Reminder: I will be responding to the essay drafts in "first in first out" order. Make sure you include your three questions, as this will guide my response. The turnaround time should be about 24 hours. Please email me again if you think I missed you somehow. Remember that these comments are not meant to be comprehensive! You guys are doing well but a lot of you have kind of a glued-together annotated bibliography so far, so there is a lot more to do past the first draft.
Reminder: Final drafts due by Google Docs or email by Sunday night, unless you schedule with me otherwise ASAP.
Clarification(s): A document containing the updated grade spreadsheet will be here later tonight. For those experiencing peer review holdups (giver or receiver), just email me tonight and I'll do my best to fix it.
Clarification: Sorry this got rushed in class, so I'm writing a note here to put my thoughts in order. About conventions for titles for academic papers, there is usually a one-part format or a two-part format. In the two-part format you have more flexibility with the first part to be a bit more creative/informal/general, and then the second part is the more hardcore research part. Usually you want that part of the title to be somehow expressive of the precise topic, or better yet the method or thesis.
Bad: "Needle In a Haystack"
Bad: "So That's Where Bin Laden Was. Huh."
Better: "New Investigative Tactics in Terrorist Counterinsurgency"
Best: "Satellite Forensics as a New Investigative Tool for Terrorist Counterinsurgency"
Best: "A Quantitative Analysis of the Counterinsurgency Applications of Satellite Forensics"
Best: "A Dance Suite Exploring the Counterinsurgency Applications of Satellite Forensics"
Best: "Satellite Forensics as a Complement to Interrogation in Terrorist Counterinsurgency Operations"
Other Best: "Needle In a Haystack - Satellite Forensics as a New Investigative Tool for Terrorist Counterinsurgency"
Other Best: "Needle In a Haystack - A Quantitative Analysis of the Counterinsurgency Applications of Satellite Forensics"
Other Best: "Needle In a Haystack - A Dance Suite Exploring the Counterinsurgency Applications of Satellite Forensics"
Other Best: "Needle In a Haystack - Satellite Forensics as a Complement to Interrogation in Terrorist Counterinsurgency Operations"
Now as to conclusions. I said that the first part of a conclusion is usually reiterative of the thesis, and the second part usually answers the questions "what's next." In they say I say terms, this means explaining how future researchers may extend/rework/rethink/reapply/critique your ideas toward investigating the same topic or a related topic. Or how the research could somehow be applied in the real world. So you're basically setting up your next "they" to follow after you. To put things in more wacky terms, think of the essay as a sort of journey that you've guided a reader through from start to finish. You've circled back around to where you started, but like Odysseus, McNulty, or Bella (?) you're not the same as when you started and you now have a capacity to think about things in a new way, ask further questions, propose a new speculative argument, research direction, or application, etc. I often picture it like this; NASA uses the orbital gravity of the sun or Jupiter to slingshot satellites into deep space using less fuel. So circle around and then launch further outward; conclusions allow you to be more speculative after being disciplined throughout the paper.
Just In Case: Of the several things I forgot to say today, this might be the most important. Because I enjoyed working with you guys, and because I realize that many of your classes are quite big and you don't often have true personal interactions with the professors, feel free to ask me for any recommendation letters you may need in the future. You're always better off to ask a more established professor or boss within the actual field/discipline/workplace etc. that you're applying for, but oftentimes I wind up being the wild card type recommender, and I'm happy to do so.
Link: I think Bill Simmons peaked as a writer in 2004 and I find him increasingly tedious, and would also like to go all Sophie Jones on his a**, but given that many of you are sports fans and Wire fans, you might enjoy this.
More Things I Forgot Will Inevitable Go Here Later...
Method Man lies. He actually auditioned for Writing 302H professor first, and I was going to play Cheese, but David Simon changed his mind at the last minute.
1. Im in the final drafting phase of my paper. Making minor corrections and checking the overall flow.
ReplyDelete2. Ive learned that writing to a writing audience is very different from writing to a psychology audience.
1. Where I am with my paper:
ReplyDeleteI'm almost done with my research paper. The only part that is unwritten is the conclusion (I had writer's block). I need to edit two sections (one to become more integrated, and the other to expand upon), and do basic revisions on the rest. I also have to think of a title; something I forgot to do until it was mentioned in class today! Other than that, I feel pretty confident with where I am and I'm pleased with the paper I've written so far.
