SYNTHESIZING SOURCES

2/2/2012

For Today:

Full class discussion of synthesis

Small group discussion of the class preparation

Brief Assignment 3

Preparation for Next Class (participation

assignment)

Brief Assignment 4

Topics for Draft 1.1

Announcements

I have decided that I will only be doing 2 participation extra credits this semester. One will be writing center related and the other will be a creative writing reading. More on this next week.

You must choose your topic before you can begin the prep assignment for next class.

Please carefully check the Forbidden Topics List before you start research (to make sure that you have not chosen a topic from the list.

If you begin research and discover that you cannot find scholarly journal articles (that are less than 1o yrs old) then you will probably have to think of a different topic.

What is synthesis?:

What is synthesis?:

“Any piece of writing that integrates material

from several sources is a Synthesis.”

“An explanatory synthesis (whether essay or

paragraph length) defines and explains

concepts or processes to help readers see

relationships and understand ideas.”

What is the purpose of synthesizing?:

What is the purpose of synthesizing?:

“Synthesis allows writers to explore

relationships among ideas and to arrange those

ideas in a logical and meaningful way.”

“The purpose of an explanatory synthesis is to

inform, conveying factual information as

accurately as possible.”

QUESTIONS FOR MAKING CONNECTIONS

BETWEEN AND AMONG SOURCES:

What positions do the sources take on the issue?

How do the sources agree?

How do the sources disagree?

What evidence do the sources use to support their

assertions?

How do the sources address opposing points of view?

How do the sources organize their main ideas?

Words that indicate synthesis:

Words that indicate synthesis show

relationships between sources, like these:

agrees

disagrees

goes even further

elaborates on

clarifies

What are some words that indicate synthesis in your prep assignments?

What synthesis is NOT:

Stacking information from different sources,

without establishing their relationship. Example:

Chocolate comes to us from South America, where it

was once consumed as a bitter, hot beverage,

according to Joe Schmoe, author of “Ahh! Chocolate”

(12). Ima Goodbar points out that Queen Isabella had

an elaborate hot chocolate set that she used on

important state occasions (276).

Does this happen in your prep assignment?

What synthesis is NOT:

Random synthesis words thrown in for good

measure. Example:

One reason chocolate should be on every

elementary school lunch menu is that it makes

students feel so good. Rita Dove, president of the

Dove Chocolate Corporation, agrees, stating,

“Chocolate is the perfect end to a satisfying

luncheon” (qtd. in Craigo 18).

Does this happen in your prep assignment?

What synthesis is NOT:

False relationships between sources. Example:

Perhaps the biggest reason taxpayers should be given a

standard chocolate deduction is the importance that it has

to our entire economy. Nicole Kidman, author of “If I Ate

Anything, It Would Be Chocolate,” writes, “So much in our

society is dependent upon our ability to attain chocolate,

whether this is through cocoa powder, mocha lattes, or a

Cadbury Cream Egg” (42). But in his article “Chocolate

Tastes As Good As Halle Berry’s Tonsils,” Adrien Brody

disagrees. He states, “Chocolate is important to American

life, but I like vanilla, too” (67).

Does this happen in your prep assignment?

Small Group Work:

Pull out your BA3 Prep Assignment. Get into groups of 3

Exchange papers

Read your classmates paper (5 minutes) Using your classmate’s paper, answer the questions on

the handout. (15 minutes) As a group discuss the following questions (10 minutes):

Does your classmate’s paper synthesize the three reviews? If not, then what is it doing?

What is the most important thing your classmate should know that you noticed on their class preparation assignment?

Brief Assignment 3: Synthesizing Sources

Purpose: To demonstrate your ability to synthesize source material.

A mistake many students make on this assignment is summarizing the content of each article in its own paragraph. More than one source should be analyzed in each paragraph.

You will want to identify a common theme or idea that you see running through all of the articles and focus on how each article develops or contributes to the theme.

Brief Assignment 3:

"Virtual Friendship and the New Narcissism” (Christine Rosen) pp. 321-328

“Virtually Trustworthy” (Judith Donath) pp. 329-331

“Thx for the IView! I Wud ?2 Work 4 U!! ;)" (Sara E. Needleman)pp. 342-345

400 – 600 word ESSAY (intro, thesis, body, conclusion) Your synthesis should:

Identify a common theme or idea that you see running through all of the articles.

Focus on how each article develops or contributes to the theme. Have a thesis statement based on one common theme or idea

that runs through all three articles. Describe the common theme, explain how each author develops

the common theme, and then explain how each article relates to the others. What are their similarities and differences? Why are these similarities and differences important to the theme which you are examining?

Brief Assignment 3:

You MUST use proper in-text citations.

Hint: I have given full citations for each of the articles on

the course blog.

We are REQUIRING a works cited on BA3.

Chapter 16 in the St. Martin’s e-handbook has the

information for in-text citation and works cited entries. Here is the works cited entry format for works from your textbook:

Power, Carla. "Not the Queen's English." First Year Writing: Writing in the

Disciplines." New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2011. 371-375. Print.

Grading:

C1—Issue Identification and Focus

Does the student focus on a common theme or idea that runs through each article?

C2—Context and Assumptions

Does the student show an awareness of the context in which the source was written?

C3—Sources and Evidence

Does the student thoroughly explore the relationship/connection between the articles? Does the student use MLA format correctly?

Grading:

C5—Own Perspective

Is the student’s own voice apparent or does the student just summarize the viewpoints of the authors?

C6—Conclusion

Does the conclusion effectively pull the analysis together?

C7—Communication

Is the essay organized effectively? How effective is the student’s writing at the sentence level?

For Next Class:

Reading 4 – on the syllabus

I have posted two documents to the class blog under “Supplemental Readings.” They are titled “Synthesis Examples,” and “Verbs and Structure.” Please read these as well. They are only 1 page each.

BA4 Prep Assignment Due in class on 2/9

BA 4 is an annotated bibliography. You are going to find the articles that you may end up using on your BA 4.

See the handout for BA4 Prep Assignment under “Prep Assignments” on the class website.

Print and bring the pages from this section from the e-handbook with you: 12c, 7th ed

Brief Assignment 4: Annotated Bibliography

There is an example of what an annotated

bibliography looks like on pages 596-598.

This assignment helps you for prepare for Draft 1.1

by getting you to critically read and annotate the

research that you will be synthesizing on the

literature review.

Topic for Draft 1.1:

You must choose your topic before you can begin the class preparation assignment for next Class.

Please carefully check the Forbidden Topics List before you start research (to make sure that you have not chosen a topic from the list.

If you begin research and discover that you cannot find scholarly journal articles (that are less than 10 yrs old) then you will probably have to think of a different topic.