Rough Draft Workshop

1) Does the paper clearly define the problem for the reader? State the problem in your own words without asking the writer what it is. It should be clear enough to be summed up in a sentence.

2) What are the limits to the problem? In other words, please tell WHO the problem affects, WHERE the problem is located (this should not be as broad as an entire country), WHEN the problem occurs, and HOW it occurs?

3) What are the causes to the problem? List several. Are they clear in the paper? How can they be clearer? 

5) Does the writer give a clear picture of the problem that is grounded in reality? Do they use a lot of description and imagery? Point out any good uses of imagery in the essay. Point out at least three places where you want more imagery, and suggest the type of imagery that might be useful (for example, after a statistic, perhaps the writer could give a portrait of a real person who fits into that statistic).

6) Is the essay organized? If there are headings, are the headings clear and specific? Give suggestions for organization improvement.

7) Does the writer clearly suggest a specific solution? What is that solution? Could it be more specific how?

8) Does the writer give point by point steps as to how to reach their solution? Could anyone follow this solution by using the paper as a guide? Make suggestions for improvement.

9) Does the title suit the topic? Is it specific enough? Give one suggestion for improvement.

10) Is the Works Cited page properly formatted? Are the resources listed scholarly and appropriate? Suggest improvements if needed.

Annotated Bibliography Workshop

1) Are the sources relevant to the topic at hand? If they are only remotely relevant, does the student clearly explain how she plans to connect them to her topic?

2) Are the sources contemporary/recent?

3) Does the writer explain how each source connects to her topic?

4) Are there any aspects of the writer's topic that she could use more sources for?

5) Are the sources scholarly/legitimate?

Wed HW

For Wednesday, please bring in two printed copies of a rough draft of your final paper. This rough draft should be at least five pages in length (your final paper should be eight to ten pages). Make sure the pages are typed and double-spaced.

Please make sure you are incorporating your research into your rough draft. Also, please bear in mind that if you spend the majority of your rough draft only outlining the problem, then you will not get peer feedback on your proposal/solution.

For your final draft, you will need to devote equal parts of your paper to both your problem and your solution, and your solution will need to be broken down into steps.

Again, make sure your paper is printed out in two copies. I will not accept emailed papers.

Presentations

We will give class presentations on the final day of class.

Please plan your presentation to be about twenty-thirty minutes in length.

Because we will be doing them on a Tuesday, while the other course is in session, we will not have access to the projector. This means you need to use a poster board or some other old-fashioned materials to present your work. :-)

What I will be looking for:

A clear presentation, with evidence from sources and visual aides, of your problem. (10-15 minutes)

A clear presentation, with evidence from sources and visual aides, of your solution. (10-15 minutes)

It's important that you don't skimp on either the problem or the solution--both are necessary!

We will spend time at the end of each presentation asking a few questions, so be prepared for a little discussion.

Workshop

1) Is this topic clearly arguable? Is it one about which reasonable people disagree?

2) How can the topic be more refined or specific? Give at least one suggestion for improvement.

3) What are some challenges the writer might face in tackling this topic? Think of practical challenges (finding research, creating a solution that is feasible, etc). How might those challenges be approached? Is there a way of refining the topic so that the challenges are smaller?

4) Look carefully at the areas in the draft where the writer says that they do not know something or need to know more. How might they go about finding out that information? Give suggestions for help.

5) What are some questions you have about the topic that you would like answered in the paper? Try not to think of anything out of left field, but rather focus on any areas that might have gaps in the paper. Give at least one specific suggestion for improvement.

Week 2 Overview

Week 2 Introduction

The main work of Unit 2 will be to compose an annotated bibliography (5 sources, minimum) for your research paper. This will help you review sources and decide how they might be used in your paper. This also helps you narrow your focus.

• Note: The Annotated Bibliography is due next Monday, but you should begin work on it early in the week. Scroll down on this page for more information about the assignment.

• Read SA pp.339-365 ("Language")

• Read Orwell's "Politics and the English Language": 

•    http://orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit 

• Come to class prepared to discuss Orwell

• SA pp. 131-39 ("Definition"); 170-72 ("Claims of Fact"); 174-76 ("Claims of Value"); 178-183 ("Claims of Policy"); 202-222, 267 ("Support"); 269-280 ("Warrants"); 415-18 ("Taking Notes").

• Review the following web page: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/

• SA pp. 489-500 (MLA) and 501-13 (APA). Focus on the style format that you plan to follow in your own writing.

• Annotated Bibliography (5 sources, minimum).

1. A complete bibliographical citation of the source. For this class, use either APA or MLA formats; these are described in detail in our textbook:  In the back of SA, the MLA pages are outlined in blue and the APA pages are outlined in grey. 

1. The annotation: a brief paragraph describing the source, evaluating its strengths and weaknesses, and describing how it will be useful to you in making your argument.

We will also read George Orwell's famous essay on the relationship of style and thought, "Politics and the English Language." 

We will then read and discuss several arguments on a topic TBA. One of these will be the subject of a Summary/Critique.

Throughout the Unit, we will practice analyzing arguments in terms of claim, support, and warrant. This practice should help you to make more useful comments on your partners' drafts, as well as helping you to improve the argument in your own draft.

   Schedule of Assignments

Due by Wed, class:

Orwell's famous essay, "Politics and the English Language," makes a challenging argument but one that is very relevant for college writers to consider. Notice that the first two paragraphs of the essay briefly outline the argument he will make at greater length in the paragraphs that follow. In the first half of his essay, Orwell criticizes some of the ways language is being used, particularly by the elites—i.e., intellectuals and politicians—of his day (the essay was written in 1949: you might consider what recent or contemporary world events might have prompted him to consider these issues). In the second half of the essay, he discusses how these uses of language have influenced the use of power by these elites and have thus affected us all. The essay also offers, in several places, advice for writers who wish to avoid the sort of writing he criticizes.

Due by Monday:

An annotated bibliography is a brief report on your research. Each entry in the bibliography has two parts:

Our textbook (SA) describes an annotated bibliography with examples on pp. 437-38.

Reading TBA 

If you have not done so already, you should acquaint yourself with the resources available through the NU library http://library.nu.edu/.   Plan to spend some time orienting yourself to the Library's resources, which can be accessed online from your own computer.  In particular, explore the Journal Articles. These are more than 40 databases of journal, magazine and newspaper articles, many of which can be accessed in their entirety. These are likely to be the best sources of good research for your paper. We will go over this in class too, but you need to look over it on your own as well.

Due Monday the 20th: Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography (due Week 3;  5 sources, minimum): An annotated bibliography is a brief report on your research. Each entry in the bibliography has two parts:

• A complete bibliographical citation of the source. For this class, use either APA or MLA formats; these are described in detail in our textbook (SA).  Flip to the blue (MLA) and grey (APA) pages in the back section of the book, beginning on page 419.
• The annotation: a brief paragraph describing the source, evaluating its strengths and weaknesses, and describing how it will be useful to you in making your argument.

Our textbook (SA) describes an annotated bibliography with examples on pp. 437-38.