Eugene Ferguson Engineering and the Mind’s Eye Essay
Ferguson Essay
This essay centers on the book by Eugene Ferguson, Engineering and the Mind’s Eye. Please read carefully, I will compensate generously for sincere work, do not bid if you are unsure, thank you for your time.
The first part of your essay will summarize and analyze Ferguson’s argument and evidence. To do this, briefly summarize (no more than 1 page) Ferguson’s argument(s), then analyze, engage, and evaluate it,
based on your thoughts and incorporation of evidence from other pieces of work we have read in
class so far. This portion of the essay should be 2-3 pages.
The second part of your essay will assess and explore the applicability of Ferguson’s ideas to
other engineering realms. This involves gathering and interpreting evidence from outside the textbook,
and placing it in scholarly dialog with Ferguson’s ideas. Apply Ferguson’s ideas carefully
to a present-day realm of engineering with which you are (or could become) familiar. You need to
reason carefully and use extensive, careful detail to document and support your argument. This
second part should be 3-5 pages, for a total of 5-8 pages.
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Writing Requirements
• Writing counts, including appropriate grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary.
• Use “Turabian” or “Chicago Notes/Bibliography” formatting style for references. Place these
complete references in footnotes at the bottom of each page of your paper. (Footnotes are easy to
create in word processing programs, for example Ctrl-Alt-F inWord, footnote{note text}
in LATEX, or Insert->Footnote/Endnote in LibreOffice Writer, will make one for you.) There
are many guides to how to format notes properly in this style; one is:
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citation…
• Use a standard typeface such as Times New Roman, Helvetica, or similar, in 10 or 12 point
size.
• Please double-space your sentences and use 1 inch margins throughout.
• No need for separate title page sheets, but do be sure your formal papers have titles.
• An image or two as needed to help illustrate your point is welcome, however the images do
not count toward your essay length obligations.
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• Essay length is expressed in a range of full pages of text (e.g. 5-8 pages)
• I am always happy to discuss your essay ideas outside of class. If you like, I will give your
essay draft a quick, big-picture skim evaluation if you bring a copy to office hours to discuss
it with me. Proofreading for errors is your own responsibility.
• For additional questions about writing, I urge you to consultWilliam Kelleher Storey,Writing
History: A Guide for Students (on reserve in the library)
