AW4002 Lecture7 2011

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

1/38

Academic Literacies 2

Lecture Week 7

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

2/38

Portfolio Stage 2 (Week 7) Bring a copy of the draft of your chosen assignment

to lab in Week 7. E-mail a copy of the draft to yoututor for feedback. (You will repeat this process inWeek 9 for the second assignment.)

Engage in a peer-review session and compete thepeer-review form.

Grades will be rewarded for participating in the peer-review session as both a writer and a peer-reviewer;therefore, you must attend the class and review your

peers paper while s/he reviews your paper.

Following the class, you will be expected to take onboard the feedback from your peer and the feedbackfrom your tutor when redrafting the assignment. Thisredraft will comprise Stage 3 of the portfolio.

2

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

3/38

Regional Writing Centre 3

Lecture outline

Portfolio: Stage 2

Developing an effective thesis statement

Methods of development and organisation Logic in argumentation

Structure of the argument

Paragraphs and paragraphing

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

4/38

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

5/38


Readings

The Owl at Purdue, Establishing Arguments:http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/1/

The OWL at Purdue, Developing Strong ThesisStatements:http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/01/

Writing from A-Z, Method of Development

Writing from A-Z, pp. 8-11 (Development Strategies)

Writing from A-Z, pp. 371-376 (Logic and

Argumentation). The OWL at Purdue, Logic in Argumentative Writing:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/659/1/

The Owl at Purdue, Organising your Argument:ttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/03/

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

6/38

Sample student introduction

The aim of this project is to give a critical andanalytical insight into the world of anorexia usinga youtube video clip and the thread that follows

it. The study will examine how this site functionsas a virtual community, employing the computermediated discourse analysis theories of Herring(2005) and the virtual ethnography approach ofBacon (2009). The project shall discuss the

ethnography of the site, and then the C.M.D.A.respectively, in an effort to prove that a virtualcommunity exists and is supported by the technoand mediascapes proposed by Appadurai (1996).


8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

7/38


Organising principles

Thesis statement

Analytical thesis statements

Expository/explanatory thesisstatements

Argumentative thesis statements

Research question

Hypothesis

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

8/38


Examples (from Purdue OWL)

High school graduates should be required totake a year off to pursue community serviceprojects before entering college in order to

increase their maturity and global awareness. The life of the typical college student is

characterized by time spent studying, attendingclass, and socializing with peers.

An analysis of the college admission processreveals one challenge facing counselors:accepting students with high test scores orstudents with strong extracurricularbackgrounds.

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

9/38


The thesis and the persuasive

principle

Your thesis is the basic stand you take,the opinion you express, the point youmake about your limited subject. Its your

controlling idea, tying together and givingdirection to all other separate elements inyour paper. Your primary purpose is topersuade the reader that your thesis is a

valid one(Skwire, 1976: 3).

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

10/38


The thesis and the persuasive

principle

The instruction word will indicate that athesis is either called for, or not called for.For instance, instructions that ask you to

summarise or outline something are notnormally interpreted as calling for a thesisstatement.

The method of development andorganisation will suggest where the thesiswill appear in your essay.

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

11/38


The thesis statement

Where should the thesis statementappear?

What factors dictate where your thesis

might appear?

Why might you decide not to put yourthesis in the introduction?

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

12/38


Organising your argument

Title

Introduction

Thesis statement Body

Paragraphs carry arguments

Topic sentences

Counterarguments Conclusion

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

13/38


The introduction and the thesis

statement

The introduction has two parts:

General statements.

General statements attract a readers

attention, and give backgroundinformation on the topic.

A thesis statement

States the main topic.

Sometimes indicates sub-topics.Will sometimes indicate how the essayis to be organised.

Is usually the last sentence in the

introduction.

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

14/38



Important sentence in the introduction

It states the topic/subtopics of the essayso that the reader knows the main idea of

the paper be specific It often indicates the pattern of

organisation of the paper:

Comparison/contrast

Logical division of ideas Chronological order

The thesis statement guides your readerthrough your argument

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

15/38


Example thesis statement

The status of women in Xanadu hasimproved remarkably in recent years inthe areas of economic independence,

political rights, educationalopportunities, and social status; yet,when compared to the status of womenin developed countries, it is still prettylow (Oshima and Hogue, 1999:105).

