A Sequence for Academic Writing

Preface for Instructors 

Note to the Student

 

Part One: Structures

Chapter 1—Summary, Paraphrase, and Quotation  

What Is a Summary?

Can a Summary Be Objective?

Using the Summary

            Box: Where do We Find Written Summaries?

The Reading Process

            Box: Critical Reading for Summary

How to Write Summaries

            Box: Guidelines for Writing Summaries

Demonstration: Summary

Will Your Job be Exported?- Alan S. Blinder

Read, Reread, Underline

Divide into Stages of Thought

Write a Brief  Summary of Each Stage of Thought

Write a Thesis: A Brief Summary of the Entire Passage

Write the First Draft of the Summary    

Summary 1: Combine Thesis Sentence Brief Section Summaries

Summary 2: Combine Thesis Sentence, Section Summaries, and Carefully Chosen Details

How Long Should a Summary Be?

            Exercise 1.1: Individual and Collaborative Summary Practice

Summarizing a Narrative or Personal Essay

Dreams of Patagonia—Bruce Chatwin

            Box: How to Summarize Personal Essays and Narratives

Summarizing Figures and Tables

            Exercise 1.2: Summarizing Graphs

            Exercise 1.3: Summarizing Pie Charts

            Exercise 1.4: Summarizing Line Graphs

            Exercise 1.5: Summarizing Tables

Paraphrase

            Box: How to Write Paraphrases

            Exercise 1.6: Summarizing and Paraphrasing

            Exercise 1.7: More Paraphrasing

Quotations

Choosing Quotations

Quoting Memorable Language

            Box: When to Quote

Quoting Clear and Concise Language

Quoting Authoritative Language

Incorporating Quotations into Your Sentences

Quoting Only the Part of a Sentence or Paragraph That You Need

Incorporating the Quotation into the Flow of Your Own Sentence

Avoiding Freestanding Quotations

            Exercise 1.8: Incorporating Quotations

Using Ellipses

Using Brackets to Add or Substitute Words

            Box: When to Summarize, Paraphrase and Quote

            Box: Incorporating Quotation in Your Sentence

            Exercise 1.9: Using Brackets

Avoiding Plagiarism

Writing Assignment: Summary

The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln—Doris Kearns Goodwin

Chapter 2—Critical Reading and Critique

Critical Reading

Question 1: To What Extent Does the Author Succeed in His or Her Purpose?

            Box: Where Do We Find Written Critiques?

Writing to Inform

Evaluating Informative Writing

Writing to Persuade

            Exercise 2.1: Informative and Persuasive Thesis Statement

Evaluating Persuasive Writing

We Are Not Created Equal in Every Way—Joan Ryan

            Exercise 2.2: Critical Reading Practice

Persuasive Strategies

Logical Argumentation: Avoiding Logical Fallacies

            Box: Tone

            Exercise 2.3: Understanding Logical Fallacies

Writing to Entertain

Question 2: To What Extent Do You Agree with the Author?

Identify Points of Agreement and Disagreement

            Exercise 2.4 Exploring Your Viewpoints- in Three Paragraphs

Explore the Reasons for Agreement and Disagreement: Evaluate Assumptions

Critique

            Box: Guidelines for Writing Critiques

How to Write Critiques

Demonstration: Critique

To What Extent Does the Author Succeed in His or Her Purpose?

To What Extent Do You Agree or Disagree with the Author?

Evaluate Assumptions  

Model Critique: A Critique of “We Are Not Created Equal in Every Way” by Joan Ryan—Eric Ralston

            Exercise 2.5: Informal Critique of Sample Essay

            Box: Critical Reading and Critique

The Strategy of the Critique

Writing Assignment: Critique

The Common App Fallacy-  Damon Beres

Chapter 3—Explanatory Synthesis

What Is a Synthesis?

Purpose

            Box: Where Do We Find Written Synthesis

Using Your Sources

Types of Syntheses: Explanatory and Argument

Explanation: News Article from the New York Times

Private Gets 3 Years for Iraq Prison Abuse- David S. Cloud

Argument: Editorial from the BostonGlobe

Military Abuse

How to Write Syntheses

            Box: Guidelines for Writing Synthesis

The Explanatory Synthesis

Demonstration: Explanatory Synthesis— The Car of the Future?

