Today we will turn our attention to patterns of organization. Our interest in organization will focus on three different areas:
- the role of a thesis in an argumentative essay,
- the function of a paragraph,
- and an appropriate structure both for papers in general and for a cause and effect essay specifically.
These areas of structure and organization are covered extensively in The Transition to College Writing and EasyWriter. However, because these skills are so fundamental to your success in the course, I have also created links on our course website that you should review in addition to the assigned reading. You cannot do well in this class or any other writing-centered class unless you master the ability to write a cogent thesis, to produce a coherent paragraph, and to structure a paper beyond the traditional five-paragraph essay. The links where I cover these skills are listed on the sidebar under "General Reading, Writing & Research Tips," however I will also list them here:
- How to Write a Strong Thesis
- How to Write a Successful Paper (covers paragraphing)
- The Squid and the Staircase (covers structure)
We will also focus on the social part of writing. What do
we mean by this? We mean that effective writing is rarely written in
isolation. Writing is produced with a specific audience in mind. It is
also written in reference to other writing. Argument rarely occurs in
isolation. This week we will be studying how to properly integrate
quotations, that is we will be studying how to incorporate the ideas and
words and others into our own writing. Like writing a powerful thesis or producing a coherent paragraph,
this is a vital skill and you won't be able to succeed in college as a
writer unless you master it. In addition to the reading in Rules for Writers and The Transition to College Writing,
I have produced materials which should help you through the mechanics
of introducing and integrating cited materials. Under the link "How to Integrate Quotations," I discuss how to properly introduce quotations. Under the link "They Say/I Say Templates,"
I have posted templates that show you how to integrate quotations for
different purposes. I have borrowed these from the great book They Say/I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Copies of this book are available on reserve at the college library. I recommend checking it out.
EasyWriter, 28-30, 52-58, 97-103
CONTINUE REVISING YOUR PAPER
