Write a Synthesis Paper + Memo on Diversity and Academia

Objectives: This assignment will strengthen your ability to develop and support an argument. Because your argument must be supported by research, you will learn some fundamental skills that are integral to researched writing, including summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting. The skills you have been practicing in this course will be vital in writing syntheses. Clearly, before you’re in a position to draw relationships between two or more sources, you must understand what those sources say; in other words, you must be able to summarize these sources. It will frequently be helpful for your readers if you provide at least partial summaries of sources in your synthesis essays. At the same time, you must go beyond summary to make judgments–judgements based, of course, on your critical reading of your sources–as you have practiced in your reading responses and in class discussions. You should already have drawn some conclusions about the quality and validity of these sources; and you should know how much you agree or disagree with the points made in your sources and the reasons for your agreement or disagreement. Furthermore, you must go beyond the critique of individual sources to determine the relationship among them. Is the information in source B, for example, an extended illustration of the generalizations in source A? Would it be useful to compare and contrast source C with source B? Having read and considered sources A, B, and C, can you infer something else – D (not a source, but your own idea)? Your purpose in reading source materials and then in drawing upon them to write your own material is often reflected in the wording of an assignment. For example, your assignment may ask that you evaluate a text, argue a position on a topic, explain cause and effect relationships, or compare and contrast items. While you might use the same

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sources in writing an argumentative essay as your classmate uses in writing a comparison/contrast essay, you will make different uses of those sources based on the different purposes of the assignments. What you find worthy of detailed analysis in Source A may be mentioned only in passing by your classmate.

Audience: “A Panel of Jurors” Hacker and Sommers, the authors of your Bedford Handbook suggest you “do not assume that your audience already agrees with you” (106). Instead, they recommend you “envision skeptical readers who . . . will make up their minds after listening to all sides of the argument” (Hacker and Sommers 106).

Assigned Reading: I expect your writing to reflect a thorough understanding of all assigned readings and class lectures. This includes readings in The Bedford Handbook, class discussions, and other assigned readings.

Due Dates: M 10/23: Summaries 1 & 2 Due W 10/25: Summary 3 Due F 10/27: Summary 4 Due M 10/30: Summaries 5 & 6 Due W 11/1: Annotated Bibliography and Notes (for ALL sources) Due at the beginning of class (Bring a print copy of your final, revised annotated bibliography AND upload an electronic copy to UTC Learn/Assignments Tab/FA3 Synthesis Folder). ALSO, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SUBMIT YOUR NOTES FOR ALL 6 SOURCES. F 11/3: Outline Due M 11/13: Peer Workshop Draft Due F 11/17: Instructor Draft Due (with Writer’s Memo: Single Document). Upload to UTC Learn AND bring a print copy to class.

TWO TYPES OF SYNTHESES THE EXPLANATORY SYNTHESIS: An explanatory synthesis helps readers to understand a topic. Writers explain when they divide a subject into its component parts and present them to the reader in a clear and orderly fashion. Explanations may entail descriptions that re-create in words some object, place, event, sequence of events, or state of affairs. The purpose in writing an explanatory essay is not to argue a particular point, but rather to present the facts in a reasonably objective manner. The explanatory synthesis does not go much beyond what is obvious from a careful reading of the sources. You will not be writing explanatory synthesis essays in this course. However, at times your argumentative synthesis essays will include sections that are explanatory in nature. THE ARGUMENT SYNTHESIS: The purpose of an argument synthesis is for you to present your own point of view – supported, of course, by relevant facts, drawn from sources, and presented in a logical manner. The thesis of an argumentative essay is debatable. It makes a proposition about which reasonable people could disagree, and any two writers working with the same source materials could conceive of and support other, opposite theses.

STANDARDS FOR SYNTHESIS ESSAYS 1. Keep in mind that original thought and insightful analysis are required for an A or B paper. C or D papers generally fail to present original ideas. 2. In A or B papers, your synthesis creates a “dialogue” between the essay author’s ideas and sources, and also among the sources themselves. Imagine a synthesis essay as a room in which the synthesis writer is joined by the authors of her/his sources. Everyone should be engaged in the conversation or debate, with everyone commenting on (or arguing against) each other’s ideas directly. In a C or D paper, each person in the room stands up in turn, gives a speech, and sits down, with little or no question and answer period in between or afterward. 3. Take special care to address your audience in an appropriate manner. Make sure you establish your credibility on the subject and that you provide sufficient information to make your argument (thesis) convincing. 4. Organize your paper logically:

A. State your thesis clearly and make sure that it reflects the focus of your essay.

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B. Make sure your main points are clearly stated (use topic sentences), and connect each point to your thesis as explicitly as possible. C. Divide paragraphs logically. D. Provide appropriate transitions both within and between paragraphs.

