Writing Workshop - SOC 463/663, Spring 2015

WRITING WORKSHOPMelanie Tannenbaum, M.A. SOC 463/663 Spring 2015

WHAT MAKES A GREAT PAPER?

Specific, clear thesis

Answers the “so what?” question

Clear topic sentences establishing the main idea of each paragraph

Succinct concluding sentences that summarize the main idea

Artful transitions that bridge one paragraph to the next

Few (or no) grammatical/typographical errors

WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE?

Write for a general audience, not your instructor!

Anybody who is reasonably interested in the topic should be able to understand what you are saying

Explain or define important concepts.

How are you using the term _____?

WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE?

Your primary goal is to be clear!

Provide explanations & summaries of your points

“Sign posts” indicating your intended direction

Make linkages clear between paragraphs/sections

Imagine that you are writing for your grandparents

They are very interested in reading everything you say! But…you have to explain every concept to them.

DEVELOPING STRUCTURED PARAGRAPHS

Each paragraph is a mini essay

Introduction, Body, Conclusion

Step 1: Brainstorm

Step 2: Rough Draft

Step 3: Final Draft

STEP 1: BRAINSTORM

“What is the main idea of this paragraph?”

Write that idea in as short a statement as you can

Organize 3-5 points that support this main idea

Facts, examples, quotes, studies…

Re-write the main idea in different words to conclude

Try several different variations out!

STEP 2: ROUGH DRAFT

Write your topic sentence as you think it should appear

Write supporting sentences

These flesh out your supporting points with details

Provide evidence for what you are claiming

Summarize your main idea as the conclusion

Bridge into the next paragraph

STEP 3: FINAL DRAFT“Writing is rewriting.”

Once all of your main points are on the page…

REVIEW, REFINE, REVISE

Revisit your thesis

Do your main points address it?

Was it specific enough?

RE-WRITE AS NECESSARY

Refine your transitions; smooth it over

BRAINSTORMING STRUCTURE

METHOD 1: VISUAL CLUSTER

METHOD 2: VERBAL OUTLINE2nd Main Point

Supporting Point

Detail

Detail

Supporting Point

Detail

Detail

Conclusion

Thesis

1st Main Point

Supporting Point

Detail

Detail

Supporting Point

Detail

Detail

ACTIVITY

For the next 10 minutes, take the thesis from your last essay (or the thesis from the sample essay provided) and fill in this visual cluster or make an outline for the “skeleton” of this essay

DEVELOPING A THESIS

THE THESIS

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR PAPER.

Topic + Argument = Thesis

Your thesis…

Comes at the end of your introduction

Tells the reader your overall “so what” point

Can be a road map for the paper’s content

Establishes expectations

THE THESIS

Your thesis is not fixed!

It can (and should) evolve as your ideas evolve

If your paper doesn’t support your thesis, you might want to change your thesis.

What you present in the paper should not deviate from what you promise in the thesis

HOW DO I COME UP WITH ONE?

Sit down and think about the topic you want to write about. Why do you find it interesting? What research do you want to do? What studies do you want to talk about? What really intrigues you about it?

Try free-writing for 10-15 minutes about why you find your topic interesting.

You will probably find that your reasons revolve around one specific issue — your position on that topic should be your thesis.

HOW DO I COME UP WITH ONE?

Ex: I want to write about ability vs. effort beliefs.

Why do you find it interesting?

“I feel like I saw a lot of people who had ability beliefs dropping out of college or losing focus because they stopped being motivated once they faced challenges or setbacks, and I think this could have been prevented, so it bothers me that we still focus on ability.”

The student above seems to be particularly interested in how beliefs about intelligence impact motivation and perseverance.

THESIS: Ability beliefs are bad because they impair student motivation & lead to lower levels of perseverance after setbacks.

