1 . Critical Reading
Definition and Purpose
Asking Questions about What You Read
o Questions to Ask Before You Begin a Close Reading of a Text
o Questions to Ask While You Read and Reread Material
Marking Texts
o Highlighting Texts
o Annotating Texts
Sample Annotated Reading: “Hard Choices,” by Patrick Moore
Note Taking
o Before Jotting Down Any Notes, Always Write Down the Source Text’s Full Bibliographic Information
o In Your Notes, Carefully Distinguish between Material You Quote and Material You Paraphrase
o Carefully List Page Numbers
o Pay Attention to the Punctuation in the Source Text
o In Your Notes, Clearly Differentiate between the Author’s Ideas and Your Own
o Be Consistent with Your Note-Taking System
Additional Reading: “Getting Serious about Eradicating Binge Drinking,” by Henry Wechsler
Summary Chart: Critical Reading: Asking Questions
Summary Chart: Critical Reading: Marking Texts
Summary Chart: Critical Reading: Note Taking
2. Quotation
Definition and Purpose
Guidelines on When to Quote Material
o Quote Passages When the Author Has Written Something in a Distinctive or Especially Insightful or Interesting Way
o Quote Material That Lends Support to a Position You Are Trying to Make in Your Paper
o Quote Authorities Who Disagree with a Position You Are Advocating or Who Offer Alternative Explanations or Contradictory Data
Guidelines on When Not to Quote Material
o Do Not Quote Passages Merely to Fill Space
o Do Not Quote Passages as a Substitute for Thinking
o Do Not Quote Passages Because You Do Not Understand the Author’s Ideas Well Enough to Paraphrase Them
Integrating Quotations into Your Writing
o Two Basic Types of Quotations
Reading: “Generation Text,” by Mark Bauerlein
o The Block Quotation
o The Integrated Quotation
Altering Quoted Material and Avoiding Misquotations
Leaving Words Out of a Quotation
Adding Words to a Quotation
Noting Emphasis Added to a Quotation
Summary Chart: Guidelines on Quotations
Summary Chart: Integrating Quotations into Your Writing
Quotation Revision Checklist
3. Paraphrase
Definition and Purpose
Qualities of a Good Paraphrase
o Thorough
o Accurate
o Fair
o Objective
How to Paraphrase Material
o Changing Words
o Changing Sentence Structure
o Combining Sentences
o “Unpacking” Sentences
o Combining Strategies: Paraphrasing Longer Passages in Source Texts
o Blending Your Writing with Paraphrased Material
Documentation
Summary Chart: How to Paraphrase Material
Paraphrase Revision Checklist
4. Summary
Definition and Purpose
Types of Summaries
Qualities of a Good Summary
o Comprehensive
o Brief
o Accurate
o Neutral
o Independent
How to Summarize a Text
o Read, Reread, and Annotate the Source Text
o Summarize Each Section of the Source Text
o Check the Section Summaries against the Source Text
How to Write an Abstract
How to Write an Informative Summary Essay
How to Write an Explanatory Summary Essay
Documentation
Reading: “From Animal House to Big Brother: Student Privacy and Campus Safety in an Age of Accountability,” by Ron Chesbrough
o Sample Abstract
o Sample Informative Summary Essay
o Sample Explanatory Summary Essay
Summary Chart: How to Summarize Texts
Summary Revision Checklist
5. Analysis
Definition and Purpose
Reading: “The Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin
How to Analyze a Text
o Read the Source Text Carefully
o Identify or Choose Which Analytical Criteria to Employ
o Apply the Analytical Criteria to the Text
o Interpret the Text
o Explain and Support Your Interpretation
Qualities of a Good Analysis Essay
o Comprehensive
o Clear
o Consistent
o Tied to the Source Text
o Informative
How to Write an Analysis Essay
o Opening Section
o Body
o Concluding Section
Revising Your Essay
o Accuracy
o Development
o Clarity
o Balance
Documentation
Sample Analysis Essay
Summary Chart: How to Analyze Texts
Summary Chart: How to Write an Analysis Essay
Analysis Essay Checklist
6. Response Essays
Definition and Purpose
Qualities of a Good Response Essay
o Honest
o Informed
o Clear
o Well Supported
Writing the Response Essay
o Carefully Read the Material
o Compose Your Rough Draft
o Write Your Conclusion
o Revise Your Rough Draft
Sample Response Essay
A Response to “From Animal House to Big Brother: Student Privacy and Campus Safety in an Age of Accountability”
Summary Chart: How to Write a Response Essay
Response Essay Revision Checklist
7. Critique
Definition and Purpose
The Film Review as Critique
Writing a Critique
o Step 1 -- Carefully Read and Annotate the Source Text
o Step 2 -- Analyze and Evaluate the Reading
o Step 3 -- Write Your Thesis and Decide Which Aspects of the Reading Will Be the Focus of Your Essay
o Step 4 -- Write Your Rough Draft
o Step 5 -- Rewrite Your Critique
Reading: “The Doctrine of Academic Freedom,” by Sandra Y. L. Korn
Reading: “Academic Freedom vs. Academic Justice,” by Michael LaBossiere
Sample Critique
“An Unconvincing Argument Concerning Academic Freedom”
Summary Chart: How to Write a Critique
Critique Revision Checklist
