Reading response #2 should:
Reflect an in-depth engagement with course readings, including authors’ arguments and key concepts.
Reflect engagement with concepts from class lectures and discussions.
Start with a clear thesis with body paragraphs proving the argument.
Make connections between/across readings.
Respond to the prompt.
Use strong, well-chosen supporting evidence from course material that is properly cited (APA or Chicago).
Be 3-5 pages double-spaced (about 750-1250 words).
Guidelines & Tips for Writing:
Introduction & Thesis: Your first paragraph should be an introduction of your topic and include a thesis and roadmap for your paper. The thesis should respond with a clear answer to the prompt and link the key texts. A roadmap should tell the reader how you are going to prove your argument by stating what you will write in each body paragraph.
Body paragraphs: You should have a few body paragraphs that all work to prove your argument. Your body paragraph should start with a clear and direct topic sentence, include an example, your description of the example, how it links to your paragraph, and how it links to the overall thesis.
Conclusion: Your conclusion should be a summary of your essay, but it should also include some type of significance. State what is important about your argument and why it matters, so that you can end on an interesting note.
Authors’ arguments: Represent authors’ words properly and ensure that you are making claims that link to their arguments. Try to avoid if the argument is “true” and “false” and think about what they’re trying to say and why.
Quotations: Your use of evidence will be assessed, so ensure you’re selecting the most useful and helpful quotes. You don’t want to rely too heavily on quotes, so find the ones that work best and use them intentionally. Always introduce your quotes and explain them – never leave them hanging.
Names: When mentioning a scholar for the first time, write out their full name. Then use their last name.
Titles: Books are italicized and chapters, articles, essays, albums, are in quotation marks.
Describing arguments: Use clear argumentative terms with the authors’ names: “argues that…,” “examines,” “contends,” “questions”… You can use Manchester Phrasebank for more tips: https://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/referring-to-sources/
Grammar: Proofread your text and read aloud to ensure your sentences sound correct and make sense.
Formatting:
Times New Roman, 12pt font, 1in margins, double-spaced
You must have an original title.
Include a bibliography in Chicago or APA format with the texts you referenced.
Include in-text citations for all quotes or paraphrasing. Refer to Purdue Owl for Chicago Author-Date Format or APA Format. Do not worry about it being perfect, but it must be consistent and easy for me to find the place in the text.
Include page numbers with your last name in the header or footer (e.g. Ahuja 2)
Your heading should look like this:
First Name Last Name
Professor Ahuja
Title of Course
Written Date of Due Date
Prompt # 2: How does racial ideology play a role in producing systems of violence and/or carceral systems? Be specific with particular ideologies.
Your reading response is based on “Part 4: Carceral Institutions and Mass Incarceration” which includes: Michelle Alexander, Ann Ferguson, Angela Davis (text, not videos), Combahee River Collective, and Dorothy Roberts.
You are required to use at least two-course readings. The reading response is testing your engagement with Part 4 on carcerality and mass incarceration. Follow the lists below on what scholars you should use and how.
Group 1: You need at least one scholar from Part 4: Michelle Alexander, Ann Ferguson, Angela Davis (Are Prisons Obsolete?), Combahee River Collective, Dorothy Roberts.
Group 2: Your second scholar can be from Group 1, or the following only: Fields, Crenshaw, Collins, Baldwin (direct quotes only), Abu-Jamal.
Your choice and usage of scholars will affect your grade.
I will be using Angela Davis for Group 1 (Are Prisons Obsolete) and for Group 2 I will use Michelle Alexander (The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness)
