ENGLISH 1302 WEEK 2

HOMEWORK DUE TODAY 1. WRITE DOWN 3-5 POSSIBLE PAPER TOPICS. 2. Use “The New Sovereignty,” “My Pedagogic Creed,” and “The American Scholar” to complete the following writing exercises. Part 1: YOU NEED TO MAKE A VENN DIAGRAM WITH 5-10 THEMES OR IDEAS. YOU MUST NOTE BOTH SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES. Part 2: Create a working thesis statement based on one common theme or idea that runs through all three articles (a statement that will tie all three articles together in some way).

JOURNAL: WRITE ON BACK OF HOMEWORK Take our your homework: 1.Discuss your top paper topic(s) in more detail. How does this topic relate to your major? Personal area of interest? What are the opposing positions of the topic? Make a prediction: Which position will have more articles or discussions? Have you found any peer-reviewed sources? If so, where from? What position will you eventually take on the argument essay?

TIPS FOR SYNTHESIS 1.Read the material carefully 2.Determine the important ideas in each source 3.Formulate a position 4.Summon evidence to support your position 5.Deal with counterarguments 6.Combine your source materials effectively

GROUP WORK: VENN DIAGRAMS Timed Activity (Five Minutes) GET OUT YOUR HOMEWORK: 1.Get into groups of three 2.Share your Venn Diagrams out loud as a group- make note of similarities and differences between your diagrams 3.Make a group Venn Diagram with the “best” or “most agreed upon” points

THESIS STATEMENT ELEMENTS A thesis states the main idea of a piece of writing. A thesis statement, often appearing near the beginning of the essay, functions as a promise to readers, letting them know what the writer will discuss. A working thesis should have two parts: a topic part, which states the topic, and a comment part, which makes an important point about the topic. It is potentially interesting to the intended audience. It is as specific as possible. It limits the topic enough to make it manageable.

SAMPLE BA2: SYNTHESIZING SOURCES 1.First-Year Writing English 1302 Samples Synthesizing Sources: Asmaul Indah (page 596) Questions: What are the three articles? What is the main topic? What is the theme connecting the three articles? Point out the thesis statement. How is the article organized? Point out the topic sentences.

GROUP WORK: THESIS STATEMENTS Timed Activity (Ten Minutes) 1.Share your thesis statements out loud. 2.Write a group thesis statement using your theme to make a judgment about the articles. As a group, agree on the strongest theme. You can use 1-3 themes in a thesis statement, but they must relate to each other. Frame your thesis statement around the theme(s) or idea(s). Use strong verbs Make a clear judgment or evaluation of the articles. 3.Write your thesis statement on the board.

BA2: SYNTHESIZING SOURCES Description: This assignment will help you prepare for your initial draft of the literature review. To complete this assignment, you will need to write a thesis-driven synthesis of three articles. “The New Sovereignty,” Shelby Steele 450 “My Pedagogic Creed,” John Dewey 46 “The American Scholar,” Ralph Waldo Emerson Read each article through once so that you understand its scope and the author’s argument. 2.As you begin to read through each article again, note common themes and ideas. What are the things these authors agree and disagree about? (Hint: You may find it helpful to use an organizational tool such as a Venn diagram.) 3.Create a working thesis statement based on one common theme or idea that runs through all three articles (a statement that will tie all three articles together in some way). There will be several possible common themes or ideas for you to choose from. Pick the one that you can develop in the most detail. 4.Then, write an essay which summarizes and synthesizes these articles. In other words, describe the common theme, explain how each author develops the common theme, and then explain how each article relates to the others. What are their similarities and differences? Why are these similarities and differences important to the theme which you are examining? * words