English 1110--SP18

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Thesis Statements: The Makeover Edition

Well, there’s only so much I can do to make a blog post about thesis statements interesting, so prepare yourselves for some irrelevant Michael Jackson gifs dispersed throughout. I’m sure most of you have had some sort of instruction on thesis statements, but often, students will be taught simplistic methods for developing a thesis that they sort of latch onto rather than using the beginner’s method at first and then evolving toward a more complex method of thesis development. Think about giving your thesis a makeover. That look you had going in high school was fine for back them, but it just isn't working for you anymore now that you're a collegiate superstar. Time to take it to the next level! Michael's excited about how great your thesis will be So what makes a strong thesis? Promotes thinking : leads you to arrive at ideas, rather than just stating the obviou Reduces scope: separates useful evidence from the mass of details. (Sometim

Integrate Those Quotes, Y'all!

You all already should've read the Integrating Sources section in your textbook (starting on pg. 61), so I'm going to build on that rather than repeat what you've already read. Integrating your secondary source material into your PSA as you create your SSI is a really important part of the process. Pitfalls to avoid: Quote dropping: including a full sentence or more of quoted material into your paper without any of your own words. The watermelon is your quote. Using Attributes instead of Integration: Phrased like "According to Dr. Abdul" and "In her article, "The Sound and the Furry," Catalina Gorbenson says, 'BLAH BLAH BLAH.'" When you use attribution tags to identify where your quote came from (the article title) or who wrote it (the author), you aren't actually engaging with the content of the quote. While it's helpful to include acknowledge sources both in your text as well as in your citations, th

Finding Credible Sources During These Wild Times We're Living In

C'mon, you know you'd click. *Sigh* where do I even begin? My lecture on credible sources used to be so succinct and cute. I had a little acronym (courtesy of some awesome librarians) that helped explain how to tell in an online source was credible. CRAP. Currency, Relevance/Reliability, Authority/Audience, Purpose/Point of View. (link for those who want to know more) . Sure, the acronym really should’ve been CRRAAPP, but it was a simpler time. It can be easy to roll our eyes as our Aunt Kimothy shares yet another clickbait article about scientists secretly plotting to a coup so that killer whales can finally take their rightful place as our overlords. But there are real, important issues at play here. Fake news, biased articles, and flat-out propaganda are harder and harder to distinguish from good, fact-based journalism. Part of this is because of how the internet has evolved. Very few people get their news from print anymore, so the internet is the place to

What's the Point of WEx?

Now that we've gotten a little practice working with the Writers' Exchange or WEx, let's talk about why it's such a useful learning tool. (If you need a refresher on what WEx is, check out the WEx Guide pt. 1 and pt. 2 and the WEx infographic in the Week Four module). Peer Review Time! "Peer Review." When I say those two simple words in my in-person courses, I watch a collective shudder run through the classroom, as if I'd just asked them all to watch The Ring video. Believe me, I get it. I've been in truly terrible peer review groups before. Sometimes people are too polite and just tell you that your paper is great, and you'll definitely get an A (and then don't, and you want to tear your hair out). Or you'll have that one person who tears your work apart like they want nothing more than to see you weep, but they don't offer anything beyond insults. And it can be hard to be the person giving feedback You have this wh

Choosing the Perfect Primary Source

Don't be like this guy. It's primary source time, y'alll! Choosing an excellent primary source early in the semester when thinking about the PSA can save you a major impending headache later in the semester when you're working on your SSI or ARP. The image or short video that you select as your primary source will be the basis of each step of the ARP. This source will be the focus of your paper for the entire semester, so if you don't choose wisely, you could be kicking yourself in a couple of months (and we don't want that!) The Basics Must be image-based (photograph, advertisement, short video less than 7 minutes like a music video, commercial, or movie trailer) Can NOT be text-based (no newspaper articles, journal articles, websites, books. etc.) Must fit within our course theme of (Socioeconomic) Class in America Today Must have a minimum of 5 different details that you can base analysis paragraphs on Back away from the journal

The Writing Process: Let's Process This Together, Shall We?

Sometimes the hardest part about writing is getting started. So let's talk tips on how to get your brilliant thoughts from your brain to the page. Pre-Writing There are a lot of different methods you can use for pre-writing. We’ll be doing some pre-writing as a part of our course work, like the Notice and Focus Exercise and the Process Posts. If you just can’t get enough pre-writing, you can try working up an outline to organize your thoughts. (I personally prefer to write first and organize through outlining after I already have a draft, but you do you). Free writing, where you have a general idea, set a time for 5-10 minutes, and write continuously until the timer goes off, just letting the writing flow, can also be a good way to get your creativity a-flowin’. This is EXACTLY what free writing looks like Start Wherever Makes Sense Confession: I always write my introduction last. I start by with paragraph topics and then weave them together in a way that mak