Blog 8: What Does the Next Semester Look Like for You?

Engl 165-09 Fall '24, Freshman

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We have now completed Freshman Year by Sarah Mai. Unlike you, she has completed her first full semester while you are quickly approaching completion of your first semester. As you look forward to spring semester, how do you see your experiences possibly lining up with Sarah’s? What challenges do you think you’ll face in the upcoming semester? Will spring break be on your radar from day one? Do you already have plans for spring break? Do you have plans for your summer already: traveling, working, internship, vegging?

Think through how you think your upcoming semester will reflect of differ from Sarah’s.

 
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Blog post 7

Engl 165-09 Fall '24

In chapter 7 of academic reading, several elements of structure, language, and reference are discussed. 

The thesis statement, which forms the basis of the argument and needs to be precise and debatable, is one important structural component. 

The chapter also discusses many organizational patterns, such as chronological, thematic, or comparative structures. For language, a formal tone is necessary in humanities writing. 

For reference, citation of sources is essential. It also shows how the author can interact with one another. The most commonly used citations are MLA, CMS, and APA.

In the story at the end of the article, I first recognized the thesis. The author portrayed the thesis well and also made some observations and did the correct research to organize that. Reference is used consistently to cite the authors whose work was used in the second paragraph. “Idea of joyful love and marriage” is a significant use of language, with the author’s joyfully referring to love and marriage. 

 
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Post 7 Writing in Humanities

Engl 165-09 Fall '24

The important parts of reading and writing are structure, language, and reference. Within in these pieces there are also elements that shape them. Structures main element is an argument of a paper or something of the sort. Arguments are thesis driven so writers must build a strong one to write their paper on. To build a strong thesis writers must make observations that pose good questions. After that research takes place. What the thesis essentially does is say what the author wants to prove to you is correct after their questions and research. A thesis should be debatable, conversation, and have significance. The structure of many papers is built around the idea of a 5 paragraph essay which can be adjusted per the point and style of the paper.

Next is how the paper is worded. Language is another element of writing. Language’s subcategories are descriptive, rhetorical, and active writing. As well as hedging. Descriptive writing entails the authors individuality showing through the words and voice. Rhetorical writing includes using devices such as similies and metaphors to show an authors language. By using active voice an author is stating the subject of the sentence very upfront, whereas passive voice is the opposite of active. Hedging in writing is when authors will draw a sentence out so it doesn’t sound or look like a straight fact. It can be interpreted based on judgement of the reader as opposed to looking like an obvious fact.

Referencing in writing shows how one author can interact with another just by using their works. Proving things are facts will sometimes be needed, in doing so a citation must come with it. In the humanities, the most commonly used citations are MLA, CMS, and APA. This way authors can also prove where they stand with a point by possibly picking a source that aligns more so with their beliefs than that of which they are writing.

In the sample story at the end of the article the first thing that I notice is the thesis. The author framed the thesis well and obviously made some observations and did the research to organize that. Reference is used frequently to cite the authors whose works were used in particularly the second paragraph. “ideal of joyful love and marriage.”, is a great use of language with the descriptor joyful referring to the love and the marriage. “The authors setting for this science is crucial in the development of not only the plot but also her critique of marriage.”, is an example of hedging because it shows how this sentence could be examined but t is not the author trying to make it an end-all-be-all.

 

 
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Blog Post 7

Engl 165-09 Fall '24

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In Chapter 7 of AW, the common elements of structure, language, and reference in the humanities were discussed. The structure in the humanities is typically thesis driven. The thesis is usually built off of research questions. It follows a five paragraph essay structure. It starts with a thesis, likely to be found in the introduction paragraph. Then followed by body paragraphs that include evidence of the claim. At the end there is a conclusion that is a summary and includes key points of the writing. Titles are also an important part of the structure. The author of AW describes titles to be creative and artistic. Transition words are used to think back to the thesis and to back up the reasoning behind the claim. 

In the sample text, Ray starts with a Thesis statement and then goes into her body paragraphs that give supporting evidence from the text about the author’s view on marriage, specifically oppressive ones. At the end of her writing she has a conclusion paragraph that sums up the key points in the text that back up her claim. In between each of her paragraphs she uses transition statements and words that help her writing flow. For example she says “Chopin goes on to emphasize…”. 

Language in the humanities is “flowery” language. There is a lot of use of figurative language. Typically authors will write in an active voice to clearly state the subject. Hedging is used to show possibilities of exceptions in claims.

In the Rays’ writing, there are some examples of hedging. Especially when she is referencing the author’s claims. She says things like “seem to”. In the sample text, the author uses an active voice. We know this because she clearly states the subjects in her writing. 

