Final

Your final presentation will be on Wed. April 28 from 1 -3 in our regular classroom. You will be presenting the research you've compiled for your final paper, also due April 28. This should not be a simple restatement of what you've said in your paper. Rather, it should reflect the key points of your research. Your presentation should be 3 - 5 minutes long, and should include the following elements.

1. Rhetorical situation: introduce us to the subject you've researched

2. Summary: explain your stance, including information on the opposing viewpoint

3. Analysis: describe how you've used rhetoric in your argument; conduct a mini-rhetorical analysis on your own work to describe how you've attempted to be rhetorically effective in your communication.

4. Synthesis: describe how you've synthesized your research-- that is, how you've put together the elements of your various sources to create a cohesive whole. How did you go about conducting your research?

You should also be sure to include visual elements in your presentation, whether that be in the form of pictures, video, Powerpoint, etc. Remember, your peers will be critiquing the rhetorical effectiveness of your presentation, so employ all of your rhetorical skills!

Also due the 28th, at the beginning of the final, are your final Research Paper and Unit Portfolio. Your portfolio should include the following elements.

1. Cover Letter (instructions below)

2. Final Research Paper

3. Printed, annotated sources (only those cited in the paper)

4. Blog assignments

5. Brainstorming activity

6. Outline

7. Rough Draft

**For your final cover letter, please answer the following questions in-depth, and in essay format. Your reflection should be 2 pages, double spaced, with correct MLA formatting. This includes both heading information AND a running head in the top right corner of each page.

How do the contents of this portfolio demonstrate what you've learned this semester? Discuss elements of summary, analysis, and synthesis.

What activities, whether in-class or homework assignments, did you feel were most beneficial to strengthening your understanding of, and proficiency in, writing rhetorically? Why? What activities were most helpful in strengthening your understanding of summary, analysis, and synthesis? Why?

Discuss how you feel your writing has developed over the course of the semester. Use your initial reflection paper on your strengths and weaknesses as a writer, which came in with your first unit portfolio, to determine areas in which you've progressed.

How do you feel the skills you've learned this semester will be beneficial in the future? Be specific in describing individual skills.

What are your future goals as a writer?

Sample Research Paper Body Paragraph

The lyrics in the average hit or popular song of today contains either sexuality or violence, or even both. Most times a song captures one’s attention because of its catchy tune, not because of its lyrics. If a small child has the potential to memorize a few little tunes and nursery rhymes, teenagers and young adults have the potential of memorizing hundreds of songs as they become familiar with songs. When singing the lyrics to a song, many teens or young adults don’t realize the degrading meaning of the lyrics or don’t even realize the words which they are even singing (States Lyrics 12).

*** Keep in mind, this is a student example and not necessarily perfect. However, this paragraph is a good demonstration of a summary of info from one of this student's sources. Note that although it's not a direct quote, it's still cited.

Sample Research Paper Intro Paragraph

Music has become one of the central aspects of society in the United States. It is ever-present in our day to day routines. With the rise of new technology of gadgets such as iPods/mp3 players and the more convenient mp3 file formatting, adolescents and young adults especially have made music more centralized in their everyday lifestyles. Because of vast amounts of storage space, it is certain that teens and young adults have thousands upon thousands of mp3 files varying in different genres of music and artists. Many popular music artists of today have two common factors which have been recognized as having a negative effect on adolescents and young adults. Sex and violence are two key factors found in multiple forms of media entertainment, but significantly in music and music videos. Because of these two factors, the rising generation has become more accustomed to the ideas of sex and violence as a norm in society that happens on a regular basis. Exposure to these two factors can lead to arousals of certain thoughts and emotions or changes in emotions, behaviors, and even actions. Sexual and violent content are portrayed as a current popular fad in music and music videos, when in reality both are highly obscene, highly addictive, and can lead to multiple life altering changes.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

In class today we discussed the final unit of the semester, dealing with the synthesis of your research on an arguable topic in a Research / Issue Paper. Your homework tonight is to complete the brainstorming activities posted to Blackboard. Find this handout at Blackboard > Course Content > Synthesis: Research Paper > brainstorming. Read the entire document, then choose 3 of the activities described and conduct brainstorms on three of your potential topics. As several of these brainstorms require drawing, you should bring it to class hard copy on Wednesday.

Your online assignment tomorrow (4/13, in lieu of an in-class meeting) will be to dive into your research. Remember, your topic should be arguable and narrowed to focus on a specific aspect or argument feeding into a larger issue. Look for promising sources on the sites we discussed in class (the library website, google scholar, etc.) and focus on finding sites with URLs including .org, .gov, .edu. This will increase the likelihood that you're getting scholarly sources. Once you have found several sources, begin putting together your annotated bibliography. For more information on the content and formatting of this document, refer to the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/. Remember, you will be required to have 6 (minimum) sources to begin with, and will end up with no more than 3 - 5 final sources. Be sure your annotations (paragraphs of 8 - 10 sentences) are thorough and will prove helpful to both you and me in determining the credibility of each source. Your annotated bibliography will be due hard copy on Monday, April 19, along with your rough draft for peer review.

