Essay Writing Workshop 1 Lawrence Cleary, Íde O’Sullivan Regional Writing Centre

Plan of workshops Workshops: Weeks 5, 7, 8 and 9 Tuesday 14:00 – 15:00 Wednesday 15:00 – 16:00 Drop-in/One-to-one sessions:    Mon        —           2–4 pm    Tues       10—12    2–4 pm    Wed       10—12     2–4 pm    Thurs     10—12     2–4 pm    Fri          10—12    —  Writing Centre: www.ul.ie/rwc

Workshops Session 1: Understanding the essay question. Planning and organising your essay. Session 2: Developing an effective argument. Structuring your essay. Session 3: Citing and writing a reference page. Strategies to develop writing. Session 4: Academic writing style. Editing and proofreading your essay.

Criteria on which assessment is based What is expected? That the student addresses the assignment question: Does the essay deal with the topic that was set? Does the essay answer the question that was set? Does it cover all the main aspects and in sufficient depth? Is the content accurate and relevant? Is everything in the essay relevant to the question? See handout, ‘Checklist’. Firstly, a word about grades By what criteria do professors evaluate and grade essays?

Criteria on which assessment is based What is expected? Continued…… That the writing is appropriate to the intended audience. That the quality is ambitious and mature. That the writer has read widely. That the writer is able to draw on personal experience.

Criteria on which assessment is based What is expected? Continued…… That the writing is ‘marked by a range of stylistic features appropriate to a given writing situation’ (Neuleib, 1997: 97). That the writer has allowed time for revision, both globally and locally, and that the paper is neatly typed, well presented, and free from mechanical and grammatical error.

Key stages in the process Planning Drafting Revision Editing and Proofreading One way to divide up the stages that one goes through is as presented here. A Reiterative Process Understanding the essay question and the instructions is one part of the planning process: What are some other tasks performed in this stage? ...In the Drafting stage? ...in the Revision stage? Brainstorming Mind maps Research Reading/note-taking – the importance of referencing properly Researching to find the truth, not just someone who agrees with you. Planning and organising your essay Getting started Structuring your essays (paragraphing) Developing an argument The importance of evidence/theories/data Drafting and redrafting your essay Editing and proofreading your essay Simple plan – introduction, middle, end

The Rhetorical Situation Occasion Topic Audience Purpose Writer Occasion: Time / Space restrictions. How much time, how many words, in what form? Audience: Expectations: stylistic conventions, formatting issues, academic rigor? Discourse community. Topic: What do I already know; what do I need to know? How do I discover? Purpose: Express my feelings, inform, persuade? Academic persuasion. Writer: What are my strengths and weaknesses? What is my experience with academic writing? What strategies have I developed? What criteria do I use to self-evaluate how well I am doing? Are my strategies working? What emotional response do I have to assigned writing tasks? 8

Analysing and understanding the assignment question Analyse the components of the assignment question. If the assignment question is not in an interrogative form, convert it into a question you can answer (What question(s) need be answered in order to satisfy the requirements of this assignment?). Think about the assignment question in relation to the rhetorical situation. Failure often due to the fact that students do not understand what is being asked of them.

The components of the assignment question Identify the topic. Ask yourself if the question is asking you to limit your conversation to a certain aspect of the topic. Identify the instruction. (Most assignments contain an instruction word such as ‘discuss’, ‘compare’, ‘analyse’, or ‘explain’.) Ascertain if the professor is asking you to write from a particular point of view. Identify any assignment words that restrict, or expand on, your subject.