5. Develop each main idea thoroughly. Use specific examples and source materials appropriately as support. Be sure to integrate source materials smoothly into your own writing using attribution phrases and transitions. Also be sure to avoid unnecessary repetition (repetition is often an organization problem). 6. Select words precisely. When in doubt, use a dictionary! 7. Make sure sentences are clear and unambiguous. Avoid passive voice. Double-check to see that sentences are adequately varied in length and style, and that there are no fragments or run-ons. Also proofread carefully to correct any other sentence errors. 8. Proofread carefully to identify and correct mechanical errors, such as errors in plurals or possessives, subject-verb agreement, shifts in verb tense or person (“you”), comma errors, spelling errors, and so on. 9. Quadruple check your MLA documentation. Are your parenthetical citations correct? Is your Works Cited list correct according to MLA style, and does it include all sources cited in your essay? 10. Be sure to give your essay a descriptive and attention-getting title (NOT “Synthesis,” for goodness sake!!!). 11. Make sure your essay is formatted correctly and posted to UTC Learn (and that you bring a print copy to class on the due date as well as print copies to peer workshops and group conferences).

HOW TO WRITE SYNTHESIS ESSAYS 1. Consider your purpose in writing. Read the topic assignment carefully.

What are you trying to accomplish in your essay? How will this purpose shape the way you approach your sources?

2. Select and carefully read your sources, according to your purpose. Re-read the sources, mentally summarizing each. Identify those aspects or parts of your sources that will help you in fulfilling your purpose. When rereading, label or underline the passages for main ideas, key terms, and any details you want to use in the synthesis.

3. Formulate a thesis. Your thesis is the main idea that you want to present in your synthesis. It must be expressed as a complete sentence and include a statement of the topic and your assertion about that topic. Sometimes the thesis is the first sentence, but more often it is the final sentence of the first paragraph.

4. Decide how you will use your source material and take notes. You will be required to submit four separate annotations of your sources prior to writing your paper (submit in UTC Learn and bring print copy to class). Your annotations will cite the source in MLA or APA format, summarize the source, then evaluate the source: How will the information and the ideas in your sources help you to fulfill your purpose? How are they similar? How do they differ? In what ways do they help you understand the underlying issue?

5. Develop and organizational plan, according to your thesis. How will you arrange your material? It is not necessary to prepare a formal outline, but you should have some plan in mind that will indicate the order in which you will present your material and that will indicate the relationships among your sources.

6. Write the first draft of your synthesis, following your organizational plan. Be flexible with your plan, however, and allow yourself room to incorporate new ideas you discover as you write. As you discover and incorporate new ideas, re-read your work frequently to ensure that your thesis still accounts for what follows and that what follows still logically supports your thesis.

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7. Document your sources. Use MLA-style in-text citations and a Works Cited list to credit your sources for all material you quote, paraphrase, or summarize. For example, if I wanted to note in my essay the difference between name-calling and argumentum ad hominem as personal forms of attack, I would credit the article on “Politics: The Art of Bamboozling” from WARAC by offering a citation that includes the author’s last name and the exact page number where she discussed this notion (Cross 302). At the end of the essay, I would have a complete bibliographic citation for the “Politics” article.

8. Revise your synthesis. Insert transitional words and phrases where necessary. Integrate all quotations so they flow smoothly within your own sentences. Use attribution phrases to distinguish between your sources’ ideas and your own ideas. Make sure the essay reads smoothly, logically, and clearly from beginning to end. Check for grammatical correctness, punctuation, and spelling.

