ENGL 1101: Introduction to University Writing COMPLETE NEW Assignment 2: Critical Comparison Essay Open Learning, Thompson Rivers University

Academic Summary - ANS-- academic summary - identify and express most important ideas of an article. why important? - *see what others have seen about a topic, and help take a poistion yourself. *helps truly understand what you are reading - ability to condense the information while preserving the gist of the meaning of the article. *Summaries allow to manage your sources when comes time to write own research paper. *Demonstrates that on one hand academic writing involves relying heavily on sources, and on other hand contribute own knowledge to a topic. academic summary steps(4): 1) Reading to understand *active reading - actively engaged in reading process(reading with a purpose). use pencil to underlight or highlight important ideas/arguments. *Reading for context - who is author(authority?); what publication, and what type of publication?; why was it written? ; when was it written? *Reading for content - what is the larger topic that is being discussed?; what are the author main arguments and ideas around the topic?; creating a map of the key points. 2)Filtering the information *Distinguising the essential information from supporting detail. *Creating a reverse outline of the article(topic/main idea/key points(function/content)) - work backwards from the article to produce what the author may have used as an outline of the main ideas. Each key point has function and content. 3) Writing the summary *Consider the writing style of the summary: Want to keep paragraphs short; focusing on the main ideas/arguments, moving from point to point to represent the logical development of the argument; use formal academic language; avoid large chunks of direct quotes; *language of attribution - while writing in own words, will need to attribute the ideas/arguments as having come from the author; use attributive verbs, subjective or objective depe Critical Comparison - ANS-- *Critical comparison essay - compares and contrasts what two authors have said about the same topic; considers why does each writer take the position they do? - what assumptions do they make about a topic, and how do these assumptions affect their claims and ideas about that topic? why important? - looks at what different people say about same topic, and therefore give broader understanding of the topic at large- how and why did they develop these diverse opinions about the same topic/issue?; Encourages to make connections between texts, in order to generate interesting analysis; looking at different perspectives/opinions/arguments will help us to develop our own perspective/ideas about the topic at hand. critical comparison steps (4): 1) Summarizing the information Need a strong understanding of the articles' ideas/arguments/assumptions in order to compare them critically; developing reverse outlines can help 2) Identifying key issues and debates *Need to understand what each article says as a part of the larger conversation in society; authors dont write in a vacuum - they write in response to other writers/sharing&debating ideas/perspectives shaped by what theyve read in past; once understand this, can use the articles to map the larger social conversations; *Sample questions to ask: what do different writers say about this topic? how do writers define the topic? why do the writers define the topic in this way? Do writers in different fields have different views on this topic? If so, why? Many more questions could ask - exploring the different arguments/assumptions about the topic in our society. 3) Thinking critically - some critical thinking questions: what argument making?; what evidence used to support argument?; what assumptions lie behind argument?; what consequences/implications of argument? *these qu Annotated Bibliography - ANS-- *Annotated Bibliography - list of citations (each followed by short summary) that are relevant to a particular research topic. why important? - collecting sources for bibiliography important, but when have to write annotations, forced to read each source more carefully and critically; when considering the research topic/question, allows to synthesize information that helps determine its usefulness in relation to the topic/questions; allow to see what has been done, and where your own research/scholarship can fit - better able to develop own position on the topic. Annotated Bibliography steps (3) 1) Developing a research question *defining goal/scope of research so not drowning in information; once general topic chosen,3 steps: focus scope topic into manageable research question; identifying what kinds of info will need to address the research question (what want to know about topic? what problems connected to topic? social debates around topic? why topic important?); identify key search terms/strategies can use to search for information(to use in search engines - fully formed sentences wont produce balanced/quality research you need). 2) Finding and evaluating sources *Use quality search tools and know when see a good source. 3) Preparing the annotated bibliography *Citation (style suitable for filed - apa in this case); annotation (100-300 word paragraph: includes - summary( main argument/conclusion), is source credible to contribute meaninfully to topic?, what position take?, how position differ from other positions?, usefulness in answering research question?) Research Paper - ANS-- *Research paper - expanded essay that presents own interpretation of or argument on a topic. *why important? - Reflect intellectual demands of university scholarly activities: requires writer to support position by drawing on complex arguments from multiple sources(each source must understand/analyze/ synthesize/evaluate) - can identify gaps in knowledge which could lead to further research. Increases your knowledge on topic have chosen to talk about. Can promote curiosity. Research paper steps (4) 1)Employing rhetorical (typical) moves in scholarly introductions *Heres my topic; heres whats been done; heres what hasnt been done; heres how the current study fills the gap. *Topic - narrow and focused enough for expected length of paper? Does topic contain key words that point to a big issue that academic community is concerned with? *tradition of enquiry - what have experts said about topic? Have you summarized existing knowledge accurately? *knowledge deficit - missing info? unanswered questions? different angles? able to fill knowledge gap in your research? *thesis claim - thesis clear and focused? able to defend it? manageabel for length of paper? 2) Incorporating ideas from multiple sources to support your thesis/position (body paragraphs) *Paragraphs laid out in order presented in thesis; each paragraph needs topic/guiding sentence(key words/phrases from thesis) *Function of topic statement/sentence - gives general intro before details of the paragraph; gives meaning to info referred to in the paragraph; guides readers interpretations of info presented in paragraph to support thesis claim made in intro of paper. 3) Concluding your research paper *Template: Restate thesis and confirm main argument; significance and relevance of argument; contributions it has made to ongoing scholarly conversation on topic; Thesis statement - ANS-- What is a thesis statement? - Arguable statement, not factual. ex: statement of fact - small cars get beter fuel mileage than 4x4 trucks arguable thesis statement - govnt should ban 4x4 pickup trucks except for work related use.