Home | Up | Course Theme Readings | Essay Notes | Oral Presentation I | Overview of Assignments and Due Dates | Setting Up SMH Online | SP 2005 Syllabus (HTML) | SP 2005 Syllabus (MS Word)

Essay Notes & Considerations

As the purpose of this class is to strengthen your skills as a writer in academia, we will focus on "the rules" of writing. Many of these so-called rules are actually agreed-upon conventions; the goal for this course is for you to understand and and demonstrate an ability to work within the conventions.

Document Design:

See SMH 8e (page 184).

Outline:

Essays are to be submitted with a formal outline (see SMH 3e [page 72] for more details). Note that an outline only breaks down the organization of the body of the essay; neither the introduction nor the conclusion are included in a formal outline. As the outline is not part of the 'real' essay, the outline page(s) are numbered with lower case roman numerals (See Shannan Palma's sample essay in SMH page 441).

Please note that a formal outline is not necessary in the drafting stage-- in fact, for drafting, I would suggest an informal outline, clusters, or simply a bulleted list or overview. A formal outline can be most effective as an editing/review tool. Once you've 'finished' your essay, outline it. It's a great way to review your organization, keep an eye to consistency of purpose and keeping with your thesis, check your topic sentences, and evaluate your use of source materials.

Introduction:

The introduction is literally your reader's invitation. It needs to be welcoming and pique the reader's interest. An effective introduction presents the problem or circumstance that will be explored, may provide a concise overview of the issue at hand, and defines the importance of the topic.

Thesis:

The thesis is literally an itinerary for the reader. For this course, the thesis must be one sentence that defines the topic of the essay, the writer's commentary (or purpose), and the order of the essay (which are usually the main points of argument or classifications).

Example (from Shannan Palma's essay):

"Recent films strongly suggest that the hero of the twenty-first century will most likely appear not as a Hollywood star or a mythical manifestation but as a combination of mortal and machine-- in short, a cyborg."

Body:

Your fulfillment of the promise made in your thesis. This is the major component of your writing. The body is organized by the order set in the thesis and effectively demonstrates or proves the commentary upon the topic. Although it is expected that your writing demonstrates that you are informed as to your topic, your essay should be primarily your analysis-- not quotes, summaries, or paraphrases of other people's analyses. As has been said before, your writing should be a work of original scholarship; you are a writer, not a reporter or a regurgitator of others' writing and thinking.

Conclusion:

For many, the conclusion is the trickiest part of writing. It is not simply the repetition of the thesis; in fact, if your introduction and your conclusion are interchangeable, you aren't using these important sections effectively.  The conclusion is your reader's final impression: what do you want the reader to remember or take away with him or her? Consider, for instance, the implications of what you have written. How might the topic you have written about, the claims you have made, perhaps the changes you have proposed: why might this be important to the reader now? how about in the near or distant future?

Organization (org, t.s.):

Work should develop logically and effectively (by classifications or points of argument, NOT by sources used). Each section should have a 'mini-thesis' that defines the purpose for that section and a mini-conclusion that helps the reader to recognize the transition and/or logical relationship between the next and preceding point. Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence.

Documentation (doc):

Any sources must be documented according to MLA (Modern Language Association) style (SMH 20). The style must be followed for both in-text citations and for the list of Works Cited. Direct quotes and extended quotes are to be indicated appropriately (see SMH 52). Verify that the correct typography is used for titles (SMH 52 & 56). Direct quotes are to be introduced or otherwise indicated by signal phrases (author[s] and title of work for first use; author's/authors' last name for subsequent reference-- if only using one source by author[s]).

For example:

Mechanics/Grammar (see list of 20 Most Common Surface Errors [SMH page 14; descriptions for each are within intro. ] and list of Revision Symbols [SMH I-43]):

Your writing is expected to reflect correct usage as well as a vocabulary and style appropriate for college writing.

In order to better understand errors and how to avoid them, you need to check the notations on your essay and review what the notations mean. Numbers indicate the 20 Most Common Surface Errors; other notations are indicated in the list of Revision Symbols. As I may only note one or two instances of an error within your essay, it is expected that you fully review your essay and look for any patterns of error that may have occurred. If you do not understand my notation, or after reviewing SMH do not understand what it means and how to correct it, email me or meet with me.

(slang, formal) Essays for this course should be formal in tone. This means that the writing does not use slang (unless, of course, it is being referred to as such for a pertinent purpose) and avoids the use of contractions. See SMH 2 for more information.

(vocab) Vocabulary should be both precise and expressive. As a reader, you should look up unfamiliar words. As a writer, you should look for words that precisely convey your intentions and, in general, economize word use. For example, "very happy" is a weak attempt to convey an intensely emotional response. "Jubilant" might be a better choice.

Revisions:

If you choose to revise your essay, remember that this is truly a revision, not simply a rewrite. This distinction means that you are to "look again" at what you have written and be prepared to make changes to content, citation, organization, and the like. Do not expect to earn a higher grade if you simply "fix" the grammar where it is marked. Anyone who earns lower than 90% may revise; the revised grade may be higher or lower than that of the first submission. If substantial issues noted in the first submission as far as development or organization (for example) are not addressed, do not expect your grade to improve.

Copyright 2003-2005 Andrea L. Beaudin (except where otherwise noted). All other works property of their respective copyright owners. All Rights Reserved. Redistribution, reposting, or other use of these materials without prior written consent is prohibited.  To request permission to redistribute the materials on this site, please  me.