Assignment:
Summary/Response Essay
Assignment Description
For this essay, you should read the articles from the Summary/Response folder under Readings and choose one to respond to in a formal essay. The summary/response essay asks you first to summarize the main points of the article and then to respond to those points by agreeing, disagreeing, or agreeing with some but not all of the arguments made in the article. You should include evidence to support your response.
Please refer to the assignment calendar for working draft, peer review and final draft due dates.
Purpose and Learning Objectives
The purpose of writing a response paper is to encourage you to read actively and to evaluate the selected articles critically. While it is possible to read an article just once and gain an understanding of the main idea, much of the depth and nuance of the article will only be discovered after multiple readings. Moreover, your grasp of the ideas and concepts presented in the article will remain superficial until you apply those ideas and concepts in your own writing. As you write, you should practice making clear claims about the material you're writing about and should practice supporting those claims with evidence from the text and from your own reasoning about the subject.
Minimum Requirements
• 600 - 900 words (approx. 2-3 pages)
• An interesting and informative title
• MLA format with in-text citations and works cited page
• An introductory paragraph that tells readers what article you are responding to and that includes a thesis statement
• One or more paragraphs that summarize the article
• One or more paragraphs that respond to the article
• A conclusion paragraph that wraps up the main ideas in the essay
Process for Completion
1. The first step in writing a good response paper is to actively read the article assigned. Active reading means consciously identifying the thesis, purpose, audience, and tone.
2. Next, it might help to construct an outline or graphic organizer that will help you visualize the claims and the evidence supporting those claims. Once you have a firm understanding of the article, start formulating your response by asking questions:
1. Do I disagree with a point being made?
2. Can I think of additional examples or evidence that support or refute the author's claims?
3. What are other people saying about this topic?
4. Can I connect something in the article to my own personal experience?
5. Can I apply the ideas presented in the article to some other subject?
6. Once you have an idea of what you want to say, start drafting your essay. A response should begin with a summary of the article that you've chosen. Be sure to accurately represent the ideas and arguments from the source. Next, you will begin your response, usually with a statement of agreement or disagreement, followed by your reasons, examples, and evidence. Remember that the purpose of a critical response paper is to add your own voice to the mix, to join the conversation. I want to read your reactions, your interpretations, and your opinions. Take this opportunity to develop your own voice.
7. After you have read the feedback provided by your peers and the instructor on Workshop day, begin revising and editing your draft. You might find that some comments are more helpful than others. You are not obliged to take anyone's advice, but you should at least consider every suggestion. When you are comfortable that the essay is in good shape, upload it via the link provided for the final draft of essay # 1. The final draft will automatically be sent through "Safe Assign," which is an originality checker used to help identify plagiarism.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is using someone else's words or ideas without giving credit and is a serious academic offense. It can range from:
• Turning in a paper any part of which you did not write,
• Cutting and pasting a paper together from various sources without attributing the sources correctly,
• Changing a few words but basically keeping most of the words and sentence structure of the original,
• Using the ideas of another without giving credit to the person who originally had the idea.
• Using the exact words of the source without using quotation marks even if you give the name of the source.
Refer to the syllabus for consequences of plagiarism in this class. For more information, see https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/