ENGL 1302: WEEK 3 (SYNTHESIZING SOURCES)SECTION 001 AND 006

MR. LABRIOLA

ROADMAP

• Doing Research

• An Example

• Brief Assignment 2

• Synthesizing Exercise (Tswift v. Jay-Z)

• Questions

TROUBLES?

• Who has had some trouble finding articles/sources?

DOING RESEARCH: WHERE TO START?• There’s no wrong way

(except for not doing it)• Some ways are harder than

others• Won’t know that til you

start• Using the Library website• Databases• Personal Librarian

• Using Google Scholar• Pro Tip: Follow the “cited

by” or “related articles” to help you!!

WHAT COUNTS AS “SCHOLARLY”?

• Peer Reviewed (usually has the title “Journal of…” or “Chronicle of…”)

• University or Research Institution-affiliated

• Author’s title—professor, researcher, etc.

• A citations/references/works cited section

BUT…I’M REALLY JUST STUCK…

• Don’t worry, I won’t let you drown

• If you really cannot find a topic, or are not finding anything good as far as articles…

• Course Reserves!

• Type in English

• Go to 1302 (Norris)

• Pre-Approved Topics!

EXAMPLE OF WRITING/USING A LIT REVIEW

• My own literature review

LET’S SEE WHAT YOU’RE DOING!

• Research topics!

BRIEF ASSIGNMENT #2• Due Friday 2/6 at 11:59pm

• Purpose: To demonstrate your ability to synthesize source material.

• Description: This assignment will help you prepare for your initial draft of the literature review. To complete this assignment, you will need to write a thesis-driven synthesis of three articles. In other words you will want to identify a common theme or idea that you see running through all of the articles and focus on how each article develops or contributes to the theme. We have selected the following articles from your textbook for this assignment:

• “The New Sovereignty,” Shelby Steele 450

• “My Pedagogic Creed,” John Dewey 460

• “The American Scholar,” Ralph Waldo Emerson 468

(Yes, they are back again…I’m so sorry…)

BRIEF ASSIGNMENT #2 (CONT)• Read each article through once so that you understand its scope and the author’s

argument. 

• As you begin to read through each article again, note common themes and ideas. What are the things these authors agree and disagree about? (Hint: You may find it helpful to use an organizational tool such as a Venn diagram.) 

• Create a working thesis statement based on one common theme or idea that runs through all three articles (a statement that will tie all three articles together in some way). There will be several possible common themes or ideas for you to choose from. Pick the one that you can develop in the most detail. 

• Then, write an essay which summarizes and synthesizes these articles. In other words, describe the common theme, explain how each author develops the common theme, and then explain how each article relates to the others. What are their similarities and differences? Why are these similarities and differences important to the theme which you are examining?

• Length: 400 - 600 words Format: MLA style for internal citations and works cited.

TSWIFT V. JAY-Z

V.

“Welcome to New York” (2014) “Empire State of Mind” (2009)

SYNTHESIZING EXERCISE

• Get into 6 groups

• 5 or so people in each group (depending on how many we have)

• Read the lyrics to both “Welcome to New York” and “Empire State of Mind”

• Similar to the movie posters from last week

• Similarities

• Differences

SYNTHESIZING EXERCISE

• Now that you’ve gone through both of them

• Come up with a thesis (Ch. 3-c) for a “synthesis paper” using these two songs

• “Create a working thesis statement based on one common theme or idea that runs through all three articles (a statement that will tie all three articles together in some way). There will be several possible common themes or ideas for you to choose from. Pick the one that you can develop in the most detail” (BA 2)

QUESTIONS?