Tue. 11/19 In-class Peer-review
Draft 2: 6-8 multimodal pages (plus Annotated Bibliography)
The purpose of this draft is to produce a nearly-complete version of your final article. In this paper, you have several options for developing an argument:
- You may significantly expand on the argument that you began in Draft 1 by analyzing additional elements in the text and adding new critical sources.
- You may develop the argument of Draft 1 further by adding comparisons between the initial film or films you analyzed and another (later or earlier) film.
- Finally, you may change the focus of your argument to an entirely new text or set of texts from the class.
Whichever option you choose, as in Draft 1, you should base your argument on careful textual analysis and relate it to ideas of Imperialism and/or rebellion in a meaningful way. In Draft 2, you should cite at least five sources. Coming to office hours to discuss your ideas for revising and expanding your argument in Draft 2 is strongly recommended, and required if you want to change your focus significantly. While I am not requiring that these drafts are the full length of your final article, I do strongly encourage you to write as much of the final version as you can. The more rigorous and serious you are about this assignment will certainly be apparent in your published essay. As with Draft 1, be sure to proofread carefully and follow appropriate MLA style and formatting guidelines for in-text citations and “Works Cited.”
Peer Review memo:
Write a brief memo of guidance for the peer who will review your rough draft. The memo includes two components: a context paragraph and a list of direct questions.
Context Paragraph: The context paragraph should explain anything you would like your peer reviewer to know (e.g., stage of development, purpose, struggles, intentions). This paragraph will clue your reader into what you already know and what you need. For instance, if you know that a certain portion is incomplete or requires more work, you can save the reviewer effort by acknowledging this. You can also give the reviewer an idea of the level of criticism you are comfortable with (e.g., “I am confident with my introduction section, so I’m ready for a level-10 review there. But, please go gentler on the conclusion, as I could use help developing a broader argument.”). In your context paragraph, you must answer the question: “what area(s) do you most want to revisit?—i.e. which areas/aspects do you most want to rework in your next draft?”
Direct Questions: Your direct questions should solicit specific feedback and help your peer reviewer focus on what you need most. Peer review involves the art of asking good questions: the more effective your questions, the better your peer feedback will be. For instance, rather than asking “does my writing flow?”, identify a specific area or issue in the paper that could use attention: “I am struggling with the transition from my description of the pertinent theory (paragraph 7) to the summary of the most important work relating to the topic (paragraph 8). How could I make this connection better?”
Purpose: Peer review is an excellent opportunity for reciprocal student learning and allows you to receive more feedback and engage more frequently in the course content. Research shows that this process benefits both the students who receive and provide feedback. Getting useful feedback depends on how you frame your requests for it. Developing this skill can help you receive effective feedback while allowing you to also reflect on and analyze your own work. The first step is to frame the type of feedback you need to receive in order to improve your work.
Thurs. 11/21 Conference Organization