Research-Paper Practice Paragraph

In class on Monday, I'll be giving you a set of quotations about recruiting in sports.

By Thursday night, write a paragraph using most of the material.

1. Start by deciding on a topic sentence, which should state an argumentative point that allows you to use most of the material.

2. Remember, you are developing your own main idea and the arguments that support it. Don't just paraphrase or quote the authors' ideas.

3. Integrate the source material into the structure of your own arguments. Use a source as evidence after you have developed a given argument. In other words, downshift.

4. You'll also have to decide what not to use. One or more of the passages is/are clearly inappropriate to use. We'll have to make some difficult decisions when we discuss your paragraphs in class on Friday.

Organizing Your Research Project

By class time on April 1 (Friday), please read through the immigration notes that I handed out in class on Wednesday.

1. Create three possible topics generated by the material.

2. Pick one of them and word it in the form of an argumentative thesis.

3. Create a scratch outline developing the thesis, and after each point, note some source material that develops it (A3, G4, C2 -- like that).

Research Project Worksheet

Blog your worksheet here by Tuesday, April 5.

(The assignment is blogged below.)

Topic for Research Project

In a downshifted paragraph, describe the topic you have chosen for your research project. You may want to do some preliminary reading so that you can have more than one sentence to say about the subject. Remember, you should try to narrow the focus and pick a subset of the more general topic. Also, try to discover a argumentative thesis -- some part of the topic that has inspired some controversy and on which you can generate an argumentative thesis.

Please blog your paragraph ASAP but surely by Monday.

Research Project

Length: 5-6 pages (about 1,500 words)

Due dates: see syllabus

Discuss a technologically based disaster or problem, giving a history of the event or a discussion of its causes. Analyze its implications for life on the planet and possible steps for preventing its occurrence in the future.

By the due date listed on the syllabus, complete and hand in a COPY of the worksheet on the reverse of this sheet.

Use at least five sources from at least three of the categories of sources (internet, books, newspapers, journals, magazines, and other reference works). Choose sources carefully to reflect the best, most reliable, and most recent information on the topic.

Narrow your topic, especially when the listed topic is a general problem rather than a specific disaster.

Create an argumentative thesis. Include at least one paragraph of refutation. Use evidence from the sources to support your arguments. Don’t over quote. No more than 20% of your essay should be direct quotation. Remember that quotation and paraphrase should be acknowledged with parenthetical citations in the text. Include a “Works Cited” page that lists all the sources cited in the text of your essay.

The following are some suggestions, but you shouldn’t feel limited to them:

The Hindenburg disaster

Three-Mile Island

Chernobyl

Love Canal

The Challenger or Columbia accident

The Exxon oil spill

The New York garbage barge

The Ferald nuclear power plant

The year 2000 computer problem

The Nimitz Freeway disaster

The energy crisis

The Amazon rain forest

International terrorism via Internet

The ozone layer

Global warming

Acid rain

Toxic waste

Dioxin

Land fills

Genetic engineering

Electronic money laundering

Recombinant DNA technology

Biological/chemical weapons

Internet identity theft

Infrastructure failure (some aspect of it)

Nuclear power along the earthquake belt or some other specific problem with nuclear power)

Computer viruses/ spyware/ Trojan horses

Thalidomide babies

The spread of thermonuclear weapons among smaller nations

Cyber bullying

Music piracy (or some other form of piracy)

Criminality on the internet (narrow the focus to, for example, trafficking in slavery, identity theft, prostitution, child pornography, etc.)

Research Project Worksheet

Name:

Topic of your research paper:

Research questions:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Temporary thesis:

Key words:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Scratch outline:

Sources:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

WA#2 Post

WA#2 Post

Please post the draft of WA#2 (see below) here BEFORE you come to conference. You may have to split the draft into two posts.

Your greatest weakness as a writer

By Monday, 2-28-10, write a paragraph describing your greatest weakness as a writer and blog it here. Again, use the classic "upside-down triangle" paragraph move: State the strength as a topic sentence. Develop the strength in a sentence or two or three. Then, give examples and details from your writing to demonstrate your claim.

Your Greatest Strength as a Writer

By Wednesday, 2-16-10, write a paragraph describing your greatest strength as a writer and blog it here. Use the classic "upside-down triangle" paragraph move: State the strength as a topic sentence. Develop the strength in a sentence or two or three. Then give examples and details from your writing to demonstrate your claims in the paragraph above.

Writing Assignment #2: Responding to a Single Source

Length: 750+ words

Due Dates: See syllabus (3/4 as a draft and 3/14 for a grade)

1. Pick one of the two essays on pp. 194 – 200 and argue in favor of (confirmation) or against (refutation) its premise/ thesis. However, you should try as best you can to develop your own thesis, your own unique perspective, about the topic.

