ACAD 1501 W01: Preparation for Academic Writing: January - April 2016
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Summary and response

This assignment is due on March 7. The assignment must be submitted in paper and through SafeAssign on Blackboard.

Choose one of the opinion essays listed below. Write one substantial paragraph that summarizes the essay and one substantial paragraph that responds to the essay.

Your assignment must use the Times New Roman font, 12-point in size. There must be one inch (2.5 cm) margins on all four sides of the assignment. The assignment must have double-spaced lineation. The assignment must include a separate page for a Works Cited list. The assignment should not have a title page. The assignment should be justified on the left margin only: no full justification.

Your assignment must follow the Modern Language Association (MLA) bibliographic, citation, and presentation guidelines. You can consult the Purdue Online Writing Lab for information about using MLA format. See especially the example essay and the sample Works Cited page they have on their site.

Your first paragraph is a summary of the essay you choose. Summarize the main argument of the essay and any secondary arguments. It is recommended that you start your paragraph with something like: “The main argument of this essay is ....” Include the main points the essay makes and a description of the methodology the author uses for supporting the main argument. Do not quote from the essay, except for particular words and phrases that the author uses that cannot be properly paraphrased. Your paragraph should be written in such a way as to make it clear that your paragraph is a summary of the essay: use appropriate paraphrase indicators.

Your second paragraph is a response to the essay. You are asked to evaluate how strong the essay’s argument is and to respond to the argument in some way. You may agree or disagree with the essay: you must be clear about why you agree or disagree. You may also partly agree and partly disagree. You may use quotations from the essay to help your argument. Note that you are responding to the essay: you are not just writing about your own opinions on the same issue. Comment on what is said in the essay.

The two paragraphs together should be between one and two pages in length. Do not include section titles (“Summary” and “Response”) with this assignment.



Marc R. Plamondon, Ph.D. Department of English Studies Nipissing University