8. Rhetorical Analysis of Written Texts
Definition and Purpose
The Rhetorical Situation
o Elements of the Rhetorical Situation
Rhetorical Strategies
o Content
o Structure
o Style
Analyzing a Text’s Rhetorical Strategies -- An Example
o Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
o A Rhetorical Analysis of Lincoln’s Speech
Writing a Rhetorical Analysis Essay
o Step 1 -- Carefully Read the Assignment
o Step 2 -- Establish the Source Text’s Rhetorical Situation
o Step 3 -- Determine the Author’s Goal
o Step 4 -- Identify and Evaluate the Text’s Rhetorical Strategies
o Step 5 -- Determine Your Thesis
o Step 6 -- Write Your Rough Draft
o Step 7 -- Revise Your Essay
Sample Rhetorical Analysis Essay
o Rhetorical Analysis of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
Summary Chart: How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Rhetorical Analysis of Written Texts Revision Checklist
9: Rhetorical Analysis of Visual Texts
Definition and Purpose
Reading Visual Texts Critically
o Questions Concerning the Visual Text Itself
o Questions Concerning the Visual Text’s Creator or Source
o Questions Concerning the Visual Text’s Purpose
o Questions Concerning the Visual Text’s Audience
o Questions Concerning Your Response to the Visual Text
Reading a Visual Text -- An Example
o Questions Concerning the Visual Text
o Questions Concerning the Visual Text’s Creator or Source
o Questions Concerning the Visual Text’s Purpose
o Questions Concerning the Visual Text’s Audience
o Questions Concerning Your Response to the Visual Text
Writing a Rhetorical Analysis of a Visual Text
o Step 1 -- Carefully Read the Assignment
o Step 2 -- Analyze and Describe the Text
o Step 3 -- Establish the Text’s Rhetorical Situation
o Step 4 -- Determine How the Text Attempts to Achieve Its Rhetorical Goals
o Step 5 -- Determine Your Thesis
o Step 6 -- Write a Rough Draft
o Step 7 -- Revise Your Essay
Sample Rhetorical Analysis of a Visual Text
An Effective Advertisment for Literacy Support
Summary Chart: How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis of a Visual Text
Rhetorical Analysis of a Visual Text Revision Checklist
10. Informative Synthesis
Definition and Purpose
Types of Synthesis Essays
Reading: “Humanity 2.? Enhancement, Evolution and the Possible Futures of Humanity,” by Sarah Chan
Reading: “On Designer Babies: Genetic Enhancement of Human Embryos Is Not a Practice for Civil Societies,” by Sheldon Krimsky
Reading: “A Moderate Approach to Enhancement,” by Michael Selgelid
Informative Synthesis
o Definition
o Writing an Informative Synthesis
Sample Informative Synthesis
The Ethical Debate over Human Enhancement and Designer Babies
Summary Chart: How to Write an Informative Synthesis
Informative Synthesis Revision Checklist
11. Argumentative Synthesis
Definition and Purpose
The Elements of Argument
o Claims
o Grounds
o Warrants
Argument and Persuasion
o Appeals Based on Reason
o Appeals Based on Emotion
o Appeals Based on Character and Credibility
Writing an Argumentative Synthesis
o Step 1 -- Analyze the Assignment
o Step 2 -- Annotate and Critique the Readings
o Step 3 -- Formulate a Thesis
o Step 4 -- Choose an Organizational Plan
o Step 5 -- Write Your Rough Draft
o Step 6 -- Revise Your Draft
o Step 7 -- Check Quotations and Documentation
Sample Argumentative Synthesis
Make Human Enhancement Available to All
Additional Reading: “A New Definition of Leadership,” by Josh Misner
Additional Reading: “Understanding Your Leadership Balance,” by Lee Ellis
Additional Reading: “A Question of Leadership,” by Gene Klann and Talula Cartwright
Summary Chart: How to Write an Argumentative Synthesis
Argumentative Synthesis Revision Checklist
12. Plagiarism
Definition
Forms of Plagiarism
o Purchasing a Paper
o Turning in a Paper Someone Else Has Written for You
o Turning in Another Student’s Work without That Student’s Knowledge
o Improper Collaboration
o Copying a Paper from a Source Text without Proper Acknowledgment
o Cutting and Pasting Material from Sources
o Lifting Images from the Web or Other Sources
o Copying Statistics
o Copying Material from a Source Text, Supplying Proper Documentation, but Leaving Out Quotation Marks
o Paraphrasing Material from a Reading without Proper Documentation
o Self-Plagiarism
Why Students Plagiarize Work
How to Avoid Plagiarism
o Do Your Own Work
o Take Good Notes
o Paraphrase Properly
o Supply Proper Documentation
o Online Plagiarism Check
o Clarify Collaboration Guidelines
Summary Chart: Plagiarism
Plagiarism Checklist
13. Documentation
Definition and Purpose
Types of Documentation
Primary Academic Style Manuals
APA Guidelines
o In-Text Documentation
o Footnotes and Endnotes
MLA Guidelines
o In-Text Documentation
o Footnotes and Endnotes
14. Reference Lists and Works Cited Entries
Definition and Purpose
APA Format
o Sample Reference List Entries
o Sample APA-Style Reference List
MLA Format
o Sample Works Cited Entries
o Sample MLA-Style Works Cited List
Credits
Index