Introduction: Primary Source (Archival) Research Article
due: 10/05
value: 20 points
Broad Course Objectives
Students will study methods and approaches writers have used to write about the natural world. Our inquiry (1) looks briefly at the history of nature writing, (2) looks at contemporary concerns about the sustainability of the natural world in lieu of the American economic system and people’s needs, (3) offers an introduction to solitude, and (4) makes suggestions for framing a research-oriented inquiry. Various viewpoints about environmental conservation and the human use of natural resources will be encountered through professional essays, documentaries, and reviews of contemporary environmental issues as they are depicted in national media outlets.
Broad Assignment Objective
One of the key features of this assignment will be using primary sources that you locate in an archive of some kind. For example, we will go over Henry David Thoreau’s Walden in class. As a follow up, you will find an archival source that pertains to either Thoreau or Walden, and this source will be contemporary to Thoreau’s time—specifically, to 1854 when the book was published. There are a number of options for where you can find historical material. Remember that you are not looking for books about an historical event or object but, instead, you are looking for actual accounts of events or items in their own time context. Also, this paper must be written in a formal manner.
Broad Assignment Procedure
Find an online or physical archive that contains materials that might help you answer your research questions. RoI Chapter 7 is a key text to review here. You will use the primary sources to answer your research questions. Do not be afraid to refocus your questions as you review sources.
Once you find relevant primary sources, you will produce a brief summary and analysis of the primary sources you plan to use for your paper. Consider the following questions and ideas:
• What happened in the past?
• What is the continuity and connection to today?
• Historical context: What role did cultural influences play?
• How is the historical context appreciated through our contemporary context?
• Definition of synchronic approach: at one point in time with a broad range of cultural information coming to bear on that one point.
• Definition of diachronic approach: across multiple points in time with a broad range of comparable cultural information coming to bear on those points.
For the next step, you will draft a paper that makes a historical argument—that is, a paper that presents an answer to the research question that is based upon an interpretation of primary sources. You can see some examples of historical papers on other topics in RoI’s Appendix D.
Rhetorical Situation
due: to be announced (HW grade)
(This part of the assignment should be doubled-space and no longer than one page.)
Describe your rhetorical situation. Let us define rhetorical situation as the relationship between topic, purpose, and audience.
First, in regard to Henry David Thoreau and Walden, explain your approach in regard to the requirements embedded in this assignment:
• What happened in the past? The obvious answer is that Thoreau lived at Walden’s Pond and worked on the Walden manuscript. What else happened, though? What occurred in Thoreau’s world that motivated him to seek solitude and to write?
• What is the continuity and connection to today? That is, are any or all of Thoreau’s views relevant today?
• Consider the historical context. What role did cultural influences play on Thoreau’s actions? Then address how or if Thoreau’s historical context is appreciated through our contemporary context? (Consider the synchronic and diachronic approaches. You might combine the two approaches.)
• How did Thoreau’s ideas compare to other writers during the nineteenth-century?
What point do you want to make with your essay? More important, what methods do you use to make the point? For example, what style of writing do you use? Let us refer to style or elocution as writing maneuvers such as tone of voice, figurative language, irony, and metaphor. Why do you choose first-person narration over third-person, or vice-versa?
Also, who comprises your audience? Is your audience general? Or are you thinking of a discourse community. Let us define “discourse community” as a group of people who share written or spoken discourse wherein communication occurs around and is strengthened by the understanding of basic values and assumptions; these shared qualities provide a platform for communicating the goals established by the discourse community; these shared qualities may also provide a platform and, thus, leverage for criticizing the community’s goals.
Overall, what effect do you intend to elicit from your choice of topic and manner of presenting that topic?
Grading Rubric
Minimum Requirements (Standard: No Point Value/ Points Subtracted If These Requirements Are Not Met)
This paper must be written in a formal manner. The standards against which your writing will be measured are: (1) attention to the assignment, (2) imaginative but concise writing, (3) well-written rhetorical situation for Assignment Two, (4) precision in terms of phrasing and use of formal written language, and (5) adherence to basic grammar rules and the guidelines from Writing Guidelines for Natural World Journal.
Your paper must be comprised of an introduction paragraph, body paragraphs, and a summary paragraph. The number of body paragraphs is determined by the depth and complexity of the argument and by your ability to compose concise sentences.
Your paper must be double spaced and the margins should be one inch all around. Note that the right margin will vary according to your sentences. Do not make margin justifications on the right side. You must use size 12 font in Times Roman.
Use the MLA format for citations, and citations must come from course texts.
Thesis (15 percent)
For this paper you must follow the topic rationale stated on the assignment sheet.
Also, you will be graded against the following criteria:
• worthy or powerful central point;
• the central point must be well-supported; and
• the audience and purpose must be clear.
Development (50 percent)
In terms of content development you will be graded against the following criteria:
• original thought;
• careful reasoning;
• impressive evidence; and
• impeccable explanation and analyses of ideas.