2. Something I've learned:
I usually have a hard time pinning down specific things I learned in a class.. I definitely learned about how to properly use templates (They say, I say, etc) which was totally taboo in my high school years. I also learned about switching from scholarly to casual/colloquial voice for impact. It wasn't something I even knew I was allowed to do. If I ever did it before, it was without noticing. Now I put thought into how I can use the voice contrast to my advantage.
1. I am about halfway finished with my research paper, need to add some paragraphs and a conclusion and then reorganize some of the paragraphs to ensure fluidity.
ReplyDelete2. I really enjoyed the workshop on better integrating quotes into our writing. I have always known how to incorporate quotes but the workshop helped fine-tune the process.
1. I changed my aim for my paper so I am in the drafting phase but I am still doing a small amount of research. My first thesis/ topic seemed too typical to me so I didn't feel like I was doing original research. I felt like I was just reiterating what others have said and I had nothing to add.
ReplyDelete2. I learned that templates are NOT for suckas. Normally if someone tried to tell me to use a template to write a paper I'd probably laugh in their faces. But templates are pretty cool and they turned out to be very helpful.
1. I was unable to include my interview quotes in my first draft because I didn't allow enough time for a turnaround. So I need to incorporate those opinions. I need to organize my work a bit better so it does not sound like a first draft with all my silly mistakes.
ReplyDelete2. I am trying to recognize when I add too much information without analyzing each piece properly before moving onto the next piece of evidence.(aka i give too many facts without relating them back to my original point) I also learned that there is such a thing as a "carrying case" for a banana.
1) I'm still in a second draft stage and playing with some of the ideas I'm presenting in my research paper. While I have all my research done, I'm struggling with how to present it (so...basically I have all the surrounding paragraphs done, but none of the real meat of arguments).
ReplyDelete2)I really enjoyed how open and free we were to have class discussions. It was something I greatly looked forward to and got a lot from. People saw things that I would have never gained from my own reading of the articles assigned and the episodes we watched. It was also really cool to do a class on something like the wire that is so new and in this decade.
1. I am finished with my first draft for research paper but I have a lot to revise during the weekend. I also need to find more information and rewrite my conclusion.
ReplyDelete2. I have learned a lot of things in this class such as how to write thesis in a form of "They say" "I say" which I never learned or heard it before. I also learn how to put a quote and how to form a introduction paragraph: context, intro, method, and purpose.
1.I am almost done with my research paper. I still want to look over the revisions of my paper more in depth. After I do this I will make last minute alterations to the paper if necessary. The final thing I want to check is the overall flow and organization of the paper.
ReplyDelete2. I learned a lot of interesting things in this class. The way the class was handled taught me how to really stay on top of my work and stick to a deadline and so on. The feedback from the drafts of all of the papers was very helpful and also taught me a lot. I learned how to better construct a paper and how to use strategies out of the They Say I Say book.
1. I am almost finished with my research paper. I still need to make a few changes here and there, but overall, I am happy with how this paper has turned out.
ReplyDelete2. Overall, this has been an interesting semester for me. I enjoyed learning about the "They say I say" statements that one can use in writing a paper. I also enjoyed the workshop on putting quotes into our writing. I hope that all of the information that I have learned this semester will help me become a better writer in the future.
1. I just need to do an overall proofreading of my essay and ensure that all sources are accounted for. Also, I still need to add to my conclusion and make sure the last sentence of each paragraph transitions smoothly into the next.
ReplyDelete2. I'm also writing about the They Say I Say template. I've never even head about this until I took this class, but I'm glad I did.
1. My paper is pretty much written, but it is much too long and disorganized, so I have some restructuring to do. I will probably need to do more research as well, as some of my sources are showing themselves to not be as useful as I thought they would be.
ReplyDelete2. This class has so far been the only writing class I've ever enjoyed, despite the rumors that ENGL 302 was going to be a terrible class. I feel that I have grown so much in my writing; that I write so much better than I ever have in the past. This class has taught me how to really articulate my thoughts. The readings from "They say, I say" were also extremely helpful. I'm keeping that book.