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

16/38



Make sure your thesis statement is not

too general

too broad

making a simple announcement

stating an obvious fact

not debatable/argumentative

(Oshima and Hogue, 2006:67/68) The thesis statement may need to be

revised to reflect what you have discussedin your paper.

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

17/38

Developing Strong Thesis

Statements

Pollution is bad for the environment.

At least twenty-five percent of the federalbudget should be spent on limiting pollution.

At least twenty-five percent of the federalbudget should be spent on helping upgradebusiness to clean technologies, researchingrenewable energy sources, and planting more

trees in order to control or eliminatepollution.

Drug use is detrimental to society.

Illegal drug use is detrimental because it

encourages gang violence.Regional Writing Centre 17

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

18/38

Student samples: Howcan these

be improved

The different styles of cinematic techniqueshave greatly developed and improved from itsbirth in 1895 to modern-day productions.

Did aspects of Ancient Greek culture, such asthe arts, religion and myths, influence othercivilizations and eras?

The impact of joining the European Union on

Ireland and the effect of globalisation onIreland.

Irish Traditional music and the Irish languagein the media.


8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

19/38


Types of claims (from Purdue OWL)

What some people refer to as global warming isactually nothing more than normal, long-termcycles of climate change.

The popularity of SUV's in America has causedpollution to increase.

Global warming is the most pressing challengefacing the world today.

Instead of drilling for oil in Alaska we should befocusing on ways to reduce oil consumption, suchas researching renewable energy sources.

NB: Which type of claim is right for yourargument?

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

20/38


The thesis statement:

Patterns oforganisation

Beginning in World War II and continuingthrough the period of economic boom, thestatus of women in Xanadu has changedremarkably.

Pattern of organisation

Although the status of women in Xanaduhas improved remarkably in recent years,it is still very low when compared to the

status of women in developed countries, itis still pretty low.

Pattern of organisation

(Oshima and Hogue, 2006:64)

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

21/38


The thesis statement:

Body paragraphs

The status of women in Xanadu haschanged remarkably in recent years dueto increased educational opportunities andchanges in the countrys laws.

Body paragraphs The status of women in Xanadu has

improved remarkably in recent years inthe areas of economic independence,

political rights, educational opportunities,and social status

Body paragraphs

(Oshima and Hogue, 2006:64)

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

22/38


Writing a draft

Moving from pre-writing to drafting

Moving from structuring the argument to writingthe argument

Planning/writing tools Invention strategies

Development strategies

Freewriting/blind writing

Writing to prompts Talk about the paper

Tape the paper

Remember: it is a draft

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

23/38


Development strategies

Burkes Pentad/Journalists questions

Act: What?

Scene: Where and when?

Agent: Who?

Agency: How?

Purpose: Why?

Methods of development: Aristotlesquestions

Toulmins model of argumentation

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

24/38


Methods of development:

Aristotles questions

Analysis

Cause and effect

Classification

Comparison and contrast

Definition

Description

Examples Narration

Process

(Ebest et al. 2005:11)

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

25/38

ConstructingArguments

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

26/38


The RhetoricalTriangle

MessageLOGOS

AudiencePATHOS

Writer/speakerETHOS

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

27/38


The RhetoricalTriangle

LOGOS

How can I make the argument internally consistent andlogical?

How can I find the best reasons and support them with

the best evidence?ETHOS

How can I present myself effectively?

How can I enhance my credibility and trustworthiness?

PATHOS

How can I make the reader open to my message? Howcan I best appeal to my readers values and interests?

How can I engage my reader emotionally andimaginatively?

(Rammage, Bean and Johnson 2007:76)

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

28/38


Logic in argumentation

Using logic to build an argument:

lay out each premise clearly

provide evidence for each premise

draw a clear connection to the conclusion.

Example:

Premise 1: Projects funded by taxpayer dollars

should benefit a majority of the public.

