Dark-Herold is allowing student to pick just about anything as their "theory" that they are applying to humor, so I would just help them find a strong substantive article on the topic they have chosen and not worry about how (or if) it fits in with humor.
Essay for which they are doing an Annotated Bib: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h0YQtrAQOD2wF9RNhk49qc5tva2vL74ivVkEwnssGjI/edit
So I’m still waiting to get the actual next assignment from Andrew, but I talked to him about the difficulties of find substantive articles that work, and he is changing it up. Students will be using three sources for the essay. (ML)
A student just shared her assignment with me for Essay 3 (IBC) - 4/17/24
Create an MLA formatted document for this task. Use a "main idea" from your complete "synthesis matrix" to determine the "point" of your paragraph and the "information" you'll include from two of your sources. Follow this outline for your 250 - 300 word paragraph: Begin with a topic sentence that expresses your opinion (review the “My Thoughts” box in your completed "synthesis matrix") (this is your voice); Next, provide a 2-3 sentence context explaining the main idea of your opinion/point (this is your voice); Next, introduce your first piece of evidence from source one in the form of a quote or paraphrase; Provide a 3-4 sentence analysis/explanation of the evidence. Focus on explaining how it illustrates your opinion in the topic sentence (this is your voice); Introduce your second piece of evidence from source two in the form of a quote or paraphrase (use only one paraphrase per paragraph). Provide a 3-4 sentence analysis/explanation of the evidence. Focus on explaining how it illustrates your opinion in the topic sentence (this is your voice Provide 2-3 sentences explaining how this paragraph connects to your open-ended research question and the topic of happiness/well-being (this is your voice).
Tip: Help the student choose a type of excitotoxin (aspartame or MSG are the best bets). DO NOT use "excitotoxins" as a search term. You'll get only outdated academic articles or new-wave junk science.
Students have an assignment to complete that includes contacting a librarian.
Assignment and essay prompt are below.
Research Proposal Assignment Proposal, due Apr 2. Students should have already watched class videos and read class readings on the achievement gap.
Your research is going to focus on looking at a specific group you’ve identified as having an achievement gap when it comes to college completion and success or educational success in general. Note: you can focus on K-12 or college age students. Your goal is to explore research on this group and identify some of the barriers that researchers point to as primary reasons for achievement gaps we see. You will also be exploring possible solutions noted to help reduce or eliminate the gaps. For this proposal, I want you to narrow your focus. You can’t look at all groups. There are vast amounts of information available, so narrowing your focus will narrow your search and help you focus your time and energy looking at material that applies to only the specific group you have identified.
I would like you to write a paragraph (typed) identifying the group you are interested in researching and explain why this group interests you in particular. If you are torn between two groups, you can explain why and what these groups are.
Your Proposal needs to be approved by me; let me see MLA format and at least half a page.
English 100, Essay 4
Examining a Problem and Proposing a Reasonable Solution
Context: We started this research assignment by looking at data from the central valley that shows that there are achievement gaps” between groups of students who successfully move from high school graduation and college degree to better economic standing and career options. Over the past few weeks, each of you has been doing research on a particular group to better understand who they are and where they come from, barriers they face in achieving their educational and career goals, and possible solutions that caring people have offered up as a means to better close the achievement gaps. In this last out-of-class essay, you will have the opportunity to share that information and what you’ve learned through the
research process as it relates to the “disadvantaged” group you’ve studied and student success as a whole.
Prompt: In your essay, provide readers with a clear sense of who your group is, 2 or 3 of the major barriers they face when it comes to academic achievement and why (causes), and 1 or 2 solutions that appeal to you as true, viable, reasonable solutions that could help close the achievement gap for the population you researched. (Note: Your thesis needs to address barriers and solutions)
Focus on the Following as you Write:
· Identify and describe your group in detail and give readers good background information to help them better understand who this group is and why they are more likely to have achievement gaps. What are the gaps?
· Address why readers should care about this group and their achievement gaps. Address why it matters--how it impacts individuals and society as a whole.
· Explain 2 to 3 barriers that seem to be the most significant factors that contribute to the achievement gaps identified. In what ways are they creating roadblocks to students’ success?
· Discuss 1 to 2 solutions identified in your research that look promising for closing the achievement gap for your group studied. What is the solution and in what ways has it proven to be successful in closing achievement gaps?
· Conclude with what might happen if this barrier is not addressed. What are the possible consequence of not dealing with this issue or ignoring it or continuing the way we are currently going?
Things to Keep in Mind:
· Your essay should have a clearly stated thesis that will guide your discussion and keep you and readers focused.
· Your essay should have multiple fully developed body paragraphs with clear topic sentences.
· Organization of ideas .should be clear and logical. Use transitions to help readers move through the information and points you are sharing. Be reader-based in your approach.
