Requirement: 200-300 words; Threaded format
1.Prompt: Reflect on Proverbs 12:15, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.” How is research writing a way of listening to advice? How should Christians approach research writing? Or, if you like, how would a fool approach research writing, and how should we strive to be different?
2.Find two internet sources related to your topic and compare and contrast their quality as college sources. Note that these should be internet sources, not sources from the library – this is an exercise, and you will probably not use these sources in your paper. Some questions to consider: why is one superior to the other? Do both writers have credibility? Is one of the sources better written than the other? Are both ultimately strong or weak? Share your evaluation. Your submission should contain APA references for each source.
3.Practice “reverse outlining” by creating a brief outline of the essay, “Is Google Making Us Stupid” in the Field Guide Begin by making a brief marginal note summarizing each paragraph. Then, review your notes to come up with 3-4 main sections of the essay. Include 3-4 key subpoints for each of your 3-4 main sections. In the end, you should have at least 9 bullet points. Here’s the key, though – a reader must be able to get a sense of the entire essay from your outline. For your response post, consider finding an outline that emphasized different points than yours and comment on the differences between the two.
4.Reflect on the project of the annotated bibliography (AB). Have you written with an AB before? What has been most challenging for you? Have you been able to turn the AB into a document that will help you organize your research in a vital way? Why or why not? What sources did you choose to include, and what are some sources you decided to leave out? Will you use annotated bibliographies in future research projects or only if you are required to submit them?
5.Reflect on Proverbs 10:9. Why is it so important for Christians, particularly, to submit their own original work? Why is it important for Christians to be careful with citations?
6.Write a discussion post on any topic. Include two direct quotations with effective signals, correct in-text citations, and correct references at the bottom of the post. Make one error! In your response to a classmate, identify that classmate’s error and state how it should be fixed.
7.Give specific examples of how MacKay and Kristof use ethos, pathos, and logos in their essays. Remember that ethos is the establishment of the writer’s credibility, pathos is an appeal to the reader’s emotions, and logos is an appeal to the reader’s mind. Successful responses will use specific textual references.
8.Explain the rhetorical situation of your research essay. What is your topic, and what stance are you taking toward the topic? Describe your audience, going beyond “an academic audience.” What assumptions are you making about what your audience believes? What points will you need to emphasize for this audience, and how will you appeal to their minds and hearts? Are there any special considerations around the occasion of your essay? That is to say, is it timely in any particular way? If so, how will you work that into your paper?
9.Write a paragraph that shows effective synthesis of at least two sources. Remember to use key synthesis phrases like “in contrast to X, Y asserts” or “Both X and Y agree. . ..” Your paragraph must be in standard APA format, at least 8 sentences in length, and must effectively synthesize at least two sources.
10.What did you observe in your self-evaluation? What are some of the challenges of critiquing your own writing? If you asked a friend or family member to read your paper, did that help you to reconsider some aspects of the composition? After your self-evaluation, what are the most important changes you need to make to your paper?
