As we start week 6, let us first review some of the key tools we’ve shared so far:

MEAL plan –the paragraph plan we use to outline and organize our body paragraphsLinks to an external site.

Signal phrases–those phrases that ‘signal’ a source is being used in the ‘evidence’ space of a body paragraph–or in the intro and conclusion Links to an external site.

Color-coding on the MEAL Plan–using colors to mark the main idea / cited evidence or examples / analysis to see where to revise as needed.

Now, as we think about cause and effect for our formal assignment s, let us pause as a Team to think about the cause and effect of trying the new tools and writing process we’ve been sharing this term, Team!

For this discussion posting, please share a reflection on how your academic writing process is progressing by citing and discussing the specific methods listed above. Remember: construct your paragraphs on the MEAL Plan. 

My advice: pick 3 ideas you plan to carry forward in future classes. And note that some paragraphs might have cited evidence, like links to the tools, and others might have examples, like how you tried something and how it all worked or did not work and why.

That should tease out to three body paragraphs, and once you have those body paragraphs written, mine the main ideas to form that thesis, based on our basic format:

X is important because of main idea 1, 2, and 3.

So here, My writing process is growing becasue of….that’s how a model thesis statement might start…

  

Week 4: Thinking About Evaluation (Example)

This week, we’ll take a look at selectding sources and work on finding ideas for choosing credible sources to work in that ‘evidence’ piece of the MEAL Plan: again, the link to that handout….Links to an external site.

main idea

cited evidence

analysis.

What makes a source credible? 

Imagine you are working to talk about ways to support members of the United States military for a community service project.

Where do you begin looking? Likely on Google, yes?

But how can we know if a source is credibe? 

The ending of the web page can help a lot– .gov is govenment–.org is an organization that is not-for-profit–.edu is an educational source — .com is a regular, commercial address.

With that knowledge, are the sources below credible for an at Troy?  Why or Why not?

https://www.uso.org/stories/2853-how-can-i-support-the-troops-5-ways-you-can-help-deployed-soldiersLinks to an external site. / USO link on supporting the TroopsLinks to an external site.

https://www.defense.gov/Resources/Military-Support-Organizations/Links to an external site. / Government web page on military support and reliefLinks to an external site.

https://childmind.org/article/what-civilians-can-do-to-support-military-members/Links to an external site. / Child Mind Institute’s info on supporting troopsLinks to an external site.

Once you’ve reviewed the links and make your choice upon which one(s) to address, we move to the next step:

How could you let the reader know about what the source means to you, the author?

You can introduce the source with what we’ll call signal phrases–as they ‘signal’ that an outside source is going to be used and define what that source means to the writerLinks to an external site..

Select one of the shared sources, and put that source in context using a signal phrase to show the reader how you define the source–why you find it credible and worthy of being used alongside your own ideas.

And example  of a body paragraph might look like this:

main idea: X is important to America today.

cited evidence: In fact, a 2002 article by Mr. X. a noted expert in y, adds that “90% of Americans support focusing on this issue more than we do now” (4)

analysis: Therefore, we can use this evidence to advance the cause of X and to ….

Post your answer on the MEAL Plan, and you may choose to write several paragraphs as we did last week.

A key way to save time here is to mine any key quotes, stats, or facts from the source–and go ahead and plug those into the ‘evidence’ space of the MEAL Plan. That way, you have it ready to go when you return to write out your body paragraph(s).

REMEMBER: you are asked to post your initial reply by  Thursday night of each week.

And your initial post should be around 200-250 words–so, around a page.

 Read Chapters 5 and 6 of the Scandura (2022) text. Focusing on the Case Study 5.1 (pp. 121-122) and Case Study 6.1 (pp. 152-153), please create at least a minimum three (3) full page Case Study addressing the discussion questions at the end of the case study you choose. 

You will use the discussion questions (or an abbreviation of them) as the heading correctly formatted in center, bold, and title caps.

The textbook is a starting off point. To complete this assignment correctly and earn full points, you must cite an academic journal article that you locate in the databases only. Open source sources (available without a login) will not be accepted. Hint: If you locate a good article, you only need one for each assignment rather than locating one to address each question.

Reflection on Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars.

To truly delve into this book, let’s approach it with a curious and open mindset. It’s important to have a clear main idea and provide examples from the text to back up viewpoint.

Make sure to also talk about:

1.what did you make of these extravafant meaningful names of the women in the novel? why do you think thom chooses to kep the protagonist unnamed?

2.long hair symbolizing femininity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7deLsNgb9Q&t=2546s

Complete an informed and thoughtful critique, 4 pages in length

Intro: When you write, it is important to have a point of view. You will express this as your main idea. You should be able to talk about your overall perspective in a single, clear sentence. Are you aware of any other versions of the same play? Is this a revival or a new piece? When/where was the play written? What is its production history? Who is the playwright/writer and what has been said about their work? What genre is this piece? Comedy? Drama? Musical Theatre?

Next

Audience: How did the audience respond to the performance? Was there a good relationship between the performers and the audience? How was it for you to experience a live production? o Acting: Did the actors embody the characters physically, vocally and emotionally? Were the performers energized and compelling? Were they believable? Were the performances more psychological or physical (or both)? Were there any memorable acting moments? Was the casting traditional or non-traditional? o Directing: Did the production possess a unified vision? Was there an interesting concept? What made it interesting? How well did the show move in terms of pace and rhythm? Were there interesting patterns of movement? Were there any significant directorial moments? o Design: How did the design elements contribute to the overall effect? Did they create a unified whole? How did the choices for color, lines, composition, forms, or texture, support the text, the environment and the characters? Did the set serve the action well? Were the characters well depicted by their costumes? Did the lighting create a mood? What was the function of sound? o Other elements: Depending on the performance you see, you might also want to discuss the choreography, music (score, lyrics, orchestration, singing), special effects, or use of video or animation.

Last 

In consideration of everything you have a thought about and written regarding this production, ask yourself: What did the piece say to me? How did all the aspects of production express this? You might also consider what you would have done differently if you were in control of the production.