Writing Across the Disciplines

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Writing Across the Disciplines
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Organizing your paper

• Title
• Introduction
• Thesis statement/hypothesis
• Body Paragraphs
• Constructing Topic Sentences
• Building Main Points
• In an argument, countering the opposition
• Conclusion

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Analyzing the question (examples on page 56 of
your binder)

• Read the essay question carefully
• Underline the key words and check their meaning
• Highlight the action words

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• An example would be an assignment that asks you
  to choose a topic to analyze. You are also
  required to explain your topic using a specific
  example. You have chosen to write your paper on
  civil disobedience.
• What it means
• Analyze (the action word) asks for a definition.
  It also requires you to examine the following
  elements who uses it, for what purpose, what are
  its effects, what are its consequences.
• Examples which illustrate the concept of civil
  disobedience could include
• 1950s fight against McCarthyism
• 1960s struggle against South African Apartheid
• 1970s anti-war activists (Vietnam)
• Ghandi and Indias independence
• Martin Luther King and the integration of African
  Americans
• 
  

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Different Types of Action Words

• Information words ask you to demonstrate what
  you know about a subject (5Ws). Words like
  define, explain, illustrate, summarize, trace,
  research
• Relation words ask you to demonstrate how thing
  are connected. Words like compare, contrast,
  apply, cause, relate
• Interpretation words ask you to defend ideas of
  your own about a subject (opinion needs to be
  supported by concrete evidence. Words like
  assess, prove, justify, evaluate, respond,
  support, synthesize, analyze, argue

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Choosing a topic

• If you are having difficulty choosing a topic,
  make an appointment to speak with the professor.
• Brainstorm - write down the various aspects of
  the topic you know about from lectures, general
  knowledge etc.
• choose a topic that interests you

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Locate/evaluate resources

• When I begin my research on civil disobedience,
  I find that there is too much information on this
  topic so I will need to narrow it down. I will
  need to focus on one specific area of the topic
  to study.
• How do I accomplish that?

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• Possible ways to narrow down a topic
• 1.Geographically
• 2.Demographically
• 3.Time Period
• 4. Journalistic Approach (5Ws)

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The process

• Example topic Civil Disobedience
• 1.Civil disobedience in the 20th century
• 2. Civil disobedience in 20th Century Canadian
  society
• 3. Civil disobedience and First Nations in 20th
  Century Canadian Society

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A thesis statement is usually a single sentence -
summarizing the fundamental argument of an essay
or report. Typically, the thesis statement will
appear near the end of your introductory
paragraph.

• Thesis frequently answers the questions
• What is the subject of this essay?
• What is the writers opinion on this subject?
• Does my thesis pass the so what?' test?
• Does my thesis pass the how or why test?

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A good thesis statement

• Must make an arguable assertion.
• For example
• Heavy use of computers may disrupt family
  cohesion and increase divorce in society.
  (arguable because some people would not believe
  it).
• TIP To test whether your assertion is arguable,
  ask yourself whether it would be possible to
  argue the opposite. (if not, then it is a
  statement of fact, not a thesis).

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A Good Thesis Statement also

• Justifies discussion of the topic
• Expresses one main idea
• Contains specific, defining language
• Make a judgment about something or
• Offer a solution /recommendation or
• Explain something

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A winning thesis includes

• 1. a narrow topic (who, what, where, when and
  why)
• 2. a specific purpose or point of view (so what)
• For example Honesty is not always the
  best policy. Lying is harmful when it betrays
  trust or undermines the liars self image
  however, telling a lie can benefit others if it
  serves a higher order value than honesty
• 3. is strongest when it is one or two sentence
  with two parts. For example Drug addiction leads
  to social withdrawal, self alienation and
  disdain for the future.

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Whats wrong with these thesis statements?

• Experts estimate that half of crack babies will
  grow up in home environments lacking rich
  cognitive and emotional stimulation.
• Companies need to exploit the marketing potential
  of the Internet, and web pages can provide both
  advertising and customer support.

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Which of these thesis statements is good?

