Synthesis Essay: attitudes
ESSAY TOPIC, PURPOSE, AND AUDIENCE
Topic: The topic for this final essay is rather broad (see the "Short n' Sweet Purpose" statement below). I'm hoping that some of the activities we've done in the past week with "attitudes" will help you to discover your own, unique thesis, but feel free to branch out and send me an email to ask if you are on the right track. Most importantly, this is a claim-driven essay, similar to the other two essays, but here you may rely on literature as evidence as well as your own personal reflections; take a more philosophical approach, and focus on style. As well, you must use a metaphor at some point in your essay (to describe the city, your feelings, or some other element you determine); we will develop this a bit in class.
Here's some review of the past week to potentially inspire you:
We live in places: nations, regions, states, cities, neighborhoods, homes, etc. And each of us have unique and complex attitudes toward the places we live in. Reflect on your own attitude (determine, from the list above, the scope of place you would like to focus on). Has your attitude toward this place changed since taking this course, and why do you think that is the case? In addition to your own reflections, analyze literature and other texts to identify attitudes that others have toward their places: pay attention to similarities and differences, comparing your attitude with those of these authors. I've linked sources below for you to review (three sources for this essay must be sources provided by me at some point during this quarter). In class, I handed out an excerpt from A Small Place as well as an article from The Onion; these may be helpful to you, as well. Once you've examined your own attitudes and the attitudes of those authors below, ask the question: what are the consequences of these attitudes? In other words, when I love/hate/etc. the place I live in, what impact does this have and for who? What is at stake? Evolve these notes into an argument of some kind.
Here's some review of the past week to potentially inspire you:
We live in places: nations, regions, states, cities, neighborhoods, homes, etc. And each of us have unique and complex attitudes toward the places we live in. Reflect on your own attitude (determine, from the list above, the scope of place you would like to focus on). Has your attitude toward this place changed since taking this course, and why do you think that is the case? In addition to your own reflections, analyze literature and other texts to identify attitudes that others have toward their places: pay attention to similarities and differences, comparing your attitude with those of these authors. I've linked sources below for you to review (three sources for this essay must be sources provided by me at some point during this quarter). In class, I handed out an excerpt from A Small Place as well as an article from The Onion; these may be helpful to you, as well. Once you've examined your own attitudes and the attitudes of those authors below, ask the question: what are the consequences of these attitudes? In other words, when I love/hate/etc. the place I live in, what impact does this have and for who? What is at stake? Evolve these notes into an argument of some kind.
|
|
|
You may be asking, "Have I done this essay right?" or "Am I heading in the right direction?" The best way to know is to refer back to the rubric (the bottom of this page). Be as creative as you'd like, as long as the rubric holds up when you set the two next to one another. Remember that "Academic Writing Doesn't Necessarily Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice." You should practice weaving back and forth between your personal style and voice, and the academic style you've been developing all quarter. For this essay, a limited (for effect) amount of the first person "I" is appropriate and encouraged.
"Short n' Sweet" Purpose: To combine ideas from sources (at least three from class) and your own mind/experiences in order to form and support a theory, or an original idea, about our course theme ("Happy/Good City/Place") that can be argued.
Audience: You decide. The point is to write as if someone is going to read it: make it relevant, interesting, and creative. Anticipate what your readers might think or feel and practice a conversational style.
Audience: You decide. The point is to write as if someone is going to read it: make it relevant, interesting, and creative. Anticipate what your readers might think or feel and practice a conversational style.
information to gather, create, and include
- Narrative style: "Academic Writing Doesn't Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice"
- Material from sources (at least three from class) to support your original idea
- You can include extra sources that come to mind if you cite them (other films, poems, quotes, evidence, etc.)
Minimum Requirements:
You must meet these minimum requirements in order to "pass" the final essay.
- 1,000 words minimum (no more than 1 quote of 4 lines or longer, in MLA style)
- Should be at least 6 developed paragraphs (more than 5 sentences each)
- MLA Works Cited entries must be included at the bottom of the page with matching in-text citations in the body of the essay
- Semi-formal/academic style or voice: For this essay, a limited (for effect) amount of the first person "I" is appropriate and encouraged. Avoid "you" as much as possible.
- Font and visual layout should increase legibility and meaning
- Include at least one image (properly cited in your Works Cited section- you may use Easy Bib to create your image citations, only: http://www.easybib.com/cite/form/photo. Citations are required for all images that you did not take personally)
- 5 sources minimum, not including your image (you must include three sources from the course) - NO Wikipedia
- Free of plagiarism (copy and paste, substitution, and over-quoting)
description of expectationsFor each of the expectations listed to the right, you will receive one of the following ratings:
These expectations are published in Canvas as a rubric, but you need to ignore the point values, which are a Canvas requirement and do not amount to a letter grade. I will determine your overall letter grade considering how you have done for each of the categories, and prioritizing both strengths and weaknesses that are crucial for success in English 101. If you have questions or comments after listening to my comments and viewing your score, please reach out to me. |
publish & Submit
Be sure to click on "update" when you've finished your posting your essay on your website (on the page called "Synthesis," or whatever you decide to call it). As well, click "publish" to ensure that the most current version of your website is live and accessible. When all of this is complete, you can submit your assignment through Canvas. You'll need to copy and paste your site URL into the submission space. Follow the link below...