Essay 2: The Rhetorical Précis and



Due Date: 11/17/12

Essay 3: The Rhetorical Précis and

Formal Evaluation of Source Material.

The crafting of an academic paper demands utmost consideration of the types of reference materials used in research that are ultimately cited in the completed work. This assignment is designed to move students through the evaluation and level of detailed judgment required to choose high-level research materials.

The Rhetorical Precis and Formal Evaluation of Source Material writing project, “Essay 3,” for Eng 102 is worth 200pts. Students are required to choose 4 exceptionally valuable sources appropriate for the chosen topic, then complete EACH of the 4 steps described below. All 4 sources with all 4 steps of the write-ups MUST be submitted in order to be considered for the 200 pts designated for this assignment; less than 4 will receive a grade of “0.”

Step 1:

First) Complete a MLA style citation for your source. Use your textbook, the Writing Center, or other resource, to ensure accuracy of the citation.

Step 2:

Second) Below the MLA style citation, complete a Rhetorical Précis for the source following the directions given on The Rhetorical Précis instructions below. (The instructions are lengthy, but the result is a very structured paragraph. Please DOUBLE-SPACE all Rhetorical Précis.

Step 3:

Third) Complete a Formal Source Evaluation following the directions given on the handout below called, A Formal Evaluation/Analysis of Research Material – Publication Information and Arguments.

Step 4:

For each article, staple the completed pages including the citation, the rhetorical précis and the source evaluation to a copy of the article. Place the articles in alphabetical order, according to the MLA citation, and the instructor will provide large envelopes for students to insert them into on the due date.

The Rhetorical Précis

Directions for Step 2

Definition

A highly structured four sentence paragraph that records the essential elements of a unit of spoken or written discourse, including the name of the speaker/writer, the context of the delivery, the major assertion, the method of development and/or support, the stated and/or apparent purpose, and the relationship established between the speaker/writer and the audience. Each of the four sentences requires specific information; students are also encouraged to use brief quotations within their précis to convey a sense of style and tone.

Format

1. Name of author, [a phrase describing author’s credentials], genre and title of work with the publication date in parentheses (additional publishing information can be included within the parentheses or with a note at the end of the précis); a rhetorically accurate verb (such as "ASSERTS," "ARGUES," SUGGESTS," "IMPLIES," "CLAIMS" etc.); and a THAT clause containing the major assertion (thesis statement) of the work.

2. An explanation of how the author DEVELOPS and/or SUPPORTS the thesis, usually in chronological order.

3. A statement of the author's apparent PURPOSE followed by an "in order" phrase.

4. A description of the intended AUDIENCE and/or the relationship the author establishes with the audience.

Note: Please understand that the capitalized words in the format description are only capitalized to emphasize their importance, but capitalizing them on your précis write-ups would NOT be correct.

Purpose

The first sentence is probably the most difficult. Explaining the different rhetorical strategies that an author may use, for example, requires defining the differences between an assertion and an argument. Students tend to use more general words such as "writes" and "states,” however, it is important to correctly recognize and report the mode of presentation. The following THAT clause is designed to demand a complete statement: a grammatical subject (the topic of the essay) and predicate (the claim that is made about that topic). If the THAT is not used, students will use "about" and "how" to slip out from understating the thesis: i.e., "Sheridan Baker writes about attitudes in writing" or "... states how attitudes affect writing." If you would like to research more information on how attitudes are subtly presented through word choice in research writing please search Rhetorical Précis as your keyword on Google or another search engine.

The second sentence is less structured. Sometimes it works best to report the order of development: "The author develops this assertion first, by applying these techniques to two poems; second, by providing definitions; and third, by explaining the history of each approach." A more general statement may also work in the second sentence: "The author develops this idea by comparing and contrasting the lives of these two Civil War heroes." In works of literature, the second sentence may provide a short plot summary: "Hemingway develops this idea through a sparse narrative about the 'initiation' of a young boy who observes in one night both a birth and a death."

The third sentence sometimes inadvertently restates the thesis: "The author's purpose is to prove that..." It helps to remind students that one purpose is always to put forward a thesis, but there are others as well. The "in order to" phrase keeps students from falling back on "Her purpose is to inform," and requires that they look beyond the obvious to assess what the author wanted the audience to do or to feel as a result of reading the work.