• Why?
• Pierre Elliott Trudeau was a great Prime
  Minister
• Road rage causes numerous negative effects on our
  highways including death, injury and damage to
  personal property.
• A successful relationship requires trust, respect
  and good communication.
• World hunger has many causes and effects.

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The thesis statement

• A strong thesis statement for an essay on civil
  disobedience and First Nations would be
• First Nations Canadians have used civil
  disobedience as a vehicle to educate the public
  about the issues facing them, as well as a means
  of forcing the government to settle outstanding
  land claims.

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Method for Constructing an Introduction

• Provide a hook a hook is a statement or two that
  begins the introduction. It engages the readers
  attention and stimulates curiosity.
• Provide background information. Include a general
  statement or statements that give a broader
  picture of the subject matter to be discussed.
• Thesis statement.

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Methods for Constructing an Introductions Hook

• personal anecdote
• - My first experience of racism in high
  school was when.
• statistics
• - In the 2003 Ipsos-Reid survey commissioned
  by the Canadian Centre for Research, 74 percent
  of respondents expressed the view that there is
  still considerable racism in Canada.

Think about the course and your professors
guidelines
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Methods for Constructing an Introductions Hook

• example-real or hypothetical
• A new school nutritionist changes the diet
  at the local elementary school. As a result,
  average height starts increasing. The changes are
  seen mostly in 4th and 5th grade.

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Methods for Constructing an Introductions Hook

• Question with a possible answer
• - What if you were to wake up in the
  morning and have no memory of the past? How would
  you function? Would you even know who you were?
  More and more Canadians are finding themselves
  suffering from memory loss, some of it quite fast
  and without warning.

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Methods for Constructing an Introductions Hook

• Quotation
• Youve come a long way baby.. Cigarette
  advertisers targeted females with this slogan.
  Virginia Slims was advertised as a womens only
  cigarette. Phony sepia-toned photos, picturing
  the sorry lot of a circa 1900's woman, were
  juxtaposed against color photographs of a far
  happier modern woman wearing stylish contemporary
  clothing.

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Methods for Constructing an Introductions Hook

• striking image
• - He pounds down the court, ball in hands.
  Deftly sidestepping every obstacle in his path,
  he barrels toward the net. Michael Jordan.

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The Funnel Method of Introduction

• The most common academic technique
• In life, people pass through different phases.
  They are born
• into a family, and then they grow up and reach
  puberty. After
• puberty, they are considered adults. At this
  time, the social
• burden on people become heavier, and new
  responsibilities
• are added to a persons burden. Graduating from a
  good
• university, finding a job, getting married and
  having children
• are some of these expectations. Most people
  consider these
• expectations, especially having children,
  reasonable and see
• them as sources of happiness . However, that
  children are far away from being
• the ultimate bliss in our lives on the contrary,
  they bring about more
• responsibilities and restrictions.
• From the General to the Specific

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The Turning an Argument on its Head Introduction

• - Canadian children are exposed to and take
  part in competitive sports starting at a very
  early age. By participating in such sports as
  football, tennis, and basketball, proponents
  (sources) claim, children learn the skills
  necessary to survive in todays fiercely
  competitive world. Recent studies (sources),
  however, have demonstrated how damaging
  competitive sports really are to the overall
  psychological development of children.
• In an argument paper begin with a sentence or two
  that presents a point of view totally opposed to
  what you really want to say.

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Paragraphs and Topic Sentences

• Paragraphs build on the claims made in the
  introductory paragraph(s)
• Topic sentences illustrate the main idea of each
  paragraph.
• Offering a brief explanation of the history or
  recent developments in your topic within the
  early body paragraphs can help the audience to
  become familiarized with your topic and the
  complexity of the issue.

