final essay

English

Final Exam

Creative:

This is a take home exam that is designed to demonstrate all of the course

objectives for this course. You have studied a variety of literature this semester,

and this assignment will demonstrate your ability to synthesize the concepts of the

course.

Study the information below then open the pdf for the exam:

Here is an article on writing a synthesis paper:

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/features/edu/Strategies-for-Synthesis-

Writing.html

Strategies for Synthesis Writing October 27, 2011

by James Sullivan

To write effectively, students must be able to synthesize ideas from multiple sources into a

cohesive viewpoint. Here are some strategies for teaching students how to do so.

Synthesis in Writing

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A synthesis is a piece of writing that combines information from two or more sources. If a

writer is explaining a concept or event, research from different sources can be synthesized to

offer a well-rounded explanation of it. If a writer is arguing a point, her point can be

emphasized by synthesizing several pieces of research that back her thesis.

The idea of a “synthesis” in writing can seem abstract, so it’s important to conceptualize it in

a way that’s easy to grasp. Michigan State University provides examples of synthesis in

everyday life: “It follows that your ability to write syntheses depends on your ability to infer

relationships among sources—essays, articles, fiction, and also nonwritten sources, such as

lectures, interviews, observations. This process is nothing new for you, since you infer

relationships all the time—say, between something you’ve read in the newspaper and

something you've seen for yourself … In fact, if you’ve written research papers, you’ve

already written syntheses. In an academic synthesis, you make explicit the relationships that

you have inferred among separate sources.”

This article itself is an example of a synthesis. Before writing, I conducted research to find

some of the best information online about synthesis writing. I then drew information from

each of these sources and combined it with my own knowledge of synthesis writing. The

result is a new work that combines information from many sources to explain synthesis in my

own way.

Why is it important to synthesize? The most successful research paper is one that uses many

sources to support an original thesis. This requires more than simply summarizing passages of

source material; it means drawing connections between the sources, and using these

connections to relate the different passages in a way that sheds new light on, and transforms,

the material.

Recognizing these “connections” is imperative. As part of a tutorial for students on writing an

academic paper, Dartmouth College elaborates on the importance of making connections.

Strategies for Synthesis

Taking a more thoughtful approach to reading during your research phase is usually the first

step toward creating a successful synthesis, as MIT professor Ed Boyden explains in a

Technology Review blog post titled “How to Think”:

“Synthesize new ideas constantly. Never read passively. Annotate, model, think, and

synthesize while you read, even when you're reading what you conceive to be introductory

stuff. That way, you will always aim towards understanding things at a resolution fine enough

for you to be creative.”

By reading actively, students will be better able to recognize the crucial connections between

ideas that form the basis for synthesizing.

Advanced Synthesis

Students must learn to approach their research with synthesis in mind. Arizona State

University offers step-by-step instructions for conducting research in a way that’s conducive

to synthesizing information. Not surprisingly, one of the first steps involves highlighting key

facts and ideas while reading, to aid in the cross-reference of sources later on.

ASU provides additional instruction for educators interested in using this particular model for

synthesis.

One of the most straightforward and comprehensive guides to writing syntheses comes from

Michigan State University. Its “Introduction to Syntheses” article covers the purpose of

syntheses, types of syntheses, and techniques for writing synthesis essays. This article is a

must-read for older students, particularly the section “How to Write Synthesis Essays.”

According to the College Board, one exercise used in AP English courses to emphasize

synthesis is the researched argument paper. “Researched argument papers remind students

that they must sort through disparate interpretations to analyze, reflect upon, and write

about a topic. When students are asked to bring the experience and opinions of others into

their essays in this way, they enter into conversations with other writers and thinkers.”

Download the course description for more extensive information on researched argument

papers, and other exercises that can be used to teach advanced aspects of synthesis.

Synthesis for Young Students

Into the Book, a site that aims to help teachers educate students on reading comprehension

strategies, has aggregated links to help students learn synthesis skills. The “Teacher

Background” links provide teachers with ways of thinking about synthesis that could aid them

in their classroom instruction. Note that the “Key Concept: Synthesis” link has moved to

a new address. The site has an interesting graphic organizer that students can fill out while

reading, to make identifying connections in the text a less abstract activity.

Need Examples?

Sources in this Story

o Michigan State University:Introduction to Syntheses o Dartmouth College: What is an academic paper? o Technology Review: How to Think o Arizona State University:Synthesizing Information: Step-by-Step Instructions For Learners o CollegeBoard: AP English Language o Into the Book: Synthesizing o Greece Central School District: Key Concept: Synthesis

If you need an example of synthesis, look no further than finding Dulcinea’s Beyond the

Headlines articles. Here, you’ll find 10,000 examples of articles built through synthesis. When

writing about a topic, our writers conduct extensive research to find background and

historical information, different perspectives, and related topics, and then they synthesize

information from these sources to provide a comprehensive perspective about the topic. A

recent white paper on digital and media literacy from the Knight Commission praised Beyond

the Headlines, saying it “addresses the ‘context deficit’ that occurs with online searching.”

Different types of stories require different types of synthesis. In some stories we report on

current events, but contextualize them by synthesizing background information. Our “On This

Day” articles usually require synthesis of historical resources to explain a chronology of

events.

The “Opinion & Analysis” sections of our “Beyond the Headlines” articles also employ

synthesis. Finding Dulcinea writers present a handful of diverse opinions about a topic to

broaden our readers’ understanding of that topic. These opinions, though differing in their

views, are bound together through their connection to the original topic, and can thus be

synthesized.