Passing Portfolio (summer students need not worry about this)

As with all assignments, one concern is producing an overall product that meets the assignment criteria in a manner that will also produce an essay that passes the portfolio process.

Introduction

The introduction should do the following: provide author's name (full name on first mention), the title of the text being summarized, and the point the summary is seeking to make. Additionally, there should be some general, background, information the text and/or author and the point that will be raised by the thesis. This general information will typically be used (and probably should be used) to set up the thesis after the introduction of the text being summarized. When mentioning the text and author, a one-sentence summary of the whole should also be provided. Keep in mind that you are not only introducing the topic of the essay, but yourself as a writer.

Clear Summary

The essay is expected to capture the essence of either chapter one or two of UnSpun and to clearly articulate your view of the assigned readings as they relate to the world and/or your life today. In doing so, pay particular attention to the following:

• Provide proportional representation. If the authors provide just a few paragraphs for a particular notion, you should be equally brief. If they provide quite a few paragraphs, then you should provide summary proportionally.
• Make it clear these are Jackson and Jamieson's words. To do so, you should introduce his words with something such as this: In chapter two, Jackson and Jamieson stress the idea that parental authority is not absolute. Rather, focusing on the role of the mother and the limitations . . .." I hope you get it from this example.
• Present the material in the same order the authors do.
• Hit on all of the major ideas/details.

Effective/Appropriate Response

This assignment calls for a response that makes clear your thoughts on the original. This calls for looking at some element that runs through the whole of the summary. For instance, Jackson and Jamieson write how many products and politicians are sold, or sell themselves, under false premises. Choose some thematic element of this sort, maybe something they overlooked or ignored, and build not only your response, but the introduction and thesis around it.

Conclusion

The point of the conclusion is to leave the reader with some sense of finality. This sense will, of course, depending upon the claim of the thesis. Many students simply restate the thesis and rephrase the introduction. While such reiteration can serve a purpose, it does not do anything to advance the overall argument. Instead, it simply reminds readers what they already read. One way to get more out of a conclusion is to seek to drive home the point of the thesis. Think of the conclusion as your last chance to get readers to see things your way. You can re-emphasize the importance of the issue the thesis addresses, you can plug that issue into a broader, more global context. Whatever you do, find some way to make your essay stick with your reader as you wrap up while NOT adding any new information.

Effective Use of Examples

Each major point of the summary requires requires the use of at least one specific example taken from the readings. This essay requires that you provide your reader some explanation making clear the relationship between the data (examples) and the claim (thesis). The examples from UnSpun for the points you address can be in the form of a quote or paraphrase. Either way, if you present their words or ideas, provide a citation, which is simply the page number the material comes from in parenthesis before the period that closes the sentence. Here's a quote example: "But though this be a state of liberty, yet it is not a state of licence:" (102). Here's a paraphrase example: Locke writes that liberty is not a state of license (102). You'll also want to provide specific examples to illustrate the response. For instance, if you were to write about how aliens are not expected to follow the laws of foreign countries, an example that is contentious in America today, never mind illegal immigration, is the African immigrant communities that practice female circumcision, which some call female genital mutilation. Should we outlaw such behavior as barbaric? Should we allow it, look the other way, because it is part of the culture they bring with them to America? I'll let you decide on that, but this is the sort of specific example that could be used to illustrate this point if you so choose. (These examples are based on a different text, but I hope you get the idea.)

Essay Format

Every essay should have a clear introduction, body and conclusion. There should be a clear rhetorical thread running through the whole of the essay. This thread will be made clear by the essay's thesis. Be sure the focus of the response and summary both stick to what is articulated in the thesis.

Paragraphing

Effective essay paragraphs generally consist of three parts: a topic sentence, examples, and a warrant (an explanation tying the paragraph back to the thesis). The example portion might be a more general example illustrated by a specific example from the text. For instance, for a topic sentence, one might write that a common notion such as the common good being important to Locke's ideas on government. That could be followed with a general example of the common good as described by Locke, which in turn is followed by a quote about the common good by Locke. This, in turn, would be followed by some explanation that establishes the relationship to the thesis.

Appropriate use of MLA format

With this essay, proper in-text and works cited citation format is expected for any passages used as either quotes or paraphrases from Locke in your response, introduction or conclusion. Generally though, you want to avoid quotes and citations in introductions. No citations are required for the summary other than the general attributions. The rest of the MLA expectations are spelled out here: Essay Format.

Grammar and mechanics

Solid grammar and mechanics are expected. This means spelling, punctuation and that sort of thing, all of which you are expected to have under control at this point (more or less) but which I'll also provide a strategy for addressing in the later revisions.

Evaluation Criteria

Primary Traits

The essay will be evaluated via a holistic, primary-trait approach. Rather than looking at anything in isolation, at least as much as is possible, the essay will be read with an eye to the elements listed above. The grade will be an approximation of how well the essay can be expected to do in the portfolio process.

Self Evaluation

As with all assignments, provide a self-evaluation. This time, provide an explanation that spells out how your essay achieves the above mention listed assignment goals. What about your summary and/or response is effective? Your choice of details and examples? Your use of essay format? Your thesis? Make it clear how these elements are (or aren't if that's the case) making your essay successful. Additionally, if there are any particular concerns you have, such as something you are unsure about, a peer group member that didn't provide a timely response to your essay, you not providing your peers a timely response, include this as well. Turn this in with your essay.