Today' assignment is to write a thesis statement. Today's assignment is to produce a document which contains:
1. A short introduction to your topic
2. A research question
3. A thesis statement and 2-3 supporting sentences.
4. An explanation or discussion of what type of thesis statement you have written and why it is appropriate
5. Challenges you face doing this assignment (OPTIONAL)
Turn in your assignment at the end of class; it should be numbered 1-4 /5 and consist of the components listed above. Don't forget to include your name.
A Thesis Statement
Whenever writing to explain something to the reader or to persuade the reader to agree with your opinion, there should be one complete sentence that expresses the main idea of your paper. That sentence is often called the thesis, or thesis statement. (Some other names it goes by are "the main idea" and "the controlling idea.") Based on everything you've read, and thought, and brainstormed, the thesis is not just your topic, but what you're saying about your topic.
Another way to look at it is, once you've come up with the central question, or organizing question, of your essay, the thesis is an answer to that question. Remember, though, while you are still writing your paper, to consider what you have to be a "working thesis," one that may still be "adjusted." As you continue to write, read, and think about your topic, see if your working thesis still represents your opinion.
A research thesis is your proposed answer to your research question, which you finalize as you completing the research. (It's acceptable to modify and revise the working thesis as you research more about the topic or issue.)
Make sure your thesis is in the form of a statement, not a question. "Can we save the Amazon rain forest?" is an ear-catching question that might be useful in the introduction, but it doesn't express an opinion or perspective as the following statements do:
"We can save the Amazon rain forest by limiting tourist presence, boycotting goods made by companies that deplete the forest's resources, and generally educating people about the need to preserve the rain forest in order to preserve the earth's ecological systems."
"We cannot save the Amazon rain forest since the companies that deplete its resources in their manufacturing are so widely-spread throughout the world, so politically powerful in their respective countries, and wealthy enough to fight the opposition fully."
Make sure your thesis expresses your true opinion and not an exaggerated version of it. Don't say "Computers are wonderful" or "Computers are terrible" if what you really believe is "Computers do more good than harm" or "Computers do more harm than good." Why commit yourself to an extreme opinion that you don't really believe in, and then look like you're contradicting yourself later on?
Make sure your thesis covers exactly the topic you want to talk about, no more and no less. "Drugs should not be legalized" is too large a thesis if all you want to talk about is marijuana. "Boxing should be outlawed" is too small a thesis if you also want to discuss wrestling and football. Bite off as much as you can chew thoroughly--then chew it!
Shape your thesis to fit the question you wish to answer. A thesis can come in many forms, including the following:
Simply stating an opinion
"Langston Hughes was a master stylist."
Indicating categories or reasons
"Langston Hughes was a master stylist because of his vivid imagery, surprising metaphors, and effective alliteration."
Showing two aspects of a topic and emphasizing one (in this sample, the 2nd topic in the sentence is emphasized)
"While Langston Hughes was a master stylist, as a critic he had several blind spots."
jueves, 24 de abril de 2008
lunes, 7 de abril de 2008
April 8th Assignment
Short In-Class Essay Question
Topic: If the author(s) of the work that you have chosen to review wanted you to get one idea from the book, what would it be? How does this idea compare and / or contrast with the world that you know? What does your assessment of the book's relationship to your own experience suggest about the books strengths and accomplishments?
Assignment: Write a short 3 paragraph essay in which you respond to the above topic. At the end of class mail it to yourself AND to expositorywriting@gmail.com. Use your copy as a resource for writing your book review.
Topic: If the author(s) of the work that you have chosen to review wanted you to get one idea from the book, what would it be? How does this idea compare and / or contrast with the world that you know? What does your assessment of the book's relationship to your own experience suggest about the books strengths and accomplishments?
Assignment: Write a short 3 paragraph essay in which you respond to the above topic. At the end of class mail it to yourself AND to expositorywriting@gmail.com. Use your copy as a resource for writing your book review.
miércoles, 2 de abril de 2008
Guidelines for Writing a Book Review
1. The review should offer a description, not a summary, of the book.
2. The review should interweave your commentary / evaluation with a description of the book.
3. The review should take into consideration the genre to which the work reviewed belongs (e.g., novel, short story, biography, poetry)
4. The review should include the research question addressed by the book.
5. The review should present the main idea of the book. The main idea is probably an answer to the author’s research question.
