Compare American Transportation with Belgium Transportation

The purpose of this essay is to make connections between two countries and cultures: Belgium and America. This assignment also requires you to demonstrate critical thinking and analysis, so that your essay moves past a description of facts or circumstances. You will develop a thesis that reflects a sophisticated explanation of cultural awareness.  This task will require research and critical reading, reflecting on the similarities and differences of each culture. You will synthesize your observations into a logical, well-developed essay that explains the significance of the shared or contrasting values. 

Characteristics of the Comparison Contrast Essay

A successful essay

· provides an engaging introduction that offers the reader some background information on the cultural significance of the topic.

· presents a thesis that offers a sophisticated and nuanced analysis of the chosen topic.

· supports the thesis through well-developed paragraphs that are organized strategically.

· point by point or subject by subject

· presents an objective stance by the use of third-person voice.

· includes specific details and evidence from secondary sources.

· correctly integrates quotations and conforms to MLA documentation and format guidelines.

 

Essay Requirements

· 1000 words

· Minimum of four secondary sources, with a minimum of two accessed from TCC library databases

· Minimum of six references of secondary sources within the body of the essay

· MLA format for presentation (typed, double-spaced, 12-pt. Times New Roman font, 1” margins) and source documentation (in-text citations and Works Cited page)

 

Process

Reading and Pre-writing

Much of your work in writing this essay will take place before you begin writing a first draft. The very first thing to do is to engage a sense of whole literacy by combining reading and writing in order to explore your initial feelings/views regarding a potential topic.

We will

1. Review MLA documentation requirements.

2. Practice the integration and documentation of quotations into the body of the essay.

3. Formulate our ideas using invention exercises.

4. Use diagrams and charts to plan the structure of the essay.

5. Craft thesis statements that offer analysis and insight.

Researching

Locate, read, evaluate, and take notes on at least four secondary sources for developing your critical analysis. Use the research module on Canvas for additional information on the research process.

 

Drafting

Using your above notes, try to write a rough draft of your essay. Consider reading the tips for drafting in the Writing Process module on Canvas.

 

The following outline offers a suggested guideline for organizing your critical analysis essay:

Introduction 

· Use a lead-in hook to engage your readers' interest. You might use a striking quotation, an interesting statistic or fact, or a related current event. Whatever your choice, the lead-in must be clearly related to the focus you have selected to analyze.

· Provide some background that will help your readers understand the topic you are about to discuss.

· Present your thesis statement that offers a specific focus through comparison of two cultures.

Body 

· Provide specific reasons that support your thesis. Ideally, each reason should be developed separately.

· Offer concrete examples that illustrate your reasons.

· Consider the organizational pattern that works best for your focus: point by point or subject by subject. 

· Pay attention to proper paragraph development by moving from a general idea (often in a topic sentence) to specific details via explanations and evidence/examples. Finish paragraphs with a clincher or closing sentence.

· Transition properly from paragraph to paragraph to achieve overall coherence.

Conclusion 

· Restate your thesis in a fresh manner.

· Try to leave with a lasting impression for the reader by calling for action or reminding the reader of the cultural significance of your approach/thesis.

· Consider commenting on other cultures if they relate to your discussion.

 

Seeking Feedback and Revising

Once you have completed a rough draft of your entire essay, let it sit awhile. Then read your draft (out loud, if possible) while considering areas that might be further developed or improved. Write notes while you read. Applying whole literacy to the revision process is essential to improved results. First, think about the big picture: clarity, development, and coherence. Feedback is a most helpful element in the revising process. Letting other people read your work can help you identify specific areas for improving, as well as recognize specific strengths in your writing.

 

Recommended options for feedback:

* Submit essay to Smarthinking for feedback

* Complete a “Self-Review” of your essay – in-class activity

* Participate in a “Peer Review” – in-class activity

* Consider taking your essay to the Learning Commons for additional support and feedback for content development.

 

Editing and Proofreading 

After you have revised for content, think about the details of writing correctness: sentence clarity, word choice, grammar and punctuation. Read the editing and proofreading guide in the Writing Process module on Canvas for additional tips. To help you address the sentence-level clarity and correctness of your writing, as well as the technicalities of MLA documentation and format, consider visiting the Learning Commons for a conference.

 

Resources:  Link  to UNC Writing Center page on comparison/contrast