Class - Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011

1. Roll/Class Next Week
2. Questions on peer critiques?
3. Using peer critiques effectively
4. In-Class Peer Review - Powerpoint
5. In-Class Peer Review Session/ Revising Draft 1.2
Final Questions on Draft 1.2?

 

Draft 1.2: Literature Review The Prompt: Objective: To develop skills for revising your writing. This assignment enables you to revisit your literature review and apply suggestions from your instructors and peers to produce a polished final draft.  Description: To complete this assignment, you will expand and revise the first draft of your literature review, draft 1.1.  Remember, your literature review must do more than just summarize the information. A literature review discusses previously published information about a particular topic or issue in order to accomplish the following:  • show readers what has been written about a topic, so that they can understand a particular development of ideas concerning that topic  • explain to readers why certain ideas or theories concerning a topic are being challenged or reexamined by researchers • help readers understand more about why a topic is being examined by a researcher in a particular way    Use the guidelines that you developed for Draft 1.1 to assist you in revising your literature review. Your review will discuss at least eight sources, all of which must be located via the TTU library databases and online catalog.   Minimum word count: 1500 words Format: MLA style for internal citations and works cited. Scoring Guide: *Note - graders consider if you make suggested changes or not. C1—Issue Focus and Identification Is the scope of the review appropriate? (Is the student trying to write an "epic" literature review?) Is the scope and focus clear? Do you know what topic(s) the student will cover?   C2—Context and Assumptions Does the student establish the context for the articles which he or she discusses?  Does the student indicate the importance or need for this review by accurately summarizing the critical context of the issue in general?  C3—Sources and Evidence Has the student accurately quoted and cited the sources?  How well has the student integrated source material?  Does the student use appropriate sources? C4—Diverse Perspectives Has the student synthesized articles which express varying viewpoints on the topic?  How effective is the synthesis throughout this draft? Does the student synthesize the sources, not only summarizing the authors’ perspectives but also providing insight into the significance of the authors’ contributions and their relationship to each other? C5—Own Perspective Has the student expressed a clear purpose for reviewing the research on the topic?  Is the student’s voice appropriate for a literature review (i.e., does the student summarize and synthesize the sources rather than creating an argument, an extended annotated bibliography, or a research paper?) C6—Conclusion Does the conclusion explain how the summary and synthesis enabled the student to achieve his or her purpose? C7—Communication Has the student organized the research in a clear, effective manner? Does this organization make sense? How effective is the student’s communication at the sentence level?

6. Draft 2.1- Discuss

Draft 2.1

Researched Argument The Prompt:  Objective: To practice locating and evaluating sources and then integrating those sources into a researched argument. Description: To complete this assignment, write an argument using the strategies and structures described in your textbook and the handbook. The argument should have an identifiable thesis, lines of argument, logical support, ethical and emotional appeals (if applicable), and consideration of alternative views.   You should use 6 sources from the TTU library or library databases as specified by your instructor for this assignment. Your essay should be 1500 words in length, not including the list of works cited. Please use MLA format (see Ch. 18 of your handbook) for in-text citations and your list of works cited.

7. Review Argument Readings - An Introduction - E-Handbook:  11; First-year Writing Textbook: Chapter 5 pgs. 135-153
HW:

1. Argument Readings - E-Handbook:  11; First-year Writing Textbook: Chapter 5 pgs. 135-153 - There will be a quiz on this material.

2. Watch Crossfire Segment
3. Draft 1.2 - Due Monday, Feb. 28 at 11:59 p.m.

Class - Feb. 16, 2011

1. Roll

2. Questions on Literature Review?

3. Reflect on Draft 1.1

4. Guidelines for Peer Review – Editing Tips, Ch. 6 – E-Handbook

5. Assignment

Reading

Textbook: Examples of peer critiques pp. 62-73

Assignment: Critique 1.1a and 1.1b

Objective: To demonstrate your ability to critique a text (in this case, a literature review) and articulate your critique to the text’s author.

Description: After you have read the draft provided, please respond to each of the following prompts as specifically as possible, using detailed examples and selected passages from the draft you have read to illustrate your points and validate claims about that draft. The minimum length of the critique (excluding questions should you choose a Q&A format) is 300-500 words. You will critique TWO literature reviews.

1.What is the author’s thesis statement, which helps to guide the reader for the purpose of the literature review? Is the purpose of the review clear from reading the first paragraph? In other words, can you tell if the review shows what research has been done on a given topic? Or has the author chosen to compose the literature review to explain to readers why certain ideas or theories concerning a topic are being challenged or re-examined by researchers? If the author does not give a clear purpose, what does the purpose seem to be?

2.How has the author chosen to organize the research that he or she is reviewing? How well does this structure work? Does the author synthesize the research, showing how various researchers fit together, rather than just summarizing sources? Is there another way to organize the information?

3.Examine the use of the source material. Discuss whether the sources are relevant and reliable, as well as whether they are used appropriately and effectively integrated. Explain to the writer how selecting or integrating sources in a different way might improve the review, providing examples of revised versions of introducing, integrating, and commenting on source materials.

Scoring Guide:

C1—Issue Identification and Focus

Does the student address all of the questions in the assignment?

C3—Sources and Evidence

Has the student provided specific examples from the critiqued paper? In other words, does the student directly refer to specific parts of the text (paragraphs and/or sentences)? 

