Welcome Back. Please bring three copies of your Trend Essay rough drafts tomorrow. To the people that volunteered to serve as the in-class workshopper, be sure you have an extra draft for me.
If you have having trouble, refer to the articles in the Speculating About Causes chapter.
Thanks,
Jeff Becker
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Research Process
Start Here:
1. Research to learn more about your topic. Develop background info. Build expertise.
For this paper: Establish the trend
Your topic is broad. Example: Immigration
Use:
*CQ Researcher
*Subject Encyclopedia/Handbooks (IE: Handbook of Immigration)
*Books (introductions/conclusions) / Newspapers
*Google (only to sift through to get to better sources).
Go Here:
2. Focus your topic. Example: There has been an increase in illegal immigration from Mexico the the U.S. (I have defined my terms).
Find specific articles from academics and other credible sources to use as evidence in your paper.
Use:
*Academic Search Premier
*Journal Databases
*Reference Librarians (the reference desk in the library)
For this paper: FOCUS ON CAUSES. CAUSES, NOT EFFECTS.
Causes->Trends
Trend: Economic Collapse in the U.S.
Causes: Unregulated Financial Products; Mortgage crash; greed
For paper find 5-10 academic sources
1. Research to learn more about your topic. Develop background info. Build expertise.
For this paper: Establish the trend
Your topic is broad. Example: Immigration
Use:
*CQ Researcher
*Subject Encyclopedia/Handbooks (IE: Handbook of Immigration)
*Books (introductions/conclusions) / Newspapers
*Google (only to sift through to get to better sources).
Go Here:
2. Focus your topic. Example: There has been an increase in illegal immigration from Mexico the the U.S. (I have defined my terms).
Find specific articles from academics and other credible sources to use as evidence in your paper.
Use:
*Academic Search Premier
*Journal Databases
*Reference Librarians (the reference desk in the library)
For this paper: FOCUS ON CAUSES. CAUSES, NOT EFFECTS.
Causes->Trends
Trend: Economic Collapse in the U.S.
Causes: Unregulated Financial Products; Mortgage crash; greed
For paper find 5-10 academic sources
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Thurs. 3/19
REMEMBER: Class will be held in the following locations.
ENGL. 121-05 8:30-9:45 Auraria Library Rm 245
ENGL. 121-17 11:30--12:45 Auraria Library Rm 245
ENGL. 121-13 1:00--2:15 Writing Center (SO rm 142) Room E.
See you there.
ENGL. 121-05 8:30-9:45 Auraria Library Rm 245
ENGL. 121-17 11:30--12:45 Auraria Library Rm 245
ENGL. 121-13 1:00--2:15 Writing Center (SO rm 142) Room E.
See you there.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Tuesday
DON'T FORGET MEET IN AURARIA LIBRARY
Due: Topic Proposal. Use pages 485 - 488 in the The St. Martin's Guide To Writing to develop some trends you are interested in. Use page 489 for help in establishing some of the causes of those trends.
Pick 3 to 4 of them and propose them to me, listing both the trend you are interested in and several causes of them.
ALSO...if you forgot to hand in your Analyzing Writing Strategies questions from the Goode and Saporito articles, please turn them in on Tues. (For those of you that are still confused about this: After each article is a section entitled "Analyzing Writing Strategies." This section asks you to engage the text and answer two or three questions about it. When I write on the board that I want you to answer these questions, what I am looking for you to do is ANSWER THEM. I don't see what is confusing about this, so if you are still having trouble please come talk to me).
Due: Topic Proposal. Use pages 485 - 488 in the The St. Martin's Guide To Writing to develop some trends you are interested in. Use page 489 for help in establishing some of the causes of those trends.
Pick 3 to 4 of them and propose them to me, listing both the trend you are interested in and several causes of them.
ALSO...if you forgot to hand in your Analyzing Writing Strategies questions from the Goode and Saporito articles, please turn them in on Tues. (For those of you that are still confused about this: After each article is a section entitled "Analyzing Writing Strategies." This section asks you to engage the text and answer two or three questions about it. When I write on the board that I want you to answer these questions, what I am looking for you to do is ANSWER THEM. I don't see what is confusing about this, so if you are still having trouble please come talk to me).
