To complete this unit’s discussion, create two separate posts: one for each of the 2 prompts below.
Prompt 1
Effective academic writers know how to summarize. In this prompt, use Greene and Lidinsky’s categories to practice summarizing one of the assigned articles from Ch. 14 (“Why American Schools are Even More Unequal Than We Thought” by Susan Dynarksi or “The Good News about Educational Inequality” by by Sean F. Reardon, Jane Waldfogel, and Daphna Bassok)
Create a post that does all of the following:
Describe the key claims of the text. To understand the shape and direction of the argument, study how paragraphs begin and end, and pay attention to the author’s point of view and use of transitions. Then combine what you have learned into a few sentences describing the key claims.
Select a representative quotation to illustrate the author’s argument. Find one quotation that illustrates the “flavor” of the article, and that illustrates the author’s most important ideas.
Present the gist of the author’s argument. Describe the author’s central idea in your own language with an eye to where you expect your argument to go. (Hint: to ensure that you are using your own language, try to present the argument in a different order than the writer does. In other words, don’t try to summarize paragraph by paragraph. Instead, try to explain his position as simply and clearly as you can.)
Contextualize what you summarize. Cue your readers into the conversation. Who is the author? Where and when did the text appear? Why was the author writing? Who else is in the conversation?
Your post for this prompt should be about 150-200 words, and should include in-text citations for any quotations or paraphrases.
Prompt 2
As you learned in this week’s lecture, academic writing can be thought of as a conversation. (Remember Burke’s metaphor of the parlor?) After reading the assigned articles from Ch. 14, how would you describe the conversation of ideas these articles are a part of? What is the subject of this “parlor”? If you were to make a contribution to this conversation, what you say?
Your post for this prompt should be about 100-200 words, and should include in-text citations for any quoted or paraphrased material.
Essay #1: Rhetorical Analysis
For Essay #1, please write a summary and analysis of one of the following articles from Ch. 14:
·”Why American Schools are Even More Unequal Than We Thought” by Susan Dynarksi, p. 427-430
OR
·”The Good News about Educational Inequality” by by Sean F. Reardon, Jane Waldfogel, and Daphna Bassok, p. 430-434
Your audience is educated peers who have read the article, and are wondering what you think about it.
*Your rhetorical analysis must include a summary of what the article argues, and also an analysis and evaluation of how well the article makes its points.
Your essay should include those elements of summary that Greene and Lidinsky recommend:
·the context of the article
·a clear statement of what you feel to be “the gist” of the article
·a description of the key claims of the article
·1-2 relevant examples (direct quotations or paraphrases) from the article
As no summary is neutral, you must weave an analytical thread throughout your summary that suggests to the reader your judgment of the value of the article. You might consider including:
·examine how well the article appeals to its intended audience
·evaluate the author’s use of evidence
·identify the author’s purpose or motivation for writing
·point out the gaps and flaws in the article’s argument
Do not attempt to summarize every last detail of the article. Instead, focus on the gist of the article and your analysis of the how well the article supports its points.
Because an analysis is your perspective, it is appropriate to use “I” in this essay. However, do use “I” sparingly — your focus should be on analyzing the article, not on simply stating your own beliefs.
Guidelines for Essay #1
Length/Due Date: approximately 600 words,
Style/Format: This, as all essays in EN106, should be formatted in a standard scholarly format. (Most students follow MLA or APA guidelines, which are outlined in Easy Writer.) No matter what format you follow, be sure to do the following:
·Use 12 point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced.
·Use 1-inch margins top, bottom, and sides.
·Although no cover page is needed, you should include your name, my name, the course number/title, and date at the upper left-hand corner of the manuscript.
References: Essay #1 must quote or paraphrase the article you are analyzing. Each time you quote or paraphrase the article, include in-text citations that follow MLA or APA style.
File format: Please submit your essay as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file. These formats are available in most word processors, including Google Docs and Open Office, and will ensure that your instructor is able to comment on your work.
Works Cited/References: Create an appropriate bibliography, with one entry for the article you are analyzing. Use Easy Writer to learn how to format a end-of-text citation for a work in an anthology or selection in a book with an editor.
Titles: Include a descriptive title at the beginning of your essay that tips your readers off to your central message. Do not format your title with quotation marks, boldface, underlining or italics. Quotation marks or underlining are only appropriate if the title borrows words from another source.
Deadline: Submit your final draft essay no later than Midnight on Sunday at the end of this unit.
Use of essays for future courses: Please understand that your essay may be used— anonymously—as a sample for future EN106 students and instructors unless you expressly request that it not be used. Your work, of course, will only be used for educational purposes.
Assessment: See the Grading and Assessment content item under Course Home to see the criteria and rubric I will use to grade your essay.
Why Is This Assignment Important?
A very common type of writing you will produce in your academic career is a source analysis. The ability to engage in close reading of a text, identify salient arguments and evidence, present the text’s ideas in your own words, and evaluate that source’s effectiveness is foundational to entering academic conversations. Summaries also serve an important role in helping other readers make sense of a difficult text. You might think of analysis as the job of a tour guide: you are offering your readers a brief glimpse into another world.
As you learned from Greene and Lidinsky’s chapter, writing a rhetorical analysis involves a great deal of critical thinking and evaluation on the part of the writer. You must identify the author’s thesis (what Greene and Lidinsky call “the gist”), uncover how the key claims of that thesis are supported and developed, evaluate the conversational contexts of the author’s work, and, at all points, consider how your perspective affects your interpretation of the text.