SOC b2500 Sociological Writing (“Making Sociology Speak”) B. Nadya Jaworsky Office 3.66 Consultation Hours: By appointment WRITING AN EXPOSITORY ESSAY •A clear, concise and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay. •Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body and conclusion •Body paragraphs with evidential support (whether factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal) •A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided •CREATIVITY! Mind Mapping •Choose a topic that you want to write. •Develop the topic into sub-topics. •Use questions to develop the topic. • Example •What is your favorite pet? • • • • • •My favourite pet is my dog, Romeo. A dog How to make sub-topics? •Use question. •Why do you like your pet? • • • • • •My favourite pet is my dog, Romeo. • A dog It is beautiful and easy to care for Playing with him is a lot of fun He always takes care of me Write the Introductory Paragraph · Introduction or Topic Sentence (Use key words from the prompt) · First Subtopic (A “Showing” Example) · Second Subtopic (A “Showing” Example) · Third Subtopic (A “Showing” Example) · Conclusion (Restates Introduction) • Paragraph 1: Introductory Paragraph • My favorite pet is my dog, Romeo. He is beautiful and easy to care for. Playing with him is lots of fun. He always takes care of me. I have never had a better pet. How to make the body text paragraph? •Make another question for paragraph 2. •Why is your pet beautiful and easy to care for? A dog He is beautiful and easy to care for He is a tricolor Sheltie, mostly black with white and a bit of brown. Caring for him is easy because I simply have to make sure he has fresh water and food every day. I exercise him by throwing his toys. Write Paragraph 2 • Romeo is beautiful and easy to care for. He is a tricolor Sheltie, mostly black with white and a bit of brown. Caring for him is easy because I simply have to make sure he has fresh water and food every day. I exercise him by throwing his toys. Because he is good looking and doesn’t require much care Romeo is a good pet. Make another question for paragraph 3 •Why is playing with him a lot of fun? A dog Playing with him is a lot of fun He loves to play catch. He follows me around the house with a toy and drops it on my foot so I will toss it. He can catch just about anything, but his favorite is chasing a Frisbee. Write Paragraph 3 • Romeo is lots of fun to play with. He loves to play catch. He follows me around the house with a toy and drops it on my foot so I will toss it. He can catch just about anything, but his favorite is chasing a Frisbee. I really have fun playing with Romeo. • Make another question for paragraph 4 •How can your dog take care of you? A dog He always takes care of me He always follows me when I leave a room. When I am sitting on a couch he plops down right beside me. On sunny days when we are hiking in the woods he always makes sure that I keep up with the rest of the family. Write Paragraph 4 • Romeo takes care of me. He always follows me when I leave a room. When I am sitting on a couch he plops down right beside me. On sunny days when we are hiking in the woods he always makes sure that I keep up with the rest of the family. He always watches out for me. How to write conclusion? •Paraphrase the topic sentence. (Write the sentence in different words without changing the meaning) •For Example: –My favorite pet is my dog, Romeo. •Change into: –I have never had a better pet. Now the essay is ready •My favorite pet is my dog, Romeo. He is beautiful and easy to care for. Playing with him is lots of fun. He always takes care of me. I have never had a better pet. •Romeo is beautiful and easy to care for. He is a tricolor Sheltie, mostly black with white and a bit of brown. Caring for him is easy because I simply have to make sure he has fresh water and food every day. I exercise him by throwing his toys. Because he is good looking and doesn’t require much care Romeo is a good pet. •Romeo is lots of fun to play with. He loves to play catch. He follows me around the house with a toy and drops it on my foot so I will toss it. He can catch just about anything, but his favorite is chasing a Frisbee. I really have fun playing with Romeo. •Romeo takes care of me. He always follows me when I leave a room. When I am sitting on a couch he plops down right beside me. On sunny days when we are hiking in the woods he always makes sure that I keep up with the rest of the family. He always watches out for me. •As you can see, Romeo is a great pet. I am proud of him and he doesn’t require much care. Playing with him is very pleasurable. I am always safe because he watches over me. Romeo is a wonderful pet. • • TOPIC SUB TOPIC 1 SUB TOPIC 2 SUB TOPIC 3 DETAIL 3 DETAIL 2 DETAIL 1 DETAIL 1 DETAIL 2 DETAIL 3 DETAIL 3 DETAIL 2 DETAIL 1 Picking an Issue •Choose an issue where there is a clear division of opinion and which is arguable with facts and inductive reasoning. •Even if you have a strong opinion, look at the issue critically. •Prior to writing your paper, define and limit your issue carefully. Social issues are complex with multiple solutions. Narrow the topic to something that is manageable. •Research your issue thoroughly. •Consider feasibility, cost-effectiveness and political/social climate when evaluating possible solutions and courses of action. • Structure of a Social Issue Paper • An introduction “ROAD MAP” • Identification of the issue • Statement of the position •The body • Background information • Supporting evidence or facts • **A discussion of both sides of the issue** •A conclusion – answers the question “So what”? • Suggested courses of action • Possible solutions • Use the parts of an argument to guide your research: • •What is your opinion on the issue? (CLAIM) •Why should I believe that? (REASONS) •How do you know those reasons to be true (EVIDENCE) •But have you considered this view? (ACKNOWLEDGEMENT & RESPONSE) • Technicalities: •The essay should be at least 1,000 words, but no more than 1,200 words (without references). • •The first draft is due on MONDAY, APRIL 19 at 13:00 – please send a copy to your partner AND post one in the Homework Vault. • •Your peer review comments are due before class on Wednesday, April 21 - please send a copy to your partner and post a copy to the Homework Vault. You may use the First Draft Comment Sheet linked in the Interactive Syllabus, or a format of your own. • What you will do in the Social Issue Reaction Paper: 1)Clearly define the issue you will address. 2) •2) Clearly state your position on the issue. • •3) Defend your position. • •4) Conclude concisely. Peer Review Partners •Červinková, Anna & Stratilová, Michaela •Stehno, Dalibor & Al Masany, Magdalena •Hamšík, Viktor & Yilmaz, Edanur • • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo Tips on revising •Eliminate wordiness •Redundant pairs – “everyday hassles and annoyances” •Inflated phrases – “At this point…” •Intensifiers – “single most common” •Avoid passive voice •“it is”… “that” (Some researchers believe that it is the everyday hassles that cause stress.) • •He dropped out of school to support his family. •The bus company will probably announce its schedule in a few days. •Student can meet their foreign peers in many ways. •People often lie deliberately. •Disobeying safety regulations causes trouble. •Five out of more than a thousand students at a campus rally were arrested for disorderly conduct, and several others were charged by campus administrators with organizing a public meeting without a permit. •Students think that the most important subjects are those that will be useful after graduation. •Soon college freshmen must contact their advisors about their choice of major. •Our company provides opportunities for professional growth and stability in the dynamic field of aerospace technology. •There are people for and against capital punishment. • •From the readings I did for the course on stress, I have found that there have been many studies done to try to find the single most common cause of stress. Some stress scholars believe it is the major life changes that provoke stress. Others believe it is the everyday hassles and annoyances of life which bring about stress. Despite the conflicting viewpoints in the causality of stress, all scholars agree that when stressful stimuli can be recognized and regulated early, there seems to be less damaging effects on the body. At this point I have a confident feeling that I will be able to locate good, current information on the questions of stress management, which I intend to research (121 words). • •According to my readings on stress, many studies have tried to find its most common cause. According to some scholars, major life changes provoke stress; for others, everyday annoyances cause it. Despite conflicting explanations, all agree that early recognition and regulation lessen bodily damage. I feel confident now that I can locate good relevant information on stress management. (58 words)