Assignments 5 and 6

ENGBG1

Proficiency

Anna Linzie

Spring 2010

For the next two proficiency assignments, we are going to work with the same text, Peter Barry's article "Tackling Textuality – With Theory". We are also going to discuss this article, and your responses to it, in our April seminar.

Assignment 5

Do the following individual assignment in your blog. The deadline is April 4.

Write a summary of Peter Barry's "Tackling Textuality – With Theory". Also, make a list of at least five keywords from the text (see for instance AW 226).

Summarizing (see AW Chapter 5): To summarize is to give an abbreviated version (without evaluation) of the contents of another piece of writing. The basic principle is selectivity. Academic Writing declares that a summary should give a reader who has not read the original text an understanding of it. As I see it, this means not only an understanding of the topic and the thesis, but also an understanding of the text itself, its emphases, its general attitude, even the way in which it presents the topic and argues the thesis. Learning how to summarize well is one important step towards the effective use of source material in your own writing.

Peer response: This time around, I have divided you into three groups and within each group everybody reads everybody's summary. Please prepare the following assignment before the April seminar: In a group discussion, compare your summaries. What kinds of choices did you make when summarizing Barry's article? Have you focused your individual summaries on different aspects of Barry's text? What about your keywords? Is there any keyword that appears on everybody's list?

Assignment 6

Do the following individual assignment in your blog. The deadline is April 11.

Read my guide to quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing. Return to Barry's article and do the following individual assignment in your own blog:

1. Paraphrase important points that come up in the article.
   
2. Consider any words, phrases, or brief passages that you think should be quoted directly.
   
3. Write a very short review of Barry's article. Is it any good? Do you agree with the main argument? Is it well structured and convincing? Is the text easy to follow?
   

   
   

   Again, read each other's work within each group and prepare the following assignment before the April seminar: In a group discussion, compare the individual paraphrases and quotations. Discuss for instance why you highlighted certain aspects of the text more than others in your selection of passages for paraphrasing and how you approached the selection of possible quotes. Take notes for an informal oral presentation of this group discussion during our final seminar.