· You are using the research you’ve done in your annotated bib, but you are not summarizing and evaluating it. Instead, you are now explaining specific barriers or solutions identified in research to outside readers and including specific evidence and information from your sources that help clarify problem or solution. Why is it a problem? How is it contributing to achievement gap? Why does a solution look promising? Who is using it and has it proven successful in closing achievement gaps—i.e. keeping students in school so they can accomplish their goals?
· You need to use at least 6 outside sources. 1 can be from a popular source, and 5 must be either substantive or scholarly sources. If you use articles not included in your annotated bib, you need to include copies with your submitted essay.
· All sources need to be integrated well with signal phrases, appropriate in-text citations and page numbers, introductions to sources done correctly—quotations for article titles, italics for databases, websites, names of journals. This is important since you will be using multiple sources in your essay. Help readers know who you are citing.
Requirement:
· Minimum of 6 full pages in MLA format + a Works Cited page. Maximum is 8 pages + Work Cited.
· Minimum of 6 researched sources; maximum of 8.
Annotated Bibliography assignment:
Research Overview: Throughout the first 2 Units, you have been focused on examining two dimensions of wellness: emotional and intellectual. For your final Research assignment, you will pick one of the remaining 5 dimensions (Physical, Spiritual, Financial, Environmental, or Social wellness.) Begin by finding a working definition of the dimension of wellness you have chosen to explore. You can use the one provided in the wheel or another if you find you like it better. In your research look for articles that address the following questions:
1. What problems in our society currently impact people’s ability to fully achieving this dimension of wellness?
2. What benefits does this dimension of wellness offer society and individuals?
3. What difficulties—physical, emotional, mental, etc.— arise in people’s lives when this dimension of wellness is lacking, given various problems in society?
4. What connections can you make between the particular dimension of wellness you are investigating and one or more of the 2 we have studied this semester—emotional, intellectual?
5. How can we as a society or you as a person work on developing this dimension of wellness to become a better you?
You will report out your findings by producing an Annotated Bibliography in which you provide readers with a citation, summary, and evaluation of the sources you have collected. You need a total of 4 substantive and/or scholarly sources that help address your research questions.
Assignment
Create an annotated bibliography on 4 substantive sources you have found in your exploration of a particular dimension of wellness. At least three of these sources must be peer reviewed articles. (Minimum 5.5 pages) Please note: abstracts or summaries of longer works are not acceptable as substantive sources. You need the actual articles, so make sure what you are looking at is the article itself.
Your Annotated Bibliography must include the following:
· Correct format for an Annotated Bibliography according to example provided
· MLA citation for all 4 sources
· A Summary Paragraph (for each source)
o It should be a full summary of entire article (at least 1/2 to 3/4 page length). It should also be well-organized and fully developed discussion of the author’s main idea and key supporting details. Each summary needs to be written primarily in your own words using reporting verbs and demonstrate that you have thoroughly read each article and understand the author’s argument and key points. Use transition words and do not include personal opinions. Integration of quotes and paraphrases is done well with appropriate page numbers as needed. (No citation information is needed in summary. Instead, use author's last name only as shown in sample annotated bib.)
· An Evaluation Paragraph (for each source)
o Are the references the author uses valuable for further research?
o Does the source provide any useful data, statistics, or graphs?
o What did it add to your understanding of this dimension of wellness or how this dimension of wellness connects with the 3 you have already studied?
o In what ways did the author(s) provoke you to think about your own life and how you might incorporate this dimension of wellness more fully into your life or change some behaviors to create a better you?
o Your evaluation should also include some discussion of the authority/credibility of author and source.
Each evaluation should be a fully developed and well-organized discussion that offers readers some thoughtful discussion on the article (1/2 to 3/4 page length). (Write in the third person (he/she); do not use you/your.
Be sure to proofread. Also, I am looking for your own thoughtful summaries and evaluations. Any plagiarism of either will automatically result in a failing grade for this assignment.
For the research paper on For Profit Education, students are required to use four sources provided to them in Canvas as well as find:
2 additional articles that are at least 5 pages of text, have a relevance of the last 5 years, and were acquired from the MJC Library database in regard to For-Profit education.
Here's the LibGuide for the assignment. The videos on using EBSCO and Gale are custom-made for this assignment.
--Susan
From an email from Joyce 3/30:
Notes for Essay 5, sent 3/30
Essay #2 requires students to use a minimum of 5 sources (works cited entries) which correspond to 15 in-text citations: 5 full direct quotations, 5 partial direct quotations, and 5 paraphrases. All 15 would require in-text citation.
Students are confused about this, so I send clarifying questions to Anders (screenshot below--open image in new tab to enlarge). To all of these examples, he replied yes; they align with his instruction. Partial direct quotations can be constructed using part of the quotation in the same sentence along w/ the writer's own wording, and omitting part of the quotation with the use of ellipses.
