WR 098
Paper #3 –Synthesis Essay
Final Portfolio
Goals: In this essay you will build on the skills that you have developed over the semester to construct a synthesis analysis in which you will examine some thematic element of Randa Jarrar’s A Map of Homein conversation with a theme from two of the essays from Globalization we have read over the semester. After completing the essay you will be able to:
Engage with multiple sources.
Develop an arguable claim (thesis) grounded in a substantive introduction to guide your argument.
Create unified paragraphs guided by one topic sentence and linked by appropriate transitions.
Choose suitable quotes from all texts to support your argument, employing the PED format.
Edit and proofread your own work
Employ correct MLA format including in-text citations and Works Cited entries.
Create an interesting and appropriate title that reflects the topic of your essay.
The final paper and draft will be turned in as part of a portfolio – that assignment is attached below.
Task: Write a 4-5 page essay (1,200-1,500 words) in which you analyze the treatment of a theme in A Map of Home with the similar theme from two essays. The theme can be one generated from class discussion or one you develop on your own. If you have questions about how effective a theme might be please come discuss it with me.
Comments: This is not a comparative essay, although the experience of writing that essay will be valuable to you in merging readings for this paper. Your job here is to bring together your chosen authors to engage in a larger conversation. Think about what the authors might have to say to each other.Is one piece an example of the argument another makes? Does A Map of Home support or undermine an argument put forth by the essays? What might reading them together reveal about the theme itself?
Remember that a claim is the answer to a problem that shows your reader why the claim matters. To get to this problem, ask yourself some questions. How does each text treat your chosen theme? Why does this theme seem significant or productive? Does it raise new insights about the memoir? Does reading the memoir provide new insights about how the articles treat your chosen theme? In other words, what’s at stake here?
Because A Map of Home is the longer work, it should be the foundation for your argument, although the other texts should figure significantly; you may use one more extensively than the other, however. When you initially introduce your texts make sure to give your reader a brief but comprehensive summary of the salient pointsbased on the analysis you are making.
Remember that you do not have to completely agree or disagree with your texts. Look at TS/IS Chapter 4 for various ways to respond to others’ arguments. The more interesting arguments are those that are nuanced rather than absolute.
When quoting, make sure to follow the PED formula so that your quotes are accurate and complete and their context is clear. Pay close attention to voicemarkers so that it is clear to the reader whose argument is being presented. Again look at Chapter 5 in TS/IS for suggestions on how to identify speakers in your argument; you will be juggling four different voices here (A Map of Home, the two essays, and your own ideas) so it is critical that your reader knows whose point your are presenting at any given time.
Formatting and Submission: Drafts are due on Thursday 16 April for both peer editing and collection. I will be giving verbal feedback in conferences on Friday 17 April and Tuesday 21 April; conferences are not mandatory but they are the only feedback I will be providing on drafts.
Papers should be 1,200 – 1,500 words (4-5pp), and will be submitted as part of a final portfolio, which is described below. As always, they should be formatted according to MLA guidelines including page numbers, headers, and a works-cited page, and include an appropriate title.
Schedule:
Tues. 4/14:In-class workshop – bring all materials
Thurs. 4/16DUE: Draft for peer-editing and submission
Fri. 4/17 & Tues. 4/21:Conferences
Thurs. 4/23: In-class workshop – bring all materials
Tues. 4/28DUE: Final Portfolio, including Paper #3electronically by 6pm
WR098
Final Portfolio
Goals: Your final project of the semester will be a portfolio, which will help you reflect on your progress over the semester. The portfolio is a collection of pieces (artifacts) introduced by a reflective essay that assesses your work and progress over the semester. Looking back over your work and constructing the portfolio will help you assess your strengths and weaknesses as a writer and reader, prepare yourself for WR100, and help you see the practical and general skills that you have developed that can transfer to other classes or settings.
Task: The portfolio will consist of:
Table of contents introducing the portfolio elements
Four “artifacts” that contributed to your progress over the semester
Reflection referencing artifacts (500 – 750 words)
Draft of essay #3
Final version of essay #3
Artifacts: These are pieces you have chosen from the work you have generated over the semester that seem representative of your progress. Artifacts can be any materials you choose, including but not limited to: earlier papers or drafts, outlines, annotations, notes, peer editing feedback, tutor sheets, earlier papers or homework assignments, free-writes (in or out of class), mind maps, class notes. They can represent what worked well for you, or what turned out to be a dead-end. The only criteria is that you must be able to explain why you chose the particular items you did – what role they played in your scholarly development. In addition to these pieces you must also include the draft and final version of paper #3, and should also refer to that paper in your reflection.
Reflection: This piece is the introduction to your portfolio and will present an argument about your development as a writer, supported by the artifacts. Think of this as an academic argument whose subject is your work. Look over the course goals; how well have you met them? What are your strengths and weaknesses and how do the artifacts you’ve chosen illuminate that? What strategies have you used to read, write or revise and how have they changed or developed over the semester? Don’t forget to refer to the final paper in your argument – how did that piece evolve and how well do you think it represents what you’ve learned over the semester?
Table of Contents: Once you have chosen your artifacts and organized your portfolio, you should create an annotated TOC that identifies each piece and briefly describes why you chose to include it in your portfolio.
As I read the portfolio I will be considering:
Is the argument in the reflection persuasive?
Does the reflection use the artifacts to substantiate its claim?
What is the quality of the reflection (grammar, format etc.)?