            Exercise 3.1: Exploring the Topic

The Fuel Subsidy We Need—Ricardo Bayon

Putting the Hindenburg to Rest—Jim Motavalli

Using Fossil Fuels in Energy Process Gets Us Nowhere –Jeremy Rifkin

Lots of Hot Air about Hydrogen—Joseph J. Romm

Consider Your Purpose

            Exercise 3.2: Critical Reading for Synthesis

Formulate a Thesis

Decide How You Will Use Your Source Material

Develop an Organizational Plan

Summary Statements

Write the Topic Sentences

            Box: Organize a Synthesis by Idea, Not by Source

Write Your Synthesis

Discussion and Suggestions for Revision

Model Paper: The Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Car—Janice Hunte

Revise Your Synthesis: Global, Local, and Surface Revisions

Revising the Example First Draft: Highlights

            Exercise 3.3: Revising the Sample Synthesis

Revised Model Paper: The Car of the Future?—Janice Hunte

            Box: Critical Reading for Synthesis

Writing Assignment: The Changing Landscape of Work in the 21st Century

            Exercise 3.4: Exploring Online Sources

Chapter 4—Argument Synthesis

What Is an Argument Synthesis?

The Elements of Argument: Claim, Support, and Assumption

            Exercise 4.1: Practicing Claim, Support, and Assumption

The Three Appeals of Argument: Logos, Ethos, Pathos

Logos

            Exercise 4.2: Using Deductive and Inductive Logic

Ethos

            Exercise 4.3: Using Ethos

Pathos

            Exercise 4.4: Using Pathos

The Limits of Argument

Demonstration: Developing an Argument Synthesis—

Balancing Privacy and Safety in the Wake of Virginia Tech

Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech: Report of the Review Panel

Laws Limit Schools even after Alarms— Jeff Gammage and Stacey Burling

Perilous Privacy at Virginia Tech, Christian Science Monitor

Colleges are Watching Troubled Students— Jeffery McMurray

Virginia Tech Massacre has Altered Campus Mental Health Systems— Associated Press

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

            Exercise 4.5: Critical Reading for Synthesis

Consider Your Purpose

Making a Claim: Formulate a Thesis

Decide How You Will Use Your Source Material

Develop an Organizational Plan

Formulate an Argument Strategy

Draft and Revise Your Synthesis

Model Synthesis: Balancing Privacy and Safety in the Wake of Virginia Tech—

David Harrison

Developing and Organizing the Support for Your Arguments

Summarize, Paraphrase, and Quote Supporting Evidence

Provide Various Types of Evidence and Motivational Appeals

Use Climactic Order

Use Logical or Conventional Order

Present and Respond to Counterarguments

Use Concession

            Box: Developing and Organizing support for your Arguments

Avoid Common Fallacies in Developing and Using Support      

The Comparison-and-Contrast Synthesis

Organizing Comparison-and-Contrast Syntheses

Organizing by Source or Subject

Organizing by Criteria

            Exercise 4.6: Comparing and Contrasting

A Case for Comparison-Contrast: World War I and World War II

Comparison-Contrast (Organized by Criteria)

Model Exam Response: Key Similarities and Differences between World Wars I and II

Discussion

Summary of Synthesis Chapters

Writing Assignment: The Changing Landscape of Work in the 21st Century

Chapter 5—Analysis

What Is an Analysis?

            Box: Where Do We Find Written Analyses?