INTROS & CONCLUSIONS

INTRODUCTION

Can be several paragraphs long

The more specific your thesis is, the more background you may need

HOOK the reader with a question, story, or quote

Provide the background & context for your argument

Offer a short review of what prior authors have written

Explain why this topic is relevant or important

Build up to your thesis until it seems like the “obvious” next step

Explain how you will argue your thesis

CONCLUSION

Summary of your main points

Confirmation of your thesis

What to include?

Re-state your thesis in a different way

Make a strong closing comment

Wrap up the paper so your thesis has been addressed and its larger significance reinforced

AVOID

Personal pronouns (I, We, You)

Unless referring to personal experience

Contractions (isn’t, they’re, won’t…)

Slang

Overly personal tone

Opinions stated as fact

Vague ideas

Plagiarism

INCLUDE

Both sides of an argument

Citations for sources

Formal (or mostly formal) tone

Take a position

Concrete details

IF YOU FEEL STUCK…

Return to your thesis

Close your eyes and write without editing

Speak your ideas out loud into a Voice Memo

Set a timer and write until it goes off

GET FEEDBACK!

Peers, instructors, tutors, the Writing Center…

WHAT IF MY ESSAY’S TOO SHORT?

Succinct and concise explanations are good.

!

DO NOT ADD UNNECESSARY STUFF JUST TO “PUFF UP” YOUR ESSAY.

WHAT IF MY ESSAY’S TOO SHORT?

An essay that is too short can be a clue that your thesis is too narrow.

If you have truly run out of things to talk about, your thesis might not be broad enough.

Example: Rather than saying that “extracurricular activities impact student achievement,” you might want to expand it and say “student achievement and student experience.”

WHAT IF MY ESSAY’S TOO SHORT?

Another good trick is adding in counterarguments.

If you point out the “other side” of the issue, and then rebut those arguments or show why they aren’t as compelling as your arguments, you can take up a lot of extra space…and your essay will be stronger for it (it makes it harder for readers to dismiss you with one of those arguments.)

STYLE TIPS

DON’T BE TOO SUBJECTIVE

Focus on the message and the points you are making. No need to emphasize the effort and pain you went through when putting together the paper. When you cite a paper it is assumed that you read it: the reader is much more interested in your story.

Not so good: I read another article by Austin, Bentley and Chapin (2004). They studied the impact of education on members of the lower-class in Northern India.

Better: Austin, Bentley and Chapin (2004) studied the impact of education on members of the lower-class in Northern India.

DON’T BE TOO SUBJECTIVE

Don’t make your exam a report on your own reading experience. If there is a point worth making, use a more objective tone—as long as you can explain what the point is.

Not so good: “When I read the article by Miller (1998) and the article by Jones (1999) I really felt that they contradicted each other.”

Better: “There appears to be a contradiction between Miller (1998) and Jones (1999).”

QUOTES

Use quotes sparingly

Only when something cannot be said in any other way, or cannot be said better than the original authors

Integrate quotes into your text; they should not stand alone as if they could substitute for a sentence from you

QUOTES

Not so good: Miller (1998) emphasized the idea that education does not eliminate social inequality. “A better education provides only a limited degree of social mobility.” (p. 48) Thus, it appears that some of the hopes invested in education are unrealistic.

Better: Miller (1998) emphasized the idea that education does not eliminate social inequality by pointing out that “a better education provides only a limited degree of social mobility” (p. 48). Thus, it appears that some of the hopes invested in education are unrealistic.

QUOTES

Think about The Zagat Method

FIGHT WORDINESS!

If the same thing can be said using fewer words, use fewer words…

Not so good: In 2002, Dweck published an article in the journal Social Psychology of Education which describes a research study for she discussed different naïve theories of ability.

Better: Dweck (2002) discussed different naïve theories of ability.

When referencing a study you only need to mention the author and the year, but do not need to mention anything else. The reader can obtain all the relevant information from your reference section.

WRITING CLEARLY

What does it mean to be a “good writer”?

WRITING CLEARLY.

