Week Five: Literature Review

1. Week Five: Literature Review Lesson Objectives: • Determine a strong thesis’ mechanics and content. • Focus the literature on ideas, through topic sentences • Identify in-text citation and attributive tags • Begin peer review on Draft 1.1

2. Thesis Statement • Thesis = Topic + Comment • “‘Clean energy’ may seem like a good idea, but so far, nobody has demonstrated that ethanol promises a good future for any of us, for farmers who just want to make a good living, or for consumers who just want to drive a safe, economical car without feeling guilty about harming the environment.” • What is the content, and how will it be argued?

3. Thesis Statement • “While past research has speculated that word grouping affects children’s reading, current research indicates that line spacing, word size, and typeface (font) are more effective in improving children’s reading.” • “An interdisciplinary group of scholars have created digital humanities programs; in the following literature review, fellow students can track what digital humanities consist of, how academic scholar’s attitudes have changed towards it, and what are the current and future applications going forward for digital books.”

4. Focusing a Thesis. “There is significant evidence that exercise and physical activity has a positive effect on mood, but how far can this mood enhancement reach? Studies on a range of subjects are reviewed, from women suffering from depression, to the young and clinically depressed, and the elderly and their disposition to depression. The intent is to investigate how much exercise is need to increase positive outlook as well as what age, if any, the benefits of exercise on mood expire.”

5. Idea-Driven Topic Sentences “Try to let the focus be on the idea itself, and articulate this in the topic sentence. Then, for the remainder of the paragraph you can bring in paraphrases and brief quotes from different texts which support the ‘idea-driven’ topic sentence.” —from a Grader, my emphasis

6. Idea-Driven Topic Sentences • How do the topic sentences support the thesis? • How do they reflect an “idea-driven” paper?

7. In-text Citation and Attributive Tags “American Humorists.” South Australian Register. (Adelaide, SA: 1839-1900) 10 Nov. 1870: 5. National Library of Australia. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. Kolb, Jr., Harold H. “The Outcasts of Literary Flat: Bret Harte as Humorist.” American Literary Realism, 1870-1910 23.2 (Winter 1991): 52-63. JSTOR. Web. 28 Sept. 2013.

8. In-Text Citation and Attributive Tags • One scholar positions Harte’s humor in narration, writing “his power, […] subjects” (Kolb 56). • Kolb positions Harte’s humor in narration, writing “his power, […] subjects” (56). • An Australian columnist notes American humor is known for “wild exaggerations, the abrupt and quaint turns of expression, [and] the grotesque nonsense” (“American Humorists” 5).

9. Peer Review on Draft 1.1 • Pass your draft to someone you trust. Have him or her review the following: • Identify the draft’s thesis. Evaluate its effectiveness, based on today’s lecture’s criteria. • Underline the topic sentences. How do they demonstrate an idea-driven paper? • Circle in-text citation. Do they follow standard MLA citation?

10. Homework Monday, 2/17: • Submit Draft 1.1 Wednesday, 2/19: • St. Martin’s: Ch. 4b, “Reviewing Your Peers” • First-Year: Ch. 10-11 (197-223)