Organization (15 percent)
You will be graded against the following criteria:
• progression of ideas by strategic stages;
• progression of ideas that fit your purpose;
• necessary progression of ideas that respond to the needs of readers; and
• organic flow of your entire paper.
Style and Diction (10 percent)
You will be graded against the following criteria:
• lively, fresh writing;
• accurate and precise wording; and
• concise word choices as discussed in The Writer’s Harbrace Handbook, Part VI.
Mechanics (10 percent)
You will be graded against the following criteria:
• adherence to the rules of grammar from WHH, Part IV;
• attention to effective sentences from WHH, Part V;
• knowledge of correct punctuation from WHH, Part VII; and
• knowledge of accurate mechanics from WHH, Part VIII.
Specific Procedures for Paper #2
English 102: Composition II
Inquiry Into Nature Writing
The University of Tennessee
Spring, 2020
Richard Yost, Lecturer
Paper #1: Primary Source (Archival) Research Article
due: 10/05
value: 20 points
Broad Topic
In order to write this paper, students should come up with a research question. For example, in what ways do the ideas in the first two chapters of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden apply to our world? In what ways do the ideas not apply? In what ways have Thoreau’s ideas carried over into the maintenance of national parks and hiking trails? What conclusions do you reach from your answers for the preceding questions? When you articulate the research question, start looking for a primary source that demonstrates a reaction to Walden in Thoreau’s time.
Explanation
In regard to historical perspective, students are required to write with these questions in mind: What happened in the past? What is the continuity and connection to today? What role or roles did cultural influences play? What role or roles might they play today? Students are not required to address all these questions in their paper. Still, the questions are important for establishing a context.
With this assignment the distinction between synchronic and diachronic analyses is important because one reaches different conclusions from the two approaches. A synchronic analysis is one that regards linguistic phenomena at a given time, usually the present. Think of a particular moment in the present time. A diachronic analysis, on the other hand, regards linguistic phenomena in terms of development through time. It is roughly equivalent to historical or evolution and change over time.
You should quote a statement or more from Thoreau’s Walden. In other words, provide direct evidence for your claim. State the topic proficiently yet concisely. Then defend it with reasoning and textual evidence. Remember to write a formal paper.
This is a primary source paper. We use Chapter One, Two, and Eighteen from Thoreau’s Walden as our primary source. These chapters are in Canvas files or may be found online at:
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/walden/walden.html or http://www.phred.org/~alex/kenkifer/www.kenkifer.com/Thoreau/index.htm (annotated text)
For background information on Thoreau’s writing, check:
http://thoreau.library.ucsb.edu/index.html or
http://thoreau.library.ucsb.edu/thoreau_life.html or
https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/walden/index.html
lecture from C-Span https://www.c-span.org/video/?177554-1/walden-fully-annotated-edition
writers and American Transcendentalism: http://www.transcendentalism.org/index.html
Approaches to the Topic (With Either Approach, You Must Refer to or Quote From Walden in meaningful ways.)
One approach to the assignment is to consider the selections from Thoreau’s Walden that we reviewed in class. Thoreau suggests that we must “simplify” our lives and come to realize what is actually important in our daily living, especially if we are to be self-aware and free individual beings. For example, is a person’s character or a person’s monetary worth the most important aspect in this life? Or, might it be both? Have we thought out our belief on the matter, or do we accept societal truisms for our beliefs without considering their effects on us? How did commentators deal with these questions in Thoreau’s time? After pondering these ideas, we might ask to what degree, if any, Thoreau’s views are applicable to our contemporary world. Include some meaningful comments on nature, which of course Thoreau does.
Another approach to the assignment is to offer a view or speculation on what ways Thoreau’s ideas about the natural world have carried over into contemporary times. Students might consider such approaches as whether Thoreau’s ideas influence contemporary practices, e.g. the establishment of national parks or the maintenance of hiking trails. Once again, how did commentators deal with these questions in Thoreau’s time? Students may consult Rockford E. Toews’ “One Less Accountant,” Thomas P. Lynch’s “The ‘Domestic Air’ of Wilderness,” Alfred Tauber’s “Henry Thoreau’s As A Mirror of Ourselves,” or other sources that deal with an archival perspective. (Some are on Canvas in Files).
Texts and Materials
• http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/walden/walden.html or http://www.phred.org/~alex/kenkifer/www.kenkifer.com/Thoreau/index.htm (annotated text)
• Additional sources identified above.
Process:
• Formulate a research question: see RoI, Chap. 7
Tips:
1) Use information from RoI.
2) You may find it helpful to use a type of comparison-contrast organization, but this approach is not required.
3) See separate rubric (we will develop this in class) for other grading criteria.
Requirements:
1) Final Draft Due: 10/05 Length: 5-6 pages (excluding Works Cited page)
2) Formatting: 12pt Times New Roman / 1-inch margins / MLA parenthetical citations and Works Cited page.