BF190 Assignment Handout
MIDTERM WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Instructions:
Choose at least two concepts covered in the course from different authors. You may use the same concepts you used in your online discussions. It is up to you. Try to choose concepts that make sense to you, that you find interesting, that relate to one another, and that fit the object you have chosen.
For each of these concepts, choose at least one direct quote from the course readings that best represents it.
Choose a news article from the News section of the MyLearningSpace page to apply these two concepts to. Try to choose an object that makes sense to you, that you find interesting, and that fits the concepts you have chosen.
Choose at least one direct quote from the object that best represents the part of the object that you plan to apply the concepts to. (You may want to choose a different quote from the article for each concept you have chosen.)
Reference all the quotes you have chosen using the Chicago Author Date citation style (NOT footnotes or endnotes) with a works-cited list (or bibliography) at the end of your document.
Using this material, write a 5-6 page (plus works cited) double spaced formal paper in which you:
1) explain the concepts you have chosen
(What do the authors’ words mean in everyday language?)
2) apply those concepts to the news article you have chosen
(What would the authors say about the object? What would the authors say to each other about this object?)
3) include your own opinion on the object and relate it to the opinions you attribute to the authors you have chosen.
(What do you have to say about the object and what would you say to the authors?)
Components:
Your paper should include:
1) A brief introduction in which you:
State what the paper is about.
Name the authors you have chosen.
Name the concepts you have selected from each author's work.
Name the news article you have chosen.
Suggest what relationship you are setting up between the concepts and the news article.
2) A series of body paragraphs in which you:
Incorporate the quotes you have chosen.
Wrap those quotes in sentences of your own words.
Explain the concepts you have chosen in your own words.
Support your understanding of those concepts by linking them to the quotes.
Describe the news article you have chosen.
Apply the concepts you have chosen to the news article. Explain why you think they are related, why one made you think of the other. Try to answer the question: "What would the author I have chosen make of this news article? What argument(s) might they make about it?" Try to incorporate some of the key words used in the quotes you have chosen to show the connections you are making.
Consider explaining the relationship between the applications you have described. Try to answer the question: what would each of these authors say to each other if they were having a conversation about the news article? Would they agree or disagree, and about what? What might they offer to each other to produce a novel interpretation?
3) A conclusion in which you:
Articulate your own position on the news article you have chosen. Do you find yourself taking sides with or against anyone in the story? Do you agree or disagree with the way it was reported? Are there multiple ways that you are tempted to understand the story? Does it raise further questions for you? What does it imply about the contemporary world? How does it make you feel?
Relate your position to the positions you attributed to the authors. Do you find yourself agreeing with one author over the other? Are there specific ways in which you both agree and disagree with each author? What would these authors think of your position?
Formatting:
Your paper should:
Be a .doc, .docx or .pdf file type.
.PAGES FILES AND WEBLINKS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!!! (there are online resources to change file format if your computer will not save as a doc, docx, or pdf.)
Be 5-6 pages in length, plus the works cited (or bibliography).
Use Chicago in-text (not foot-note or end-note) citations.
Be double-spaced.
Be in 11 or 12 point font.
Make use of the academic integrity practices that you learned in the guest lecture and online quiz.
The following are optional:
You may use personal pronouns and first person.
You may include a title page.
Quotations form slides, lectures and outside source material. (Please note that although you will not be penalized, these do not earn you marks and you are still required to quote the course readings.)
Submission:
You must submit your completed writing assignment to the Midterm Writing Assignment dropbox.
Late submissions will penalized 5% per day. MyLearningSpace may crash moments before the deadline... Take this into account! Don't leave this to the last minute!
AFTER YOU HAVE SUBMITTED, DOUBLE CHECK THAT THE FILE IS THERE (return to the drop box and click on ‘completion status’ – you should see your file) AND THAT YOU HAVE SUBMITTED THE CORRECT FILE (download it and make sure it is what you meant to submit).You will be sent a confirmation email that your file was submitted in your MYLS email. It is your responsibility to submit the correct file on time.
Grading:
Your Midterm Writing Assignment will be graded and commented on by a marker-grader using a discretionary rubric. Look at the rubric, posted on the MyLearningSpace page, before you start writing, so that you understand how to get the highest grades!
Academic Integrity:
Your assignments will be checked for plagiarism by Turnitin. Do not copy and paste from anywhere without properly citing your source!