6. The review should state for whom the book is intended. Who is the assumed audience? (e.g., specialists, undergraduates, North Americans, persons with knowledge of US history, persons familiar with the subject at hand, readers familiar with the author’s prior work)
7. The tone of the review should describe how different parts of the book: shape the author’s methodology and contribute to answering the author’s research question.
8. The tone of the review should be professional and academic. It should be written in clear and precise languages.
9. The review should be an “independent document.” It should make sense as a document that is read alone.
10. The review should contain 2-3 quotes from the text being reviewed.
11. The review should not discuss your research paper. In fact the reader should not know that you are writing the review in conjunction with a research paper for this class.
12. The review should not assume that the reader has read the book you are reviewing.
13. The review should not focus on only 1 or 2 chapters of the book.
14. The review should not be a “long annotation.” The reference here is to the annotations done for the annotated bibliography.
15. The book review should not contain irrelevant biographical information about the author.
16. The review should probably briefly point out the goals that the author has in writing the book (i.e., what does the book aim to achieve). In evaluating the book, the review should state how successful the author is in achieving these goals. In offering an evaluation, you should provide evidence for any positive and negative remarks that you offer. In offering appraisal, you should keep in mind the aims and purpose of the author; as discussed in class, we want to evaluate the book on what it aims to do.
17. The book review may describe how the book is organized. Often this can help organize the review.
18. The review should be 2-3 long and double-spaced.
19. The review may comment on the wider significance of the book.
20. The review may compare the book briefly to similar, relevant works.
21. The title of the review should be “Review of ________” This title should not be in quotes, nor should it be underlined. It should be centered at the top of the review.
22. The review should include the MLA citation in bold and single-spaced at the top of the page (one space below title). After the citation there should be one line space, then the first word review. It is not necessary to include a paragraph indent on the first line of the review. It should be flush left. Subsequent paragraphs should be indented.
23. Consult the MLA Handbook for guidelines on how to quote and citation forms.
2. The review should interweave your commentary / evaluation with a description of the book.
3. The review should take into consideration the genre to which the work reviewed belongs (e.g., novel, short story, biography, poetry)
4. The review should include the research question addressed by the book.
5. The review should present the main idea of the book. The main idea is probably an answer to the author’s research question.
6. The review should state for whom the book is intended. Who is the assumed audience? (e.g., specialists, undergraduates, North Americans, persons with knowledge of US history, persons familiar with the subject at hand, readers familiar with the author’s prior work)
7. The tone of the review should describe how different parts of the book: shape the author’s methodology and contribute to answering the author’s research question.
8. The tone of the review should be professional and academic. It should be written in clear and precise languages.
9. The review should be an “independent document.” It should make sense as a document that is read alone.
10. The review should contain 2-3 quotes from the text being reviewed.
11. The review should not discuss your research paper. In fact the reader should not know that you are writing the review in conjunction with a research paper for this class.
12. The review should not assume that the reader has read the book you are reviewing.
13. The review should not focus on only 1 or 2 chapters of the book.
14. The review should not be a “long annotation.” The reference here is to the annotations done for the annotated bibliography.
15. The book review should not contain irrelevant biographical information about the author.
16. The review should probably briefly point out the goals that the author has in writing the book (i.e., what does the book aim to achieve). In evaluating the book, the review should state how successful the author is in achieving these goals. In offering an evaluation, you should provide evidence for any positive and negative remarks that you offer. In offering appraisal, you should keep in mind the aims and purpose of the author; as discussed in class, we want to evaluate the book on what it aims to do.
17. The book review may describe how the book is organized. Often this can help organize the review.
18. The review should be 2-3 long and double-spaced.
19. The review may comment on the wider significance of the book.
20. The review may compare the book briefly to similar, relevant works.
21. The title of the review should be “Review of ________” This title should not be in quotes, nor should it be underlined. It should be centered at the top of the review.
22. The review should include the MLA citation in bold and single-spaced at the top of the page (one space below title). After the citation there should be one line space, then the first word review. It is not necessary to include a paragraph indent on the first line of the review. It should be flush left. Subsequent paragraphs should be indented.
