CLST 389-01W/CATH 300-01W/HIST 300B-02W/MSTU 398-01W: Classical Backgrounds: Augustine - Writing Intensive Fall Semester 2008 Dr. Jacqueline Long MWF 10:25-11:15 AM Information Commons 230

Writing Exercise 1

Goals

• To gather information from a literary text: practice skills of analysis in reading
• To summarize your information clearly and concisely: practice skills of exposition in writing
• To prepare for in-class work on analysis and argument-building

The approach:

1. Read Sermon 360A in Hill's translation. Using Hill's notes to help, but especially relying on your own critical reading, identify parts of the sermon that relate to three questions, as follows. Note where in the text each piece of information is located. For greatest clarity, use Hill's section-numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.; the descriptive subtitles Hill inserts aren't actually part of the sermon), and count the paragraphs in each section by successive letters of the alphabet: for example, Augustine declares, "The threshing floor is the world, in the fleece is the Jewish people," at 3.d.
   • What acts does Augustine say the Donatists actually have done or are doing, that he identifies as wrong?
   • What acts does Augustine say pagans actually have done or are doing, that he identifies as wrong?
   • Augustine sometimes challenges imaginary listeners, to help his real listeners envisage a lively scene; does he give any indications who is actually listening to this sermon?
2. Sort the information you have gathered and, for the written part of this exercise, make three lists each concisely summarizing the information you have found. Do not, for the time being, add any interpretation to the data of the sermon, and do not worry about connecting your separate pieces of information together into an argument: this exercise should focus on the skills of information-gathering and concise, concrete summary in sentences formed according to all applicable rules of correct and clear verbal expression. Aim for no less than 1/2 and no more than 1 full page for each list (getting a maximum of information across in a few clear, direct words is part of the skill being practiced here!), with each item of your summary-list presented as a paragraph. Include the source-reference with each item of information. For ease of legibility, word-process the lists in double-spaced, 12-point Times Roman.
3. Doublecheck Strunk and White and make sure you are writing clearly and correctly.
4. Proofread.
5. Come to class Monday 8 September with your summaries in hand, ready to contribute to collaborative discussion. The summaries will be collected in class.

Revised 4 September 2008 by jlong1@luc.edu
http://www.luc.edu/classicalstudies/