UTA-23
paper 3: synthesis argument
English 1301: Rhetoric and Composition I
H
the rhetorical situation
For your Discourse Community Analysis, you analyzed rhetorical appeals you made as part of a discourse community,
whereas for your Rhetorical Analysis, you analyzed rhetorical appeals an author made as part of a textual conversation unfamiliar to you. For this paper, you yourself will make
written rhetorical appeals as you jump into the conversation
constituted by your reading cluster and contribute your own
original argument.
In the early stages of your entrance into an academic discourse community, most of your energy is devoted to reading
about and listening to the words and ideas of others. This
is how you acquire knowledge. As you increase your participation in the community, however, you begin to transform
your knowledge as you apply it to new rhetorical goals and
in new rhetorical contexts. Such knowledge transformation
requires you to synthesize the words and ideas of others with
your own.
The purpose of this paper is to give you practice familiarizing
yourself with a textual conversation, locating an opening for
your own contribution, and making an argument that you support by combining your own ideas and reasoning with outside
sources. My hope is that this assignment will familiarize you
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ENGLISH 1301: RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION I
with a process of thinking and writing that anticipates the sort
of knowledge transformation that will be required of you in your
major field of study.
Your audience for this paper will be readers of a (fictitious)
online magazine for UTA students that offers analysis and commentary about politics, news, and culture. The content will
consist of an argument related to your reading cluster.
reading, brainstorming, and drafting
\u2022 Your first step is to read all the articles in your cluster.
Read strategically. You\u2019re looking for an opening in the
conversation where you can insert your own claim. For
example, you might decide to disagree with a claim made
in one of the articles (see pp. 60\u201363); you might decide
to agree with a claim made in one of the articles but for
different reasons (see pp. 63\u201366); you might decide to
agree and disagree simultaneously with a claim made in
one of the articles (see pp. 66\u201369). Or, you might locate
a thread in the conversation that is not fully explored and
make a claim that addresses it. The point is that you want
to make an argument that advances the conversation and
turns it in a new direction, rather than just reiterating or
summarizing an argument that\u2019s already been made in one
of the articles.
\u2022 You should also read strategically for material you can use as
evidence. Underline or highlight passages that might serve
as textual support for your argument.
\u2022 Once you\u2019ve read through the articles and settled on a claim,
do some brainstorming to come up with at least three
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Paper 3: Synthesis Argument
supporting reasons. Then, draw out the invisible warrants
you\u2019ve created by completing the following template for each
reason: \u201cIf it\u2019s true that [insert reason here], then it must follow
that [insert claim here].\u201d
\u2022 You now have a framework for your argument, but before
you start drafting, make sure you have enough evidence for
all your reasons and warrants. Don\u2019t worry about providing
evidence for reasons or warrants that represent beliefs UTA
students already hold. But for all your other reasons and warrants, make sure you can provide sufficient support through
some combination of textual evidence from the articles, your
personal experiences, your first-hand observations, and\/or
your own powers of reasoning. If you find you just can\u2019t support a reason or warrant, modify that part of your argument
until it becomes supportable.
\u2022 Now you\u2019re ready to start drafting. For each reason and
warrant you need to prove, construct a paragraph or more
of support that would persuade UTA students to agree
to it.
You should produce at least three pages of content in this
section.
\u2022 Do some more brainstorming to come up with at least one
naysayer who objects to some part of your argument. Draft
a section in which you name and describe the naysayer (see
pp. 86\u201388), represent their objections fairly (see pp. 90\u201391),
make concessions to their objections if possible (see
pp. 92\u201393), and answer their objections (see pp. 91\u201394).
You should produce at least half a page or a page of content
here.
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ENGLISH 1301: RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION I
putting it all together
As you prepare a draft that you\u2019ll share with readers, begin
with an introduction (which need not be limited to a single
paragraph) that accomplishes three goals:
\u2022 Acknowledges what \u201cthey say\u201d (see Ch. 1)
\u2022 Provides an \u201cI say\u201d (see Ch. 4)
\u2022 Answers the \u201cso what?\u201d and \u201cwho cares?\u201d questions (see Ch. 7)
If you chose to disagree, agree with a difference, or agree and
disagree simultaneously with a claim made in one of the articles,
your \u201cthey say\u201d will be the claim to which you\u2019re responding. If
you chose a claim that pursues a point the articles fail to fully
explore, your \u201cthey say\u201d might be a more general summary of
the textual conversation to which you\u2019re responding.
Your \u201cI say\u201d will be your thesis statement, in which you state
your claim and support it with at least three reasons.
The answer to the \u201cwho cares?\u201d question is the UTA student body or at least a sizable portion of it. To answer the \u201cso
what?\u201d question, explain to readers why the issue addressed in
your reading\u2014and more specifically, your take on it\u2014matters.
