Good afternoon. Hope your week is going great. Today we will review the autobiographical essay and get to finishing the summary piece assigned last week: "In the Arcadian Woods," by George Makari. Once you have summarized the piece, you are to follow interesting "leads" from it (i.e. related topics or themes) and then, using three or four total sources, including images, if you wish, write a short report on the specific topic you've settled on.
Assignment #4 requires you to develop a topic implicit or explicit in the material from Makari's essay. You might, for example, do further research on the roots of anxiety, the specific symptoms associated with it (or any of the disorders associated with it), aggravating factors, and treatments. Or look into epigenetics, mentioned as one of the biological factors involved in diagnosis, or the modern world itself, and the many ways in which we may be stressed by the rapidity of change and the 24-hour news cycle. Look at ways people cope, whether with drugs and alcohol or an enhanced commitment to health and creativity. You will be writing an essay of 450-500 words using multiple examples as evidence to support your general point (your thesis). You will have to identify suitable texts and then selectively pull from them material that shows the nature or character of your subject and specifically supports your thesis point. I want to see reference to the particular source material by title and author and the purposeful use of direct quotation where warranted.
We will practice referencing and quoting from various textual sources as needed.
We are practicing what is called "critical reading," which includes determining a source's relevance and reliability. Is the material primary or secondary, that is, is it based on reliable and relevant evidence, that of first-person experience and eye-witness observation and/or facts, examples, expert testimonials compiled by reliable others? Is the evidence compelling, strong, complete, unbiased, up to date? Avoid sources that present little evidence or little that is convincing or that is no longer timely. You will use the Internet to pull together sources for this exercise, and clearly identify the sources you use as you pull the essay together. You will have to summarize or paraphrase source ideas, which means putting the ideas into your own words in brief or in about the same number of words as the original, and quote directly, which means using the exact wording of the original passage and using quotation marks around the material. The following list gives examples of suitable taglines to introduce quotations:
Makari writes, . . .
As Makari says,
According to another authority, author of . . .
Makari, the author of "In the Arcadian Woods," suggests a different view, claiming . . .
*Note: Plagiarism is theft of another's work, whether inadvertent or not. The following is one textbook example (The Brief Bedford Reader, 9th ed.) of plagiarism:
Original passage: If we are collectively judged by how we treat immigrants–those who appear to be 'other' but will in a generation be 'us'–we are not in very good shape.
Paraphrase (plagiarised): The author argues that if we are judged as a group by how we treat immigrants–those who seem to different but eventually will be the same–we are in bad shape.
A paraphrase or summary must express the original freshly; it is not enough to make superficial changes to the wording here and there. Moreover, the syntax–sentence structure– should not mirror the original.
Summary (#3) is due today. Essay 4 is due week 5, end of class.
------------------Upcoming Assignments
A Report on an Event
Reviews and descriptions of cultural fare–of park attractions, films, art exhibits and fairs, live music shows, restaurants, bars, and clubs old and new, sporting events, lectures, book signings and discussions, community classes and workshops –serve to interest people in what’s going on about town and provide them a means to connect with the lives and activities of others. Special events and regular or ongoing culture fare also provide an opportunity for you to do some first-hand reporting. The particulars of your subject and your takeway impressions and ideas, the degree of interest and engagement with the subject shown–these are central to the essay’s success. Whether you are visiting a park, a beach, a museum, theater, restaraunt, etcetera–descriptions of the scene or environs, the activity, the individual artworks, performances, ambiance, food, service, etcetera will bring the piece to life and convey a you-are-there sensation to readers. But your readers will also learn about you, your view of the world and what matters, for the frame your create, the thesis idea controlling and unifying the work, will make for certain selections and emphases that reflect you the observer, your history, interests, tastes, etc.
We will talk more in class about how to put together an assignment of this kind. It is a species of primary research that goes hand in hand with background reading on whatever aspect of your subject requires exposition, background and context, to fully develop your thesis or main idea. This essay will require you actually go somewhere in person and record material facts and observations before putting the piece together. Your thesis tells you what to include, to emphasize, and what to ignore. The essay should run a minimum of 5oo-6oo words, including introductory, body, and closing paragraphs, title, and clear references throughout.
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If you were to visit an exhibit, you would include the museum name, location, and featured artist(s), including the exhibit’s run dates. Focus would necessarily be on some theme observed in one or more works or overall. You would identify representative works (by title) and present a verbal description–medium, size, subject, form, and color–so that readers can "see" the work and understand the conclusions you draw from it. If you were to visit a natural area, you might tie the visit in to some current news (a news "hook") or ongoing area of interest (natural history/studies, ecology, environmental justice, marine life, art) to create audience appeal, to lend purpose and weight to the piece. Food culture is of great interest to many these days and offers many choices for primary research or "eye-witness" reports–green markets, restaraunts, bars, etcetera.
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The place or event essay (#5), in 500 words or more, is due week 7.
Workshop: Find a photograph of some place or stake out a location for a fly report on a place. Description may proceed like that of a still life painting or photograph in which a tableaux is created, all action removed or stopped. It may also include the visible action, the dynamic flow of movement and sound and light going on without, and the observer's passing thoughts and feelings.
In Amish Country
Note: The film review is a separate assignment that we may agree to do, and that involves a trip to the Gateway theater. We will decide today.
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