English assignment

HW 1 ​Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting   (Due 10/18/2020)  You don't have to write long paragraphs here, just try to answer each question in 2-3  sentences:    1. In the Armchair Theorists' video, how do they define a "bad take" vs. a "good take"? What  are the characteristics of "bad takes," according to them?    2. What would you say is their overall "take" on the protests, especially the looting? Do you  find this convincing or not? Why or why not?    3. What was one memorable or noteworthy point or moment that you noticed in the video?  Youtube video: ​ ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7R4R4Dm97c&t=1287s

HW 2 (Final essay Due 10/22/2020)

Essay 2: Analytical Essay Prompt For this assignment, please write an analytical essay that

shows how the course materials help us understand the recent protests against racism and

police brutality. Please use four sources— at least three should be from the course materials,

while the other two could also be from course materials, or could be materials you find through

your own research. Possible Sources (all available through Moodle): • Richard A. Oppel Jr. et al,

“The Fullest Look Yet at the Racial Inequality of the Coronavirus,” • Patrice Khan-Cullors, When

They Call You a Terrorist • Angela Davis, Interview on DemocracyNow • I am Not Your Negro

(dir. Raoul Peck) • W.E.B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk • The Armchair Theorists, “The

George Floyd Protests, Looting, and Slavoj Zizek’s ‘Violence’” Analyzing the Texts For the body

of your essay, you should make use of summarizing, paraphrasing, and especially quoting.

Make extensive use of quotations that you think illustrate important points that the author

makes. As a rule of thumb, for each quote that you give, you should first introduce it by giving its

context, second give the quote itself, and third provide your own analysis of that quotation that is

two to three times as long as the quote. For example, if your quotation is two lines long, you

should then immediately follow the quote with four to six lines of your own writing that explains

the quote, analyzes how it makes the point that it does, and perhaps links it back to your overall

argument. As you can see, entire body paragraphs can be built around two, or sometimes even

just one, thought-provoking quotation, building up to your interpretation, analysis, and

application. This is standard in analytical essays focused on books and movies. Argumentative

Thesis Your essay should have an argumentative thesis about how the different sources that

you use help us understand and talk about the recent protest movement. Remember the They

Say / I Say format. These writers and filmmakers have a lot to say, but they are not necessarily

speaking to each other, and in some cases not speaking to the year 2020. Explore where the

different sources agree or disagree, or where they might focus on different aspects of the issue.

All of these various angles go beyond simply repeating what each source says. You want your

essay to be comprehensible to someone who has read none of the sources; you also want it to

still be interesting and thought-provoking to someone who has read all of the sources. You don’t

need to write the thesis when you first sit down—instead begin writing about the sources and

develop your thesis gradually. WRIT 313 Nowak Questions to help you write the essay: 1) What

to you are the most interesting aspects of the texts? 2) How do you see them connected to the

recent wave of protests? 3) Do these sources agree or disagree? Do they focus on the same

question or different questions? 4) What are some popular misconceptions about police

violence or anti-black racism in the U.S., or what aspects are not receiving enough attention?

Requirements Sources: At least 4 Page length: Minimum of 6 pages for main essay (plus title

page, abstract, and References, for a 9-page document)