In the fourth sentence, students will begin by identifying the audience. Students should avoid an over generalized writing that the audience is "anyone" or "the general public." They need to ask how the language of the work excludes certain audiences (nonspecialists would not understand the terminology; children would not understand the irony) in order to see that the author did make certain assumptions about the preknowledge of the audience. This sentence may also report the author's tone: "He establishes a distant tone by excessively using passive voice and by referring to himself as 'this author.'"

The preceding was condensed from Rhetoric Review, Vol. 7, No. 1, Fall 1988

Sample Rhetorical Précis - by Tracy Hudson, 1999, copied by permission.

Sandra M. Gilbert, professor of English at the University of California, Davis, in her essay “Plain Jane’s Progress” (1977) suggests that Charlotte Brontë intended Jane Eyre to resemble John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress in that Jane’s pilgrimage through a series of events based on the enclosure and escape motif eventually lead toward the equality that Brontë herself sought. Gilbert supports this conclusion by using the structure of the novel to highlight the places Jane has been confined, the changes she undergoes during the process of escape, and the people and experiences that lead to her maturation concluding that “this marriage of true minds at Ferndean – this is the way” (501). Her purpose is to help readers see the role of women in Victorian England in order to help them understand the uniqueness and daring of Brontë’s work. She establishes a formal relationship with her audience of literary scholars interested in feminist criticism who are familiar with the work of Brontë, Bunyan, Lord Byron and others and are intrigued by feminist theory as it relates to Victorian literature.

*Although précis are short, they are quite challenging and can be time-consuming. Please be careful to allow plenty of time for this assignment. The benefits are the following:

• After having used this method for a while, 76% of students found reading difficult texts easier and discovered that they retained information more effectively.

• 80% of those surveyed claimed that the précis helped them to become more "critical thinkers."

• Likewise, 80% found that writing the précis helped them to organize longer projects for writing classes.

• Of those surveyed, 56% found the précis useful in other classes, particularly in regard to writing for other classes.

• The same number (56%) found that the précis helped them to write more sophisticated sentence structures (which are one sign of "A" writing to teachers across the disciplines).

A Formal Evaluation/Analysis of Research Material:

Directions for Step 3

Directions: Find as much information about your source as possible by covering all of the categories listed below and by answering as many of the related questions under each category. Be thorough in your evaluation of the quality of your source and your analysis of the source’s argument. Present your evaluation/analysis in a paragraph format using complete sentences; do not go down the list of questions and answer them with one word or a short phrase.

Credentials: Perform a thorough search of the author’s credentials. Where does he work? Where did he receive his education and experiences that indicate his professional background and status? If he received advanced degrees, what was the focus of his research? Can you draw any conclusions or implications from his affiliations? Has he won prestigious awards? If so, what award and why is it held in esteem? Has he written books and/or published other articles? Do those publications help to further prove his expertise or the value of his opinion?

Publication: What kind of publication is it? What kind of audience or readership would it attract? Is it a professional publication? What reputation does the publication have and why? Are there biases within the publication or does it view both sides of an issue? Does it publish the names of its contributors and supporters? Who or what company publishes this publication?

Publishing Agency: How well known is the Publishing Agency and is it respected among other publishers? Does it have a wide topic range in its publications or does it concentrate on a certain profession or topic? Is this an advantage or a disadvantage when analyzing the research material?

Purpose: What audience does the writer seem to have in mind; that is who does he intend to influence? What attitudes do his readers (or listeners) probably share? How and why does the writer want to influence this audience? What does the writer want them to do in response to his message?

Thesis: (also called the assertion, claim, or proposition) What main point or idea is the writer trying to persuade readers to accept or act on? Is this point clearly and explicitly stated does the writer present it as the only reasonable view of the issue at hand?

Evidence: What kinds of evidence does the writer use to support the thesis? Facts? Inferences? Analogies? Expert Testimony? Is the evidence appropriate, credible, sufficient, and timely? Is the argument based on logic, emotion, or both? How is the evidence arranged or organized?

Refutation: Are opposing views presented fairly? Would opponents feel that their opinions have been stated accurately? Does the writer effectively show that opposing views are inadequate or invalid? Does the writer overlook any opposing arguments?

Persona. How would you characterize the writer’s attitude and credibility? Does the writer seem hostile? Conciliatory? Reasonable? Sarcastic? Is the writer obviously biased or bound by a narrow perspective? Does the language sound reasonable? Conciliatory? Pedantic? Aggressive? Do you trust the writer to argue fairly and objectively? Why or why not?

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