Friday, April 5, 2013

Medium as the Metaphor and Epistemology


Description:
Writing Assignment #1: Summary Essay

100 POINTS: 10% OF THE FINAL GRADE

Writing Assignment #1 will be a summary essay.

DUE DATES:
First Draft in Study Group: Sunday of Week 2
Final Essay in Assignment Folder: Sunday of Week 3

Approach and Requirements

This assignment requires you to summarize in a few paragraphs the content of Postman's first two chapters, “The Medium is the Metaphor” and “Media as Epistemology.” The essay should be 500-600 words.
Paraphrases and direct quotations in are required. In addition, use beginning and ending quotation marks and page numbers (in parentheses) following the direct quotations.

Do not include a list of sources at the end of the paper, as you have only one primary source for this paper. However, you will want to incorporate the name of the source and the author in your first paragraph, probably in the first sentence.

Your essay should have the following:
 an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement.

 at least three body paragraphs

Some tips on summarizing and paraphrasing are provided in Writer’s Help on the following pages:

Summarizing a written or a visual text
Paraphrasing without plagiarizing

 a compelling concluding paragraph.

Length: 500-600 words


See the next page…

Some strategies to consider when writing this essay:
The following approach might be helpful for you when you write this assignment:

1. Read the entire text of both chapters, noting key points and main ideas.
2. Summarize in your own words the single main idea of the two chapters as one unit.
3. Paraphrase three to five important supporting points for your single main idea for the two chapters.
4. Underline any words, phrases, or brief passages you believe should be quoted directly because the particular way they are worded contributes to the meaning.
5. Write an introductory paragraph that contains a thesis statement at its conclusion, containing your single main idea of the two chapters (see item 2 above)
6. Write topic sentences for the body paragraphs (three to five) that relate to the thesis and also incorporate the important supporting points.
7. Develop the content of each body paragraph by adding direct quotes (see information below on quotations).
8. Write a final draft and edit for smooth transitions and correctness.
9. Include direct quotations that contribute significantly and give credit to the author.

There are several ways to integrate quotations into your text. Often, a short quotation works well when integrated into a sentence. Longer quotations can stand alone. 

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