April 2009 Archives

We will also discuss the upcoming oral presentation assignment.

Here are some sample MLA papers (in PDF format) that you can use as models.

• Garcia, "The Mountain Lion: Once Endangered, Now a Danger"
• Daly, "A Call to Action: Regulate Cell Phone Usage on the Road"

Note that these sample papers don't simply say "Topic X is a growing problem in today's society."  The authors introduce a specific example, and follow up with quotations establishing that the example is representative (not a fluke). 

Rather than introducing long quotations of several sentences, then summarizing the quote, you can make better use of your words and emphasize your own original ideas if you use brief direct quotes (a few words at a time) within the context of a sentence that actually advances your own argument.  (See "Integrating Quotations.")

Does your paper include a call to action? It doesn't have to be a new law; you might instead recommend that consumers boycott a certain company until a specific company policy changes. 

But be sure that you have considered the negative consequences of your call for action. For example, you might wish to argue that SHU build a new parking garage, but would you be willing to pay $5 each day to park in it? Would you be willing to see your tuition go up by $1000 to pay for it? (I don't have any specific information about how much it would cost, but parking garages are expensive!)

Due on the class period after your performance. Watch the videotape of your performance; use it, along with what you learned from your peers, to assess your strengths and to identify strategies for improvement.