The purpose of the Compare and Contrast Assignment is to take two  topics of your own choice and write a 2 full-page Compare and Contrast  Essay using the organization techniques (Topic-by-Topic or Item-by-Item)  presented in Unit 4.

Here are the details:

1. Choose two topics of your choice to compare and contrast. You are  not required to do any research for this essay, so this assignment  encourages you to pick topics you know about so that you can use your  own knowledge to build the content of the essay. Below, there will be  some examples of compare and contrast topics, but you may pick your own.  Ask your instructor if you have difficulty in finding topics.

2. When you choose your topics, spend some time brainstorming to  find three items you can compare between the two topics. The example  here is how in the Unit 4 lecture notes we found the items of Cost, Size  and Teachers for our Community College and University essay. Again, the  items you choose will be your decision about what you would like your  essay to focus on. Use your judgment of what you feel is most important  to discuss between the two topics.

3. Decide whether to use the Topic-by-Topic pattern or the  Item-by-Item pattern. Either pattern is valid, so use the one you are  most comfortable with. When you decide on your pattern, create an  Outline as we did in the Unit 4 notes for Community Colleges and  Universities.

4. Be sure that your essay has an introduction that has the four  points listed in the lecture notes, not necessarily in the order given  in the notes: Topic, Thesis, Attention Grabber, Signposting. (Note, if  you decide to write the essay inductively by not having the thesis in  the introduction but in the conclusion, that is acceptable, so in place  of the thesis in the introduction, you may ask a question and/or explain  the purpose of the essay).