TECHNIQUES FOR DEVELOPING SYNTHESIS ESSAYS SUMMARY: The simplest – and least sophisticated – way of organizing a synthesis essay is to summarize your most relevant sources, one after the other, but generally with the most important source(s) last. The problem with this approach is that it reveals little or no independent thought on your part. Its main virtue is that it at least grounds your paper in relevant and specific evidence. Summary can be useful – and sophisticated – if handled judiciously, selectively, and in combination with other techniques. Sometimes, you may need to summarize a crucial source in some detail. At another point, you may wish to summarize a key section or paragraph of a source in a single sentence. Try to anticipate what your reader needs to know at any given point of your paper in to comprehend or appreciate fully the point you are making. EXAMPLE OR ILLUSTRATION: At one or more points in your paper, you may wish to refer to a particularly illuminating example or illustration from your source material. You might paraphrase this example (i.e., recount it, in some detail, in your own words), summarize it, or quote it directly from your source. In all these cases, of course, you would properly credit your source. TWO (OR MORE) REASONS: The “two reasons” approach can be an extremely effective method of development. You simply state your thesis, then offer reasons why the statement is true, supported by evidence from your sources. You can advance as many reasons for the truth of your thesis as needed; but save the most important reason(s) for last, because the end of the paper is what will remain most clearly in the reader’s mind. STRAWMAN: When you use the strawman technique, you present an argument against your thesis, but immediately afterward you show that this argument is weak or flawed. The advantage of this technique is that you demonstrate your awareness of the other side of the argument and show that you are prepared to answer it. The strawman argument first presents an introduction and thesis, then the main opposing argument, a refutation of the opposing argument, and finally a positive argument. CONCESSION: Like the strawman, the concession technique presents the opposing viewpoint, but it does not proceed to demolish the opposition. Instead, it concedes that the opposition has a valid point but that, even so, the positive argument is the stronger one. This method is particularly valuable when you know your reader holds the opposing view. Format: Your paper must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. You should have a clear thesis statement at essay map at the beginning of your paper. Each paragraph must be complete and include a topic sentence, support, and a conclusion. MLA Format: SEE SAMPLE PAPER ON PAGE 656. Typed, Double-spaced, header: your last name and page number in the upper right-hand corner of each page, 12 point Times New Roman font, no separate title page. DO NOT use italics with your own title, nor should you underline, italicize, or bold-face your own title. Use a normal font for your title.

Sources: You will include a minimum 4 sources in this paper (see “Assignment Folder”

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for assigned readings). We will discuss these in class and you will submit annotations of each source prior to composing your Synthesis Paper.

Length: 4 pages + “Works Cited” Page

Sample Paper: Sample MLA paper on (A MUST READ)

Due Dates:

Evaluation: See “Rubric” for criteria and points. This paper will be submitted in your final portfolio.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR WRITER’S MEMO FOR SYNTHESIS PAPER

DESCRIPTION You will submit a writer’s memo with your final draft of each of your three formal papers (Collaborative Video Project, Rhetorical Analysis, Synthesis Paper, and Cultural Artifact Paper). In your writer’s memo, you will analyze and evaluate your writing experiences. This will help you become more aware of parts of the writing process you enjoyed or with which you struggled, things you’ve learned about yourself as a writer, and things you will do differently in the future.

OBJECTIVES This assignment will improve your writing experience by giving you an opportunity to critically examine your process, peer workshops, and the assignment itself. Your Writer’s Memo will also serve as a diagnostic tool to help you assess your writing strengths and weaknesses.

GENRE Memo (see page 3 of this assignment for format)

AUDIENCE Your instructor

LENGTH AND FORMAT 1 to 2 pages, typed, double-spaced, one-inch margins, Times New Roman font. Memo format. Also, read about memos in your Bedford Handbook, “Memos” (p. 816). Your Writer’s Memo should begin after your “Works Cited” page. (Therefore, it is a part of your final paper: do not submit separately).

DUE DATES

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Due dates vary. Writer’s Statements should ALWAYS be included at the end of your instructor’s draft (as a single document). See course syllabus and/or assignment instructions for specific dates.

EVALUATION This is a required part of your paper. Papers submitted without a Writer’s Memo will not receive credit. Use the “Guidelines for Grading Preliminary Drafts and Informal Writes” in the course syllabus.

CONTENT/PROMPTS Your writer’s memo should discuss each of the bulleted items listed below. Write a minimum of one paragraph per bullet (6 paragraph minimum):

• Describe the parts of writing this paper you enjoyed and/or skills you

developed as a result of this. Did you learn anything new? If so, what? How might it serve you in the future?

• Describe the parts of writing this paper with which you struggled, or didn’t find

effective. What will you do differently next time to improve your writing experience? Don’t merely say something like, “I procrastinated.” Explain WHY you procrastinated and how much time you devoted to writing your paper.

• ALSO, if there was something with which you struggled or you say you “didn’t

understand the assignment,” carefully evaluate this issue. Why didn’t you understand? Did you attend all of your classes and do the assigned reading? Did you read the instructions (sometimes you have to do this more than once)? Did you ask clarifying questions in class? Did you seek help from your instructors or the Writing Center? If you did all of these things and still didn’t understand the assignment, try writing a sentence or two describing your interpretation of the assignment.

• Peer Revision. Did you participate in all of the required peer revision

workshops (both online and face-to-face)? Did you find your peers’ comments and suggestions helpful? Why or why not? Did you give your peers helpful advice? What were some of the suggestions you made to your peers? What would you like to do differently in peer reviews next time? What could you do to become a more effective peer reviewer?

• What grade do you think you should receive on this draft (A, B, C, D, or F—

See syllabus for criteria for each category), and why should you receive it?

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