Stage III Example

Feel like that kitty over there >>>>> ?

Maybe Stage III is really getting you down. Some students have expressed confusion to me this week, so in the interest of hopefully alleviating some of that, I've given an example here. This example isn't perfect -- the research question is biased and there aren't enough secondary source annotations, but it should give you a general idea of how to go about this assignment.

The reason I hate giving examples is because I want you to come up with your own solution to these problems -- to develop your own writing style rather than emmulate someone else. So I hope you'll keep this in mind; there are a million different ways to approach the Stage III research proposal assignment, and this is just one example of one way that worked (at least a little bit). You don't HAVE to approach the assignment in the same way as this student did. You do HAVE to have all the information requested on the "Stage Assignments" tab.

Hope this helps.

HERE IS THE EXAMPLE.

Sommers and Lamott Assignment

Does Lamott revise like a boss?

Sommers' article outlines how experienced writers revise vs. student writers. Lamott describes her revision process for us. Based on Sommers' definition of experienced vs. student writers, which do you think she would classify Lamott as?

Respond to this question and give evidence from both articles to support your claim. Use at least one quote and one paraphrase (and you'll also need a works cited). Use MLA format and please type your response.

Due Wednesday, Feb. 27th.

A few reminders:

On Wednesday, we'll be meeting in the library (Classroom #1). On Friday, I'm giving you all a workday to get some progress on your Stage III (no class).

Developing Your Research Question

Having trouble honing down your research question?

Why not post it here and see if your peers can help? I'll be popping in, too, for advice and guidance.

Feel free to ask anything research related in the comments section. This will be a good opportunity for us to share our thoughts/ideas/concerns/complaints about that smelly old professor, etc...

You can also discuss your ideas for primary/secondary research, audience, potential purposes/forms. The possibilities are endless!
 
Extra points available IF you're particularly helpful to someone else.

Mustache not required to participate.

Rose Comparisons

I think you all did a marvelous job with the Rose/Downs and Wardle/Flower/Neubert mind maps. Here are a few examples from earlier this week:

Downs and Wardle go out of their way to explain what good writing is. But this group, in my 8:45 class, decided to take a different approach and explain what "bad writing" is using all four articles so far this semester. It IS a vicious cycle, isn't it?

I think this group did a great job, too. They depicted the "writing rules" on a scroll, with "reading" and "writing" under the whip. Downs and Wardle suggest escaping from the writing rules, which is why they're, happy? I asked them why Flower was under the whip, and one member responded that rhetorical reading felt like it was rule based, too. What do you all think?

I liked this one, too. It shows how the writing rules are the cause of writer's block (and he's a Rose!), and how Downs and Wardle's approach would be a possible way to dispel it. This was from my 9:45 course.

Anyway, there were many more great examples of this, but I think these three were particularly informative examples. Let's keep thinking about conceptions of these articles, how they're related in discourse, and how we can join in on the conversation.

Great work, everyone!

Feel free to comment on the pictures below (or complain about why your depiction was so much better and should have been posted :-p)


Thanks to Gloria and Alan for sending me these pictures!

Thoughts on Stage II

As you're revising your Stage II's and writing up your PQP critiques, here are a few things to consider:

1. What claim is the author making about the construct? Is the claim clear from the context of the paper (Remember -- a claim can be like a hypothesis, your particular theory about a construct)?

2. How does the author incorporate inquiry into their investigation? If using primary research, how does the author connect the research back to his/her claim (to prove, support, or disprove). If using secondary research, how do the quotes, paraphrases and discussions included connect back to the chosen claim?

3. How does the essay exist within the discourse we've been having in class and in the readings? What original thought/analysis does it add to the greater conversations going on around us?

4. Who was the essay written for? What is its purpose? Are these questions answered by the context of the essay? If not, indicate areas where the author could clarify these questions for you as a reader.

HINT HINT HINT! These are the questions I'll be considering while I'm grading your Stage IIs! Feel free to post questions below.

Downs and Wardle/Flower Reponse Assignment

We've now read two academic articles (D&W and H&F), and they're pretty challenging beasts. I think we should all be pretty proud of ourselves for getting through them. But we're certainly not stopping here!

Here's your assignment:

 Practice putting yourself in conversation with both our readings. Write a paragraph in which you tell us what you think each article is saying, to what degree you agree with their positions, and how these two readings might be connected with each other. Include at least one direct quote, and one indirect paraphrase. Include citations, using MLA format citations for both articles. If you need help with citations, visit the writing center or noodletools.com

Why MLA, you might ask? The audience for this particular response is academia -- i.e, professors, students, and academics who are reading this work.  It's all about making rhetorical choices with our writing based on audience and content, but you already knew that didn't you? :)

If you need some help with MLA formatting, here's a link to an MLA formatted paper:

Also from The Owl, here's how to do an in text citation (you'll need to include this whether you're paraphrasing or quoting directly):

Citing a Work by Multiple Authors (This works for us because both texts have multiple authors)

For a source with three or fewer authors, list the authors' last names in the text or in the parenthetical citation:

Smith, Yang, and Moore argue that tougher gun control is not needed in the United States (76). -- a paraphrase

The authors state "Tighter gun control in the United States erodes Second Amendment rights" (Smith, Yang, and Moore 76).  -- a direct quote

And I'm so generous, I've included (in the syllabus) the MLA formatted citations for both articles. All you'll have to do is copy and paste them into a Works Cited page. Oh I know, I'm far too nice.

This is due WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH

Have fun (but not too much!)