Your summary must be in five-paragraph essay format. In the introductory paragraph, you must provide any context a reader might need to understand, along with a brief summary of the argument and a three-part one-sentence thesis statement. We have went over all of this in great detail in class. In addition, each of your three body paragraphs must explain one (and only one) of the subclaims from your thesis statement. Finally, you should provide a conclusion that offers a brief restatement of the essay’s argument and tells your reader why the essay’s argument is important.
Your summary must use at least two direct quotes or paraphrases per body paragraph. Each of these quotes should have the proper attributive tags that clearly demonstrate to your reader when you are citing the text directly, word-for-word, versus when you are summarizing in your own words. Remember the T.A.G method? Follow the criteria and expectations as set out during our lectures, on Canvas, and in chapters 5 and 12 of Let’s Talk. Finally, use in-text MLA citation.
Your document must be formatted in MLA style, double-spaced, with twelve-point font.
*Attach your document as either a docx or a pdf. *No Google Docs* Any essay submitted as a Google Doc will be considered late until a docx or PDF of the document is submitted.
Requirements:
- Papers must be 1,000 words. Papers that are not at least 900 words will receive an automatic F. Please do not write more than 1,100 words because we are practicing concision.
- Papers must use at least 2 properly attributed and cited direct quotations and/or paraphrases in each body paragraph. This means that if your essay is five paragraphs long (with an intro paragraph, followed by three body paragraphs, then a conclusion), you have three body paragraphs, and therefore need at least six properly attributed and cited quotes and/or paraphrases. Papers that do not have at least two quotes per body paragraph will receive an automatic F.
- While we haven’t went over the nitty-gritty of MLA guidelines and format, you must at least properly introduce/attribute, properly quote, and properly cite in text. But you are not required to have a Works Cited.
- If the essay you are summarizing does not have page numbers for the in-text citation, then you need to provide me with paragraph numbers. Note, this is not MLA format, but it’s my way of working with the temptation of Chat GPT and other LLMs. What this means is that you must paraphrase or directly quote from the text at least twice per paragraph, and you must provide me with the page numbers or the paragraph numbers in your parenthetical in-text citation so that I can check your citation. Papers that do not do this will receive an automatic F.
- Papers that have quotes that do not exist in the original essay will receive an automatic F, and the students that turn in those papers will be reported for academic dishonesty. Please, let’s not have to deal with this issue this semester. It’s not fun for me, and it’s certainly not fun for you.