university writing 30:151

january 19, 2016

BRIEF RECAp

• defining academic writing

• The "academic essay" as genre

• Other genres

process / life cycle of academic work

3 "ideals"?

8 characteristics of the critical essay

context, audience, & Purpose

the "academic" style?

the accepted discourse (responsive to context)

"literacy tasks" framework

#2 : ability to read complex texts

"complex" in 2 ways:

1) The content itself as complex

arguments & ideas

2) reading complexly

"active" reading:

interpreting & analyzing to find meaning

active process of developing meaning from the text

a "creative" process in the broadest sense

2 elements of "comprehension":

1) close reading

2) communicating

What ASsumption can you make about the relationship between these 2?

your understanding & comprehension must be communicated

three methods:

summary

paraphrase

quotation

distinct ways of communicating comprehension

how do they communicate comprehension distinctly?

start with purpose

what is your use case?

what method does your rhetorical goals require?

Your writing process:

clarify the purpose & let that purpose guide your decisions

summary

distinct from analysis and argument

used for support & context

unless instructed, not your main purpose

used strategically to advance your thesis

4 "Use cases" for summarizing

1) provide necessary background information

2) introduce a topic or text you will analyze

3) illustrate supporting evidence

4) early stages of writing

definition

summary as overview

summary as "distillation"

emphasis on main ideas

leaves out details, examples, evidence (Unless ...)

length?

10% of the original (a paragraph or two)

the most concise of these methods

perspective?

neutral

understand the distinction

steps (Engkent, p. 74)

1) read thoroughly & with purpose

2) identify main points & how they relate

3) revisit the article to separate ideas

4) "outline" your summary paragraph

5) start with a topic sentence

identify the author & title

6) rewrite the thesis statement in your own words

avoid direct paraphrasing or quoting at length

the essay's topic is not its thesis

a statement that makes a claim and asserts a position

7) summaries answer 2 questions:

1) what is the piece about?

2) what does the author say and how do they prove it?

may include some paraphrasing and very brief quoting

recommendation

tips

1) accessible and neutral

2) always reword when restating

use your own words & sentence structures

3) write with variety

paraphrase

detailed rewording of a specific point

adapting a specific idea for a new context

distinct from direct quotations

use vocabulary and phrasing that clarifies the idea to you

more effective at demonstrating

comprehension

enhances how well you understand the concept

any paraphrase requires citation and contextualization

observe the author's intent and meaning

handout

exercise

since the underlying reason for writing is to bridge the gulf between one person and another, as the sense of loneliness increases, more and more books are written by more and more people, most of them with little or no talent. forest are cut down, rivers of ink absorbed, and the lust to write is still unsatisfied.

 

WH AUDEN, "WRITING: OR, THE PATTERN BETWEEN PEOPLE"

quoting

when & why to quote

retaining the original

primary evidence

when you are analyzing or responding to a specific point

emphasis

how?

always provide context

1) introduce the quotation with your own context

2) analyze, explain significance, or respond

quotation

 "sandwiches"

"integrating" a quotation instead of "dropping" it in

if you can't explain the point or purpose, it doesn't belong

if it feels out of place, it doesn't belong

identical to the original

indicate (minimal) changes w/o altering the meaning

adjust the quote to fit your sentence's grammar

why use these methods?

recall the "what"of academic writing:

engages with work of others

recall a main characteristic:

support for your claims

showing in addition to telling

lends credibility to your work

rhetorical mode: ethos

provides resources to readers

more concretely: avoiding plagiarism

awareness of what you're doing and how to do it correctly

methodical "use" scenarios & clear contextualization

what is plagiarism?

summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting without giving credit

failing to cite or properly attribute

the most common violations start with incorrect use of these methods

plagiarism "spectrum"

severe?

intent to deceive

presenting another's idea or work as your own

examples

copy & paste

not written by you

direct paraphrase of a specific argument w/o credit

less severe, still plagiarism:

passing off a quote as a paraphrase

or: using exact words without quoting

poor citation or documentation practices

E.g.: lacking in-text citations

rule: when in doubt, cite

"common"

knowledge

varies by discipline

definitions of disciplinary concepts

except where noted, general facts, dates, "schools of thought"

Questions?

"too many references" is a writing problem

err on the side of caution, but ...

don't write a "patchwork" essay

employ references to serve and corroborate your claims

differences in the disciplines

[VIA]

review "ten golden rules"

clauses & Sentence Structure

Examples from Engkent's Essay Do's and Don'ts

clause

expresses an idea or "proposition" 

contains a subject and a predicate

independent clause

a clause is "independent" when it can function as a complete sentence on its own

subordinate clause

a clause that can't exist as a complete sentence

needs help from an independent clause

example

although famous people are rich and high class, they have to forfeit their privacy.

sentences

the expression of a complete thought

made up of one clause or many

4 sentence types

simple sentence

1 independent clause

we ran to class.

compound sentence

at least 2 independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction

i printed off my essay and i talked to a friend.

complex sentence

an independent clause and one (or more) subordinate clause

because I was late for the bus, I missed class.

compound-complex sentence

2 (or more) independent clauses and a subordinate clause

although i was late for class, my instructor accepted the essay and was pleased with my work.

apply this knowledge:

develop instincts for sentence variety and emphasis

handout

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