Analysing and understanding the assignment question Example: ‘Explain Chomsky’s idea of Universal Grammar (UG).’ Topic: ‘Universal Grammar’ Instruction: ‘Explain’ Aspect: ‘Chomsky’s idea of’ Restriction or expansion: none Viewpoint: none

Analysing and understanding the assignment question Think of an assignment question as an invitation to participate in the discourse already taking place in the community that shares in your academic interests. Recall that you have joined an already on-going conversation. Think about the particular conversations already taking place with respect to both your topic and the particular aspect of your topic that you have been asked to write about. Essay question is an invitation to participate in an already ongoing discussion

Analysing and understanding the assignment question Keep in mind the assignment question, any questions you need to answer in order to answer the assignment question, and the instruction word as you plan your essay. From beginning to end, the point of order is the initial question, claim or hypothesis. Do not “write down all you know about…”

Researching the essay Deciding on appropriate resources for research: What questions do we need to answer before we can answer the assignment question? Where is the best place to source the answers to those questions? What do we need to know in order to answer this question?

Researching the essay: Asking the question questions Example: Our assignment question asks us to discuss a statement in R. Trask’s Language—The Basics, p. 78: ‘Language provides a powerful way of maintaining and demonstrating group membership.’ What questions do we need to answer before we can answer the assignment question?

Researching the essay: Asking the question questions Example: Our assignment question asks us to discuss a statement in R. Trask’s Language—The Basics, p. 78: ‘Language provides a powerful way of maintaining and demonstrating group membership.’ The assignment question might be rephrased as: ‘What is the strength of this statement in Trask?’ What do we need to know in order to answer this question? Hint: Keep in mind the instruction word. The ‘Example’ is posted again here, along with the statement being discussed. This is juxtaposed with one possible conversion to its interrogative form. The ‘Hint’ is to send students minds back to ‘the components of a question’. The topic is ‘language’; this will be important for a keyword search (though it is very broad), as will ‘group membership’. The instruction is to ‘discuss’, which students should consider when formulating questions to ask of the question. For instance, ‘discuss’ requires a student to explain an item or concept (in this case, it is the phenomenon whereby language becomes a tool of social cohesion and preservation). The important thing is that it has to be explained, even if only theoretically, or at least demonstrated. Any theories explaining this interrelation between language and speech communities has to be explained in detail, according to the requirements of the instruction component here. The explanation has to be supported with evidence. Arguments for the theory / theories have to be balanced by arguments against it / them. Facts have to be explained and both sides of the argument(s) evaluated. Conclusions have to be drawn, or at least inferences made. There is a point of view to be considered here. The quote, itself, is a point of view that serves as a point of departure. We have to consider the validity of the statement and its implications. Instruction: Allow students to formulate questions; if they are slow to participate, elicit answers.

Researching the essay: Asking the question questions Possible Answers: What does Trask mean by ‘language’? …by ‘group membership’? How does Trask back up this claim that ‘language’ helps to ‘maintain and demonstrate’ this group membership? In other words, what detailed supportive information, such as facts and examples, does he use to argue his case? Does Trask hint at any arguments against his claim? What are some of the arguments against his claim? This sounds like sociolinguistics. Who else have I read that has spoken on this issue? These are possible answers. Their importance lies in their usefulness in helping to introduce the next few slides, which asks where the answers to these questions might be found.

Researching the essay: Finding the answers Where would I look for the answer to the first three questions? Context: Finding Trask’s reference: The source of the quote: Find the reference on the University of Limerick’s Library catalogue. Where would I find the answer to the fourth question? Try a keyword search: Search ‘Speech communities’ Search ‘Socio-linguistics’ Search ‘language and identity’

Researching the essay Try a database search: Choose a database from the library database search page What other sources are available to you? Primary sources Secondary sources UL Library Quick-start Tutorials Give out library handout. Allow students to search databases using ‘language and identity’, or some other keyword search appropriate to your area of study, for starters. Perhaps, in the interest of time, select five students to search five particular databases, and have them report back their findings. Have them report how many hits they are getting, and have them assess the appropriateness of the hits. Do they think that any of the hits would assist in answering our remaining questions?

