Rhetoric and Composition/Analyzing Assignments

From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection

[edit] Snowflakes, Fingerprints, and Assignments

Writing assignments in college differ as much as instructors. There is no one guidebook, approach, or set of rules that every college teacher will consult when putting together assignments. Since each assignment is unique, it is important to devote time to thoroughly understand an assignment before you begin. Don't wait until the night before the assignment is due to begin asking questions. There is a reason why the instructor handed out the assignment sheet in the first place! The sooner you get a clear grasp on what is expected of your assignment, the more time and worry you will save by replacing time spent on guessing and revising your work.

[edit] Analyzing an Assignment

There is a large variety of writing assignments given in college, and it is impossible to list every single one. However, the ways to approach an assignment can be the same regardless of the genre.

• Read the assignment sheet early and thoroughly. An assignment sheet may become lengthy, but resist the temptation to skim it. Read every word. It would be unfortunate to hand in an incomplete or misguided assignment because you did not read through the guidelines. Since details can be easily overlooked on the first reading, read the assignment sheet a second time. As you are reading, highlight any areas where you have questions or any words you feel are of particular importance. Ask yourself why the instructor has given this assignment. How does it relate to what you are studying in class? Pay attention to key words in the assignment, such as compare, contrast, analyze, etc. Who is your audience? Should the paper be written in a formal or informal tone? Is there documentation required? If a specific number of sources are required, how many must be books vs. on-line sources? What type of citation is required: APA, MLA, etc.? Is there a page or word count minimum/maximum?
• Get answers to your questions. At first glance, you might not have questions right away. However, after reading over the assignment sheet later or trying to start on your assignment, you might find that you have questions. Get answers! Don't play a guessing game when it comes to tackling your assignment. And ask the right person for help: your instructor. Talk it over with your instructor, either in person or via email. Visit him/her during office hours or stay after class. Do not wait until the last minute. Doing so puts your grade at risk. Don't be shy about asking questions of your professors. Not only will you better your understanding and outcome of your paper, but professors enjoy and benefit from student questions. It helps them rethink the assignment and improve their clarity next time around. It also can help the rest of the class if something is brought to the attention of the instructor that everyone would benefit from. You likely are not the only student with a question, so be the one who is assertive and responsible enough to get answers.
• Writing Centers. Many colleges & universities have this resource available. Tutors are helpful in reviewing writing assignments with you before you begin. If you're feeling somewhat confident in what you need to include in the assignment, bring your completed outline and/or your first draft of your paper together with your assignment sheet. Tutors can also review your final draft before final submission to your instructor. Many writing centers allow you to make appointments online for convenience and may also have "walk-in" availability. It is a good idea to check out availability options one week in advance of when you will actually need the appointment, or longer if it will be during finals week.
• Create a timeline. Set due dates for yourself, whether it be to have a topic picked or a whole rough draft done. Procrastination rarely results in a good paper. Some school librararies offer a helpful computer program that can create an effective assignment timeline for you. This is a helpful option for new, unexperienced writers who have not yet learned the art of analyzing assignments and who are not familiar with the time that is required in the writing process.

[edit] Sample Assignments

As discussed earlier, an instructor can come up with any number of assignments, none of them alike. In each section, there are sample assignment directions and suggestions on how to proceed. What follows is not meant to be a comprehensive list of assignments, but rather a short list of the basic assignments you can expect to see in a beginning English course. Many assignments you might not see here are creative variations of a basic assignment. For example, you could approach a visual analysis the same way you would a rhetorical analysis. An argument paper is similar to a research paper, only with perhaps a shorter argument. The techniques you would use in writing your own narrative would translate into writing a short story or observational essay.

[edit] Research Paper

You will more than likely be required to write a research paper of a significant length sometime during your education. Students are usually overwhelmed by the page count and the struggle to come up with a paper topic. Sometimes in an attempt to make sure he or she reaches the page count, a student picks very broad catagories like welfare or the death penalty. Believe it or not, these broad topics don't make for great papers, simply because there is too much information to cover. Narrow topics allow for more in-depth research and writing. Coming up with a topic takes time and research. Don't be surprised if your instructor requires your topic ahead of time. This is to make sure you do not leave research until the last minute. Look online at topics that interest you. Jot down a few notes about what is going on in that field. Since the research paper is an argument, you must pick a topic that has two sides. One-sided arguments such as "smoking is bad for your health" are not suitable for the research paper.

Look at the assignment sheet for key words. What is the purpose of the paper? To argue. What are your requirements? Not only are there page requirements, but also source requirements. What are scholarly sources? How do you judge the credibility of a source? Are you familiar with MLA?