Once you have an introduction in place, it\u2019s up to you decide
how to shape and organize your argument.
choosing an appropriate style
You\u2019re writing for publication and for a broad audience of readers you\u2019ve never met, so your style should be more formal than
in your first two papers. At the same time, you\u2019re writing for a
magazine, not a scholarly journal, so you don\u2019t have to write in
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Paper 3: Synthesis Argument
stuffy, academic prose. Try to imitate the style of the articles
in your reading cluster.
Make sure you construct coherent paragraphs that include
topic sentences and supporting sentences that stay on topic.
The first time you reference a source, introduce it within
the body of your text and, if possible, hyperlink to it. If you
reference the source again later, just mention the author\u2019s last
name. Make sure you enclose any quoted material in quotation
marks. Don\u2019t use a formal citation system (e.g., MLA) because
that is not the convention for this genre.
You\u2019ll want to stick mostly to Standard English because this
is the norm in publishing. Proofread carefully to ensure that
your paper reads the way you want it to and that you\u2019ve corrected unintentional errors. The Purdue OWL website (https:\/\/
owl.english.purdue.edu\/owl\/) is a terrific resource for information on standard writing conventions.
specs
Your paper should be no longer than six pages, double-spaced,
in 12-point Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins
all the way around.
Your first submission is due at the beginning of class on
, and you should think of it as a final draft\u2014something
you would be willing to submit for a grade. If your first submission does not address everything listed in this assignment sheet,
I will return it to you and count it as late. Both your first and
final submissions must be turned in on time; you will be docked
a full letter grade for each day either is late.
Peer reviews are due .
Final drafts are due .
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holistic grading criteria for the
synthesis argument
English 1301: Rhetoric and Composition I
H
grading criteria: c
The UTA Catalog defines a C as \u201cfair,\u201d which means average.
Since this is a 1000-level Common Core class, a C paper is what
a UTA freshman who is writing at an average level typically
produces when they give a strong effort.
To earn a C, your Synthesis Argument should first indicate
the larger conversation to which you\u2019re responding (\u201cthey
say\u201d) before providing a thesis that includes your claim and at
least three reasons (\u201cI say\u201d). You should answer the \u201cso what?\u201d
and \u201cwho cares?\u201d questions, provide adequate evidence to
support your reasons and warrants, answer the objections of
a naysayer, and incorporate outside sources effectively. The
ideas you present should demonstrate that you understand the
rhetorical concepts that we have addressed in class. Moreover, show that you have responded actively and thoughtfully
to peer and instructor feedback on your first submission. The
style of your paper should not impede my understanding of
your argument.
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Holistic Grading Criteria for the Synthesis Argument
grading criteria: b
The UTA Catalog defines a B as \u201cgood,\u201d which means above
average. A B paper is what a UTA freshman who is writing at
an above-average level typically earns when they give a strong
effort (certainly a student writing at an average level can earn
a B with exceptional effort).
To earn a B, first make sure your paper meets all the criteria required to earn a C. Beyond that, you should represent
what \u201cthey say\u201d more completely and provide more developed
answers to the \u201cso what?\u201d and \u201cwho cares?\u201d questions by making
a compelling case that your argument matters to some segment
of the UTA student body. You should construct a complex
thesis, provide ample support for all your reasons and warrants, and represent strong objections from a naysayer that you
answer convincingly. You should revise thoroughly, responding
to feedback with great comprehensiveness. Finally, a B paper
demonstrates strong command of word choice, voice, style, and
grammatical conventions.
grading criteria: a
The UTA Catalog defines an A as \u201cexcellent,\u201d so an A paper
is what a UTA freshman who is writing at an excellent level
(80th percentile or above) might produce if they gave maximum effort. (Again, students writing at an average or aboveaverage level may also earn As with extraordinary effort and
sustained hard work.)
To earn an A, first make sure your paper meets the criteria
required to earn a C and a B. You should tackle the issue
addressed in your reading cluster in an original and challenging
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ENGLISH 1301: RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION I
way, constructing a thesis that is conceptually rich and answering the \u201cso what?\u201d and \u201cwho cares?\u201d questions in great depth
and with keen insight. Your paper should synthesize evidence
from diverse sources and in a way that provides overwhelming support for all your reasons and warrants. You should fully
represent the objections of a trenchant naysayer, make careful
concessions, and answer objections in a manner that might
satisfy even extreme opponents. Your paper should be lucid,
concise, and easy to follow; it should also demonstrate your
command of style, voice, mechanics, and usage.
grading criteria: d or f
If you receive a D on your paper, carefully consider the criteria listed above for a C. I give Ds to papers when writers,
while demonstrating a general understanding of the topic and
concepts, have not fulfilled all the requirements listed on the
assignment sheet or have failed to respond to all my comments
on their first submission. If you misunderstand the assignment;
show little understanding of the required rhetorical concepts; or
ignore the technical requirements of topic, length, or format,
your paper may receive an F.
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