Reading and note-taking Reading in detail Reading critically Selecting and note-taking Distinguish between your words and the words of the author Paraphrasing, summarising, and synthesising Documenting Sources: Record the author’s name, the title of the book, chapter, article, etc., the date of publication, the place of publication, and the page(s) on which the borrowed information is found. 1. Scan texts looking for relevant sources. Skim through these sources, read the introductions and conclusion perhaps, to be sure they are relevant to your thesis or question. When you think you have identified relevant sources, read the relevant sections carefully and make notes on them. 2. Make notes on these books and articles. Use your own words. Do not copy unless you think you will want to quote word for word. You will need to paraphrase and summarise what you read. Fully record the bibliographical details of the materials you use. 3. Produce your notes. Remember to record full bibliographical details of the books and articles you have read. http://www.uefap.co.uk/writing/writfram.htm To read critically is to make judgements about how a text is argued. This is a highly reflective skill requiring you to "stand back" and gain some distance from the text you are reading. (You might have to read a text through once to get a basic grasp of content before you launch into an intensive critical reading.) THE KEY IS THIS: don't read looking only or primarily for information do read looking for ways of thinking about the subject matter When you are reading, highlighting, or taking notes, avoid extracting and compiling lists of evidence, lists of facts and examples. Avoid approaching a text by asking "What information can I get out of it?" Rather ask "How does this text work? How is it argued? How is the evidence (the facts, examples, etc.) used and interpreted? How does the text reach its conclusions? http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/critrdg.html

Reporting the work of others Making use of the ideas of other people is one of the most important aspects of academic writing because it shows awareness of other people’s work; it shows that you can use their ideas and findings; it shows you have read and understood the material you are reading; it shows where your contribution fits in; it supports the points you are making. (Gillet, 2005) Essential skill – workshop 3

Planning and organising your essay Keep in mind the assignment question, any questions you need to answer in order to answer the assignment question, and the instruction word as you plan your essay. From beginning to end, the point of order is the initial question, claim or hypothesis. Do not “write down all you know about…” The essay must have a clear structure - it should not be a Magical Mystery Tour!

Planning and organising your essay Instruction words in the assignment question often indicate the method of development which ‘will influence or even determine how you organize your paper’ (Ebest et al., 1997: 13). If your instructions were to compare or contrast, or to show the cause or effect of something, then your method of development is set, and how you organise your paper is largely determined by those methods of organisation normally used to illuminate or explain something .

Planning and organising your essay Analysis, classification, definition, exemplification, narration, process essays, and discussions, for instance, would require different kinds of organisational strategies appropriate to the particular task at hand. Narration or processes might be organised around a chronological organisation pattern. Descriptions might be either chronologically or spatially ordered, depending on the nature of that being described. See: www.uefap.com Analysis, classification, or definition, for example, might be organised around the principles of a logical division of ideas, organised either from the general to the specific, or around some sense of an increasing order of importance.

Planning and organising your essay The instruction word will indicate that a thesis is either called for, or not called for. For instance, instructions that ask you to summarise or outline something are not normally interpreted as calling for a thesis statement. The method of development and organisation will suggest where the thesis will appear in your essay. Next week. How to develop the argument.

Drafting the essay: Essay structure When drafting your plan, always keep in mind that an essay always has to contain the following elements: Title Page Introduction Body Conclusion References Recommendation: When drafting, save the title page and the References, each, as separate documents. This prevents the text from slipping and sliding up and down as you add or subtract from your body—I don’t mean your body, I mean…you know what I mean. Stop!

Working out a timesheet Source: McMillan, K. and Meyers, J Working out a timesheet Source: McMillan, K. and Meyers, J. (2007) How to Write Essays and Assignments, Harlow:Prentice Hall. Aspect of the task Time allocated When I plan to do this Analysing the task Doing preliminary reading Planning the response to the task Doing supplementary reading Writing the first draft Reviewing the first draft Editing/ proof-reading the final copy Printing/ writing out the final copy Time margin for the unexpected