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Paragraphs

• Paragraphs may be ordered in several ways,
  depending upon the topic and purpose of your
  argument
• General to specific information
• Most important point to least important point
• Weakest claim to strongest claim

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Paragraph Structure

• Is a three part structure consisting of an
• Introduction includes the topic sentence
• Body discusses the main idea of the paragraph
  using research
• Conclusion summarizes the connections between
  the main idea and the information discussed in
  the body
• (http//www.indiana.edu/wts/pamphlets/paragraphs.
  shtml

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Topic Sentences

• States the main idea of your paragraph
• Organizes the paragraph after stating the main
  idea, the paragraph then expands on it, describes
  it or proves it.

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Expanding on a main idea

• Techniques
• 1. illustrate your ideas with examples
• 2. give an authoritative quotation
• 3. anticipate and respond to
  counterarguments
• 4. back your ideas with more evidence
• 5. offer another perspective to the idea
• 6. brainstorm more insights about the idea
• 7. elaborate on causes/effects,
  definitions, comparisons/contrasts

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Offering a Counterargument

• Addressing the claims of the opposition is an
  important component in building a convincing
  argument.
• Raising a counterargument and then refuting it
  demonstrates knowledge about the subject and an
  awareness of the different components of the
  issue.

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Offering a Counterargument

• Counterarguments may be located at various
  locations within your body paragraphs.
• You may choose to
• build each of your main points as a contrast to
  oppositional claims.
• offer a counterargument after you have
  articulated your main claims.

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Counterarguing effectively

• Consider your audience when you offer your
  counterargument.
• Conceding to some of your oppositions concerns
  can demonstrate respect for their opinions.
• Remain tactful yet firm.
• Using rude or deprecating language can cause your
  audience to reject your position without
  carefully considering your claims.

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Incorporating research into the body paragraphs

• Researched material can aid you in proving the
  claims of your argument and disproving
  oppositional claims.
• Be sure to use your research to support the
  claims made in your topic sentences--make your
  research work to prove your argument!

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Incorporating Research into your Paper

• Use summaries, paraphrases and quotations to help
  weave your voice and your research together.

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Summary

• Reduces the passage by 50 to 75 percent.
• Clearly identifies the source in the first
  sentence of the summary.
• Uses synonyms to replace major words that are not
  generic.
• Summary Techniques
• 1.After reading the piece, list the most
  important points on a sheet of paper (keep the
  sequence of the original).
• 2. Reread the piece
• 3. Put the original away and using your list,
  write a short version in your own words.
• http//www.uhv.edu/ac/research/write/paraphrase.as
  p

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Paraphrase

• Restate an original passage by rewording and
  using different sentence patterns.
• Paraphrase ONLY for the following reasons
• 1. To emphasize important ideas.
• 2. To clarify a difficult passage.
• 3. To combine details.

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Paraphrasing Techniques

• 1.Understand the meaning of the passage (use a
  dictionary if necessary)
• 2.Divide the passage into smaller sections
  (include all important ideas)
• 3.Restate the information
• - replace as many words as possible with
  synonyms but
• remember that words often have more
  than one meaning so,
• consider the context in which the word
  is used.
• (Dictionary may be better than a
  Thesaurus).
• 4. Change the structure of the sentence.
• http//www.uhv.edu/ac/research/write/paraphrase.as
  p

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When to use Quotations

• To present technical words for which there is no
  accurate paraphrase.
• To avoid any doubt about the accuracy of a
  surprising statement or evidence.
• To capture the flavor of the original.
• To avoid an awkward or wordy paraphrase.
• To enhance your credibility as a writer.

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Using Quotations But How?

• Use a signal phrase to precede the quotation and
  introduce the speaker as
• According to William Shakespeare
• A study by Mahmoud Aziz
• Others, like Hemingway, believe.
• Avoid weak phrases like
• A study revealed,
• Experts say.,
• It is believed
• In my opinion
• I feel..
• Page 126 in your binder gives more examples

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Conclusion -- The Big Finale

• Your conclusion should reemphasize the main
  points made in your paper.
• You may choose to reiterate a call to action or
  speculate on the future of your topic, when
  appropriate.
• Avoid raising new claims in your conclusion.

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Organizing your argument

• Title
• Introduction
• Body Paragraphs
• Constructing Topic Sentences
• Building Main Points
• Countering the Opposition
• Conclusion