C5—Own Perspective

Does the student offer pertinent suggestions to the writer?  Does the student show authority in relaying his or her perspective about the effectiveness of the text?

C6—Conclusion

Does the student provide an accurate evaluative statement about the draft's overall effectiveness?  Does the student discuss the significance of the problems he or she identifies in the draft (i.e., how important each of these problems are)?

C7—Communication

Does the student communicate his or her critique effectively?  Is the student's tone professional?  Has the student organized his or her critique effectively?  Is the critique relatively free of grammatical errors?

Class - Feb. 16, 2011

1. Roll

2. Questions on Literature Review?

3. Reflect on Draft 1.1

4. Guidelines for Peer Review – Editing Tips, Ch. 6 – E-Handbook

5. Assignment

Reading

Textbook: Examples of peer critiques pp. 62-73

Assignment: Critique 1.1a and 1.1b

Objective: To demonstrate your ability to critique a text (in this case, a literature review) and articulate your critique to the text’s author.

Description: After you have read the draft provided, please respond to each of the following prompts as specifically as possible, using detailed examples and selected passages from the draft you have read to illustrate your points and validate claims about that draft. The minimum length of the critique (excluding questions should you choose a Q&A format) is 300-500 words. You will critique TWO literature reviews.

1.What is the author’s thesis statement, which helps to guide the reader for the purpose of the literature review? Is the purpose of the review clear from reading the first paragraph? In other words, can you tell if the review shows what research has been done on a given topic? Or has the author chosen to compose the literature review to explain to readers why certain ideas or theories concerning a topic are being challenged or re-examined by researchers? If the author does not give a clear purpose, what does the purpose seem to be?

2.How has the author chosen to organize the research that he or she is reviewing? How well does this structure work? Does the author synthesize the research, showing how various researchers fit together, rather than just summarizing sources? Is there another way to organize the information?

3.Examine the use of the source material. Discuss whether the sources are relevant and reliable, as well as whether they are used appropriately and effectively integrated. Explain to the writer how selecting or integrating sources in a different way might improve the review, providing examples of revised versions of introducing, integrating, and commenting on source materials.

Class - Wed., Feb 9, 2011

1. Roll

2. Questions on BA 4?

3. Changes in office hours – office hours by appointment this week

4. Discuss Student Example of Lit Review Draft 1.2 – Grade based on Lit Review Scoring Guide

5. Critique of Synthesis - BA3

6. Outline Activity

The outline for your literature review might look something like this:

I. A growing body of research indicates that the effects of violence in the media have been overstated.

•A. The seminal study in this area is by Smith, who argues...

•B. Drawing upon Smith, Johnson takes the argument a step further and argues...

•C. Somewhat in contrast to Smith and Johnson is Garcia, who argues...

•D. Taking the argument in a new direction is Brown, who argues....

II. More specifically, recent research has also called into questions the popular public assumption that video game violence leads to real life violence.

•A. One important research study that demonstrates this was conducted by Cohen and Williams, who found that...

•B. A much different study that yielded similar results was conducted by Green, who found...

•C. A similar study was conducted by Kelly, who argued....

And so on…

7. Outlining Activity

8. Review Draft 1.1

Assignment

Reading

E-Handbook:  13, 15, and 17

Assignment:  Draft 1.1: Literature Review

Objective: To demonstrate your ability to analyze and synthesize research on a given topic into a literature review.

Description: Now that you have developed an understanding of how literature reviews are put together and function, you will write a literature review of your own on the topic of your choice.  Remember, your literature review must do more than just summarize the information. A literature review discusses previously published information about a particular topic or issue in order to accomplish the following tasks:

·         show readers what has been written about a topic, so that they can understand a particular development of ideas concerning that topic

·         explain to readers why certain ideas or theories concerning a topic are being challenged or reexamined by researchers.

·         help readers understand more about why a topic is being examined by a researcher in a particular way

Remember that many academic papers use the information presented in the literature review as the basis for making an argument or presenting results of research. It’s important to understand that a literature review is not the same thing as an academic research paper. A research paper supports your own argument or position about a topic; a literature review is written to summarize and synthesize other people’s ideas and perspectives about a topic. A free-standing literature review, which is what you are writing here, has a thesis statement. However, remember that the focus of that thesis statement is on the sources. A thesis statement for a literature review must have as its subject the literature. For example, an appropriate statement for a literature review on tax code reform might be as follows: “Although, historically, some economists have discouraged a flat tax, a large number of recent publications are making the case that such a strategy is a beneficial option.”

Your review will discuss at least eight sources, all of which must be located via the TTU library databases and online catalog. Your sources should be scholarly or other reputable or credible articles.

Minimum word count: 1500 words

Format: MLA style for internal citations and works cited

9. Lit Review Scoring Guide:

C1—Issue Identification and Focus

Does the student do a thorough job of explaining his or her purpose for the review?  Does the research/scholarly work take precedence? Is the significance of the scholarly work clearly stated?

C3—Sources and Evidence

Does the student use scholarly/reputable sources? Does the student synthesize the sources, not only summarizing the scholarly perspectives but also providing insight into the significance of the scholars’ contributions and their relationship to each other?

C5—Own Perspective

Is the student’s voice apparent throughout the analysis?

C6—Conclusion

How effectively does the conclusion pull the analysis together? 

C7—Communication

How effective is the organization of the review?  How effective is the student’s writing at the sentence level?