ENGL
week 1 - cause and effect
How to write a cause and effect essay?
This type of essay is concentrated on the ability of the writer to connect the reasons the things happen and the consequences they might have. In other words it is the connection between the causes of events and the effects this cause have on any analyzed aspect. A cause and effect essay is designed to organize the discussion of the ideas of a certain topic (its reasons and results).
Writing a cause and effect essay
In order to write a professional cause and effect essay it is necessary to understand the term casual chain or domino effect. A cause chain or a domino effect –is a chain formed of a cause producing a situation and this situation producing another situation and so on. Each situation may have various causes and effects. Nevertheless, you should analyze no more than three causes or effects of any situation devoting a separate paragraph for each point.
Structure:
Start with an outline on your own - this will help you immensely.
Write your main point of the whole paper (THESIS). Remember for the sake of this class all thesis statements will be the last sentence in your introductory paragraph.
Write your topic sentences for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th paragraphs. Remember your subtopics are set up in your introductory paragraph/thesis.
Write the last sentence in your conclusion. This is where you tell your audience what they have just learned.
Once you have that outline down it is time to fill in the paragraphs with any thoughts, proof or arguments that pertain to your TOPIC SENTENCE ONLY.
For example:
1 variant - Multiple causes /One effect
Ex. When a teenager experiments with drugs, it can lead him/her on a path directly to jail.
Have I used logical conclusions in getting to the causes or effects of neighborhood decay?
Have I incorrectly assumed a causal relationship between reasons that immediately follow each other?
Did I distinguish between long-term and short-term causes and effects. A short-term cause or effect is a single, immediately identifiable event; a long-term cause or effect may be less easy to pinpoint but in the long run more important?
Fallacies:
An example of a false cause is this: Because my car was wet this morning, it must have rained out last night.
Why is this false? What is a neighbor hosed your car down? How about a sprinkler break?
Be careful not to use false reasoning in your papers.
Wording is everything:
Say "one of the primary causes" not THE cause.... THE means there is only one cause to something.
The video, handout texts and essays can all be used in the paper. You DO NOT have to use all of them, but you must use examples from the readings for each point you make.
Use one of these variants and set up the paper like it is explained above.
Start with an outline on your own - this will help you immensely.
Write your main point of the whole paper (THESIS). Remember for the sake of this class all thesis statements will be the last sentence in your introductory paragraph.
Write your topic sentences for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th paragraphs. Remember your subtopics are set up in your introductory paragraph/thesis.
Write the last sentence in your conclusion. This is where you tell your audience what they have just learned.
Once you have that outline down it is time to fill in the paragraphs with any thoughts, proof or arguments that pertain to your TOPIC SENTENCE ONLY.
For example:
1 variant - Multiple causes /One effect
- Thesis statement (mentions the general effect of the situation mentioning three causes that lead to such an effect)
- First cause (a more detailed look on lack of parental absence with two minor supports)
- Second cause (a more detailed look on parental abuse using two minor supports)
- Third cause (a more detailed look on parental immaturity with the help of two minor supports)
- Thesis statement (mentions that one factor leads to a variety of consequences).
- First effect- quitting school
- Second effect - crime
- Third effect - jail
- Thesis statement (mentions the first and the last parts of the chain)
Ex. When a teenager experiments with drugs, it can lead him/her on a path directly to jail.
- First domino (Teen does drugs)
- Second domino (Teen quits school)
- Thirst domino (Teen commits crimes to support habit)
- Last domino (Teen goes to jail).
Have I used logical conclusions in getting to the causes or effects of neighborhood decay?
Have I incorrectly assumed a causal relationship between reasons that immediately follow each other?
Did I distinguish between long-term and short-term causes and effects. A short-term cause or effect is a single, immediately identifiable event; a long-term cause or effect may be less easy to pinpoint but in the long run more important?
Fallacies:
An example of a false cause is this: Because my car was wet this morning, it must have rained out last night.
Why is this false? What is a neighbor hosed your car down? How about a sprinkler break?
Be careful not to use false reasoning in your papers.
Wording is everything:
Say "one of the primary causes" not THE cause.... THE means there is only one cause to something.
The video, handout texts and essays can all be used in the paper. You DO NOT have to use all of them, but you must use examples from the readings for each point you make.
Use one of these variants and set up the paper like it is explained above.
week 2
Fifth Avenue, Uptown - James Baldwin
week 3 - thesis
A thesis statement:
HOW DO I GET A THESIS?A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis,” a basic or main idea, an argument that you think you can support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the way.
Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to get started, see our handout on brainstorming (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY THESIS IS STRONG?If there’s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis,ask yourself the following:
- tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
- is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
- directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
- makes a claim that others might dispute.
- is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.
