English 102 (Shank)

Spring 2010

Writing Project #1: The Shepard Project

Library Scavenger Hunt (10 points): Wed, Sept 17

Synthesis Assignment (40 points): Fri, Sept 24

Project Proposal (50 points): Wed, Sept 29

Annotated Bibliography (50 points): Mon, Oct 4

Draft (50 points): Mon, Oct 11 OR Wed, Oct 13

Final Draft: Monday, October 18

This first project will be all about creating a synthesis! So what is a “Synthesis” anyway??? “A synthesis

draws conclusions from, makes observations on, or shows connections between two or more sources … you

attempt to make sense of the ideas of two or more sources by extracting information that is relevant to your

purpose” (Ackley 75).

The Assignment:

We are looking at the book by Adam Shepard titled Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the

American Dream. He wrote this book partly as a response to Barbara Ehrenreich’s 2001 study of the minimum

wage lifestyle titled Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. Shepard wanted to see for himself if

it were possible to start off homeless (with $25 in his pocket) and achieve the “American Dream” – a car, a

place to live, and money in the bank. Shepard’s book has a little bit of research but mostly it is a readable,

personal narrative of his experiment.

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Your job? Find at least THREE essays/ memoirs/ web pages/ articles/ documentaries that say something about

any one issue that Shepard raises in his book. Compare what these people say as opposed to Shepard or any

other authors. Is there agreement? Disagreement? Something in between? If you have any personal

knowledge with the topic you choose, you may want to include your own observations and experiences in your

discussion.

As we read Shepard’s book, we will brainstorm topics as we go along! So no fears! See me early on if you are

completely stuck and have no idea what to focus your discussion on.

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After finding some sources, think about the extent to which these selections (Shepard + other sources) have

helped to clarify, or confuse, your understanding of the particular topic you have chosen. A paper in which

you draw on source materials involves forging a relationship between the two (or more) texts you choose.

For example, you could pick essays with opposing viewpoints or essays that build on the same idea. The

decision is entirely yours.

Start your essay by summarizing the main points of the essays you have chosen, including Scratch Beginnings

(we’ll talk more about summarizing in class!). Don’t forget -- if you use specific wording from an author, you

must use quotation marks!! With a summary, be as objective as possible – don’t offer your own opinion at this

point. Make it clear what the author’s viewpoint is.

After you have summarized, then you can respond to the authors. What do you think? What’s your opinion on

this issue? Why do you think the way you do? Specific examples or evidence? Your job is to persuade your

readers to agree with you.

The Thesis:

As you already know, you need to decide on a research question for your paper; this direction will be your

thesis/ focus/ purpose for writing your paper. As you might know, the thesis is a statement of opinion revealing

the purpose of your particular paper. Be as specific as possible. Look at these two examples:

1. Being a waitress is hard work.

2. Even though television shows like Friends may show a “glamorous” side to

being a waitress, the reality comes down to hard work and little respect.

Do you see the problem with the first thesis statement? It’s too general – Instead, you want to forge a strong

and specific relationship between the essays and ideas you are encountering. With the first example, why

would you say television is “great”? What – specifically – does it do for people?

Organization:

There is no single “correct” way to organize this essay. You could offer your summaries first and then respond

after each summary or you could respond only after you have offered all your summaries at one time.

Keep in mind, though, the issue of plagiarism. This is our first project and I want you to practice summarizing

several sources (in this case, the essays you have selected). We will take about plagiarism in class in more

detail before this assignment is due!

Style/ Conventions:

Follow the appropriate style conventions for edited, standard English. Use MLA documentation to the best of

your ability (lots of info about this on our class web site!)

Don’t forget to use our class web site as a resource:

http://shankeng102.blogspot.com/