There is one mistake that is easy to make: confusing the research paper for a report. Don't let your research paper become an informational report where you list information on a topic. Simply put, that is not your assignment.

[edit] Narrative

Narratives are a favorite first assignment for instructors, simply because it is assumed that to ease into writing, it is easiest to talk about yourself. At the same time, the idea can be very intimidating. Most students have stories to tell, but edit themselves too early by worrying if their story is "important" enough.

However, the assignment clearly states that you should not worry about the narrative being about a large event. One of the key words is "describe." Therefore, the most important part of the assignment is your use of description (show don't tell). Brainstorm a few things you might want to talk about. Pick one of them and start writing down as many descriptive details as you can think of about the event. Who were you with? Where were you? What was the weather like? What did the building look like? What were you thinking? How did you feel? What did you learn? Having these concrete details will guide you through your narrative.

You still might be worried the "importance" of the story. While it is true that your story should come to some sort of point, themes usually come naturally in a story. If you begin a story with an agenda, you'll often find yourself describing the theme and not the story. Allow the themes to develop. That is a part of creative writing.

[edit] Rhetorical Analysis

At first, a rhetorical analysis sounds somewhat difficult. However, analyzing just means making a conscious effort to read each word carefully and think about what the author is doing. The first step would obviously be to read the piece, not once, but two or three times. Highlight important passages and take notes. For this assignment, the instructor wanted the student to write about ethos, logos, and pathos, which are rhetorical terms you should be familiar with. Pay attention to specific word choices that may evoke emotion or any facts the author may have put forward. Look at the background of the author as well as the time period in which it was written. Look at the tone. Is it formal/informal/serious/humorous? These are all things to keep in mind while reading. Make an ongoing list of which rhetorical techniques you want to discuss in your paper.

One thing to remember is to watch the organization of your essay. It is easy to discuss three different topics in one paragraph and jump back and forth from one idea to the next. This makes it difficult for your reader to follow. Also, do not forget that this is not a reflection. The instructor isn't concerned with your response at this time; he or she wants to gauge your analytical skills.

[edit] Summary/Response Paper

Before writing a summary, it is important to use your critical reading skills. First, read the article through carefully. It might help to write down the main point of each paragraph in the margin next to it. Next, reread the article and look carefully for the main points the author is trying to get across. Look critically! Look for things the author states explicitly, as well as what is implied by in things that are not stated. Look for any biases or missing information. Ask yourself questions while you read, such as what is the big picture here? What is the author really trying to get across with this or that example? The title will often provide a clue about the author's main point. Most of all, slow down and take the time to reread the article several times. In summarizing an article, think about how you would explain the article to someone who hasn't read it. What are the main points of the article? What is necessary to know about the article?

While writing a summary is a familiar assignment from grade school, in the college setting summaries are no longer enough, and instructors will frequently require a response. Writing a response is giving your opinion about the text. However, statements such as "I did/did not like it" are not acceptable. Not only must you be more descriptive about your opinions, but you need to support them. If you do not think that an author provided enough information to prove his or her point, state the specific flaws and what could be done to improve them. The same rule applies for any emotions felt while reading the text. Instead of just saying an article made you sad, point out a specific passage in the text that made you feel that way. Talk about the word choices the author used and how that affected your reading.

It is important to note the word "brief" in the assignment sheet. The instructor does not want a two page summary and then a paragraph of reflection. Your response should take up the bulk of the paper.

[edit] Finishing the Assignment

Remember, in any case, identifying key words in an assignment can help you determine what type of thinking the professor wants you to demonstrate. The following six areas of competencies are from Bloom's Taxonomy. To learn more, visit: http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/style/taxonomy.htm.

• Knowledge: This becomes evident in how well you remember the subject matter, such as the major ideas, dates, places, events, etc. Questions may begin with: Identify, describe, examine, when, where, who.
• Comprehension: How well you understand the information presented. Can you describe the information in your own words? Questions may begin with: Interpret, contrast, predict, discuss.
• Application: Can you use the principles learned to solve other problems in different situations? Questions may begin with: Illustrate, examine, modify, experiment, relate.
• Analysis: Can you recognize hidden meanings, see patterns, identify the underlying parts? Questions may begin with: Separate, order, connect, classify, divide, explain.
• Synthesis: Can you relate knowledge from different areas to draw conclusions? Questions may begin with: Modify, rearrange, substitute, design, invent, generalize.
• Evaluation: This involves verifying the value of the evidence when solving controversies, developing opinions, etc. Questions may begin with: Decide, convince, select, compare, summarize.

If you need clarification on what specifically your instructor is looking for, do not hesitate to ask. After you have finished your paper, be sure to double-check that you have filled all requirements. Proofread your paper one last time and hand it in with pride.

← Writing Applications · Description →