23. Consult the MLA Handbook for guidelines on how to quote and citation forms.
viernes, 14 de marzo de 2008
FECHAS IMPORTANTES
Annotated bibliography v1: March 27
In-class essay v3: by March 28th (at the latest, email submissions accepted)
Abstract v3: April 1
Name of book for review: April 1 (check w/ instructor earlier if you have doubts about acceptability of your chosen book)
Book review v1: April 10
Preliminary draft (Research Paper and Bib.): April 22
Book review v2: April 29
Research Paper and Bib. v2: May 6
These are the dates we discussed and have agreed on in class. Points will be deducted for late work.
jueves, 13 de marzo de 2008
The Annotated Bibliography
WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?
As we have discussed in class, an annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words, not more than 2 paragraphs) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited. Annotations are useful in the research process because they can serve as a guide in directing the researcher toward specific sources. You may want to include a quote in your annotation. You may also include a brief statement about how a particular source relates to other sources in your annotated bibliography and / or your larger project.
WHAT SHOULD THE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY REQUIRED FOR THIS CLASS INCLUDE?
At least 5 sources, (not more than 7) listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name.
At least 5 sources that are directly or closely related to your topic
The bibliographical information for each source in MLA format
CAN AN EXAMPLE BE PROVIDED? Yes.
Waite, Linda J., Frances Kobrin Goldscheider, and Christina Witsberger. "Nonfamily Living and the Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations Among Young Adults." American Sociological Review 51 (1986): 541-554.
The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that nonfamily living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of nonfamily living. This study will be useful in explaining my focus on females. It will also provide first-hand data that can be analyzed alongside the data I collect in Puerto Rico.
WHEN IS IT DUE?
It is due on Thursday, March 27th in class.
MORE HELP?
Visit: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill28.htm#appraise
Another example of an annotation:
Richardson, Elaine. African American Literacies. New York: Routledge, 2003.
As we have discussed in class, an annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words, not more than 2 paragraphs) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited. Annotations are useful in the research process because they can serve as a guide in directing the researcher toward specific sources. You may want to include a quote in your annotation. You may also include a brief statement about how a particular source relates to other sources in your annotated bibliography and / or your larger project.
WHAT SHOULD THE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY REQUIRED FOR THIS CLASS INCLUDE?
At least 5 sources, (not more than 7) listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name.
At least 5 sources that are directly or closely related to your topic
The bibliographical information for each source in MLA format
CAN AN EXAMPLE BE PROVIDED? Yes.
Waite, Linda J., Frances Kobrin Goldscheider, and Christina Witsberger. "Nonfamily Living and the Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations Among Young Adults." American Sociological Review 51 (1986): 541-554.
The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that nonfamily living by young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of nonfamily living. This study will be useful in explaining my focus on females. It will also provide first-hand data that can be analyzed alongside the data I collect in Puerto Rico.
WHEN IS IT DUE?
It is due on Thursday, March 27th in class.
MORE HELP?
Visit: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill28.htm#appraise
Another example of an annotation:
Richardson, Elaine. African American Literacies. New York: Routledge, 2003.
(book titles should be underlined - I cannot underline on this blog @ the moment!)
This book offers a critical account of the language and literacy practices of African American students. It shows that current pedagogical theory and institutionalized practices consistently fall short of valuing and fully understanding the cultural and historical experience of African Americans. Thispredicament, argues the author, has led to unethical educational practices and student underachievement. Responding to this crisis, she calls for changes in literacy education. Her analysis pulls from research in sociolinguistics, communication studies, and education.
This is an enjoyable book that offers a fresh perspective on questions about African American literacies. One of the most impressive sections is the second chapter, entitled, ''The literacies of African American-centered rhetoric and composition: freestylin' or 'lookin' for a style that's free','' maps the development of African American literacies and rhetorical practices. The chapter's scope is expansive, covering the periods of slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, and the contemporary era of Hip Hop.Richardson includes many personal anecdotes and successfully weaves these into discussions of the topics mentioned above. Unlike other sources on this topic, her text can be seen as an example of 'reflexive scholarship' (Bourdieu 1980/1980) and as invitation for linguists and others interested in language to engage in this sort of work.
