Class slides for 3/30 & 3/31 Metacommentary

To avoid misunderstanding: Essentially, my main point is ____. Metacommentary: telling the reader how (and how not) to interpret the text To avoid misunderstanding: Essentially, my main point is ____. My point is not ____, but rather ____. X is concerned less with ____ than with ____.

To put it another way, ____. What X is saying here is ____. Metacommentary: telling the reader how (and how not) to interpret the text To elaborate: In other words, ____. To put it another way, ____. What X is saying here is ____.

To be more precise; to move from general to specific: Metacommentary: telling the reader how (and how not) to interpret the text To be more precise; to move from general to specific: For example, ____. ____, for instance, demonstrates ____. To take a case in point, ____.

To show the relative importance of a claim: But above all, ____. Metacommentary: telling the reader how (and how not) to interpret the text To show the relative importance of a claim: But above all, ____. Just as important, ____. Finally, ____.

The first piece of metacommentary is the title of your paper. Metacommentary: telling the reader how (and how not) to interpret the text The first piece of metacommentary is the title of your paper. It should grab the reader’s interest. It should reveal something, but not everything, about your point. It should be a phrase, not a complete sentence. Hint: Use a working title while you write. When you finish the paper, go back and find a final title – maybe by pulling a key phrase from a paragraph near the end of the paper. But whatever you do, spend some time on the title – it creates the first impression of your work.

Exercise 2. Complete each of the following metacommentary templates in any way that makes sense. In making a case for the medical use of marijuana, I am not saying that ____. But my argument will do more than prove that one particular industrial chemical has certain toxic properties. In this article, I will also____. My point about the national obsessions with sports reinforces the belief held by many ___ that ____. I believe, therefore, that the war is completely unjustified. But let me back up and explain how I arrived at this conclusion: ____.

Guidelines for summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting sources. Acknowledge your source – at the very minimum, give the last name of the speaker (as listed in the Works Cited). If appropriate, give first and last name of the speaker, as well as whatever other information is relevant: the title of the book or article, the credentials of the speaker, and the context of the cited material (such as time or occasion). Summarize, paraphrase, or quote ONLY as much material as is necessary to make your point. Use sources to support your points, not to substitute for your own thinking.

Guideline for quoting sources according to MLA format. Include the author’s last name and page number somewhere in the sentence – but don’t repeat yourself. The bill is “dead on arrival” (Smith 43). Smith, however, says the bill is “dead on arrival” (43). In a tiny note on the bottom of page 43, Smith admits that that bill is “dead on arrival.”

Guideline for quoting sources according to MLA format. Whatever appears FIRST in the entry on the Works Cited page must also appear in your sentence.

(in 2 weeks)

(this week)

Write a rough draft of a paper in which you argue that a current situation or policy is unfair, ineffective, or otherwise "wrong" and should be changed. Your draft should be at least 600 words long. You’ll need a thesis: “X is unfair.” “Despite its intentions, the policy of ____ doesn’t work.” “No matter how you might dress it up, ____ is simply wrong.” You’ll need reasons and/or evidence to support your thesis. You’ll need to “connect the dots” between your reasons/pieces of evidence. You may use outside sources for this paper, but you are not required to do so. (You will, however, need to use sources for the final paper.)

Make a list of current situations and/or policies that you consider unfair, ineffective, or otherwise "wrong." Be ready to read your top 2 or 3 items aloud.

(next week)