It’s not about fancy words, complicated sentences, or poetic turns of phrase — especially when it comes to academic writing.

What is most important is that you communicate your points effectively, clearly, and succinctly.

Your reader should not have to go back and read your sentence twice (or three times) to understand it.

WRITING CLEARLY

Try reading your paper back to yourself — out loud.

Are there sentences that seem clunky or strange?

Are there sentences that you would never say out loud in conversation because they’re so awkward?

If so, RE-WORD. Make them clear and simple.

WRITING CLEARLY

NO: There is a myriad of possible rationales for why the individuals of the lower-class might require specialized attention and programs when considering the nature of how they utilize the available resources, pending access to such.

YES: There are many reasons why lower-class individuals might not know how they can make use of available resources, even if they have access.

THE CURSE OF KNOWLEDGE!

“Write down instructions for making a PB&J Sandwich.”

It seems easy enough…but most people will inadvertently leave out at least one important step.

“Take the Peanut Butter out of the cabinet. Then stick the knife into the jar to get the peanut butter onto it.”

You would have someone jamming the knife onto the lid…because you never said to take the lid off the jar.

THE CURSE OF KNOWLEDGE!

Once we know things, we forget that other people don’t know them. Or, at least, don’t know the exact definitions we’re thinking of when writing our essays.

This is where Writing Center feedback can be really valuable! Ask your tutor/mentor to tell you when you are using terms they aren’t familiar with and forgetting to define/explain them first.

SUMMARY

Clear thesis

Build out from your thesis - cluster/outline!

Write clearly and succinctly

Use quotes to illustrate your points, not to make them.

Pay attention to transitions between paragraphs so your paper flows from one part to the next.

PRACTICE

Forming a Thesis

“I want to write about SES & college dropout rates.”

Why does this interest you?

“It makes me really sad that the disparities in social class don’t even stop once students get to college — it’s like, even once you get there, you can’t win, there are even more pressures that make lower- or working-class students more likely to drop out than upper-class students.”

Thesis: Social class disparities continue well into college, making lower-SES students more likely to drop out because they face unique challenges.

PRACTICE

Outlining/The Skeleton

Thesis: Social class disparities continue well into college, making lower-SES students more likely to drop out because they face unique challenges.

What do you need to define to set your context?

What is social class/SES? What is working? low? middle? high?

What are the basic stats on dropping out? Do lots of students drop out? Is it a big problem? Why should we want to fix it?

PRACTICE

What points do you need to prove to make your argument?

Social class disparities continue well into college

Lower-SES students are more likely to drop out

Lower-SES students face unique challenges.

These are your bare bone points. Now flesh them out.

PRACTICE

Social class disparities continue well into college

What disparities? Income? Cultural capital? Habitus?

What do these look like in practice?

How can we tell?

Studies on disparities within college contexts

PRACTICE

Lower-SES students are more likely to drop out

Data on this

Studies that show this is the case

This would probably be the shortest section, just because it’s so factual/data-based — you can probably just address it with statistics on dropout rates.

PRACTICE

Lower-SES students face unique challenges.

Challenge #1

Studies, data, research

Challenge #2

Studies, data, research

Challenge #3

Studies, data, research

PRACTICE

Now, you’ve stated your thesis, and you’ve built your argument to provide all the supporting evidence.

Take a paragraph or two to synthesize everything that you have said. Draw connections, etc.

PRACTICE

Conclusion

Summarize the dropout rates, why high dropout rates are a problem, the fact that dropout rates differ by SES, and briefly list the “unique challenges” you discussed at length.

This would also be a good time to get a little creative…

How could this problem be fixed? You can speculate.

What are the implications of this for society?

Re-state your thesis and make it clear what you are arguing.

THANKS & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

UNR Writing Center

Eric Michael Johnson

Created the handout you received today, and thus also the slides in here based on that handout

Markus Kemmelmeier

Created several of the slides in this presentation