How to Write An Abstract
Abstracts are written for many purposes. Sometimes they are used to provide summaries of an article or essay. In other cases they are used to determine whether a given presentation will be accepted for an academic conference. Many abstracts are rejected or less useful than they could be because they omit crucial information rather than because of errors in what they include. These suggestions for abstracts have been modified from guidelines provided by the Linguistics Society of America:
1. Choose a title that clearly indicates the topic of the paper and is not more than one 7-inch typed line.
2. State the problem or research question raised by prior work, with specific reference to relevant prior research. How does your proposed project relate to previous scholarship and general knowledge about the topic?
3. State the main point or argument of the proposed project or presentation.
4. Regardless of the discipline or subfield, cite sufficient data or evidence, and explain why and how they support the main point or argument. Where will your data or evidence come from?
5. If your paper presents the results of interviews, archival research, or fieldwork, but collection of results is not yet complete, then report what results you've already obtained in sufficient detail so that your abstract may be evaluated. Also indicate explicitly the nature of the project’s methodological design and the specific hypothesis tested.
6. State the relevance of your ideas to past work. Describe analyses and methodology in as much detail as possible. Avoid saying in effect "a solution to this problem will be presented." If you are taking a stand on a controversial issue, summarize the arguments that lead you to your position.
7. State the contribution to linguistic research made by the analysis.
8. While citation in the text of the relevant literature is essential, a separate list of references at the end of the abstract is generally unnecessary. [However, for the purposes of this class, you must include your references, on a separate page from the abstract (could be on the back of the page — save a tree!) More information on references to follow.]
More general advice / guidelines• Be specific in determining your topic and its scope! • Organize your abstract in paragraphs.
• Make sure the introductory paragraph makes the reader want to continue to the following one. Provide a hook to make the reader say “Hmmm this is good and interesting” after reading just a few sentences.
•Avoid future tense when possible (e.g., This paper will discuss… vs. This paper discusses…).
• Identify a central question your research will answer or contribute to answering (or even reformulating).
• Give examples.
• Cite specific work related to your topic.
• Include key terms related to your topic, using them accurately.
• Don’t assume reader has prior knowledge of topic. Explain abbreviations at their first occurrence.
• Avoid sweeping claims and obnoxious tones. Be humble.
• Make the abstract easy to follow. Don’t present a complicated message or verbose sentences.• Center the most interesting and important idea. Don’t bury it.
• In the concluding paragraph sum up the proposal and touch upon a larger theoretical question.
This book offers a critical account of the language and literacy practices of African American students. It shows that current pedagogical theory and institutionalized practices consistently fall short of valuing and fully understanding the cultural and historical experience of African Americans. Thispredicament, argues the author, has led to unethical educational practices and student underachievement. Responding to this crisis, she calls for changes in literacy education. Her analysis pulls from research in sociolinguistics, communication studies, and education.
This is an enjoyable book that offers a fresh perspective on questions about African American literacies. One of the most impressive sections is the second chapter, entitled, ''The literacies of African American-centered rhetoric and composition: freestylin' or 'lookin' for a style that's free','' maps the development of African American literacies and rhetorical practices. The chapter's scope is expansive, covering the periods of slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, and the contemporary era of Hip Hop.Richardson includes many personal anecdotes and successfully weaves these into discussions of the topics mentioned above. Unlike other sources on this topic, her text can be seen as an example of 'reflexive scholarship' (Bourdieu 1980/1980) and as invitation for linguists and others interested in language to engage in this sort of work.
How to Write An Abstract
Abstracts are written for many purposes. Sometimes they are used to provide summaries of an article or essay. In other cases they are used to determine whether a given presentation will be accepted for an academic conference. Many abstracts are rejected or less useful than they could be because they omit crucial information rather than because of errors in what they include. These suggestions for abstracts have been modified from guidelines provided by the Linguistics Society of America:
1. Choose a title that clearly indicates the topic of the paper and is not more than one 7-inch typed line.
2. State the problem or research question raised by prior work, with specific reference to relevant prior research. How does your proposed project relate to previous scholarship and general knowledge about the topic?
