ENG Essay Draft

To-Do Date: Jan 26 at 11:59pm

NOTE: The To-Do Date is the day I want you to READ this prompt. The actual paper is not due until later (see Course Calendar).

Purpose:

The purpose of this essay is to help you develop ideas and synthesize sources (SLO 2). In this case, your sources will be interviews, which are an example of a primary source. In addition, this course focuses on persuasion, so this paper provides an opportunity for you to evaluatea form of argument (also SLO 2). In short, you will learn to summarize your sources and respond to them appropriately.

Overview:

Whether you are an electrical engineer or an investigative journalist, researchers must separate the signal from the noise to identify the important information and discard data that distracts from the primary meaning. In our current media culture, information swirls around us at a dizzying pace, and as responsible participants, we must learn to think critically about how information is transmitted and what information matters the most. But how exactly do we separate the signal from the noise on a daily basis? What strategies do people use to make sense of all the information available to them in the twenty-first century? In this paper, you will compile (summarize) and evaluate (respond to) various strategies for deciding what information a responsible person should prioritize and value.

For the summary portion of this paper, you will talk to at least two individuals about their interactions with information and media producers. You will summarize their responses in paragraph form. In other words, do not repeat the questions in your essay; instead, use quotations from your interviews to support your summary in paragraph form. Also, think of information and media broadly: this can include news, updates from family and friends, and entertainment, among others. And do not assume individuals will find their information online in digital form. (People still read newspapers and listen to the radio.) With this in mind, find at least two people to answer the questions listed below!

Tasks:

1. Find at least two people to answer the following questions honestly:
2. From what sources do you find or encounter information throughout the week? (Examples: television, newspaper, radio, computer, smartphone, etc.)
3. Of these sources, which media producers and news sources do you spend the most time viewing or listening to? (Fox News, MSNBC, NPR, CNN, local news, Apple News, Google News, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
4. What motivates you to view this media, and do you have a strategy for media consumption? If so, what is it? If not, what might a good strategy be?
5. After summarizing what you hear from your interviewees in paragraph form, respond to what you heard by evaluating and responding to their strategies. Use at least one quotation from each interview. Do not repeat the questions in your essay.
6. Then spend some time describing (or formulating) your own strategy. Describe your current information consumption by answering the three questions (above) for yourself. Again, do not repeat the questions in your essay.
7. Remember to begin and end your essay with an interesting example of media consumption. In other words, use an interesting example or meaningful quotation (from your interviews or elsewhere).

Details:

• This paper should be at least 3 pages (900 words).
• Use MLA format: double-spaced, using a version of the Times or Arial fonts (size 12), with one-inch margins. Your paper will earn a penalty if you do not use proper MLA formatting.
• Your paper will also include a Works Cited page with citations for each interview you conduct. The Works Cited citations for interviews are simple (remove the quotation marks from what follows): Smith, Jane. Personal interview. 28 January 2018.
• There are TWO due dates for this paper. Your full paper draft will be due on the designated day in the appropriate assignment in Canvas, and the final paper will also be due in a different assignment in Canvas on the designated day (see the Course Calendar for due dates).

Criteria for Success:

You must fulfill the purpose of the essay, reach the minimum word count, proofread closely, take part in the peer review process, and make improvements from your draft to your final paper. Always remember to read over the Criteria for Strong Writing (at the top of the Modules page in Canvas).

Skills:

You will demonstrate the following Student Learning Outcomes (from the syllabus) upon successful completion of this assignment:

• Demonstrate knowledge of individual and collaborative research processes. (Teamwork). You will complete interviews, communicate with peers during the peer review workshop, and keep revising and improving your paper for the final essay.
• Develop ideas and synthesize primary and secondary sources within focused academic arguments. (Communication Skills). You will use evidence from your interviews to analyze and evaluate your interviewees’ news consumption strategies.
• Analyze, interpret, and evaluate a variety of texts for the ethical and logical uses of evidence. (Critical Thinking). You will create an academic essay that demonstrates a thoughtful, ethical, and logical analysis of your interviewsthe text for this assignment.
• Write in a style that clearly communicates meaning, builds credibility, and inspires belief or action. (Communication Skills). Your essay will be organized to help your reader easily understand your meaning and learn from your explanations and evaluative points.
• Apply the conventions of style manuals for specific academic disciplines (MLA) and demonstrate personal responsibility through the ethical use of intellectual property. (Personal Responsibility). You will learn to make ethical decisions about integrating quotations from your interviews (in MLA format) while avoiding any scholastic dishonesty concerns.

The Marketable Skills you learn in this paper will also prepare you for life beyond the classroom:

• Manage time when completing a long-term writing project
• Develop individual and collaborative editorial skills while producing polished writing
• Develop writing to clearly communicate perspectives to a non-expert reader
• Analyze text and data to reach sound conclusions
• Ethically integrate source material in projects