UCWR 110 Essays
The synopses below are taken from the Writing Program's UCWR 110 textbook: Lunsford, Andrea and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Everything’s An Argument, with Writing Responsibly. Edited by Sherrie Weller, Macmillan, 2020.
Summary
"As you probably already know, a summary is a sentence, paragraph, or paper that gives an overview of another text. A summary is significantly shorter than its source text, but it still covers the source text's main ideas. The idea behind a summary is that it allows a reader to understand the point or 'gist' of the source text without actually reading it" (8).
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Analysis
"Simply put, analysis is a detailed examination and investigation of the elements of a text, often a piece of writing, literature, art, film, or music. As students, you engage in analysis in nearly every facet of your daily academic lives: in classroom discussions about economic policy, literary theory, or history; in biology labs; in law practicums or in pre-med study groups. Analysis occurs in the form of engaged study, discussion, and dissection that leads to a deep understanding of a subject and its importance, effects, and implications for the future" (32).
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Synthesis
"The term 'synthesis' has a number of specific meanings, depending on the disciplinary context of the term." ... "In college writing, synthesis involves combining and integrating ideas from two or more sources to develop a new idea. Synthesis writing is sometimes called discourse synthesis or dialectical thinking, because the task is to put source texts into dialogue, or conversation, with one another (McGinley 227). In a synthesis paper, the writer discusses how two or more texts can be viewed in the light of an organizing theme, structure, or idea and integrates these perspectives to form a complex conclusion or develop a starting point for further inquiry" (46).
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Researched Argument
"In UCWR 110, you will be required to compose a research paper that makes an argument. This requirement may be different from research projects that you have done in the past." ... "Most often, the main purpose is to develop an argument based on the research you have done. While the project will of course require you to do substantial information gathering, in your paper you will be expected to develop an argument and shape the paper around a thesis. Students sometimes struggle with this argumentative aspect of the assignment because they see research as strictly collecting information about a topic. As you conduct your research, you should therefore not only gather information but also identify the different debates your sources are engaged in. These debates can point you toward a more specific issue around which you can structure your argument" (76).