2. In the first paragraph, develop your perspective as a response to the source. You might want to mention the author’s name and the title of the essay in paragraph one.

3. In paragraph two, summarize the source’s thesis and main supporting ideas. Note: You have already written this paragraph, but you might have to make some changes to put it in the context of the larger essay.

4. In subsequent paragraphs, confirm or refute the source’s thesis and main supporting ideas in separate paragraphs. Let the summary paragraph guide the organization of these “body” paragraphs.

5. As you write those paragraphs, think in terms of the paragraph “moves” we discussed in class. In any given paragraph, are you discussing the effect(s), positive or negative, of the source’s general thesis/ proposal? Are you confirming its general argument/ thesis in a way that the writer did not? Are you confirming one of its supporting arguments/ sub-points? Are you refuting the general premise/ thesis? Are you refuting one of its supporting arguments/ sub-points? Are you responding to one of its counter arguments? (Are you refuting its refutation? Doesn’t writing a response essay get durned complicated?) Each paragraph is an argumentative move and therefore requires a specific argumentative pattern.

6. Provide evidence for the source’s point of view in the form of SHORT quotation. You want to sound objective and even-handed here even if you disagree.

7. Provide evidence for your point of view in the form of short quotation and paraphrase. Cite the sources informally in the text.

8. Include a concluding paragraph, but in an essay this short, you should not be summarizing your essay or the sources ideas. We will discuss approaches to introductions and conclusions in class. If you want to jump ahead, read Chapter 13 of the Handbook.

9. By 3/4/2011, post your advanced draft here and bring a hard copy to class for peer review.

ALERT (Pa#9, just for fun)

Alert! Because of the cancelation of classes on Wednesday, February 2, I have cancelled my out-of-town trip so that we can meet class on Monday, February 7. Since I'll be in town anyway, we might as well meet on February 9, as well.

Thus, the following further revision of the syllabus will apply:

Yet another syllabus revision, weather related this time:

Yet another syllabus revision, weather related this time:

W/2/2 Dead because of the ice storm

F/2/4 Bring PA#7 to class for in-class editing

Read the two essays in WFS, pp. 194 – 199. Come prepared to discuss them in class, with an emphasis on summarizing their complex arguments.

Week 5

M/2/7

Blog PA#8 (a summary paragraph of one of the essays).

Bring PA#8 to class for in-class editing. Do so carefully and completely. It will become the basis for the next writing assignment.

W/2/9

Blog PA#9 (description see below) and bring it to class. Again, it counts as a blog entry but not as a portfolio paragraph.

F/2/11 Discuss WA#2.

Responding to a single source.

Submit paragraph portfolios.

For February 9, blog the following paragraph, just for fun:

Find some moment in your life, some experience that changed you in some way. Describe it in a paragraph.

1. You don't need a topic sentence this time. Descriptive paragraphs rarely have them. Try to establish the context in the first sentence -- that's all.

2. Give all the details that apply. Be vivid and specific.

3. Show. Don't tell. Try to move the reader. Help her or him to understand how your life was changed or how the moment moved you without telling the reader the meaning of the moment or how exactly you were moved.

PA#8 -- Another Summary

PA#8 -- Another Summary

By Monday, summarize and blog one of the essays assigned from Spatt's book (pp. 194 ff). The goal here is to create a summary paragraph you will be using to write a single-source essay later, so choose wisely.

In the first sentence, mention the author and the title of the essay. In addition, state the thesis, the main argument, of the essay. Then, in subsequent sentences, describe the main arguments that the author uses to develop his thesis.

Some advice:

1. Don't try to do too much here. The examples and details that support the author's argument may be the subject of later paragraphs. However, here you are trying to summarize those arguments, not develop them. In later paragraphs of YOUR essay, you may need to to develop details of the author's arguments to confirm or refute them. In this paragraph, summarize.

2. For now, be objective. In later paragraphs, you may choose to evaluate the author's argument. In this paragraph, you must establish the pose of objectivity.

3. Thus, quote brief passages of the text to show that you are letting the author speak for him/herself. Don't overdo it, though. Don't let the author do your writing for you.

4. Don't do too little. Search for the author's arguments. Summarize them completely.

5. Look for the principle of argumentative organization (more on this point in class). Finding it will help you to provide a complete argument.

P.S. This assignment should not be included in the paragraph portfolio. As always, I'm trying to get you to start the writing process on future assignments. You'll be using this paragraph to write WA#2.

PA#7 – Cause and effect

Blog the following by Wednesday and bring a copy to class that day:

Identify a quality or issue that helps to identify Ohio Wesleyan and discuss one of its effects. Get very specific here. A quality might be OWU's emphasis on public service. An issue might be the rule that first-year students are not permitted to have a vehicle on campus.