When Your Perspective Guides the Analysis

Demonstration: Analysis

The Plug-In Drug—Marie Winn

            Exercise 5.1: Reading Critically: Winn

Model Paper: The Coming Apart of a Dorm Society–Edward Peselman

            Exercise 5.2: Reading Critically: Peselman

How to Write Analyses

Consider Your Purpose

Locate an Analytical Principle

Sociological Insights—Randall Collins

Formulate a Thesis

Part One of the Argument

            Box: Guidelines for Writing Analyses

Part Two of the Argument

Develop an Organizational Plan

Turning Key Elements of a Principle or Definition into Questions

Developing the Paragraph-by-Paragraph Logic of Your Paper

Draft and Revise Your Analysis

Write an Analysis, Not a Summary

Make Your Analysis Systematic

Answer the “So What” Question

Attribute Sources Appropriately

            Box: Critical Reading for Analysis

Writing Assignment: Analysis

A Theory of Human Motivation—Abraham H. Maslow

Analyzing Visual Media

Writing Assignment: Analyzing Visual Media

The Appeal of the Democracy of Goods—Roland Marchand

Elements of an Effective Layout—Dorothy Cohen

Analysis: A Tool for Understanding

Part Two: Strategies

Chapter 6—Writing as a Process

Writing as Thinking

Stages of the Writing Process

            Box: The Writing Process

Stage 1: Understanding the Task

Papers in the Academic Disciplines

            Box: Important Words in Paper Assignments

            Exercise 6.1: Analyze an Example Assignment

Stage 2: Gathering Data

Types of Data

Primary and Secondary Sources

Stage 3: Invention

            Box: The Myth of Inspiration

Choosing and Narrowing Your Subject

            Box: The Myth of Talent

            Exercise 6.2: Practice Narrowing Subjects

Invention Strategies

Directed Freewriting

Listing

Outlining

Clustering and Branching

Drafting

            Exercise 6.3: Practice Invention Strategies

Stage 4: Drafting

Strategies for Writing the Paper

Writing a Thesis

The Components of a Thesis

Making an Assertion

Starting with a Working Thesis

Using the Thesis to Plan a Structure

            Box: How Ambitious Should Your Thesis Be?

            Exercise 6.4: Drafting These Statements

Writing Introductions and Conclusions

Introductions

            Box: Types of Introductions

            Exercise 6.5: Drafting Introductions

Conclusions

            Box: Types of Conclusions

            Exercise 6.6: Drafting Conclusions

Stage 5: Revision

Characteristics of Good Papers

Unity

Coherence

Development

The Reverse Outline

Stage 6: Editing

Editing for Style

Editing for Correctness

The Final Draft

            Box: Common Sentence-Level Errors

Writing Assignment: Process

Chapter 7—Locating, Mining, and Citing Sources

Source-Based Papers

            Box: Where Do We Find Written Research

            Box: Writing the Research Paper

The Research Question

            Box: Narrowing the Subject via Research

            Exercise 7.1: Constructing Research Questions

Locating Sources

            Box: Types of Research Data

Preliminary Research

Consulting Knowledgeable People

            Box: Locating Preliminary Sources

Encyclopedias 

            Box: Wikipedia

            Exercise 7.2: Exploring Specialized Encyclopedia

Overviews and Bibliographies in Recent Books

Bibliographic Index

Subject-Heading Guides

Focused Research

Electronic Databases

            Box: Using Keywords and Boolean Logic to Refine Online Searches

            Exercise 7.3: Exploring Electronic Sources

The Benefits and Pitfalls of the World Wide Web

Evaluating Web Sources

            Exercise 7.4: Practice Evaluating Web Sources

Periodicals: General

Magazines

Newspapers

Periodicals: Specialized

            Exercise 7.5: Exploring Specialized Periodicals

Books

Book Review Digest

Biographical Indexes

Dictionaries     

Other Sources/Government Publications

Interviews and Surveys

            Box: Guidelines for Conducting Interviews

            Box: Guidelines for Conducting Surveys and Designing Questionnaires

Mining Sources

            Box: Critical Reading for Research

The Working Bibliography

Note-Taking

Evaluating Sources

            Box: Guidelines for Evaluating Sources

Arranging Your Notes: The Outline

Citing Sources

            Box: Types of Citations

In-Text Citation

Content Notes

Full Citations

MLA Style

In-Text Citation

In-Text Citation of Electronic Sources (MLA)

Examples of MLA Citations in Works Cited List

Electronic Sources (MLA)

Periodicals (MLA)

Books (MLA)

Other Sources (MLA)

APA Style

In-Text Citation

In-Text Citation of Electronic Sources (APA)

Examples of APA Citations in References List

Electronic Sources (APA)

Periodicals (APA)

Books (APA)

Other Sources (APA)

Writing Assignment: Source-Based Paper

 

Part Three: Applications

Chapter 8—Practice Academic Writing

The Changing Landscape of Work in the Twenty-first Century

The Assignments

Read: Prepare to Write

Group Assignment #1: Make Topic Lists

Group Assignment #2: Create a Topic Web

Summary

Summary Assignments #1 and #2: Summarizing Text

Summary Assignments #3: Summarizing Tables

Critique

Explanation

Analysis

Argument

The Readings

Work and Workers in the 21st Century- Richard W. Judy and Carol D’Amico

The Untouchables- Thomas L. Friedman

Will Your Job Be Exported? - Alan S. Blinder

Into the Unknown- The Economist

Employment Projections: 2006-16 Summary- Bureau of Labor Statistics

Looking Forward: Five Professions

Engineering- Victoria Reitz

Business- Tom Peters

Technology/ Services Science- Steve Lohr

Law- Tom McGarth

Medicine- Matt Richtel

Credits

Index