3. State the main point or argument of the proposed project or presentation.
4. Regardless of the discipline or subfield, cite sufficient data or evidence, and explain why and how they support the main point or argument. Where will your data or evidence come from?
5. If your paper presents the results of interviews, archival research, or fieldwork, but collection of results is not yet complete, then report what results you've already obtained in sufficient detail so that your abstract may be evaluated. Also indicate explicitly the nature of the project’s methodological design and the specific hypothesis tested.
6. State the relevance of your ideas to past work. Describe analyses and methodology in as much detail as possible. Avoid saying in effect "a solution to this problem will be presented." If you are taking a stand on a controversial issue, summarize the arguments that lead you to your position.
7. State the contribution to linguistic research made by the analysis.
8. While citation in the text of the relevant literature is essential, a separate list of references at the end of the abstract is generally unnecessary. [However, for the purposes of this class, you must include your references, on a separate page from the abstract (could be on the back of the page — save a tree!) More information on references to follow.]
More general advice / guidelines• Be specific in determining your topic and its scope! • Organize your abstract in paragraphs.
• Make sure the introductory paragraph makes the reader want to continue to the following one. Provide a hook to make the reader say “Hmmm this is good and interesting” after reading just a few sentences.
•Avoid future tense when possible (e.g., This paper will discuss… vs. This paper discusses…).
• Identify a central question your research will answer or contribute to answering (or even reformulating).
• Give examples.
• Cite specific work related to your topic.
• Include key terms related to your topic, using them accurately.
• Don’t assume reader has prior knowledge of topic. Explain abbreviations at their first occurrence.
• Avoid sweeping claims and obnoxious tones. Be humble.
• Make the abstract easy to follow. Don’t present a complicated message or verbose sentences.• Center the most interesting and important idea. Don’t bury it.
• In the concluding paragraph sum up the proposal and touch upon a larger theoretical question.
jueves, 21 de febrero de 2008
Important Dates
Feb. 21: Key Source - Should be indentified and approved by instructor in class
Feb. 25: Key source thought piece - due by email (to be returned Feb. 26). It should include: complete bibliographical information; main idea presented in the work; your assessment, comments, and / or opinions on how this source relates to your project. Length: recommended 2 pp double-spaced.
Feb. 28: Abstracts due (be sure to consult, review, and follow the abstract guidelines distributed and reviewed in class)
March 4: Version 2 of "in-class essay" from Feb. 19th due. (It can be submitted earlier.) See guidelines below. (be sure to do everything requested in the guidelines posted here).
Feb. 25: Key source thought piece - due by email (to be returned Feb. 26). It should include: complete bibliographical information; main idea presented in the work; your assessment, comments, and / or opinions on how this source relates to your project. Length: recommended 2 pp double-spaced.
Feb. 28: Abstracts due (be sure to consult, review, and follow the abstract guidelines distributed and reviewed in class)
March 4: Version 2 of "in-class essay" from Feb. 19th due. (It can be submitted earlier.) See guidelines below. (be sure to do everything requested in the guidelines posted here).
lunes, 18 de febrero de 2008
First day in the lab 2008: What to do?
GENDER
In class today, write an essay in which you:
(1) Clearly identify a theme that you are interested in researching this semester. It should be related to gender, our chosen topic.
(2) Specify one specific question that you are interested in answering. Remember that at this point in the process you do not need to know the answer to this question. Why not? Because you will discover the answer in the process of research.
(3) Clearly identify two differing points of view or opinions related to your topic. Your understanding of these points of view can be based on: your interest in the topic you have chosen, class readings, and the initial research that you have completed.
(4) Remember the guidelines for writing (including our "don't list") from class discussion.
At the end of class, please send your essay to: expositorywriting@gmail.com
Assignment: (1) Bring a key source that you will use in your research to class on Thursday. This source should be one that is assists you in writing your abstract. As discussed this source should be a book, a chapter of a book, or an article / essay from a professional or peer-reviewed academic journal. Sources that are found on the Internet are not acceptable. (2) Produce a draft of your abstract. Make sure it takes into consideration the guidelines reviewed in class.
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