In the first sentence, mention the the issue, but don't dwell on it. Presumably, you will have discussed the issue in some detail in a previous paragraph. Instead, in the first sentence identify the issue (the cause), and describe the effect (one of many) that you intend to discuss. Then, discuss that effect. Prove to the reader that it truly results from the cause.

C & E paragraph moves often but not always look like the following:

5 Topic sentence (a reference to the cause and a statement of the effect)

4 Explanation of the effect

3 Significance of the effect (how many, how much?)

2 Evidence to support significance

3 Impact of the effect (benefit or harm arising from the effect)

2 Evidence to support impact

3 ? Another impact of the effect (benefit or harm arising from the effect)

2 Evidence to support impact

Wiki topic

Wiki Topic

By Wednesday, post a paragraph announcing your group's topic and how you are going to handle it. What subtopics are you going to cover? Who is doing what?

Please do not write as a group. You all need to get on the same page, and writing separately will give you some sense of any misunderstandings about the topic and the division of the work.

PA#6 -- Critique

PA#6 -- Critique

First rule: Criticism is not necessarily negative. Criticism is seeing the deeper meaning of an event, claim, essay, etc.

Second rule: Post the paragraph by Monday so we can talk about it.

Thus, for PA#6 find something interesting about the Branch Rickey/ Jackie Robinson event you attended and evaluate it. The "something interesting" could be an idea implied by the event, some quality of the event, or some idea stated at the event. In your evaluation, follow up on that quality or idea. Develop its implications. Then refer to details about the event that support your point of view.

You could, for example, look for some theme present (but not stated) in the Branch Rickey one man show. You could also analyze the acting ability or the playwriting of the event.

An example: I recently saw "The Social Network." I realized that biopics of this type have in the past tended to deify the person portrayed in the film, even if the screenwriter had to manufacture positive qualities that weren't actually there.

Lately, the victim of such films have been demonized, or at least their flaws have been quite evident even if the screenwriter had to manufacture them. Hmmm, I wondered. Does this film manifest that latter tendency or the former one?

In any case, your paragraph may look something like this:

5 Some basic info about the event, but only the info relevant to the paragraph (not all first sentences are topic sentences)

4 The principle of evaluation you are using (Don't try to write the whole essay!)

3 Your evaluation of the event

2 Evidence from the event to support it

2 Evidence from an outside source to support your evaluation

Some advice:

1. You are not writing a summary paragraph. Presumably, that paragraph appears earlier in the essay.

2. Each number above may be more than one sentence.

3. However, avoid the tendency to wander off topic or write the whole essay. Again, you are writing only one paragraph out of an essay that might be a more comprehensive evaluation of the event. Chose your principle of evaluation wisely.

PA# 5 -- They Say, I Say #2 (Refutation)

PA# 5 -- They Say, I Say #2 (Refutation)

ALERT: By Friday, publish your paragraphs here so we can talk about them.

Read your summary of Singleton's main arguments and pick one you can effectively disagree with. (Whether you actually agree or disagree or not doesn't matter.) Argue against that point in a paragraph.

Some advice:

1. Your topic sentence is about the point YOU, not Singleton, intend to argue. You have a point to make. You are using Singleton's argument as a "straw man" to knock down. In fact, this paragraph move is sometimes called the "straw man" technique.

2. State Singleton's point clearly and objectively. You want to avoid the appearance of bias. Announce when you are interpreting, rather than objectively stating your opponent's point of view. Quote your opponent to show that you are being objective.

3. Remember, this paragraph is theoretically part of a larger essay. You don't need to summarize all of Singleton's argument or even his main point. You've already covered his thesis nad his main arguments in the theoretical essay's summary paragraph.

Here is a sample organization, which is by no means comprehensive. (We'll discuss other methods in class.)

5 Topic sentence -- the point you intend to argue for

4 Singleton's point from which you intend to argue (reword it objectively)

3 A quotation to show that you aren't over-interpreting or reflecting your bias

4 The IMPLICATION of Singleton's argument that you intend to argue against

3 Your argument in response

2 Evidence in support of your argument

and, as necessary,

4 The IMPLICATION of Singleton's argument that you intend to argue against

3 Your argument in response

2 Evidence in support of your argument

etc.

PA#4 -- They Say (Summary Paragraph)

PA#4 -- They Say (Summary Paragraph)

Summarize the Singleton essay by first stating his main argument (his thesis) and then in a series of parallel sentences his sub-arguments (the MAIN arguments that support the thesis). Each of the sub-arguments may be developed with details in a subsequent sentence. Or you might consider quoting a phrase or two (briefly and within the structure of your own sentence) when such material adds clarity to your summary.