HOW DO I GET A THESIS?A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis,” a basic or main idea, an argument that you think you can support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the way.
Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement. For more ideas on how to get started, see our handout on brainstorming (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY THESIS IS STRONG?If there’s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis,ask yourself the following:
- Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question.
- Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose?If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it’s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.
- Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: why is something “good”; what specifically makes something “successful”?
- Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? If a reader’s first response is, “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
- Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It’s okay to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.
- Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? If a reader’s first response is “how?” or “why?” your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.
week 4 - MLA / Analysis
Division or analysis is an instrument allowing you to slice a large and complicated subject matter into smaller parts that you can grasp and relate to one another. With analysis you comprehend and communicate the structure of things. When it works, you find in the parts an idea or conclusion about the subject that makes it clearer, truer, more comprehensive or more vivid than before you started.
Find your principle of analysis:
The outcome of the analysis depends on the rule or principle used to do the slicing.
Once you have defined your principles your ways in you tear it apart using these principles.
Your job: separate the subject into its elements, to infer his meanings, to explore the relations among them, and draw a conclusion from the subject.
Evidence: Whatever it is you are analyzing - the best way to analyze anything is to break it down in small parts.
A SCENE in a sitcom - not the whole show etc.
Checklist:
Principle of analysis: What is your slant on the subject? The rule or principle you have used to divide your subject into its elements? Where do tell your readers what it is?
Completeness: Have you considered all the subject’s elements required by your principle of analysis?
Consistency: Have you applied your principle of analysis consistently, viewing your subject from a particular slant?
Evidence: Is your division or analysis well supported with concrete details, quotations, data, or statistics appropriate?
Significance: Why should readers care about your analysis? Have you told them something about your subject that was not obvious on its surface?
Truth to subject: Is your analysis faithful to the subject, not distorted, exaggerated, deflated?
week 5
week 6
Week 7
Susan Casey: Our Oceans Are Turning Into Plastic... Are We?
Andrew C. Revkin: Global Warming Is Eroding Glacial Ice
Brandon Griggs: The 12 Most annoying Types of Facebookers
week 8 - Test preparation
The Weeks and Months Before your Exams1. Organization: This is one of the most effective study skills is also one of the most often overlooked. Creating a study timetable (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. allows you to set yourself study goals and assign a timescale in which to achieve them. Having a study timetable also increases your motivation to sit down and learn. ExamTime has a free Study Planner tool (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. which makes organizing your study extremely easy.
2. Mnemonic Rules: Mnemonic rules basically work by associating certain concepts with other concepts that are more familiar to us. Mnemonics are especially useful when memorizing lists and sets. For more information on using mnemonics to memorize information, see Study Tip 8 in our article ” How to Study: 10 Study Tips to Improve your Learning (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.“.
A classic example is ‘Richard of York Gave Battle In Vain’. This Mnemonic rule is for recalling the primary colors : Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.
3. Procrastination: Overcoming procrastination is a very important skill when it comes to achieving exam success in your midterms. To achieve the correct amount of health procrastination, you need to adopt the right frame of mind. Being actively motivated and organized is the best way of overcoming procrastination. Read our full article on Overcoming Procrastination (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
4. Learning Style: Understanding the best study techniques for you is key to effective learning and your consumption of new information. Some people prefer to read, while others prefer to listen. Some people learn best by doing while others like to plan things out logically. Understanding how to get the most out of your style of learning will help you in the long-run. It will also impact how you approach and plan your study in the run-up to any exam. Discover which learning style best suits you in our blog post “How to Get the Most out of Your Learning Style (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.“.
5. Best Time to Study: Are you a morning or a night person? What you answer will shape when you should be studying. Having this information and knowing the best times that suit you to study will greatly help you get the most out of your study. You can get some tips on the best time to study (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. in our article which details the pros and cons of adopting each method.
The Week Before the ExamThe week before the exam is NOT the time to start studying. The week before your mid-term exams is when you should be ensuring that you have studied everything you need to study. If you have created a study timetable using ExamTime’s Study Planner tool (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and followed your schedule consistently, you should be in a healthy position for your midterms.
It is important to note that you do not need to cover every topic 100%. You can cover 80% of a topic well most of the time but learning that final 20% will take you longer than learning the rest. Most of the time it is better to move on to another topic instead of spending so much time and energy trying to study that last 20%. Also, many subjects do not require you to learn every topic in a course syllabus, you can usually leave out some areas and avoid questions on that topic in an exam.
(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.The week before the exam is when you should double-check that you know the format of the exam. Having an in-depth knowledge of the exam format is imperative. Your teacher/lecturer should talk you through the format and if they don’t, make sure to ask. Before you enter the exam you should know how long you have, the different sections and how much each section is worth, the different types of exam questions in each section and how long you should spend on each question.