Premise 2: The proposed stadium constructionbenefits very few members of the public.

Conclusion: Therefore, the stadium construction

should not be funded by taxpayer dollars.

Purdue OWL

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

29/38


Logic in argumentation

Premise 1: Projects funded by taxpayer dollars should

benefit a majority of the public.

Premise 2: The proposed stadium construction benefits

very few members of the public.

Conclusion: Therefore, the stadium construction shouldnot be funded by taxpayer dollars.

Toulmins model of argumentation Claim? Stated reason? Warrant?What else is needed? Grounds Backing Rebuttal

Qualifier

Use the Toulminmodel to generateideas and developyour own arguments.

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

30/38


The structure of classical argument

(Rammage et al. 2007:65)

Exordium

Earratio

Propositio

Partitio

Confirmatio

Refutatio

Peroratio

Introduction

Presentation of writers position

Summary of opposing views

Response to opposing views

Conclusion

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

31/38


Organising paragraphs

Build upon the claims made in theintroduction, develop your topic and proveyour points

The purpose of your argument will dictatehow you organise your paragraphs

General specific information

Weakest claims strongest claims

Address/offer counterarguments as youdevelop main points or after you havemade your main claims

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

32/38


Organising paragraphs

Paragraphs signal the logically organisedprogression of ideas.

When organising paragraphs, the mainidea in one paragraph should flow logically

into the next. The flow of information should be

organised around themes and comments.

Organise paragraphs around the use of

topic sentences. Shifts in the argument or changes in

direction should be accurately signalledusing appropriate adverbials,conjunctions, and prepositions.

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

33/38


Paragraph structure

Just as an essay is guided by a thesisstatement, a paragraph is organised aroundits topic sentence.

A topic sentence informs the reader of thetopic to be discussed.

A topic sentence contains controlling ideaswhich limit the scope of the discussion to

ideas that are manageable in a paragraph.

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

34/38


Paragraph structure:

Supporting sentences

The sentences that follow expand upon thetopic, using controlling ideas to limit thediscussion. The main idea is supported by

Evidence in the form of facts, statistics,theoretical probabilities, reputable,educated opinions,

Illustrations in the form of examples andextended examples, and

Argumentation based on the evidencepresented.

Qualifying statements indicate thelimitations of the support or argument.

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

35/38


Paragraph structure:

Concluding sentences

Not every paragraph needs a concludingsentence.

Concluding sentences can either

comment on the information in the text,or

They can paraphrase the topic sentence.

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

36/38


Paragraph structure: Unity

Paragraphs should be unified.

Unity means that only one main idea is

discussed in a paragraph. The main idea isstated in the topic sentence, and then eachand every supporting sentence developsthat idea.

(Oshima and Hogue 1999:18)

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

37/38


Paragraph structure: Coherence

Coherence means that your paragraph is easyto read and understand because

your supporting sentences are in some kind

oflogical order your ideas are connected by the use of

appropriate transition signals

your pronoun references clearly point to

the intended antecedent and is consistent you have repeated or substituted key

nouns.

(Oshima and Hogue 2006:22)

8/7/2019 AW4002 Lecture7 2011

38/38


Example:

(Meei-Fang et al. 2007, p.471)

People with dementia are particularly vulnerable tomalnutrition: they have a decreased ability to understanddirections and to express their needs verbally, are easilydistracted from eating, prone to become agitated, and may

use utensils incorrectly. Inability to feed oneself (eatingdependency) is a major risk factor for malnutrition amongolder people living in long-term care settings (Abbasi &Rudman 1994, Durnbaugh et al. 1996). When people withdementia can no longer take food voluntarily, assistance isrequired although, as the disease progresses, even takingfood with assistance can become difficult and, in someinstances, tube-feeding may be required to supply nutrition.This form of feeding can, however, cause distress andanxiety, not only for the person being fed, but also forcaregivers (Akerlund & Norberg 1985, Burgener & Shimer1993).

AW4002 Lecture7 2011

Documents

Transcript of AW4002 Lecture7 2011