Your final and most pressing assignment will be to outline your research paper. This should be in roman numeral format as discussed, and should be as in-depth as possible, including quotes, paraphrases, and summaries from each of your sources. This outline will be due hard copy in class on Wednesday. Remember, this can outline can evolve as your research progresses.

So, in summary, here are your required assignments with due dates.

Wednesday, April 14: Outline and Brainstorming Activities

Monday, April 19: Annotated Bibliography and Rough Draft

You have quite a bit to get done, so use this time outside of class wisely to ensure that you meet these deadlines!

Assignment for April 9

As we begin our Research Paper (Synthesis) Unit on Monday, it will be important for you to come to class prepared with potential research topics in mind. Today's assignment will be the first step in your topic inquiry. Please answer the following questions on your blog.

1) Think about the kinds of subjects you like to talk about outside of class with friends, co-workers, parents and family, etc. Make a list of these topics.

2) Complete the following idea-starters:

a. My friends and I like to argue about .

b. I think it is wrong when . . .

c. I wish I could convince someone that . . .

d. I am definitely opposed to . . .

e. Someone believes . . .; however, I beieve . . .

f. I wish this university would address the problem of . . .

g. I think we should pass a law so that . . .

3) Read through some current newspapers and note the stories that interest you. Think about why they interest you; is this an issue that you would like to know more about? One caveat is in selecting current topics from newspapers you may choose a topic that has very few related sources. Be sure to select a current topic that has a history to it or a topic that can be related to a larger issue where there should be sufficient material.

4) Choose one topic from the lists you have made. Spend some time writing down words, ideas, and phrases that come to mind when you think of that topic.

5) Do some preliminary research on your topic.

a. Does the library have any reference sources that would help with researching your topic?

b. Does the library's online catalog list any books that appear to be on your topic?

c. Can you locate any periodical articles that the library can access that pertains to your topic?

d. Using a standard web search engine can you locate any web sites that discuss your topic?
What are they?

6) If you feel that you can locate enough sources on your topic then approach your classroom instructor with your idea and make sure that this topic is appropriate for this assignment.

7) Remember the library has a staff of professional librarians that can advise and assist you in the research process.

After answering these initial questions, please read pages 130 - 142 in your DK Handbook on evaluating sources. Write a minimum 150 word summary of what you learn in this section, also to be posted to your blog.

Finally, come to class with a list of at least 5 potential topics to work with on Monday. Keep in mind, anything you choose to write on must be ARGUABLE. Rather than writing a "research" paper think of it as an "issue" paper. For example, you may be interested in global warming. Rather than discussing the entire topic, take a stance and prove to me using your rhetorical skills that your stance is feasible. Tell me that reducing the number of cars on the road will solve the global warming problem, using your research to back up your argument. We'll go into this in more detail on Monday, but for now make sure you're thinking of issue topics with two sides. Your list may be either typed or handwritten, but must come to class hard-copy on Monday.

Updated Schedule

Here is your updated schedule for the rest of the semester.

4/12: Final Draft Rhetorical Analysis and Portfolio DUE, Intro to Research Paper (Synthesis Unit)

4/14: Research Paper Instruction / Intro to MLA

4/15-4/16: Online Research, Compile Annotated Bibliography

4/19: Rough Draft Research Paper / Final Annotated Bibliography DUE

4/20: Research Paper Conferencing

4/28: Final Exam 1 - 3, Final Research Paper DUE

Final Paper and Portfolio

Remember, your final Rhetorical Analysis (2-4 pages) will be due in class on Monday, with your completed unit portfolio and cover letter.

Your portfolio should include the following elements.

1. Cover Letter

2. Intro Paragraph

3. Tool List

4. Rough Draft

5. Final Draft

6. Newspaper Activity (in-class)

Your cover letter should be one page, SINGLE - spaced (double spacing wouldn't allow as much room as you'll need), 12 pt. Times New Roman font, with 1 " margins. It should be in correct cover letter format, which incorporates the following:

Top Left:
Your Name
Date
Course Info
(double space)
Dear Professor Reschke:
Type your letter here, with double spaces between paragraphs only.
(Double space)
Sincerely,
Your Name

The cover letter serves as a sort of summary for your unit experience. It is also the written equivalent of my first impression of your portfolio. Here, you should touch briefly on the content of each of the assignments. Most importantly, you should discuss how you feel this unit will aid you in accomplishing your overarching goals for the course, as well as your future writing goals.