By this point you should be using ‘trigger‘ words to see if you know a topic. A trigger word is a word that, once you hear it, your mind automatically begins to make different connections and trigger key words, terms, concepts and definitions. Like a Mind Map (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., there is a central idea (the trigger word or term) and from that explodes and whole bunch of different, but related, information. Once you can do this across a topic you should be confident that you have covered it well.
The Night Before the ExamDO NOT CRAM!
No student should be proud having done an ‘all-nighter’ – these are counter-productive. You should instead focus on making sure you have everything you need for the exam. Eat well and go to bed early. Relax as much as possible. You can read over any summary notes or sample questions you may have but you shouldn’t be studying something you haven’t already covered in the previous weeks.
Think positive. Don’t focus on what could go wrong during your exam. Just remember that you have prepared for your midterms and you’re ready to accomplish the best result you can!
The Day of the ExamHere’s some quick tips for the day of your mid-term exams:
2. Mnemonic Rules: Mnemonic rules basically work by associating certain concepts with other concepts that are more familiar to us. Mnemonics are especially useful when memorizing lists and sets. For more information on using mnemonics to memorize information, see Study Tip 8 in our article ” How to Study: 10 Study Tips to Improve your Learning (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.“.
A classic example is ‘Richard of York Gave Battle In Vain’. This Mnemonic rule is for recalling the primary colors : Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.
3. Procrastination: Overcoming procrastination is a very important skill when it comes to achieving exam success in your midterms. To achieve the correct amount of health procrastination, you need to adopt the right frame of mind. Being actively motivated and organized is the best way of overcoming procrastination. Read our full article on Overcoming Procrastination (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
4. Learning Style: Understanding the best study techniques for you is key to effective learning and your consumption of new information. Some people prefer to read, while others prefer to listen. Some people learn best by doing while others like to plan things out logically. Understanding how to get the most out of your style of learning will help you in the long-run. It will also impact how you approach and plan your study in the run-up to any exam. Discover which learning style best suits you in our blog post “How to Get the Most out of Your Learning Style (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.“.
5. Best Time to Study: Are you a morning or a night person? What you answer will shape when you should be studying. Having this information and knowing the best times that suit you to study will greatly help you get the most out of your study. You can get some tips on the best time to study (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. in our article which details the pros and cons of adopting each method.
The Week Before the ExamThe week before the exam is NOT the time to start studying. The week before your mid-term exams is when you should be ensuring that you have studied everything you need to study. If you have created a study timetable using ExamTime’s Study Planner tool (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. and followed your schedule consistently, you should be in a healthy position for your midterms.
It is important to note that you do not need to cover every topic 100%. You can cover 80% of a topic well most of the time but learning that final 20% will take you longer than learning the rest. Most of the time it is better to move on to another topic instead of spending so much time and energy trying to study that last 20%. Also, many subjects do not require you to learn every topic in a course syllabus, you can usually leave out some areas and avoid questions on that topic in an exam.
(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.The week before the exam is when you should double-check that you know the format of the exam. Having an in-depth knowledge of the exam format is imperative. Your teacher/lecturer should talk you through the format and if they don’t, make sure to ask. Before you enter the exam you should know how long you have, the different sections and how much each section is worth, the different types of exam questions in each section and how long you should spend on each question.
By this point you should be using ‘trigger‘ words to see if you know a topic. A trigger word is a word that, once you hear it, your mind automatically begins to make different connections and trigger key words, terms, concepts and definitions. Like a Mind Map (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., there is a central idea (the trigger word or term) and from that explodes and whole bunch of different, but related, information. Once you can do this across a topic you should be confident that you have covered it well.
The Night Before the ExamDO NOT CRAM!
No student should be proud having done an ‘all-nighter’ – these are counter-productive. You should instead focus on making sure you have everything you need for the exam. Eat well and go to bed early. Relax as much as possible. You can read over any summary notes or sample questions you may have but you shouldn’t be studying something you haven’t already covered in the previous weeks.
Think positive. Don’t focus on what could go wrong during your exam. Just remember that you have prepared for your midterms and you’re ready to accomplish the best result you can!
The Day of the ExamHere’s some quick tips for the day of your mid-term exams:
- Wake up early so that you don’t need to rush through having your breakfast and getting ready
- Check the venue and time of the exam to make sure that you have not confused turn up in the right place at the right time!
- Before leaving home, check that you have everything that you will need – Student ID, stationery, map to the exam venue, etc.
- Remember to write your name on the exam paper. You would not believe how many people have forgotten to do it!
- Read all the exam questions carefully before starting and quickly plan how much time to allocate to each one
week 9
The Things They Carried
week 10
Why America Lost the Vietnam War - Public Media Dist.
week 13