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Trend Paper
ENG 121: Essay 3—Speculating About Causes
Write an essay exploring the causes behind a current trend in American society. The essay should contain an opening paragraph which introduces this trend to the readers and offers a thesis forecasting the direction of your essay. The body of the paper should develop two or three main causes, or categories of causes, which examine both "surface" (obvious/practical/necessary) causes for the trend and "underlying" (less obvious/sociological/psychological) causes. When exploring causes, you must take into account a reason for the increase in whatever issue you’re looking into. For example, sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) among teens may be caused by teens having unprotected sex. However, this does not explain why more teens have STD’s now than 10 years ago. A look at changing attitudes about casual sex or a decline in parental supervision, though, might help explain why more teens are engaging in unsafe sex
Each of the main causes you give should be developed in a paragraph using evidence in the form of examples, facts & figures, anecdotes, etc. While it will be important to discuss a variety of possible causes, it will also be important to finally focus on a particular cause which you would like to explore in some depth. You may choose this primary focus because you think it is the most important cause or simply because it is of particular interest to you.
Your analysis of this trend must be supported by limited research. You must include a minimum of two researched sources in your paper that should come from the Auraria library databases. We will go to the library as a class and learn about research, so use those techniques to develop your paper. Researched sources may include books, magazines, newspapers, personal interviews, and reference materials (i.e., encyclopedias, statistical abstracts, etc.). Online sources are only acceptable if they come from a credible source (ie it must end in .gov, etc). Other online sources WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. All sources must be documented. Format for in-text citations and Works Cited page will be based upon MLA style, as discussed in Ch. 22 of The St. Martin's Guide to Writing and the MLA section of A Writer’s Reference.
The final draft must be accompanied by an outline
Your essay will be evaluated upon the following criteria:
• Appropriate introduction which sufficiently establishes the topic and ends with a clear, strong thesis
• A clearly established trend, either in the introduction or in a body paragraph, depending on the topic
• Body section exploring a variety of possible causes
• Body section exploring one particular cause in some depth
• Proper and effective use of researched information
• A complex discussion of the topic appropriate for an academic paper
• Correctly formatted Works Cited page
• Effective use of transitions between paragraphs
• Careful editing for mechanical errors
• Appropriate conclusion
Requirements: 3-5 pages, typed, MLA format including Works Cited page. Keep all brainstorming materials, drafts, peer comments, outline and other materials, including print outs of your research.
Example Outline Format:
I. Intro
A. Background establishing (naming/describing) the trend
B. Thesis: “X is a trend because of A, B & C” or
“We are seeing more and more of X because of...”
II. First Possible Cause (summarize in topic sentence)
(e.g., “One reason for the increase in X is...”)
A. Supporting details/evidence/examples
III. Second Possible Cause (summarize in topic sentence)
A. Supporting details/evidence/examples
IV. Third Possible Cause/Primary Cause (summarize in topic sentence)
A. Supporting details/evidence/examples
V. Brief Conclusion
Trend Topic Ideas (these are just ideas to get you thinking, not fully developed topics):
• Spots: Increased in doping in sports; Increased technology; Increased pay
• Well being: Increased speed in everything we do. Multitasking, instant gratification,
• Food: Global and local. We live in a global world, but more and more people are calling for local food; Fast food culture; Famous food personalities;
• Global politics: China’s emergence as a superpower; Shipping jobs overseas; terrorism
• Money: Failing economies (overpaid CEOs, Fed. Bailouts, housing foreclosures, failing banks, food stamps); the growth of the income gap; struggling to stay in the middle class
• Green living: (and the Green movement in general), alternative fuels, lifestyles, etc.
• Education: Rising tuition; alternative high schools, charter schools, community colleges
• Fashion: Fast fashion; “low-riding”???; hip vs. classic
• Rights: Gay marriage, more gays on television sit-coms;
• Youth: technology; STDs and drug use; financial independence; stress
• Family and Relationships: Divorce; working parents
• Technology: Octomom and in-vitro, Ipods and cell phones, social networking
• “Reality” television; Failing newspapers, more blogs.