Reference in the humanities often entails incorporating references of other’s work to show the relevance of the topic. Referencing articles can show the author’s standpoint on the topic. Citations are usually done in Modern Language Association, and Chicago Manual of Style.

On the works cited page of the sample paper, Ray’s citations are done in MLA format. She uses in text citations from the other authors’ work to back up what she explains about Kate Chopin’s writing. 



 
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AW 7

Academic Writing, Engl 165-09 Fall '24

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Chapter seven of AW focuses on how writing in the humanities is conceived. The structure of the writing style consists of a thesis, which is the introduction of the text. It shows a clear central idea of the text, which will be built off of it in the rest of the text. Beyond the thesis, the body paragraphs often start with a topic sentence telling the reader what information is within this paragraph. It is then finished with a transition sentence linking it to the following body paragraph. Language should avoid being passive and should use human emotion. These aspects contribute human-like elements, so your writing can come across as more expressive. The writing styles for the humanities include MLA and Chicago.

For the example essay given within chapter seven, I find the introduction to help explain the background and what beliefs and society were like when this essay was written; however, I feel the thesis is overly complicated for no explicit reason, using just the sentence “Chopin explores marriage as the oppression of one’s true self and desires.” would be a much easier thesis for the reader to grasp. The overall structure is well done with a clear hook at the beginning into the background of the time, finally building a thesis. The language used in this introduction is very on-point, engaging, and somewhat concise on the topic of the essay. Reference in the opening paragraph includes properly citing the text the author is using. They also include names of other famous writers writing around the same time.

The body paragraphs are the meat of this essay and contain evidence to support the author’s claims. This essay would be better represented under headers rather than just paragraphs but to the formatting. Many paragraphs often are written about the same section of text. The topic is introduced in one paragraph, and in the following, certain aspects of the text are explored for how they build the story’s meaning. Besides this structure issue, the rest of the formatting is fine. Each paragraph includes a topic sentence, followed by drawing meaning from the text and analyzing it, then is tied back to the thesis. The author often goes down the path of summarizing the text without linking it to their thesis. The language is the standard for this style of writing and has no major flaws. Quotes are abundant in this paper, and the author does them correctly by naming the story’s author once with the paragraph number, then only including the paragraph for the rest of their citations. 

In their concluding paragraph, the thesis is retouched, and key points of the text are used to provide final proof of the author’s claim. A final meaning is also drawn from the text, which wraps up the paper.



 

 
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A Guide to Academic Writing: Chapter 7; Reading and Writing in the Humanities

Academic Writing, Engl 165-09 Fall '24

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One of the readings this week came from A Guide to Academic Writing. This chapter was about reading and writing in the humanities. Throughout the reading, I was able to learn the common elements of structure, language, and reference in the humanities and understand them on a deeper level. 

Regardless of the type of writing, structure is something which is extremely important. One of the main elements of structure for writing in the humanities comes from the argument. Arguments are structured to be thesis-driven; meaning that they make an interpretive claim about a text and then support the claim with specific evidence from the text and sometimes material from other sources that support their interpretation. This is different from writing in the social and natural sciences, as they are driven by a hypothesis that is requires testing and provides for a different kind of structure. In addition to this element of structure, writing in the humanities includes structure elements that include titles, paragraphs, and transitions. For instance, authors create titles that reflect the value of artistic and creative use of language. Additionally, paragraphs are connected through transitional words and phrases that guide readers through the parts of an argument and help them understand how one paragraph connects to the other.

When it comes to language in the humanities, one that is creative or playful is often used. For instance, an author might use figurative language and rhetorical devices. Overall authors choose precise and sometimes artistic language that not only conveys information, but also engages in rhetorical activity of its own. Additionally, writing in the humanities favors the use of the active voice instead of the passive voice. This is because the active voice clearly states the subject of the sentence, the agent, as the person or thing doing the action. Lastly, authors use the technique of hedging to allow for other interpretations of and perspectives on texts. 

References are used in the humanities to establish what the focus and stance of their own research will be. Furthermore, when work of other scholars is cited, the authors show how their research contributes to ongoing conversations about a subject. These references overall allow for strengthening of the argument and direct support of it because it is showing how another scholar had a similar idea. When citing this references, MLA or CMA format are usually used. 

Towards the end of this chapter, there is a student sample paper in which these elements of structure, language, and references can be exemplified. For instance, the student provides a thesis, that is clearly stated and provides a preview that allows the reader to understand how her paper will develop. Along with this, transitions are used between the student’s paragraphs, which organize her ideas and connect all of her different ideas. Additionally, the student uses the active voice, which allows her to clarify who is doing what in her sentences. Lastly, when the student cites her source, she uses MLA format.

 
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