmore, a longtime veteran of our editorial board, will be taking over as the new Editor-in-Chief. I wish her the best of luck and am more than confident that I'm leaving Interpolations in very good hands. I am sure that Jennifer will take this journal to heights that it has not yet seen. I would particularly like to thank Jennifer and the rest of the editorial board—Kisa Lape, Catherine Bayly, Maggie Ray, Nabila Hijazi, Amy Katzel, and Heather Lindenman—several of whom have been working on Interpolations since its inception.

I would also like to thank Dr. Linda Macri, Kevin Remmell, and Scott Eklund, without whom Interpolations would have never existed, made it to the web, nor been so well advertised to English 101 students. I would also like to thank all of the English 101 instructors who have so generously supported our publication by nudging their students to send us their essays and by using Interpolations in their classrooms. Finally, I would like to thank all of our readers both here at the University of Maryland and those elsewhere who found us on the web. It is my hope and vision that many years from now Interpolations will still exist and will be stronger and better than ever. Thank you all for allowing me this wonderful experience of serving as the Editor of this fine publication.

Signing off,

Adam Lloyd

Spring 2012 Essays

Considering Another Side Essays

Experience as Evidence Essays

Inquiry Essay

Position Paper