For this assignment, you will be “synthesizing” the Britney Spears article you found, the Dr. McMillan Cottom “Dying to be competent” essay, and the short
story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
First you need to reflect on the readings.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
-What connected with you the most?
-What surprised me?
-Do I have any strong emotions or opinions on this main idea?
-How have my thoughts or opinions been affirmed or challenged?
-Do I have personal experience that agrees or disagrees with what I read?
-What seems like the most authoritative information? Why?
-Are any sources ignoring important perspectives?
Then think about what you want to say about the readings and the overall topic (competence, specifically how gender, race, class determines how someone
views our competence). Does your opinion fit within the conversation? Is your idea bringing something new to the conversation? How does or did the
readings change your own thoughts on the main idea?
Finally, argue your view on the three readings and how they all fit into this idea of competence.
Remember: In a synthesis paper, the goal is not to explore each of your source materials, but to put forth your own ideas with the information. A good
synthesis point in support of your thesis will have a few paragraphs and more than one source supporting that idea. Again, your focus in a synthesis essay is
on YOUR ideas, not the ideas of the article or articles used