• Music: Hick hop, Mp3 and the dying major record labels, MySpace,
Use the Pew Research Center to find ideas: www.pewtrusts.org
Write an essay exploring the causes behind a current trend in American society. The essay should contain an opening paragraph which introduces this trend to the readers and offers a thesis forecasting the direction of your essay. The body of the paper should develop two or three main causes, or categories of causes, which examine both "surface" (obvious/practical/necessary) causes for the trend and "underlying" (less obvious/sociological/psychological) causes. When exploring causes, you must take into account a reason for the increase in whatever issue you’re looking into. For example, sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) among teens may be caused by teens having unprotected sex. However, this does not explain why more teens have STD’s now than 10 years ago. A look at changing attitudes about casual sex or a decline in parental supervision, though, might help explain why more teens are engaging in unsafe sex
Each of the main causes you give should be developed in a paragraph using evidence in the form of examples, facts & figures, anecdotes, etc. While it will be important to discuss a variety of possible causes, it will also be important to finally focus on a particular cause which you would like to explore in some depth. You may choose this primary focus because you think it is the most important cause or simply because it is of particular interest to you.
Your analysis of this trend must be supported by limited research. You must include a minimum of two researched sources in your paper that should come from the Auraria library databases. We will go to the library as a class and learn about research, so use those techniques to develop your paper. Researched sources may include books, magazines, newspapers, personal interviews, and reference materials (i.e., encyclopedias, statistical abstracts, etc.). Online sources are only acceptable if they come from a credible source (ie it must end in .gov, etc). Other online sources WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. All sources must be documented. Format for in-text citations and Works Cited page will be based upon MLA style, as discussed in Ch. 22 of The St. Martin's Guide to Writing and the MLA section of A Writer’s Reference.
The final draft must be accompanied by an outline
Your essay will be evaluated upon the following criteria:
• Appropriate introduction which sufficiently establishes the topic and ends with a clear, strong thesis
• A clearly established trend, either in the introduction or in a body paragraph, depending on the topic
• Body section exploring a variety of possible causes
• Body section exploring one particular cause in some depth
• Proper and effective use of researched information
• A complex discussion of the topic appropriate for an academic paper
• Correctly formatted Works Cited page
• Effective use of transitions between paragraphs
• Careful editing for mechanical errors
• Appropriate conclusion
Requirements: 3-5 pages, typed, MLA format including Works Cited page. Keep all brainstorming materials, drafts, peer comments, outline and other materials, including print outs of your research.
Example Outline Format:
I. Intro
A. Background establishing (naming/describing) the trend
B. Thesis: “X is a trend because of A, B & C” or
“We are seeing more and more of X because of...”
II. First Possible Cause (summarize in topic sentence)
(e.g., “One reason for the increase in X is...”)
A. Supporting details/evidence/examples
III. Second Possible Cause (summarize in topic sentence)
A. Supporting details/evidence/examples
IV. Third Possible Cause/Primary Cause (summarize in topic sentence)
A. Supporting details/evidence/examples
V. Brief Conclusion
Trend Topic Ideas (these are just ideas to get you thinking, not fully developed topics):
• Spots: Increased in doping in sports; Increased technology; Increased pay
• Well being: Increased speed in everything we do. Multitasking, instant gratification,
• Food: Global and local. We live in a global world, but more and more people are calling for local food; Fast food culture; Famous food personalities;
• Global politics: China’s emergence as a superpower; Shipping jobs overseas; terrorism
• Money: Failing economies (overpaid CEOs, Fed. Bailouts, housing foreclosures, failing banks, food stamps); the growth of the income gap; struggling to stay in the middle class
• Green living: (and the Green movement in general), alternative fuels, lifestyles, etc.
• Education: Rising tuition; alternative high schools, charter schools, community colleges
• Fashion: Fast fashion; “low-riding”???; hip vs. classic
• Rights: Gay marriage, more gays on television sit-coms;
• Youth: technology; STDs and drug use; financial independence; stress
• Family and Relationships: Divorce; working parents
• Technology: Octomom and in-vitro, Ipods and cell phones, social networking
• “Reality” television; Failing newspapers, more blogs.
• Music: Hick hop, Mp3 and the dying major record labels, MySpace,
Use the Pew Research Center to find ideas: www.pewtrusts.org
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