I'll be asking you to write a refutation of one of the sub-arguments above, but for now, just summarize.

Begin by identifying the basic structure of his argument. (Yes, it has one.) Seeing that structure will help you to write an effective summary.

Thus, the paragraph may look as follows:

5 Singleton's main idea. Don't forget to use his full name and the title of his essay

4 Sub-argument #1 (with brief quotation)

3 Development/ quotation (?)

4 Sub-argument #1 (with brief quotation)

3 Development/ quotation (?)

4 Sub-argument #1 (with brief quotation)

3 Development/ quotation (?)

4 Sub-argument #1 (with brief quotation)

3 Development/ quotation (?)

Some advice for those who missed class:

1. Don't overdo it. Summaries are supposed to be considerably shorter than the original.

2. Don't underdo it. You need to cover all his main points completely and accurately.

3. Above all, don't be boring. Your summary should sound objective, but it doesn't have to BE objective. Use strong verbs. Be lively but non-argumentative, at least in this summary paragraph. Let your opinion show but don't state it.

4. Post the draft of your paragraph by Wednesday so we can take a look at them in class.

PA#3: They Say, I Say #1

PA#3: They Say, I Say #1

A classic move in an academic paragraph is to confirm and expand on somebody else's argument. Look at the essay on p. 192 of Spatt (Carl Singleton's "What our Education System Needs is More F's) and find one such argument. It doesn't matter whether you agree with Singleton or not. Find an argument you can support "for the sake of argument," as the old saying goes.

We'll talk about how to structure the paragraph in class, but here is a thumbnail organization:

5. YOUR point (the topic sentence)

4. Singleton's point

3. Quote or paraphrase from Singleton explaining or expanding his point

4. The hidden assumption behind or implication of Singleton's point

3. Explanation of that assumption

2. Evidence that supports that explanation

We will. I hope, have time to write the paragraph in class, but in any case, have it blogged by Monday's class so we can take a look.

Find a Non-Paragraph

Find a Non-Paragraph

Look over the paragraphs that other students selected in the "Find a Paragraph" blog entry below.

Find one that you think is NOT a paragraph or that you think is a pretty poor one. Critique that paragraph according to the criteria we discussed in class -- topic sentence, unity, development, completeness, coherence (transition).

Be complete but kind in your critique. If you can learn to objectively evaluate other people's writing, you will become better at evaluating your own writing. Hey, better you than your professor. ;-)

Post your evaluation by Monday, January 24. Remember, THE CRITIQUE ITSELF NEEDS TO BE A PARAGRAPH.

PA#2: Definition/ Division Paragraph

PA#2: Definition/ Division Paragraph

You will be meeting with a class member on Monday, January 17, to write a descriptive paragraph about that class member. Interview each other. Try to find an important characteristic of that person and write a paragraph about her or him and it.

Post that paragraph ASAP -- as soon as you can get to a computer and keyboard it in -- but certainly by Wednesday, 1/19/2011, so we can talk about it in class.

Important: You cannot possibly capture the entire person in one paragraph. As I hope you learned from the previous assignment, you must think of the paragraph you are writing as part of a whole essay. Isolate one defining characteristic and write a paragraph about it. Think about that one characteristic as part of a larger essay about the person, but don't try to write the entire essay. Write about that one characteristic that might be part of the larger essay.

We'll talk in class about how to organize the paragraph. However, please note that you'll be looking for a defining characteristic for the topic sentence, and you'll be isolating a PARALLEL set of sub-characteristics that subdivide and develop the main characteristic.

Tom B.

Find a paragraph

By Monday, find a paragraph on the Internet, copy it to the blog as a response to this post, and explain why you think it is a paragraph.

Remember, in many forms of writing, the indentations and other formalized paragraph divisions are meaningless. Find the REAL paragraph and explain why you made the choice you did.

Paragraph #1 -- Basic Downshifting

We'll actually write the paragraph in class on Wednesday, January 12, so you need only bring detailed notes to class. But bring those notes to class on Friday. In the meantime, observe your environment. Look around. Take some notes.

Define and describe a problem here at Ohio Wesleyan. Start with a topic sentence that defines the problem. Then describe the problem in more detail in subsequent sentences. Finally, give a detailed example of the problem using the details to illuminate the description above.

Write a well developed paragraph that follows the basic downshifting pattern we will discuss in class. Sometime over the weekend, post your paragraph to the blog as a "comment" to this assignment. Also, BRING THE PARAGRAPH TO CLASS on Monday so we can spend some time in class editing it.

We will follow that basic pattern on all the paragraphs you write during the first weeks on the semester:

Day 1: Draft the paragraph.

Next class day: Edit the previous paragraph and draft a the next one.