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DePaul University
School for New Learning

College Writing on the Web
Campfire

June 29, 1997
Look here for some suggestions and techniques for rewriting and reorganizing papers.
June 16, 1997
Below are comments which relate to assignments for this course. I will assume that all students registered for this course will read these old notes.
Another note on paper #1: Please remember that describing a TV newscast is only half of this assignment. The other half of the assignment is your evaluation of that broadcast and of TV news in general. Did this broadcast cover the most important local/national issues of the day? Why or why not? Do you think television news is a valuable, reliable source for learning about the world/your community? Why or why not? Does TV news adequately, accurately, objectively tell the average viewer what is happening in the world? Do you get the news that you want and expect from a local or national broadcast? Do you consider TV news reports relevant or banal or critically important or sensationalistic? It might be worth reviewing the introduction to this course (found from the Campfire page) and also the notes for paper #1 (found on the Writing Topics page).
Please remember that your first paragraph should have the background info necessary to identify the specific broadcast. That paragraph should also have a thesis statement which provides readers with a brief answer to the question(s) above. The intro should mention your opinion, your conclusions about TV news and the rest of the paper should describe the broadcast and show how these particular stories validate and support your point of view.
Suggestions for the format of academic papers
  • These notes should apply to every paper you write for SNL unless an instructor has specific course-related writing instructions. Please check your handbook and use either APA or MLA style, but do NOT attach a cover page. As noted in the handbooks, paragraphs should be indented (and NOT double double-spaced) and pages should be numbered. In addition, the title should not be a different font or size than the rest of the text, and there should be a Works Cited page if outside sources are used in your paper. (This will obviously be required for Paper #3.) Business communications may have other formats and/or writing standards, so if you're not sure how to write or format a paper, check the handbook first. If you're still not sure, drop me a line. Comments on using the handbooks
  • The writing handbooks for this course are extremely important for learning more about topics that would normally be discussed in a traditional, face-to-face course. Please check out what the handbooks have to say about thesis statements and topic sentences, introductions and conclusions, and also their suggestions for organizing a paper chronologically, logically, etc.
  • In addition, the handbooks explain important grammar points such as comma splices and fused sentences, pronouns and antecedents, wordiness and cliches, and the rules for capitalization. If necessary and as needed, I will develop and assign grammar exercises; however, an effective way to improve your written work is to do the exercises from the handbook on your own, and then apply those grammar rules to your paper. Of course, if you have any questions or want any clarification of any points covered in the handbooks, please don't hesitate to either email me or post your question on the HyperNews discussion page.
    Paper #2
  • Here are some thoughts behind paper #2 (1) Surveys are an important part of life in the USA: They are used by advertisers, politicians, the media, and anyone else who wants to know what "people" are thinking about, so we should understand something about the methodology of conducting and reporting a survey; (2) The skills of conducting original research, describing the process, and analyzing the results are useful in academic settings and also in many other environments, including workplaces; (3) In Major Seminar, you will learn more about conducting surveys and research, and this assignment should help prepare you for Major Seminar; (4) This writing assignment is more complex than the first, so you will have an opportunity to develop more writing/thinking skills.
  • In order for this assignment to work, you need to choose/invent question(s) which are interesting, controversial, and have meaning. However, the questions should be such that respondents will tend to answer honestly; anything that might be embarrassing, threatening, rude, too personal, etc. has to be discarded.
  • This means we also have to be careful of WHERE the questions are asked. At work, people might be cautious and guarded (even dishonest) in their answers. In addition, the respondents have to be assured anonymity.