Final Exam Review Terms

Although the final exam may include any concept we covered this quarter, I intend to focus on the following:

I: Sentence level issues

            A. Commas

                        1. Separating items in a series

                        2. With coordinating conjunctions to form compound sentences

                        3. After introductory elements

                        4. With nonrestrictive elements

                        5. Comma splices

                        6. Fused sentences (run-ons)           

           

            B. Semicolons

                        1. To join independent clauses

                        2. To separate a series of items already containing commas

            C. Apostrophes

                        1. To indicate possession

                        2. With conjunctions

            D. Using punctuation with quotation marks

                        1. Placement of periods, commas, and question marks

                        2. Using ellipses to indicate omissions

                        3. Using square brackets to indicate changes

            E. Pronouns

                        1. Vague pronoun reference

                        2. Pronoun-antecedent agreement

            F. Manuscript format           

            G.  Title format

                        1. Italics, underlining, quotation marks, capitalization

            H. Usage, etc.
                        1. Wrong word errors: your/every day/ there/effect/literal
                        2. Referring to real people by last name

II. Paragraph and essay level issues

            A. Specific and concrete language

                        1. Avoiding generalizations and clichés

            B. Paragraph focus

                        1. Topic sentences

                        2. Supporting examples and development

                                    a. Sensory details, analogies, facts, statistics, testimony, metaphors

            C. Essay focus and argument

                        1. Thesis/claim

                        2. Evidence/support

                        3. Counterarguments

                        4. Types of appeals: logical, ethical, emotional

                        5. Fallacies

Take a look at this:

In this article, our friend Brian Palmer examines the practice of eating horse meat in the United States.  Although this article is not an example of an academic research essay, it is guided by the same objective: to learn the answer to an interesting question. 

Take a look at the article and note the following:

• How very precise Palmer's subtopic is.
• How Palmer integrates and interprets source material (we will discuss these skills in class).
• The cleverness of the title (if you understand the Mr. Ed reference).

Final Essay Instructions

Start with a topic which you genuinely want to know more about.  During our upcoming classes, we'll be discussing topics, subtopics, and research questions.  Once you've identified an area of interest, conduct enough research to make yourself something of an expert.  Using your new expertise, write a 1500-2000 word academic essay that:

1. Contains an original, arguable thesis.  Your essay should add something new to the discussion of your topic rather than simply summarize existing research.
2. Supports claims with examples from credible sources.
3. Uses a suitably professional tone.
4. Cites sources according to MLA guidelines.
5. Builds on the effective writing strategies already discussed in the course: specific examples, paragraph focus, essay focus, format/punctuation/mechanics, strong ethical appeal, thesis/support, etc.

This essay is due at the time of the final exam.  In addition to your final draft, you should submit all earlier drafts, outlines, brainstorming, research notes, etc.

Good luck.

What's wrong with this paragraph?

"The Muskingum County Sheriff’s office is reporting that sometime last evening a number animals were turned loose from a farm located on the west edge of Zanesville. Several of the animals, exotic in nature, are still on the loose. If you spot any animals, suspicious in nature, call 911 then the campus police."

Essay II Instructions

By now, you're well on your way to completing this assignment.  Everyone should have a suitably specific topic picked out and at least a general idea of what you plan to say about this topic.  For the record, the official instructions are to write a short essay that makes an arguable claim and provides focused support using detailed examples.  Use "Uncle Sam and Aunt Samantha" and "Is Cursive Dead?" as models.

Here are some additional suggestions and guidelines:

• Your essay should be 1000-1200 words long, so choosing a suitable topic is vital.
• Although research is necessary to thoroughly explore your topic, academic (MLA or APA) style documentation is not.  Do be sure, however, that you acknowledge the source of any outside material.  We will discuss this concept in class.
• With your final draft, please submit all prewriting/outlining work involved in producing this essay.
• Your final draft should follow the same format guidelines used for Essay I.  On the first essay, I pointed out a lot of issues with stapling, line spacing, page numbers, titles, etc.  As we progress through the course, I'll be deducting an increasing number of points for not following these guidelines.  Be sure to get it right.

This essay will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. Topic: Is the topic suitably specific to address in an essay of this length?
2. Thesis: Is some overall claim apparent?  Is it arguable?  Does it pass the "So what?" test?
3. Support: Does the essay provide focused, well-developed support for its claims?  Does the essay make a strong ethical appeal?  Does the essay contain any flaws in reasoning?
4. Mechanics/Grammar/Punctuation/Etc: Is the essay correctly formatted?  Has it been carefully proofread?  Are there any sentence level errors of any type we've discussed in class?

Due dates are as follows:
T/R: 10/18
M/W: 10/19
F: 10/21

 

 

FRIDAY SECTION ONLY

This is for Friday only.  Other sections should disregard this post.

By now you should have made significant progress into your novel, if you haven't already finished it.  You should have a good sense of who its people are.  Choose one of these people and write a brief character sketch.  Think of it a a general overview or introduction to the person.  Include some of the basic details about him or her (name, age, race, sex, hometown, occupation), but also try to dig deeper into the character's personality.  What are some of attitudes, habits, fears, or personality traits that make him or her unique?  Be sure to use specific examples from the text to support your conclusions.

Don't forget to keep the skills from this class in mind.  Try to write focused paragraphs that make specific claims and support those claims with detailed examples.

Your response should be no longer that one double-spaced page. 

Cursive Article

Depending on your section, we have or soon will be discussing cursive writing as a sample topic for argumentative writing.  Please read the this article, print it, and be prepared to discuss it during the following meeting. (T/R: 10/11, M/W: 10/12, F: 10/14).

It will be helpful if you don't read the article until after our initial discussion of the topic.

Essay II: Assignment I

Eventually, you will write a persuasive essay modeled on Anna Quindlen's "Uncle Sam and Aunt Samantha."  The first step in this process is to identify a suitably specific topic.  With this in mind, please bring the following to class (due dates are below):

I.  A general topic. Quindlen's is "Women and the U.S. Military."

II.  A minimum of five subtopics. Quindlen's is "Female selective service requirements."  Others might include "female grooming regulations during recruit training,"or "women's dietary needs in a combat environment."

III. A minimum of five arguable claims about your favorite subtopic.  (This is the topic you will write your essay about, so choose carefully.) You do not need to agree with every claim you list--in fact, you probably shouldn't.  Your goal here is to discover the kinds of things people might say about your subtopic.

Remember how claims differ from topics.  See the examples below:

Topics

1. Female selective service requirements
2. Female grooming regulations during recruit training
3. Women's dietary needs in a combat environment

Claims

1. Failure to require women to register for selective service is inconsistent with our nation's otherwise  progressive attitudes.
2. During recruit training, female recruits should conform to the same grooming standards as men.
3. Doubling the ratio of women on the battlefield would reduce the Army's food budget by 30%.

Due dates:

• T/R: 10/11
• M/W: 10/12
• F: 10/14

General Interest Article--Not Assigned Reading

In mentioning the danger of false analogies, I've used the example of comparing someone to Hitler when the tenor's behavior is nowhere approaching global genocide.  Here is an article from Slate magazine discussing this very concept.